Downbeats Initial Impressions
They do the job, but should double-flange silicone eartips with a plastic tube insert cost this much? Also, they do not go into the ear far enough to minimize occlusion effect. A useful product, and they come with a nice pill vial for storage (equipped with an o-ring, because silicone eartips need weatherproof housing), but for $14 this is not a very good value--I feel like I could make a pair on my own using leftover double-/triple-flange eartips from previously purchased headphones and some narrow inner-diameter tubing from a hardware store for about $0.25.<br /><br />Update: Less than two weeks after purchasing these, the metal ring connecting the pill vial to my keychain broke; also, the o-ring is absent, and the paint is chipping off of the pill vial. I have a peanut lighter that has been on my keychain for about a year and a safety whistle that has been on my keychain for nine years, that have fared just fine, so I am concluding that the pill vial is not well-made. And I am lowering my rating to one star.<br /><br />Recommendation for Downbeats: redesign the product to reduce occlusion, outfit them with a quality case, then sell this improved version for a more reasonable price.
Rating: 1 stars