GabbaGoods SecureBuds Bluetooth Earbuds

It's been SO frustrating trying to find earbuds that work for me during high impact activities like running.  I have tiny little ear canals and regular earbuds won't stay in, even when using the smallest bud covers.

For the last 2 years I've been using a set of RBX earbuds that hook around the top of and behind the ears and are connected with a neck band, but I'm so tired of getting tangled up in the cord and having them pulled out of my ears, or trying to keep the headphone plug fully in the phone jack and not shorting out.  Plus, if I need to wear a hat or headband, the behind-the-ear loops dig into the back of my ear and rub them raw and cause pain.  Argh!!!!

Then, last week, I found a set of the GabbaGoods SecureBuds Bluetooth Earbuds at TJ Maxx for, get this, $12!!!!  I checked them out in the store and found the ear hooks go inside the ears and they're a super soft rubber.  A quick in-store try-on suggested that they would likely stay in my ears, and the controls seemed to be simple enough I could use them while actually running, so, at that price, how could they NOT go home with me????

Included in the box were the earbuds, a mini/USB charging cord, and a single page of directions (although I didn't find it until the following day, and I ended up not needing the directions at all).  I put the buds on the charger and about 2 hrs later, I grabbed my iPhone 6S and the earbuds, and attempted to pair them up.  Holding the controller's middle button turned the buds on and a blue light started blinking.  I opened up the Bluetooth settings on the phone and there they were, GG-BSB, ready and waiting.  With the earbuds in, I heard "Power on", and then "The Bluetooth device is connected successfully".  Wow, that was easy!!!

Tonight, I actually tried them for the first time and couldn't be happier!  The controls include a volume up button, a power on/off/phone answer button, and a volume down button and using them was pretty intuitive right from the get-go.  Music quality is about what you'd expect from mid-quality ear buds, with deeper bass and cleaner sound than I expected for a mere $12.  I used them for about 2 1/2 hours while tuning skis and had no issues with pain from the ear hooks or with the connector cable getting tangled up in things.  I even answered and ended a phone call with them quickly and easily.  Despite having the TV on in the background (which I couldn't hear at all with them in and the music playing), hubby said the sound quality on his end of the phone call was comparable to just being on the phone normally.  Wandering around with them showed I could go about 12 feet from my phone before the sound started to break up and crackle, and about 15 feet before it cut out all together.  Admittedly, the phone was inside the tuning shop, and I was outside, so I'll be curious to see what happens with distance given a direct line of sight.

A check of GabbaGoods' website show they're available in black, white, blue, and red, and retail for $29.99 directly from their site. It says they should go 4-6 hours on a charge, so we'll see how accurate that is.

Short-term update:  I've now used them around the house for about 4 1/2 to 5 hrs, and they went on the charger for the first time post-use. They appear to have fully charged in less than 2 hours.