This past summer holiday I had the chance to try ‘Budds by DJ Fresh’. They are wireless Bluetooth earphones.

The sales pitch claims that they are:
– Ergonomic design for comfortable fit
– Bluetooth connection (to your phone or music device)
– In ear control panel
– Noise cancelling technology
– Great sound quality
– Built-in microphone for hands free calls
– Splash & sweat resistant

I decided to put it to the test. What you should probably know, they are rechargeable and do need 1-2 hours to fully charge, so make sure you charge them either the day before or a few hours before you plan to go for your workout.

Design
The Budds do give a good fit and I would even say I preferred the fit even better when I was sweating, as it seemed to fit even better.

Control Panel
When they talk about a “control panel” – they really just mean two buttons located on the right ear. One button (with the logo on it) – acts as the on/off button and is used to answer calls. The other, is for changing the music tracks.
I must admit it was cool being able to take a call while in a downward-facing dog and not having to stop my yoga stretch session.
Noise cancelling technology
While holidaying in Cape Town, I made sure I did a few runs in Sea Point along the beautiful promenade. Understandably it was quite busy, but the noise of passers-by, kids playing or the traffic did not interfere with my playlist.

So those are the positives.
But here is what I didn’t like about them – the low battery warning is not obvious enough, the first warning is a red flash, if you miss that, there will be an audible warning literally seconds before it dies. I had the unfortunate experience of this happening to me while out on a run – those last 3 kms was a killer without my music.
The other negative is the length of the recharge cable – it is insanely short.
Lastly, and this is not so much a negative but more of a ‘wish’ – I would like it to come out in other colours, not just in yellow – so that I could match them to my gymwear (is that girly of me to say?).

They are competitively priced in line with similar products offering the same services and quality.
They retail for R699 and are available in various outlets in Cape Town, but only available on-line for the rest of the country. (www.gobudds.com)

Photography: Tegan Smith