Review - RunPhones Wireless Sports Headband Headphones for running

Ram is currently training very hard for the London Marathon in April. It's his first marathon, and he's getting on really well with the challenge. Seeing him going out running regularly has even inspired me to take up running again, having not been out since Harry was a toddler. I don't have any desire to run particularly long distances, but I do feel like running gives me a good workout, and I aim to run around 5km a couple of times a week.

On our runs over the last few weeks, we've been trying out a pair of RunPhones. RunPhones are headphones hidden inside a sports-style headband, designed to be used by active people looking for a comfortable and convenient way to listen to their music while on the go. We've been trying the wireless headphones, and we both used them out while we were running with an iPhone 6.

This was something new for me as I'd never actually run outside before using headphones. I find that I can never get the wires to hang comfortably, and also I worry that it will distract me from noises that I need to hear when I'm out and about, like cars approaching. Fortunately I found that the RunPhones were the perfect solution to my headphone worries. They are super comfortable to wear, stayed firmly in place, and because they are wireless I don't need to worry about getting tangled up. I found that I could listen to my music at a comfortable volume, yet still hear enough noise around me to be aware of my surroundings. I also discovered that running while listening to music makes me run faster, a great bonus!

We have the medium size headband in black. It fits Ram perfectly, it is a little more loose on me but still fits well.

Tucked in a pocket inside the headband is the removable internal stereo headphone system. It is Bluetooth enabled with a range of 5-10 metres and rechargeable via a micro USB cable (included). There are no controls for your music on the headphone system itself - volume, skipping tracks and so on need to be controlled through your device. The battery life is 8-12 hours, which seems very good to me. The headband itself is machine washable (once you've removed the electrical parts inside).

As well as outdoors, this headband would also be really good to use on a treadmill at the gym. I always find myself getting tangled up in wires and worry about tripping over them, but with these headphones there is no need to worry, and you could prop your phone up in front of you to easily access all your music.

I did occasionally have a problem with the connection to the music cutting out, in particular when putting the phone in my pocket at the beginning of a run and removing it at the end. Ram had no problems when he was carrying his phone in his running belt, and it was fine if the phone remained out in the open (like when running on a treadmill or held in a hand). It might mean that you need to experiment with carrying the phone differently, I found that one particular pocket in my trousers worked the best!

If you enjoy listening to music while you are running then these headphones are a great idea.

I received a pair of RunPhones in exchange for this review.