Quick verdict
The BB-100 BlueBox is a tough, roll cage radio with Bluetooth and a big speaker for the garage, shop or job site. It is simple and loud, but it is not a weatherproof speaker and it has fewer presets than a home radio.
The Sangean BB-100, sold as the BlueBox, is an ultra rugged AM and FM radio that also streams music over Bluetooth. It sits inside a protective roll cage and is built to take bumps and dust. It is meant for workshops, garages, job sites and backyards.
What you get
You get digital AM and FM tuning with 10 presets, 5 for each band, controlled by rugged rotary tuning and volume knobs. Bluetooth 4.1 with A2DP and AVRCP lets you stream from a phone, and there is an aux input for wired sources. Sound comes from a 5.25 inch water resistant, magnetically shielded speaker. The housing is shock and dust resistant and rain resistant to the JIS4 standard, with an ABS body inside a roll cage. The large backlit LCD is easy to read from across a room. It runs on AC power through a long rubber cord or on 4 C batteries, and rechargeable batteries can be charged inside the radio, with a charging LED.
What I like
I like that the BB-100 feels built for real work spaces. The big speaker fills a garage, and the rotary knobs are easy to use with gloves or dirty hands. Bluetooth means you can switch from the ballgame to a playlist without a cable. The built in charging for rechargeable C cells is a nice touch for cordless use.
Things to know
JIS4 is rain and splash resistance, not waterproofing, so do not leave it out in a storm. Ten presets is a small number if you listen to a lot of stations. There is no clock or alarm listed, and the radio weighs about 6 pounds. Some retailers now list it as no longer available, so stock can be spotty.
Bottom line
Buy the BB-100 if you want a loud, rugged radio with Bluetooth for a shop or job site and do not need clock features. For more options built to take a beating, see my rugged worksite radios.
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