Ryobi One+ P741 - FM/AM Radio (new product)

Chris Hatfield

Former Member (by the member's request)
Messages
380
I may not have a large audience here for this to reach, but I thought I might share it anyway. Text at the top, pics at the end.

I have a huge collection of the One+ catalog, it's been a great thing to have when you don't have permanent power. At last count I had twelve of the tools, if you count the flashlight. Well, lucky #13 is this new item.

I've had the first version, the P740, for over a year. It was a nice little tool for aural pleasure in the shop, when I didn't need to focus on the sounds of a tool to do a job. But it did have some shortcomings; to be expected on a first try.

Let's start with an overview of the P740. It was a FM/aux radio, with one speaker, an aux port, and analog tuner, volume and station select switch. It had a hard plastic hoop on the back for storing a MP3 player. The more I used it, the more limitations I found with it. If you didn't leave a charged battery hooked up to it, you'd lose your last station and would have to cycle back to where you were. If you were in the middle of the dial, this could take a minute or so. The MP3 dock was obviously designed for a iPod Nano or Mini, and couldn't accommodate anything else. You also had to provide your own 3.5mm male-male audio cord. Reception wasn't great on some of the lesser stations when I wanted to listen to the Braves game.

A couple of days ago, I found out that there was a new version, the P741. They've taken some obvious deficiencies and made this new one much better in my limited testing.

The P741 is totally redesigned unit. You have a much larger enclosure for the speaker, although I'd guess it's the same size. They've finally added an AM tuner, which is essential for listening to sports talk. They've also made everything digital - the display includes a clock, and you can tune using buttons instead of a dial. They've also added ten presets per radio mode for a total of twenty. You can cycle through each set depending on the mode you are on. They added space for two AAA batteries so that you can keep the clock and station stored for your next use.

Also included in the redesign was a bigger space for your MP3 player, and an included 3.5mm cord you can't lose.

In my initial testing, I’ve found that this is at least ten times the unit that the old one was. AM and FM reception is great, and I love that I can cycle through my presets and not have to go through useless chatter to get to the station I want. I love the battery backup. I think the visual design is better, especially with the blue backlight instead of the yellow/orange. The space for your MP3 player is way better. I can fit my iPhone in the slot and not have to worry about setting something down on it. The strap gets in the way of changing internet radio stations, but would probably work very well with the iPod function.

Can’t speak to battery life as I’m never in the shop long enough for a fully charged battery to run out using the radio.

In all, a great update to what was before a nice little toy. Now, I’d consider it a real tool along side any of the other One+ tools. One World doesn’t know when these will be in stores nationwide. I searched three different stores before I found one, and I was expecting it to ring up near the $50 or so price point I heard rumored. When it scanned at $29.99, the price of the previous one, I snapped it up without hesitation. I had been eyeing the Craftsman radio with envy, and had been wondering if there was a way for me to make it work with my batteries. Wonder no more, and this is better than the Craftsman version.

Pics:

Size comparison:


(new one is same size as old with slim battery)

P740 – Old



P741 – New

 
Thanks. What I find great is that I use these tools every single time I go into the shop. It's a fantastic system, and what got me into woodworking.
 
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