Cobra GMRS Bundle, 45 Km Range
2.8
5
4
4
Lithium needs love
I bought a pair of these radios, I've used them a few times now, and am fixing to buy another pair for some new guys we hired. They are very nice little units -- and emphasis on little: It is so nice to slide the radio in a front jacket pocket and be able to forget it's there. Plus, I think you look a little less like a tool using them in public if they are at least semi-discreet.
If some people are having battery problems, it might not be a fault of the units themselves. It may instead be related to how they use the units. Unlike NiCad (and to a lesser degree Nickel Metal Hydride batteries...), lithium batteries work best and last longest if they are charged right away after each significant round of use (don't throw them on the shelf and 'get around to it later').
It also dramatically extends Lithium batteries' life if they are not deep-discharged all the time; ie. you should charge them after each use instead of once they finally go completely dead. Actually, you NEVER need to charge lithium dead, in fact it's a bad practice, so do yourself a favour and keep that to the old NiCad batteries ONLY, and NiMH maybe once in a while).
I have actually seen manuals ADVISE to deep-discharge batteries on products with lithium power, and can only conclude they have not been updated since changing battery types, or the copywriter was clueless and using old instructions. Anyway DON'T DO IT.
On the plus side, lithium power sources are much smaller and lighter than the other choices, and hold a lot of juice for their compact form.
So anyway I recommend these radios, though I confess to no long term use experience yet... (only negative is the charger base is a bit toy-ish). And yeah, good idea to actually read the programming section of the manual because these little guys are packed with a lot of selectable features.
Oh yeah... one last point -- consider whether you and your buddy plan to keep and care for these separately, then consider whether you want a dual charger (like this one) or separate ones for separate use.
Nothing is ever simple or perfect, eh? Good luck.
December 8, 2011
Good units, But batteries are a pain.
These radios are pretty good, have had them for about a year now. Unfortunately as stated before the batteries (rechargeable) are poor quality and don't hold a charge. I would not recommend these to friends, Unless it was my friend Mark.
September 11, 2011
Failed just out of warranty
I never really used this too much during the warranty period. Now the AC adapter has failed. One handset will not turn on even though the battery is at full charge (used the other handset to charge it). One handset has a very weak signal and is useless. Poor quality.
September 8, 2011
Good value and range
I bought these for paintball, and so far I have been very pleased. Good range ( I play mostly woodsball, so range is in the hundreds of metres) and most importantly, good penetration ( playing in the woods, there are usually lots of trees). So far, no problems at all, and this is after all the usual bumps, falls, drops and direct strikes.
January 22, 2010
