The Bottom Line: Expensive, but in personal electronics, you get what you pay for. Perfect for runners, with lots of station presets and good reception.

The M78 is a great radio. It has great reception, pretty good battery life, and is perfectly set up for people that use it while they run. I'm a runner. The only time I use a radio is when I'm running, as a 3 or 4 hour run requires a little background noise to keep things fresh. This radio has a good setup for the controls, and 10 station FM memory and 5 station AM memory. Being able to change stations easily is a must when you're moving, and with 15 in memory, you can always find something worth listening to.

I am now on my second one of these radios. The first lasted me about about a year and a half. I had been pretty happy with it. Unfortunately, the wear and tear on it finally caused it to die off. I was OK with it failing, as the arm band had gotten worn and lose over time. I have not been able to find a source for a replacement strap. A belt clip would be a welcome addition.

Once the first one failed, I decided that I didn't want to pay the price ($50) for a new one. I mean really, why on earth should it be anywhere near that price. So, I shopped around, tried some cheaper versions, returned them because almost all of the cheap ones had absolutely horrible reception (who wants to listen to static?). Based on reviews on this site, I tried the nice small Sony model, but they couldn't take the vibration/sweat that runners generate and died (twice...).... So, I ended back where I started. I guess that there are somethings that you just have to pay extra for, and a light, reliable radio with good reception seems to be one of them.