Headphones are one of the most difficult things to buy. At least, for me. I hate to think how many different sets I’ve used in the past few years. It’s so frustrating trying to find a comfortable pair that stay put, and have good sound quality. Most of the ones I’ve used are in-ear. And, I always struggle to find ones with the right sized earbuds. For whatever reason, one of my ears has a tendency to push out the earbud. So, I have to settle either for the Apple headphones which leave a lot to be desired or walk around with my gigantic pair of over ear studio monitors. The other issue: wires. So tangly.

BBP Industries has designed and released the Mobiband Bluetooth headset, which answers all my problems. Firstly, nothing needs to be inserted in to my ears. Secondly, there are no wires. So, we were already on to a winner before I even took them out of the packaging.

The headset is made primarily from plastic. It’s a thick, durable and flexible headband with a hinge around half way down each side. Having this hinge makes the headset very portable. They’re also adjustable, thanks to a thin metal skeleton used to slide each ear’s arm up and down. The speakers are covered in a soft sponge material, harking back to the really old school headphones you’d get with the SONY Walkman. The black color and square-ish design gives it a professional, understated look, which is fantastic if – like me – you don’t want to be one of those “hey look at me wearing Beats Audio headphones” people.

Over the right ear is the only press-able button. To switch it on, you press it until the blue light flashes. To pair, press and hold until the LED alternates between red and blue. To power off, press and hold until the red light shows. It’s pretty much the standard way of using Bluetooth equipment. But, it has one feature that can be very useful if you’re on the move: Siri capability. Press and hold the button, and Siri activates on your iPhone 4S. I discovered it by accident, and I’m glad I did. The last thing I want while running or walking is to physically remove my phone from my pocket. Having Siri compatibility means also that it must have one hardware component: a mic. Primary use is obviously taking calls hands-free.

Around the main power button are the touch sensitive controls for adjusting volume and skipping track. I’ve had a mixed experience with these. The control for skipping to the next track is the only one which performs 100% of the time. With the volume up/down I’ve had intermittent spells of them working. In the case of the previous track button, I’ve not got it to work once yet. It’s not one I tend to need very often, but, I like knowing that it’ll work when I want it to.

I’ve been using the Mobiband for a few days now, and overall (except the touch sensitive buttons) I’ve been pretty impressed. In fact, it’s become my main set of headphones. The sound quality isn’t studio quality, but, it’s more than good enough. The extendable arms ensure it’ll fit most head sizes, and, the flexible, stiff material used ensures that it’s not likely to slip off your head while running. I took it for a quick jog just a few hours ago, and was delighted that it didn’t  feel like it was trying to wriggle itself free.

For the price, you can’t expect BOSE sound quality. What you have here is a great value for money product, which only needs its touch sensitivity controls improved upon to become a perfect device – for the price range. It’s fantastic, and is currently available for only $59.99 (MSRP is $99.99). Link to online store.