I like to listen to music or podcasts while I run. I’ve tried to switch to wireless headphones a few times, but it’s never worked out until now with iClever’s bluetooth sport ear buds.
Over the years, I’ve gone through innumerable sets of headphones trying to find something that works for my while running. The biggest problem has been finding something that’s comfortable for a long time and that doesn’t fall off easily. My favorite wired solution is actually one of the cheapest sets of headphones I’ve ever owned–the Philips Earhook Headphones. I currently have four pairs of these in rotation because I love them so much.
But they are wired, and I still occasionally get a hand caught in the wire and yank them off (ouch) or just get plain bothered with the wire on my neck or down my shirt. I’ve tried several kinds of Bluetooth sport headsets in the recent past, but they’ve always been too bulky, too uncomfortable, or both. So when iClever asked if I wanted to try out their lightweight Bluetooth sport headphones, I thought it was worth a shot.
Upon first opening the package, I was very nicely surprised to see how lightweight and compact the ear buds are. Despite having the electronics, battery, and full controls all built-in, they feel as lightweight as my very basic wired headphones. Included in the package are three differently sized ear tips (though the default size worked fine for me) along with two cord management clips, two stabilizers, and a micro USB cable for charging.
The design of these is so sleek that it took me a few seconds to find where the charging port was! The back of the right ear bud pops open to reveal the port. I plugged it in and patiently waited for the next morning to try them out though a full charge should only take about two hours. Pairing with my iPhone 6 was a cinch–hold the play/stop button down until the LED flashed and then select it on my phone.
The soft stabilizers are optional but, with them on, I found that the ear buds didn’t move around at all and made them very comfortable. After several runs, including a two-hour mountain trail run, the ear buds and stabilizers helped hold them firmly and comfortably in my ears. The sound quality was great, and I never had any connection problems between the headphones and my phone while running.
We have a winner, folks! I’m really happy with the iClever ear buds and will be using these when I run from now on unless it’s a really long race. The charge will last for about five hours of music playing. That should be more than enough for my normal usage, but won’t cut it for the Angels’ Staircase 35K I’m running this weekend. But that’s fine with me because, on a beautiful race like that, I probably won’t listen to anything but nature anyway.
In addition to being great Bluetooth headphones for running, the iClever headphones also have a microphone and full phone control for most devices. I don’t often talk on the phone, though, so I didn’t get a chance to try out the microphone functionality. All of the music playing controls worked perfectly with my iPhone 6, though.
If you’re looking for lightweight, comfortable, wireless headphones, look no further than the iClever IC-BTH01. There is actually a deal on Amazon for them right now where you can get them at 55% off to make them even more enticing!
Note: I received a pair of iClever headphones for review purposes but all thoughts and ideas above are my own.
Have fun at Angels’ Staircase! I ran the 60k a few years back and it is still probably my favorite course.
I’ve been waiting almost 2 years to do it– was registered last year but the wildfires cancelled the race. I’ve never been to that part of Washington and can’t wait to see it. I think it will be good and challenging but I’m up for it. Thanks for reading! Do you have any other races planned in the near future?
Looks like another canceled year 🙁 I had signed up to run it again with my brother last year, but were shut out because of the fires then. Very unfortunate the area has suffered so many fires. But can’t recommend enough continuing to try, beautiful area!
Yeah, it’s a real bummer. On the bright side, the race organizers are talking about changing the time of year for next year. If that happens I might sign-up again otherwise, I’m giving up on Angels’ Staircase. This makes 4 Rainshadow Races in 2 years I’ve not been able to do (2 for the wildfires, 1 lottery I didn’t get in to, and 1 race I had to cancel because of a fractured rib a couple days before race day.) I’m not having good luck with their races!
These look incredible similar to a pair of Bluetooth Headphones which had finally “done it” for me a few years back. Though with far better ear stabilizer bits.
Lately though, I have been in love with Bluez Aftershokz. Normally rigid connectors are a problem for me because of my apparently large cranium. But these ones I have been wearing pretty often for more than a year now and have yet to break them (which is a record by a long shot).
Having your ears uncovered, but still hearing your music clearly, is a pretty remarkable experience. The music is not nearly as private as I would like it to be (well, if I listened at reasonable sound levels it might be hard for others to hear it), but the end effect is essentially like spending your whole life in the mall, but having control over that background piping of music.
http://www.amazon.com/Aftershokz-AS500-Wireless-Stereo-Headphones/dp/B00JO9Y176/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1438703774&sr=8-1&keywords=aftershokz+bluez+2
Interesting! I do like the idea of having total situational awareness. Do you use these for running? It sounds like they are lightweight but they look heavy and like they might not stay put when running.
I’ve tried a few different BT “sport” headphones and the problem is always keeping them from falling out during runs. The stabilizers go a long way to help with this but I find that the weight and length of the cord cause as many problems. It looks like the included cord management clips might at least help with this by shortening the cable to keep it off the neck. Another recommendation I have is to get a shirt clip like this (http://www.amazon.com/Rotate-Mount-Clothing-Organizer-Earphone/dp/B00GOHAX6E/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1438711389&sr=8-6&keywords=headphone+shirt+clip) to clip the cord to the back of your hat.
I also usually replace the earbud tips with those from http://www.safsounds.com especially when running on busy roads. It feels much safer.
I do almost all.pf my running either on a track or on trails so thankfully I don’t have to worry about cars and such. The cord clips definitely help with keeping the cord the perfect length. I did two hours up and down trails and they never fell out. I only had to adjust them once or twice which is way less than any other headphones I’ve used.
I do like the idea of the SafSounds though. I may have to get some to try with these headphones. Thanks for the suggestion and thanks for reading!