Shokz OpenFit Review after using for 2 months

I bought Shokz OpenFit for myself as a birthday present in July ’23. Now that I’ve had them for a few months, I figured it was about time I did a thorough review. I’ll go into how I’m using them, what I like, what I dislike, and suggestions if you’re not sure about purchasing.

First of all, they’re very unique headphones built with certain features, including:

• DirectPitch technology – they aren’t bone conducting like other Shokz. They use a method for open-ear listening, which “addresses vibration and neckband issues”
• Situational Awareness – The headphones are open-ear so they don’t block other sounds around you – great for runners/walkers (want safety tips? Here’s my article with tips to stay safe whilst running)

Table of contents:

Sep 2024: I’ve had them for over a year and still love them.

The target audience is outdoorsy people, which makes sense given the top promoted features are situational awareness, sweat & light-rain resistance. I’ve been using them a lot inside too which I’ll detail below.

Other benefits include:

• Comfy over-ear design to hook around your ear, to stop them falling off. They don’t sit in your ear so there’s no feeling of claustrophobia others can give
• Long battery life
• Great with glasses and hats
• Now syncing with 2 devices
• Great call quality with a microphone
• Sweat-resistant and resistant to ‘light rain’
• Quick syncing – as soon as you put them on, they’re activated (doesn’t take a few seconds like others)

What are they great for?

I’m using the OpenFit constantly. I keep them in my ears pretty much all day. I find them extremely comfy and forget they’re in most of the time. I’ve even got in the shower forgetting they’re in.

They’re synced with my mobile but can be quickly connected to my laptop if I need it. You can’t unfortunately sync them to 2 devices at the same time but it’s not too much drama to swap. You now CAN sync to two devices at the same time and quickly change – it’s a game-changer for me. If I’m listening to music on my phone but open the case and take out one, it instantly connects and starts playing through the headphones.

They’re the best headphones I’ve ever used for calls. I haven’t tried with work calls on Teams yet. I haven’t used my phone to take a call without these in yet.

The sound quality is excellent. They connect quickly, there’s no lag in putting them on. I listen to music with Spotify but also switch between social apps making it better so my husband doesn’t have to listen to my tiktoks. I sometimes use one headphone which works well even if the other is put back into the charging box.

I use them for working out. I do a range of sports including boxing, indoor cycling, skipping, HIITs, weights, pilates and outdoor walking (plus running, which I talk about below). They stay on and don’t move. They’re also not dripping with sweat when I take them off after a workout, unlike other in-ear ones (sorry, TMI?).

I’ve also recorded videos using them for sound – they pick up my voice clearly and never drop out. I don’t think I’ve ever used headphones as good to use for calls – they are fantastic.

Wearing with glasses and hats

I had this question on Instagram and I’d never thought about it before. I wear Shokz OpenFit all the time when wearing my glasses, mostly when on a computer or watching the telly. Although the glasses fit behind my ear, they don’t interfere with Shokz (and vice versa). They meet at the same place, which I was actually surprised at when I took this photo:

I didn’t realise the headphones and glasses touched in the same place behind my ear, as I would assume that’d irritate from the extra weight (one on top of the other). I’ve never noticed. I can work all day with both on and never have any problems.

I wear the Shokz with my running hats too but never noticed a problem. With the yellow hat, I can tell they are on, but they don’t dig in.

Any negatives?

I mean, it goes without saying – the price. They are £179. See further down for some handy ways I’d recommend trying to get a discount (I did, and got 10% off).

Oct 2024 – they’ve bought out OpenFit air. As far as I can tell, they’re a cheaper version of OpenFit but still just as useful (with situational awareness and a great sound). Check out the shokz website.

Wearing a hood

If it’s raining, I’ll put my hood up, which unfortunately means I’ll need (more than likely) to turn off my Shokz. The rain’s interference with my hood turns them off and on again, which is very frustrating. The hood seems to cling to my skin.

It could be the material of the jacket I wear. It’s a thin Adidas jacket. Maybe a different material wouldn’t cling so badly.

The only way to still use the headphones is to cope with getting my head wet by shielding the headphones. I do this with a bobble hat that covers them or wear my ear covers (they look like ear muffs without padding and go around the back of my neck).

Windy runs

I’ve started running again, and while situational awareness is great, the wind somewhat hinders the headphones. If it’s windy when running, I need to turn my music up to hear it, reducing my situational awareness. See my TikTok video below for how the wind sounds. There’s a whole section on wind below because I have a lot to say about it!

Cooking

If I’m cooking and being noisy, I need to turn the volume up high, which I dislike.

As they aren’t in-ear, they don’t shut out outside noise.

It’s obvious, but I hadn’t considered these scenarios. If I’m boxing or using weights, I can now hear everything. Previously, with my Samsung Buds, even though I hated how uncomfortable they were, they’d tune out the noise. I didn’t consider this but would still buy them if I knew or thought about this properly before purchase.

Quality compared to Samsung Buds

The case feels cheap compared to Samsung, which I’ve had in the past and still use when the Shokz doesn’t suit the activity.

Even though Shokz is bigger and looks more impressive, the case and the shutting noise feel/sound are cheaper.

UPDATE Apr 24: The case is getting on my nerves. I have to use two hands to close it, as it’s just too loud when it slams shut. I know, first-world problems.

What are the touch actions like?

I can’t get to grips with the touch actions yet. I’m not too fond of the feeling of pressing into my ear, so I haven’t been using them. You can press forward or back to change the song, but (weirdly?) you can’t change the volume. You can also pause, but it takes 2 taps which I don’t like as I usually miss the part you have to press, so it takes more like 5 taps. I hated this about my old Samsung buds as tapping them was uncomfortable because you’d end up pushing them further into your ear. That being said, when I have used it to forward through a song successfully, it works and takes probably 2 seconds.

UPDATE Apr 24: I figured out how to use them properly. You can change this within the app. On my left side, pressing with 2 fingers for a few seconds replays the current song/replays the previous song. On the right, this moves forward to the next song. It doesn’t always work on the first try if it’s rainy.

The Shokz OpenFit charging box and case

I didn’t realise I’d get a case, so that was a happy surprise. It has a loop too making it easy to keep close on your wrist and pouch for a charging cable. The charging case is lovely to use and fits the headphones nicely. There’s a cute quiet ‘snap’ when you reattach both headphones and it highlights green or red to indicate charging. As mentioned above, shutting the case is loud and irritates me.

Update – I’ve never used the outer case, even when taking the headphones abroad or to work.

You can use just one headphone at a time which I find very helpful when snoozing on one side of the sofa.

My personal choice as someone who hates loud noise

I’m a HSP – a highly sensitive person – anything noisy affects me. I’m super sensitive to loud noises. I’ve always been slightly obsessed with headphones. I’ve tried cheap £20 headphones from Amazon (which have always been returned), and Samsung Buds (I sold mine to put the money towards these) and I use Bose over-ear for work calls (with Teams) which helps to cancel out noise when in the office and commute.

I love these Shokz OpenFit headphones for around the house, walks, runs and even food shopping. As mentioned, I hadn’t considered using them to do noisy things won’t drown out the noise which is weird considering they aren’t in-ear, so it’s obvious! I don’t regret buying them though, it’s just something to think about.

I’m on the lookout for better headphones to use for work. My Bose ones need the volume editing for EACH CALL, which is a nightmare – okay, more like a small, constant inconvenience, but it gets annoying when you’re on 6 (minimum) calls per day. The OpenComm ones are tailored for this but just under £200. I’d rather go for the cheapest Shokz, but as they’re for sports, I’m not sure how good the microphone is. I’ll update this blog if I decide to buy them.

How does OpenFit cope with wind?

As they don’t shut out noise completely, you can still hear wind. Unfortunately, if it’s windy, it affects being able to listen to music considerably. It’s not the headphones’ fault; they aren’t made for shutting out all noise. I went for a walk when England was suffering from huge winds, and made a TikTok so you could hear what I was hearing, whilst wearing the OpenFit:

Turning up the volume defies the point of situational awareness benefit – I find the music is so loud (to cope with the wind) I then can’t hear what’s around me.

This is why I hate wind and so glad it’s now Spring.

Are Shokz OpenFit waterproof?

No, but they are sweat and rain-resistant. They give the go-ahead for wearing in light rain but nothing heavier, although I’ve seen blogs from others who have worn them in heavy rain with no problems. This is from the UK Shokz website:

OpenFit features IP54 water resistance and is designed with a double-layer waterproof steel mesh and gauze for additional protection and enhanced sound performance.⁷ During your sweatiest of workout sessions, keep enjoying your music or audiobook worry-free.

Are Shokz OpenFit headphones bone-conducting?

No, they aren’t. This is from the UK Shokz website:

OpenFit isn’t a bone conduction headphone. Shokz introduces DirectPitch™, a brand-new audio experience made for OpenFit. It allows for premium audio quality that perfectly balances bold highs, clear mids, and surging bass.

I haven’t tried the bone-conducting headphones so I can’t comment but I’m pleased with OpenFit for sound quality and comfort.

How much are Shokz OpenFit headphones?

I bought them from the UK Shokz website for £179 but I signed up for the newsletter that got me 10% off so in total I paid £161 + free delivery (see my discount blog here). You can also buy them from Amazon, John Lewis, Selfridges etc.

Get £5 off with my code RACHAEL on the shokz UK website.

> See my new 2023 promo code article on how to get a discount.

If you’re on Garmin, I saw a fitness goal where at the end, you’d get a discount of 15%! Check out my discount blog for info.

Shokz OpenFit headphones – a summary

I absolutely love my Shokz. There isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t wear them. I wear over-ear headphones for when I need quiet, but other than that, they get constant use. The loud case gets on my nerves, but it’s manageable!

It is worth looking out for a discount code. Sign up to their newsletter – I’ve just tried this whilst updating this blog (Apr 2024) and you get a 10% code to use.