iClever Bluetooth Earbuds — A Safety Solution for the Active Geek

Living in a semi-rural town, I’m surrounded by opportunities to be active. Running around and through my town, there are dozens of trails, biking paths, running routes, and granite mountains to explore. In my neighborhood alone, three city-wide trails cross paths. To push myself to be more active, I’ve turned to listening to books and music on the go. It’s not always safe to have headphones on, however, which is why I like my iClever Bluetooth earbuds.

The first safety concern I have is noise cancellation. Whether I’m running on streets or trails, hearing the world around me is important. Cars, pedestrians, even animals can show up almost anywhere. A huge concern for me is dogs. I’m terrified of large breeds, and many active folks in my town take their dogs with them. I rely on the calls of the owners and barks of dogs to let me know where they are before I run into them. Most any active-wear earbud features noise-cancelling tech, which is great for the gym, but not for the outdoors. Thankfully, the iClever buds have great sound without sacrificing awareness. Though they are labelled “noise-cancelling,” the rating (CVC 6.0 Noise Canceling) is for the microphone, not the speakers.

My second safety concern is personal physical safety. I have great workout clothes, but lots of earbuds can hurt the wearer. Corded earbuds, for example, can get caught on clothes or cause irritation when worn under clothes. Headphones with inline controls on wireless earbuds can scrape my neck. The iClever is wireless, but has all of its controls on the earpiece, so there aren’t any extra friction points.

My third safety concern is water resistance. Goodness knows I do not relish the thought of being shocked by my earbuds if I’m sweaty, caught in the rain, or splashed by a driver. The iClever buds are rated at IPX5 water resistance, which is far beyond the standard I need.

My last safety concern is for my ears themselves. Corded earbuds can hurt when they’re pulled out, especially those like the iPhone’s included buds which are hard plastic. The iClever has silicone buds which are comfortable and soft on the ear. A problem with the average silicone earbuds is that they stay in the ear using friction, which makes my ears ring afterward. The iClever, though, has silicone earhooks, which fit comfortably over your ear to keep everything in place without cramming buds in your ear canal.

Other useful features of the iClever Bluetooth earbuds include:

• Use time of over 7 hours. They are advertised as having 7 hours of talk/play time, but I’ve used mine over 8 hours more than once.
• Full-range controls allow the wearer to take, end, and reject calls, and control volume all from the earpiece.
• User-friendly design makes it easy to pair the headphones in seconds, and monitor battery levels on your smartphone.
• A noise-cancelling microphone allows you to take calls even on windy days without losing all hope of quality on your call.

The MSRP of the iClever ($49.99) is the only point at which I’d balk, but Amazon regularly has them at a much more reasonable price. They’re currently $21.99 (59% off), which I consider a good deal for a good solid pair of earbuds.

Disclaimer: The author received a unit for review purposes.