Review on 📻 Compact STANDARD HORIZON HX890NB Marine Two Way Radios by Dave Mosby

After purging the remaining salty air from my HX 890, the seal around the LCD screen failed and water ingress was visible in the display. I ordered a replacement and tested the new radio under a sink. The second HX 890 also failed this time due to some water ingress. I consider portable VHF to be a key piece of onboard safety equipment. If you find yourself in a man-overboard situation, the dive capability of a portable VHF transmitter is critical to having a working radio to call for help as your boat could leave you behind. I don't know if the problem with sealing two HX 890's is just a bad batch in the Revain or if it's a design flaw. Wearing this radio around your waist and exposing it to onboard water pressure is a lot more than what I put it through and certainly doesn't meet the IPX-8 standard. As an owner of the previous HX870 model, I also noticed that the fancy plastic LCD cover seems to be thinner on the new model. This potentially facilitates flexing, which can cause the seal to fail(?) with daily use, packaging, and impacts. This is just a guess, but a valid one!