Panasonic Wings RP-BTS30

I FINALLY CAVED, and invested in a pair of Bluetooth headphones for my training. My Galaxy S7 Edge has taken numerous beatings over the last year. It was with me when I had the biggest crash of my life, in the pouring rain, effectively saving my life in one gnarly mountain bike accident. It’s operated through dirt, grit, and grime, in and out of rugged cases. But, alas, the headphone jack has sighed its last. And, annoyingly, mostly due to my own error—I took a toothpick, and tried to scrape out the fluff that had accumulated inside. When I plugged my headphones back in, it was dead.

I can’t train without music (yes, I’m one of those antisocial types), so I had no choice but to invest in something I’ve scorned ever since Apple announced it was dropping the headphone jack.

So, what can I say about the Panasonic Wings RP-BTS30? They’re actually pretty good. Once you get them to sit right, the moldable ear lock can be shaped to fit any ear, they lock securely into place, and the onside buttons are quite effective when you get used to them. Audio quality is, well, acceptable—but when you’re exerting all that physical energy, audio quality isn’t top of your agenda.

As far as battery life goes, you can expect six to seven hours at full volume, which is modestly loud—not particularly ear-damaging, but not inaudible either. Battery is the biggy, though, and having these go dead on you, midway through a training session, is simply depressing. These are a solid pair of affordable Bluetooth headphones, but if charging these mini cans every day is too onerous, you might be better off investing in a pair of analogs instead. $80, www.panasonic.com