Dec 13
 | Plantronics Explorer 350 Bluetooth Headset Feature:
Average Rating: 4.0 out of 5 Price: $32.97  |
Customer Rating 5 of 5
Customer Summary One of the best
Customer Full Review When I bought my first Bluetooth-enabled phone about 3 years ago the deal included a Motorola Bluetooth headset. Cool, I thought. Then I used it less and less, because the thing had to be recharged at home and would only last about an hour. Soon I thought it was just too hard to use ... hard to put on, and totally weird in that to turn it on you had to take it OFF your ear, flip down the mouthpiece, then put it BACK on your ear. Whoever designed the thing had no clue how people use headsets. It also sounded like I was talking from the bottom of a water well. Whenever I used it on conference calls people would yell for me to go on mute. So I started asking people in the waiting rooms at airports what brand they had and what brand they liked. I got so many people who hated Jabra that I didn't even consider it. I already didn't really care for Motorola, so I started looking at Nokia, which seem to be nice but clumsy, and then I kept meeting more and more people who were in love with their Plantronics. I have used Plantronics headsets for a long time in the office, after all, that's all they do and they seem to do it well. I looked at a few Plantronics and didn't find one that jumped out at me, then one day I ran across the Explorer 350. This was just too good to be true! Are you kidding me, $49 bucks for a Bluetooth headset made by the top brand? Then I looked closer and found that Plantronics did something very unique with this headset. Instead of having to charge it at home, it comes with an extremely cool little clip that either mounts to your dash or hooks to your air vent in your car then plugs into your cigarette lighter. Now that made sense! A place to hold the headset where you use it most, always charging, then ready to use in a second or to walk around the rest of the day with it fully charged. For us road warriors, Plantronics also thoughtfully included a USB charging cable so the trusty laptop will keep your headset charged while you sleep. You can buy an optional AC adapter if that makes you feel more secure. So how is it built and how does it perform? Built like a Hummer! The main piece is one solid chunk that looks like it is pretty immune to any normal damage while clunking around in your pocket with a lot of coins. The piece that goes around your ear looks like it is solid as well, and effortlessly switches from ear to ear and slips on with one easy motion. After the first time, this thing slips on with no thought on my part and instantly is in the perfect position for use. Operation couldn't be simpler. Unlike my Motorola with several switches that you had to remember how and what sequence to push them in, the Plantronics has one switch. Push it in to turn it on, push it in to turn it off, push it in to talk, push it in to hang up, push it in to voice dial, etc. All you have to do is push. Want to make it louder or quieter? Push up or push down. No-brainer. I saved performance for last because this is what convinced me to keep it. After a quick charge I called a friend from my car with the window rolled down. This is a friend I talk to all the time from my land line. I said, hey, I just bought a new Bluetooth headset and want to see how it sounds to you. He said, cool, put it on and I'll let you know. I said ... I already have it on! He said the sound was perfect, no background noise of any kind and it sounded at least as good as my landline. One of the things several of my airport buddies told me they liked about Plantronics is how the durable rubber earpiece fits comfortably inside your ear and blocks out noise ... like annoying flight announcements. I have to say that not only did I sound perfect to my friend but every call I have been on has been easier to hear than with any other headset I have ever tried.
PROS:
Sound Quality
Superior construction
Ease of use
Pairing - instant and flawless
Price
Comfort
CONS:
None I could see. Earns a comfortable 5 stars!
