Gear Review: One Good Earbud

A few weeks back, my Twitter feed was followed by the folks at One Good Earbud. It was a little spooky, like they’d been listening to my thoughts as I jogged around Farris: “I wish I had earbuds that were really just one earbud but with both sound channels. Then I’d have one totally free ear so I can clearly hear anything or anyone around me, and more important, it would obvious to anything/anyone nearby that I’m paying attention.” And, of course, like all of my gear, it has to be inexpensive. Like less than $20. Which pretty much sums up One Good Earbud: It’s simply one rubber-flanged earbud that delivers both channels of sound for a mere $14.95 plus $5 shipping.

Because it almost physically hurts me to full price for anything, I waited to place my order until OGE gained enough Facebook followers to give up a discount code. Shipping took only a few days—fast! I plugged one end of the One Good Earbud into one of my many Sansa Clips (another gear fave, only $12.99 during a WootOff) and the other end in my left ear. Yes, I plugged the right ends into the right parts. Geez.

One thing I always notice with these rubber-flange earbuds is that I can hear any little tapping on the cord as I move. Kind of annoying, but I stop hearing it once I start gasping for breath during my runs. I do plan to swap out the rubber eartip with a memory foam replacement that I’ll MacGyver from an earplug; it’s a personal preference thing—memory foam tips are more comfy in my small ears, especially when I start sweating…er, glowing.

If you’re some kind of fancypants audiophile who can discern bitrates and degradation and other mysterious aspects of mp3s, then the One Good Earbud might not be your thing. However, if you’re a simple mortal like me and really just want to hear your Bollywood tunes during your runs or bike rides or walks while also telling the world, “I might be rocking out to Rahman, but I can still hear you, so back off,” then the One Good Earbud might be your new favorite bit of gear.

Good sound quality, the bud fits even my small ear comfortably, it’s unobtrusive enough that you won’t look like you’ve blocked out the world with your tunes—and you actually can hear what’s going on around you. I wish the model I ordered came in black to be even more discreet (the over-the-ear models are black), but that’s just quibbling. Overall, I give it a thumbs up.

One Good Earbud, $14.95 plus $5 shipping