I have always had difficulty finding earbuds that will stay in my ears, especially wireless ones, so when I heard about Aftershokz, I had to try them out.
Aftershokz has created a line of headphones that work on bone conduction. This means, that while sitting on the cheekbone in front of your ear, they transfer the sound through your head to your ear, instead of through your ear canal. For me that meant I didn’t have to worry about anything falling out of my ears, because there was nothing in them to start with!
Intrigued I ordered my first pair. Not the cheapest, but not the most expensive, they run about $160USD ($200CDN). I got mine on boxing day and saved myself a bit.
Fast forward to now. I use them ALL. THE. TIME.
On the trail
I take advantage of where I live as often as I can, taking the dog for a walk in the trails or going for a run. But as beautiful as the trails are you need to be aware of your surroundings. Stumbling upon a bear last minute would not be fun. Aftershokz allows you to hear your surroundings. I even find that I can hear the outside world better than if I am wearing only one earbud like I did before.
At home
Home is a busy place, family members asking questions, dogs scratching to get out, and the doorbell ringing to deliver your latest Amazon package. Because of the open ear design, I can continue to hear and react to everything I need to while I listen to my favorite podcast or playlist.
Phone calls
I didn’t actually know at first that I could also make and take phone calls with Aftershokz, but you can! Which is quite helpful now in the age of working remote and a plethora of video calls.
While Driving
Just kidding! That’s definitely not a safe place to use Aftershokz!
PROS
• Open ear experience allows you to still hear the environment around you
• No earbuds to fall out
• All designs are considered waterproof (*only one is designed for swimming)
CONS
• Design makes wearing a toque or sweater cap difficult.
• If you are an audiophile, you may find the sound quality lacking, but for general use its quite good
• Listening at high volumes will create a vibration feeling that some people do not like (I think it tickles!)
For more info on Aftershokz, check out the video below or the Aftershokz website.
