Review on Electronics NPB 251BU Portable Player Stereo by Sam Calderon

Purchased NPB-251BU and NPB-251RD, the blue and red versions of AM/FM Stereo Portable CD Player (one for son and one for daughter). Advantages: 1. Inexpensive2. Decent sound (for the price)3. Stereo seems to work relatively well. Cons: 1. Has a dial-shaped dial for switching radio stations and volume. This is normally normal, but the radio knob is located next to the AM radio/FM radio/CD player toggle switch. They're also on the sides of the radios (volume on one side, mode change and radio wheel on the other) so it's easy to accidentally hit the radio wheel when trying to change modes that seem to ALWAYS change settings . a station that usually takes a few minutes to wiggle the wheel back and forth to get the wheel in the right position (leaving very little wiggle room) playing the desired station. the slide switch to start the CD player stopped working after only a few months (still works to switch to AM/FM and turn off the radio). Thought about taking it for warranty repair but not for the following reason: 1. Apparently the warranty only covers 90 working days (I mistakenly assumed it was part of the 1 year warranty) and I unfortunately delayed that and I don't have 90 days.2. Shipping is not included in the warranty repair. For these radios, they seem to charge $20 shipping for warranty repairs, which is only $3 cheaper than buying their radio outright (I don't). In other words, after accounting for labor costs, it's actually more expensive to repair than buying a new radio. In terms of usage, both radios just sit on my kids' dressers where they can listen to music whenever they want. The normal usage we have is usually turning it on and off. However, since my son's radio stopped activating the CD player (and to avoid accidentally changing radios), I've gotten lazier turning it on and off in the hopes that the parts will last a little longer. For now I'll probably use it as a teaching tool and let my kids try to help me fix the radio. If we can't fix it, I'll just look for something else, hopefully more durable.