Plantronics Explorer 395 Bluetooth Headset

Pros: Good sound quality
Fits securely
Looks nice

Cons: Nothing so far

Summary: Been using BT headsets since 2004. I?ve had most every make and literally dozens of models. I?ve recently been a fan of BlueAnt headsets but their ear loop system is crap. What good is sound quality if you can't keep the stupid thing in your ear?

Anyway, I'd had good luck with Plantronics in the past, so I decided to give them another shot. I really like the looks of this one - not too big but big enough to handle ? and smaller than the longer, bullet-shaped design for which Plantronics is famous. It has a sleek chrome and black finish, making it a surprisingly sexy little earpiece in my opinion.

Best of all, it actually fits securely in and on my ear without feeling like it's falling off or sliding off the hook. (I don't like the ear-canal-only fit.) All the BlueAnts I had would wear out the hole where the ear loop slides, making it virtually useless. I spent too much time fiddling with it on my ear, trying to get it to stay put. So ?hands-free? became too much ?hands-on?.

I use the 395 on the road and everywhere else. Some reviewers have complained about low sound volume or other sound issues, but I haven't experienced any of that?in fact, quite the opposite. I drive about 30 minutes each way for my job at highway speeds, and I've been able to hear just fine. Moreover, the people on the other end have all told me it sounded much better than my higher-end BlueAnts (T1, Z9i, etc.) My wife tells me it sounds like I?m just talking on my phone (BlackBerry Torch 9800).

In summary, it doesn?t have the high end features of many devices nowadays. But to me, it does very well what a BT headset is supposed to do: gives me good sound quality, fits securely, and looks pretty darn nice doing it.