Review: KossFit FitBuds and FitClips Headphones

This post is sponsored by FitFluential LLC on behalf of Koss.

It’s been over a week since I last blogged (not including my Links I Love) – things have been really crazy around here. I’ve taken on a new (awesome) role at work, made some big life decisions (more on that to come)… and also have been dealing with some stomach issues that I think are left over from my trip to Peru. I love that country, but its food really doesn’t seem to agree with me! Unfortunately, that was the reason that for the second week in a row, I’m not getting to run a marathon that I signed up for. (Last week’s Dallas Marathon was canceled by the organizers due to some snow here.) It seems that I’m just not meant to run a marathon in Dallas this year 🙁

One of the reasons I was disappointed not to get to run this morning’s low-key Whine Not a Marathon was that I was looking forward to running around Bachman Lake (right near my office!) and zoning out to some good podcasts. To facilitate this, I was excited to try some new headphones that had been sent to me by Koss Fit, which were designed by women, for women. In fact, Olympic swimming gold medalist Dara Torres helped with their design! Although swimming isn’t my sport, I was excited to try headphones that were created by someone who actually uses them and understands what product features matter.

Koss sent me both the FitBuds (earbud-style) and FitClips (earbud-style but with an arm that goes up over your ear to hold them in place). I typically buy the arm-style headphones for running outside, since I like that the arm keeps the headphones in place while the fit is usually not quite as tight and still allows me to hear everything around me. The FitClips were the ones I was planning to wear for the marathon, but when I instead wore them to the gym, I was kind of glad I hadn’t ended up running outside with them – the fit is really snug (in a good way) and doesn’t let much ambient noise in! Although that means they aren’t appropriate for running outside, I actually really loved them for the gym, and think they’ll be awesome on planes as well.

Both the FitBuds and the FitClips are sweat resistant and made of a really cool flexible rubber material that felt smooth to the touch. They felt very durable, and although they aren’t expensive, they seem to be well-made and I think that they’ll last a while. But the best part about how they’re made is the earbuds themselves (which are the same in both models). Like many headphones, they come with three different sizes of ear cushions, so you can get the perfect fit. However, since they are made for women, they’re 33% smaller than any earbud Koss has ever created in the past – which meant that the small size actually fit my teeny tiny ear perfectly. (Fun fact: my head is very tiny, and its circumference is in the 1st percentile for size. And no, I do not like what that says about my cognitive abilities.)

What I found most amazing about the FitClips, though, was that even after wearing them for two hours, my ears didn’t hurt one little bit. These are going to be perfect for redeye flights when I want to use my “sleepytime playlist” to catch some rest. While that usually works well for me to get to sleep, I frequently wake up with earaches from wearing the headphones so long. The Koss Fit products, though, are so comfortable to wear that I think I can eliminate that problem completely! Although the FitBuds are nice and tiny to pack into a carry on bag, I think I’d use the FitClips for listening to music while sleeping, just because the arm will help them stay on.

The Koss Fit Series retails for $29.99 on their website, which I think is already a pretty reasonable price. However, they’re also sold at lots of retailers (Wal-Mart, Best Buy, Walgreens, Kmart, and Sears), and this holiday season, they’re selling them for just $19.99 – or even less if you catch a great sale ($14.99 at Sears and Kmart!). I know I’m busy doing some last-minute shopping right now, and this great deal would make the perfect holiday gift for an active woman.

And perhaps I’ll be able to get back out and do a marathon soon instead of just hitting the boring old gym? I hope so.

Disclaimer: KossFit provided me with the FitBuds, FitClips, and compensation for an honest review, but I was not pressured to write a positive review and all opinions expressed in today’s post are mine alone.