A little louder

It’s little, it’s loud, and it’s just right for lots of listening.

I’ve told you before how much I like music in my woodshop. I have speakers in two areas that I use for wholly different tasks, I so spend a lot of time walking back and forth from one to the other.

That means I can’t listen unless I jack both speakers up high, but that’s more distracting than I like. I also find headphones and earpieces uncomfortable, which is why I like this little portable speaker. Actually, portable is an understatement – it’s wearable, and not in the headphone sense.

It’s a very small (less than 2 oz.) Bluetooth speaker from DeWalt and comes with a rear-mounted clip. The sound isn’t bad at all for what it is. Not as good as the Bose speakers I have with my stereo, but for something with a speaker not much bigger than a thumbnail it’s very pleasant to listen to.

Linking it to my phone was easy, taking only a couple minutes (most of that struggling with the tiny print on the instructions). Once linked I can leave my phone elsewhere as the speaker has a range of a bit more than 30', which is nice – I used to keep my phone in a front pocket, and more than once I’ve nearly broken it leaning over a tool, carrying lumber or whatever.

And since it’s linked to my phone, I can even take calls on it and talk hands-free. I typically clip it onto a shirt pocket, or the lapel of my hoody when the shop is cooler, as the music sounds better and it helps to have it closer to your mouth when chatting. If I’m going to be working in an area for an extended period, I just unclip and set it on a shelf. Also, a magnet in the rear clip lets me stick it onto any ferrous metal surface.

While this is primarily a shop tool, it’s nice to have it on me when working outside, or toss it into my suitcase while traveling for listening in hotel rooms and such. (This little guy went to Ireland with us last fall.) As a companion, it’s not as warm and friendly as my shop cat, but I’m glad to have it with me when making sawdust.