Samsung SBH500 Bluetooth Stereo Headphones (Black)

Summary: I received my SBH500 headset from a friend that worked for Samsung at the time. I was looking for a quality wireless music headset and they offered me this, as it was a surplus device for them that Samsung didn't want back. My first impression was that the design aesthetic was pretty cool for bulky headphones. The controls are well designed and placed, the charging port cover is clever, and the light ring indicator is attractive.

My opinion began to sour, however, when I put them on. Jerrytmi's review I find extremely insulting, as I do not have elephant ears (I have to endure comments from most of my friends about how strikingly small my ears are), but this headset not only pinches into my skull behind the ears, but some of the plastic seams on the headband actually dig into the base of my ears. After ten minutes, to say it was very uncomfortable would be an understatement. It felt like it was cutting into me. Perhaps after several days of continued use I would grow accustomed to the sensation, but I really didn't want to have to get accustomed to it, at the time it hurt! But, all the same, I did just that. Most headsets and earphones hurt for the first couple of days I use them, so I gave it a fair shot, not to mention the sound quality was very good and well worth investing some time into. Sure enough, the plastic digging into my ears didn't hurt quite so much after a few days, but the pinching at my skull didn't get any better, but I learned to live with it.

That all ended, however, the day the plastic sheared off on one side where the headband met the extension off the earpiece. I taped and zip-tied it, and within two days the other side sheared off. This was in under three months of ownership. So far, every attempt to repair it has ultimately failed after a few days, so I have removed the headband in hopes I can fashion a more suitable way of wearing this device. But after three months, I SHOULDN'T HAVE HAD TO. The worst part is that, while searching the internet for a guide to how to disassemble this headset so I could remove the rough bits of plastic left over, I found that many people had their headband shear off in the exact same place! This is a very clear case of poor design testing, and given that Samsung is one of my favorite tech brands, I'm grossly disappointed. My only consolation is that I didn't have to pay any money for these, so I haven't really lost anything, but I can't help but feel for everyone who has lost out because of these.

My bottom line: don't waste your money on this headset. Samsung makes others that are far superior, as do most other manufacturers. If Samsung ever revisits this design and implements a different headband, I will strongly consider buying another set. But in this instance, I'm walking away with my dignity intact, and my headset not.