(The review concerns use in firefighting/rescue businesses)

UPDATE 9/2024: Still holding up! No drop in battery life. The antenna has been bent repeatedly but I have not noticed any drop in transmission/reception (I have previously changed antennas on Chinese models that didn't work with much less bending). It has suffered dramatic abuse, but the shell holds up remarkably, with no significant signs!

UPDATE 3/2023: (1+ year of intense use) After hours of use in very high temperatures/humidity, it sometimes shows moisture on the inside of the screen. It dries on its own and works normally. Also, during use in events, caught on the breathing apparatus, I have often experienced a drop in volume due to accidental rotation of the knob. After long-term use, the sound quality (in reception and transmission) is significantly better than the UV-5R.

UPDATE 6/2022: The abuse it has endured is unimaginable, yet it works flawlessly! Recently, it fell into a swampy lake of water-solvent-ash-pigment-building materials, I found it, washed it under running water (!!) and it continues to work without showing the slightest problem!

UPDATE 3/2022: It has been exposed repeatedly to very extreme conditions of temperature/smoke/humidity and has not shown the slightest problem so far!

Positives
- Excellent sound quality.
- Very powerful speaker (incredibly loud for its size, and without distortion). Practically, there is no need for a small speaker.
- Excellent reception quality/selectivity/sensitivity. I haven't measured it on a machine, but in the field, it picked up (transmission and reception) in places where at the same time other handhelds did not. Excellent range for its power both in urban areas and in the countryside.
- Shows very good resistance to drops, water, bumps, etc. It has fallen very badly many times, yet it still holds up! It does not mention anywhere if it is certified according to IP (which is strange, because previously this specific model was presented by Yaesu as IP58 like the FT-65).
- Small, but very comfortable in hand. Fits everywhere (pockets, cases, etc.) but sits very comfortably in large hands (due to design).
- Very convenient the PTT at an angle. Excellent response of the volume control. The buttons, although small, have very good response and sufficient travel in use. Using them with gloves is not easy (logical due to size).
- Its programming/functionality is logical and easy to learn.
- Very interesting memory management and scanning features, which when combined give you endless solutions (e.g., scan a specific memory bank, etc.).
- It has dual channel monitoring, but it works very differently from the known Baofeng system: you can set it to monitor any channel and every 4" switch to CH1 for reception. If you want to monitor some different channels (besides CH1) in dual watch, you can simply put them in a memory bank and continuously scan that.
- The charger is a fast charger and charges really quickly (~3 hours from full discharge).
- Decent battery life for its size.
- Easily readable screen, very good lighting.
- Very convenient quick recall buttons (P1/P2). You can program them however you want.
- The retention clip is wide, easy to use, but really holds the radio in pockets/belts.

Negatives
-The PTT can be accidentally pressed relatively easily due to its tilt.
-Under certain conditions, it has accidentally opened (due to the rotation of the volume knob), but it has never accidentally closed.
-When used in events, caught on the breathing device, I have often experienced the volume lowering due to accidental rotation of the knob.
-It does not have number shortcuts for the menu (like the Chinese ones do). Therefore, to find the menu you want, you have to scroll with the arrows through the endless options.

NOTE: If you have a bit of skill, you can easily make the programming cable for around €5 in material costs. There are related videos on YouTube.

I have tried dozens of Chinese models. I bought the FT-4X used for €65, but even at the new price of around €80, I consider it significantly better VFM than any Chinese model. It is indeed a cheap model, but it has a good design and implementation of electronics that saves you from the myriad problems you might face from one Chinese model to another (due to poor shielding against electromagnetic interference, etc.). I think it is a quite reliable choice for a cheap transceiver for serious use and/or for serious emergency situations.