The first day I wore earbuds to listen to my mp3 player on a jobsite it became evident they impeded the workflow. I was constantly popping out the plug-style buds to talk with others on the crew and generally listen to what was going on. My brother threatened to ban personal mp3 players from the jobsites – his reasoning was sound; not only could I not hear him well, it wasn’t safe. But the alternative was a step backwards  – a repetitive mix of ‘classics’ day in and day out droning from the radio . 

Enter AfterShokz open-ear sport headphones. My wife bought me a set because she feared for my life. She hated the idea that my earbuds blocked out road noise when riding my bicycle. After my first ride I knew AfterShokz was the answer to the jobsite radio compromise. They allowed me to listed to my programming and still hear what was going on around me – no compromises.

The AfterShokz headset band positions the speakers just in front of your ears rather than covering them like an earmuff style headset or filling the ear canals as do buds. The headset wraps behind your neck, over the ears and the sound emitting orange pads press just in front of the ears. The sound transfers through your ear canals and directly through flesh and bone. I only realized the direct sound transfer when I popped in my earplugs to make a sawcut and the music wasn’t muffled. (The manufacturer info promotes “…military special ops bone conduction technology, …” but I was skeptical.)

There’s a powerpack control module along the cord about 18 in. from the headset. It’s the only shortcoming of the system. I clip it to my collar and find it tugs a bit now and then. It takes about an hour or two to recharge the module, and it lasts 10 to 12 hours (outlasting my mp3 player). The system shuts itself off after 15 minutes without input so you don’t have to worry about leaving it on and draining the charge.

I have a couple of the old models: the AS300 and AS301. The AS300 (left in photo) has an on/off switch and volume control on the module. The volume control is handy, eliminating the need to fumble with the player usually stuffed in a tool pouch. The AS300 is still available and runs about $40. The AS301 (right in photo) runs about $50 and is equipped to take incoming phone calls (if you’re plugged into your phone for music). A built-in mic eliminates the need to pull the phone out of your pocket. You just have to push the phone button on the module. 

The newer models (AS320 and AS321) feature smaller power/control modules and other improvements. They run $60 and $70 each. 

The earbands don’t interfere with glasses (see photos). I usually wear band-style earplugs around my neck and pop them in for hearing protection – no conflicts there either (see photos).  I’m not an audiophile so the performance is more than adequate; certainly better than a jobsite box parked 50 ft. away.  I tape the cord a little further back on the headband (see white tape in photos) to help control the cord in the direction I prefer.  AfterShokz aren’t cheap but for me they are worth every penny.

 www.aftershokz.com

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