Far End Gear Short Bud Single Earbud Review
Simple review of a product that’ll save your life. As someone who runs with music 75% of the time on both road and trail, I’m acutely aware of the dangers posed while plugged in. Further, I witness runners, cyclists, and walkers on a regular basis who are completely unaware of their surroundings because both ears are distracted. Dumb move.
I’ve been using the Short Buds for about two years, but have been using a home-made version for probably six. I used to take a cheap pair of earbuds and simply snip one ear bud off, giving me a funky version of the song, but also allowing one ear open to hear for other trail users, cars, cats, and whatever else I needed to be aware of.
What the Short Buds (and other versions) do is take both channels of sound and convert them from stereo to one mono feed, all in one single earbud. Simple, right?
Also, I wear my iPod Shuffle on my visor or hat, and have always fought with the extra 3′ of cable from the headphones or earbuds. The Shortbuds give me 15″ to deal with–still a bit too much in my opinion–but a lot more manageable.
I’ve accidentally put my Shuffle/Shortbud combo through the wash TWICE and there’s been no issue. The price is right, so even if I destroy them, it’s not the end of the world.
Sound Quality
They sound fine. I’m not picky when it comes to sound quality for running headphones. They’ve got enough base to keep me going, good enough.
Type
This set comes with two sizes of squishy buds for different size ears. These are the only type that’ll fit in my ears. The company (and others like it) make different lengths of cable, as well as some pimped-out versions with superior sound quality.
Price
I paid $17 or so on Amazon. If you’re interested in purchasing this product, please consider using this link to Amazon.. It’s an affiliate link and will drop a few pesos in the URP bucket. Thanks.
Disclaimer: I paid for these and wrote the review. My money, my thoughts.
