Shokz  OpenFit Headphones

### Pros: - **Battery Life:** I've used these earbuds continuously for hours without any issues with battery life. They perform reliably in this regard. - **Comfort:** These earbuds are much more comfortable than in-ear models, especially for running. Since they rest over your ear rather than inside it, they’re barely noticeable when no audio is playing—it's easy to forget you have them on. - **Secure Fit:** The over-ear design keeps them securely hooked during use. However, they can be easily knocked off when removing a shirt over your head. If you’re not actively listening to audio and forget you’re wearing them, it’s possible to accidentally dislodge them without noticing. - **Situational Awareness:** Since your ears remain open, you can hear ambient sounds like vehicles or voices while running outdoors. This is a great safety feature. ### Neutral: - **Sound Quality:** The sound quality is compromised by the open-ear design, but it strikes an acceptable balance for me since I primarily use these for outdoor runs in suburban areas. The microphone quality for phone calls also seems fine. I previously tried OpenRun bone conduction headphones but found that style wasn’t for me. - **Water Resistance:** These earbuds have held up during long runs in heavy rain and hot, sweaty conditions. However, I’ve experienced instances where they became waterlogged (audio quality deteriorates temporarily). While they recover after drying out, this can be frustrating during use. ### Cons: - **Charging Case Issues:** The earbuds often remain "on" inside the charging case due to unreliable contact points between the earbuds and the case. This causes two major problems: 1. The earbuds drain their battery instead of charging, leaving them dead when you expect them to be fully charged. 2. While still "on" in the case, they stay connected to your phone, leading to frustrating situations where your phone defaults to the earbuds’ mic/speaker—even if they’re in another room. This issue seems to worsen if the case moves around in a pocket or bag. Although Shokz replaced my first pair after I complained, the replacement had the same problem, suggesting this is a design flaw. Among all wireless earbuds I’ve owned, this model is the only one with this issue. - **Touch Controls:** I strongly dislike touch controls on fitness headphones because they don’t work reliably when wet from sweat or rain. Also, moisture or wet hair can trigger random actions on the touch controls. A feature to completely disable touch controls would help mitigate this issue. Personally, I’d prefer tactile waterproof buttons instead. Additionally, the customization options for programming touch controls are limited and don’t suit my needs. - **Limited Versatility:** While ambient noise awareness is great for outdoor running safety, it’s undesirable in environments like airplanes where you want noise isolation to focus on a podcast or movie. - **Bulky Design:** The over-ear design makes the charging case large and clunky compared to other earbuds. It’s inconvenient to carry in a pocket. ### Final Thoughts: After owning several different makes and models of earbuds, I've come to realize that all earbuds involve compromises—you have to prioritize what matters most to you. My top priority with these is running safety, and they perform well in that context (except in wet conditions). However, the charging case issue is maddening and detracts from the overall experience. Before purchasing the OpenFit earbuds, I owned Jabra Elite 8 Active earbuds, which were fully waterproof with tactile buttons and electronic noise-canceling features that allowed toggling ambient noise on/off. Unfortunately, those developed issues quickly, and Jabra didn’t stand by their product. If Shokz were to release a model combining waterproofing, tactile buttons, and noise-canceling features similar to Jabra’s offering—but with better reliability—I’d be very interested.

### Pros: - **Battery Life:** I've used these earbuds continuously for hours without any issues with battery life. They perform reliably in this regard. - **Comfort:** These earbuds are much more comfortable than in-ear models, especially for running. Since they rest over your ear rather than inside it, they’re barely noticeable when no audio is playing—it's easy to forget you have them on. - **Secure Fit:** The over-ear design keeps them securely hooked during use. However, they can be easily knocked off when removing a shirt over your head. If you’re not actively listening to audio and forget you’re wearing them, it’s possible to accidentally dislodge them without noticing. - **Situational Awareness:** Since your ears remain open, you can hear ambient sounds like vehicles or voices while running outdoors. This is a great safety feature. ### Neutral: - **Sound Quality:** The sound quality is compromised by the open-ear design, but it strikes an acceptable balance for me since I primarily use these for outdoor runs in suburban areas. The microphone quality for phone calls also seems fine. I previously tried OpenRun bone conduction headphones but found that style wasn’t for me. - **Water Resistance:** These earbuds have held up during long runs in heavy rain and hot, sweaty conditions. However, I’ve experienced instances where they became waterlogged (audio quality deteriorates temporarily). While they recover after drying out, this can be frustrating during use. ### Cons: - **Charging Case Issues:** The earbuds often remain "on" inside the charging case due to unreliable contact points between the earbuds and the case. This causes two major problems: 1. The earbuds drain their battery instead of charging, leaving them dead when you expect them to be fully charged. 2. While still "on" in the case, they stay connected to your phone, leading to frustrating situations where your phone defaults to the earbuds’ mic/speaker—even if they’re in another room. This issue seems to worsen if the case moves around in a pocket or bag. Although Shokz replaced my first pair after I complained, the replacement had the same problem, suggesting this is a design flaw. Among all wireless earbuds I’ve owned, this model is the only one with this issue. - **Touch Controls:** I strongly dislike touch controls on fitness headphones because they don’t work reliably when wet from sweat or rain. Also, moisture or wet hair can trigger random actions on the touch controls. A feature to completely disable touch controls would help mitigate this issue. Personally, I’d prefer tactile waterproof buttons instead. Additionally, the customization options for programming touch controls are limited and don’t suit my needs. - **Limited Versatility:** While ambient noise awareness is great for outdoor running safety, it’s undesirable in environments like airplanes where you want noise isolation to focus on a podcast or movie. - **Bulky Design:** The over-ear design makes the charging case large and clunky compared to other earbuds. It’s inconvenient to carry in a pocket. ### Final Thoughts: After owning several different makes and models of earbuds, I've come to realize that all earbuds involve compromises—you have to prioritize what matters most to you. My top priority with these is running safety, and they perform well in that context (except in wet conditions). However, the charging case issue is maddening and detracts from the overall experience. Before purchasing the OpenFit earbuds, I owned Jabra Elite 8 Active earbuds, which were fully waterproof with tactile buttons and electronic noise-canceling features that allowed toggling ambient noise on/off. Unfortunately, those developed issues quickly, and Jabra didn’t stand by their product. If Shokz were to release a model combining waterproofing, tactile buttons, and noise-canceling features similar to Jabra’s offering—but with better reliability—I’d be very interested.