Maximo iM 290 Earbud Earphones 2 5MM 2FT Alloy Metal Pouch

Maximo iM 290 Earbud Earphones 2 5MM 2FT Alloy Metal Pouch

Featuring high-fidelity 15mm neodymium drivers and a unique lightweight alloy metal body, iM-290 effectively delivers clear, powerful sound while providing a comfortable listening experience. Perfect for iPod, MP3, Smartphone, PDA, and air travel.

User Ratings and Reviews

4 Stars good sound, decent comfort, questionable durability
sound: great for a $20 headset. Better than stock earbuds

comfort: ok. They get a little tiresome after an hour or two in my ears. They fit pretty well, though lying down they tend to fall out.

durability: only recently got these, but the cable sheath looks pretty chintzy. Luckily, these babies have a lifetime warranty, so it really shouldn’t matter too much.

4 Stars A great value
Finding ear bud type headphones that are a value and of some quallity seems harder and harder, as the “in ear” craze goes. I personally cant enjoy those, they always fall out of my ears, and it always sounds like im underwater.

These on the other hand are great headphones. The sound is good, they are stylish, they come with a headphone cord extender (which could run you 10-15 on its on on some sites), as well as a case, which i doubt i’ll ever use but hey, its free. The one down side would be that they are a tad bit heavier due to the fact that they are made out of metal, not plastic painted to look like metal. The cord also seems a bit cheap, but overall, if these last me 6 months (2 months perfect so far) i will have gotten my 20 bucks worth.

1 Star Ouch!… hey this song is cool!… Ouch!
Eeeee… Kindda-ok. But naaa… shouldn’t recommend them.

Ever wanted to look cool but be hurting and pretend like your just feeling suave?

Well these earphones do exactly that. You’ll look cool but your ears will hurt like if you’d be wearing new shinny shoes 2 sizes smaller than your feet.

Could they have not put a little cushion to these very heavy earphones?

I mean, so you don’t have to feel like “metal tubes” are sticking and hanging out of your ears.

Although the sound is ok; I don’t think the engineers had any “comfort factor” considered in the equation. The ear pieces are very hard and heavy (dudes it’s just hard metal all around.) That black ring you see in the picture is super hard rubber heck it could almost be ceramic for all I care, and your ears don’t appreciate the intruding material in your outer ear canal.

I just wouldn’t recommend them… Wait! You can put duct tape around the black ring for a little extra comfort! AND it would look even cooler!

3 Stars Tough design, weak performance
These metal alloy earphones look unique and help you to stand out from the crowd. However, they are no better than the Coby earphones that came with my player. The stems are very thin and slippery making it unnatural feeling when trying to put them on. Once you get them on you will be startled by the chilly sensation from the metal (depending on the ambient temperature of course). Sound quality is on the low side and thin sounding. Bass was not warm or punchy, and highs not soaring and sparkling. An unfortunate example of form over function.

2 Stars Fell apart
The sound and fit are fine and I do like the cable length. However, after four months the left bud fell apart. The rubber gasket came loose then finally fell off and I can’t get it to stay on. Sure, I can replace them because of the warranty but do I really want to bother with another of these? I’m going back to the Apple buds.

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Ask CRAFT: The TSAs of Crafty Air Travel

(Above photo cc by Flickr user redjar ) Many of us crafters just returned from Maker Faire with the woes of air travel fresh in our minds. So what about that, huh? Can you bring scissors? Crochet hooks? Knitting needles? How are you supposed to get your craft on on long flights with the fear that your favorite tool might be confiscated by the TSA? The regulations are confusing and sometimes can appear contradictory. Here I will try to clarify what the TSA says on their site and share my craf