PRODUCT REVIEW : Shokz OpenRun Bluetooth Wireless Headphones

It’s often said that there is no beginning to my talents…. But, regardless of that, I’m verging into product reviews as Shokz sent me these headphones free of charge and I feel the need to note that they’re really rather good. They’re normally priced at somewhere around £130, although are probably cheaper on Amazon. They come in a slightly decadent box, rather different to the £1 Poundland packaging of my normal headphones.

The whole Bluetooth pairing process is smooth and efficient, with a full charge of the battery giving several hours of usage of the headphones. There’s also the option of having around one hour of usage by charging for five minutes or so, all suitably time efficient. The sound quality is high and they use bone conduction which means that I can also hear normal life at the same time as listening through the headphones. They’re aimed at runners, but I think that long distance walkers fall into the same heroic category. The headphones are lightweight and are a good fit, coming with a small bag to put them and the charger in.

As all my friends know, I’m a music expert and so listening to music is essential. By expert, I mean that I listen to the Wurzels, and I am refusing to rule out going to one of their gigs. I don’t know whether to pick the Las Vegas Sphere, the London O2 or the Cider & Pie Festival at Almondsbury, but I’d probably pick the latter. Although I digress here, it’s also handy to be able to listen to Podcasts whilst being able to hear some car driver meandering erratically down the road.

I’ve also discovered when someone phoned me that they’re perfectly good at handling voice calls, with an easily accessible volume button. They’re recognised by England Athletics for use at their events which sounds quite official and useful. Anyway, all told, I’m very pleased with these and their sound quality.