The Cardo Rosewood PACKTALK EDGE costs $439.95, the same as a standard PACKTALK EDGE single on Cardo’s own site. Cardo is selling a 500-unit run at regular price and sending $20 from every sale to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
Cardo Rosewood PACKTALK EDGE: What the $20 Adds Up To
Five hundred units at $20 each comes to exactly $10,000, the cap Cardo has set, so BCRF only gets the full amount if the entire run sells. At $439.95, each $20 gift is about 4.5 percent of the sale price. Cardo is covering it, since the sticker price did not move.
BCRF’s stated aim is to prevent and cure breast cancer by funding the most promising research, and Cardo says this money goes toward work on prevention, diagnosis, treatment, metastasis and survivorship. BCRF holds a four-star Charity Navigator rating and an A from CharityWatch, per its own financials page, which points readers to its Form 990 for the spending detail.
Cardo CMO Dan Emodi called the cause “something much bigger than riding.” The company says it will bring riders, creators and ambassadors into the campaign through October, which is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, but it has not named any of them or described what they will do.
Cardo Rosewood PACKTALK EDGE: The Same Mesh Hardware Underneath
Under the Rosewood finish this is the PACKTALK EDGE riders already know. Second-generation Dynamic Mesh Communication links groups of up to 31 riders and reconnects on its own when someone drops out and rejoins. On a group ride that stops for fuel, splits at lights and regroups a mile later, that reconnect behavior decides if mesh is useful.
The rest will be familiar to current owners. Cardo’s magnetic Air Mount makes the unit quick to pull off the helmet, 40mm JBL speakers handle audio, and the IP67 rating covers rain. Battery life is quoted at 13 hours, and 20 minutes on a USB-C charger buys about two hours of riding.
Bluetooth 5.2 covers phone pairing and Live Intercom, and a noise-cancelling microphone is meant to keep voices clear at speed. Firmware updates arrive over the air through the Cardo Connect app, so nothing needs a cable.
Cardo also runs a trade-in program that credits up to $130 against a new PACKTALK when you send back an old comm unit, any brand. Cardo has not said if that stacks with the Rosewood. Anyone planning to trade in should check at the cart before counting on it.
Cardo Rosewood PACKTALK EDGE: Who It Makes Sense For
If you already run an EDGE, the Cardo Rosewood PACKTALK EDGE adds nothing technical, and trading up just for the color makes little sense. If you were about to buy one anyway, the choice is easy. The electronics are identical, so the finish is the only thing in short supply, and Cardo’s three-year warranty applies either way.
Cardo is selling the Rosewood only through its own webstore, so a trip to a local dealer will not turn one up. Orders process in about three business days in North America and Europe, longer elsewhere. A standard EDGE duo runs $799.95, but the Rosewood page lists only the single.
Anyone who simply wants to support the research does not need a comm unit to do it, since BCRF takes donations directly. The Rosewood only makes sense as a purchase you were already planning, with the donation as a bonus on top.
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