14 DAY TRIAL // While there are quite a few products out there that are considered “rugged” by their manufacturers, the truth of the matter is that relatively few really deserve this name, and one of the most worthy recipients is the Ridgid Jobsite Radio, that can really take just about any shock one might throw at it, while also being able to dock (and play music from) Apple's iPod.
First and foremost, we'll have to mention that this thing's heavy-duty roll cage and sturdy build will be able to take quite a serious amount of shocks, delivering a good level of protection for the MP3 player or iPod stored within.
And if you don't believe us, take a look at the short video clip embedded at the end of this article, where you'll be able to see exactly the kind of abuse this thing can take (and emerged fairly unscratched at the other end).
The device provides plenty of interesting features, as it comes equipped with a backlit LCD display, digital clock, AM/FM/race scanner, digital key pad tuning, 10 programmable AM/FM/race channels and level bass boost.
The Ridgid Jobsite Radio sports a front compartment protected by a solid door, where an MP3 player or iPod can be placed in order to remain out of harm's way, as well as a top tray for keep your cell phone or other small items while charging through the 12V receptacle.
Beside being able to play music stored onto a media player, the radio also works quite well on 520kHz – 1710kHz AM frequencies and 87.5mHz – 108.1mHz FM frequencies.
The device delivers a very good level of versatility in terms of power options, since it supports both a normal power cord and RIDGID slide-mount batteries.
The Ridgid Jobsite Radio sells for around 149 US dollars exclusively at the Home Depot, which, to be perfectly honest, is quite an OK price point, given the impressive level of ruggedness this thing provides.