OK, so...what radio(s) do you all like? (Yes, I've seen Jay Allen's site...very good!)
For me, this varies, because no radio ever has had the right combination of features and performance that I'm looking for. There are always trade-offs. I also have some vintage models, and some obtained in Europe or from Australia, but I'm going to focus here on ones that are easily obtained in North America. I also focus mostly on AM and FM. Sorry, but I couldn't care less about shortwave or the air-traffic band. I care a little bit about the weather band.
Tecsun PL-320 - New model this year; excellent on FM, good on AM; has four bandwidth settings on AM (9, 5, 3.5, 2.5 kHz), reasonable speaker for its size though not spectacular by any means; excellent build quality; very good shielding from internally generated noises; USB-C charging; has both automatic memory loading and "easy tuning mode" for short-term situations. Downsides: really convoluted approach toward setting an alarm, if you want that sort of thing; AGC on AM can be more aggressive than it should be; doesn't seem to react well to some AM stations that use carrier-reduction technologies; uses a lithium-ion battery (rechargable); some buttons on the front are kind of tiny; tuning knob is too loose, meaning you can knock yourself off your desired frequency very easily.
Radiwow/Sihuadon R-108 - Has been around a few years; very good on FM, better than you might think on AM; surprisingly good speaker for its size; has a "music/voice" filter that can help pick out audio on AM -
but which isn't marked on the radio's front panel; five AM bandwidth settings (6, 4, 3, 2, 1 kHz). Downsides: band selection is a round-robin, e.g. to get from FM to AM you have to cycle through the air-traffic and shortwave bands first; buttons are kind of small; uses a lithium-ion battery; build quality has been reported as variable; needs better shielding from internally generated noises, particular those generated by pushing buttons; dial light is a very bright blue and kind of obnoxious in my opinion. Neutral now, probably a downside in a few years: charging is via a USB micro port.
CC Skywave (non-SSB model) - good to very good on AM, good on FM though with occasional quirks; uses AA batteries and can recharge metal-hydride batteries in that format; has a "music/voice" filter; has five AM bandwidth settings (6, 4, 3, 2, 1 kHz), generous controls; very good build quality; excellent shielding from internally generated noises; supported by a U.S. company that has legendary customer service; receives the weather-radio band. Downsides: controls can be a bit slow to respond; uses a page-based memory system that can feel cumbersome to use; FM performance isn't up to the level of the Tecsun and Radiwow radios that I described in the previous paragraphs; audio quality from the built-in speaker is fair at best; recharging is via a USB
mini port, which is quite outdated by now (I understand this has finally changed in the SSB models); more expensive than the Tecsun or Radiwow models.
Showstoppers for me:
* Average or worse FM performance
* Use of an 18650 lithium-ion battery (I have had bad experiences with them)
* Poor audio quality
* Poor shielding from internally generated noises
