Review: Snug as Snuggbuds in a Rug

Snuggbuds

I lost my earphones several months ago, so I’ve been looking for a replacement. I had a few requirements: 1) not too expensive, 2) be earbuds, 3) not fall out of my ears as I run, 4) be comfortable, and 5) have good sound quality. I came across Snuggbuds at the expo for Bay to Breakers this past May. I tried them out at the expo and then bought the Fusion SmartPhone Headsets (see photo on left). I used these earphone several times (training, races, outdoor, and indoor).

The Good

Snuggbuds do make good earphones. In terms of quality, I can’t complain. The earbuds can be adjusted with differently-sized ear gels (I use small, most women do). Just like their name, they do fit snugly. You place them in your ears, twist, and they stay in place. The earbuds are secure in my ears and don’t move or fall out no matter how hard I run nor how much I sweat. The snug fit means that the sweat stays out of the ear canal, so you don’t get that damp feeling of sweat getting trapped in your ears because of the buds.

The sound quality is great. The music sounds clear. It does a very good job of blocking outside noise, which can  be a problem when you’re running outdoors and need to be aware of what’s going on around you.

The Fusion, the version that I bought, comes with a little bag that’s great for storing the earphones when I’m not using them. It also comes with a little clip (not pictured) that useful for clipping the cord to your top so that the cord doesn’t get in your way when you’re running or you could use it to prevent the cord from tangling up.

The Bad

The Fusion claims to come with a tangle-free fabric cord. The cord is fabric. Tangle-free it is not. It tangles. It tangles about as much as a regular cord. I wouldn’t complain about this, except I was told, it is advertised, and I was sold on the fact that it is supposed to be tangle free.

At the expo, I actually tried the BlinggBuds. I decided to buy the Fusion because I was told that it came with an external control for the music on an IPhone. The sales guy made it seem like I would be able to control my music (volume, skip ahead, etc) externally. I really liked the thought of being able to control my music by pressing buttons instead of taking out my phone while running. Later when I got home, I realized that the external control wasn’t much. It was just the external mic that you could use to turn the music on and off. That’s it. I was royally mad that the external control was not what I was told it was going to be. I have no use for the external mic. I hate talking on the phone (I moved to my new office a year ago and I have yet to set up my office phone). I don’t care about turning the music on and off while running. I want to be able to adjust the volume and skip ahead. But I can’t do any of those things.

The Ugly

The price of the Fusion – $69.95. It’s expensive. Frankly I don’t think the Fusion is worth the money.

Verdict

Snuggbuds make a great product, but they overhype and oversell some of the features of their product. This I think is a pity because they don’t need to do this. I really do like Snuggbuds, but I don’t recommend that you buy Fusion. I recommend that you buy the cheaper version,  Blingg, which sells for $29.95.