I bought a cheap pair on Amazon for around $30 just to try the concept out. I actually use them primarily for gaming cause I play a lot of split screen/in the same room with people, so it let’s us talk while I can still hear.

Couple of notes:

• Don’t put the volume too high, as they can damage your ears just like regular headphones
• They are definitely quieter than regular headphones as nothing is blocking your ears.

I fucking love my AfterShokz, despite the awful name.

I got them to use while out walking, so I can still hear traffic and other hazards. The sound quality is perfectly fine (I am no audiophile), though with precisely 0 isolation, your experience will depend entirely on the environment you’re in - that being the whole point. If you’re walking down the highway, traffic noise is going to eat everything but the beat, and that’s on loud.

No discomfort, they’re stable enough mechanically (I’m a walker, not a runner), I kind of wish the band were a little tighter but that’s very minor.

There is a little too much space for me at the back actually; I can’t wear them lying down as it just pushes them off.

Battery life is… not an issue, I’ve had them a year or maybe two I can’t remember, they’re good.

I suspect my use-case is not your use-case though, so ymmv.

I use a set of Skullcandy ear buds. I’ve had them a few years, sound quality is ok for the money. I have a set of Shure SE530s that kinda ruin the bell curve for me. Battery life is meh. Ear buds are comfortable and hook into my ears nicely. No strap, band or ear hooks. I use them for remote meetings and when I’m flying. No real complaints.

I love my Shokz Openrun. It really fits my head, is easy to detach and the audio is pretty good. I use it basically everyday, anywhere and anytime. After wearing it for about an hour, you don’t even remember that you’re wearing it. It’s so comfortable. The battery is pretty good, too. You can play music on it 16 hours straight.

My mother who used to be a Shokz user bought soundcore aerofit pro recently though, she claims that musics sound better on Shokz. So I don’t recommend those “open-ear headphones”.

One thing I hate about Shokz is that I cannot lie on the bed while wearing it. Otherwise it’s pretty good.

https://shokz.com/products/openrun

Also interested!

Never tried them, but people claim that they are great for anything but music. You can totally listen to music through your bone, but the experience lacks behind good headphones.

Afterskokz are great like everyone says. I even sleep with mine on sometimes with a rain app on so it doesn’t bother my wife. They stay on all night for me, they are better laying on your side but you can lay pretty much how you want with a little adjustment.

Aftershocks… I have the mini for about 2 years and still a but too much space in the back but my hair usually covers it. Better is usually 30’ish hours? Sound is good, you won’t get deep bass or be immersed by it but for running around it’s great. I wear mine at work and in the shower too. Sometimes while sleeping too depending on battery life and the lazy factor. My BFF has the “detached” over the ears version which eliminates the neck band issue.

I had a pair I would use while doing chores and taking walks or riding bikes: times I didn’t want to block ambient noise but wanted some music or podcast running. Sound quality is nowhere near typical headphones. In the right usage scenario, they were great… until I accidentally sat on them and haven’t replaced them yet.

Which brand/model are you using?

Aftershokz Aeropex

How’s the sound quality?

Not great, but they are not headphones I use for audiophile-purposes

How’s the sound leak?

No idea tbh - a bit more than in-ears/over-ears I guess?

What kind of music do you use it to listen to?

Hardly any. If I want music, I have other hardware for that. My primary use for these headphones is to listen to podcasts while exercising

Are they comfortable to wear? For how long?

You don’t really notice them. I use them for hours on end for long cycling trips and they work well for that

Do you get any skin irritation or even breakdown where it contacts your temple?

I have not noticed any

Does the hook part wrap around your ears without any pressure points?

Yes

Does the behind-the-head band bounce around when you’re walking or running?

Not noticably

How much space is between the band and the back of your head/neck?

A few centimeters, less than five.

How’s the battery life?

A full charge maybe gets you 8 hours I think? I never let my devices go that low, though

How long have you had it?

2 years

When do you use it?

While exercising to listen to podcasts

Do they stay put, or do you need to reposition them frequently?

They stay where they are. It can be annoying to put on/take off shirts though as they can easily get stuck in them

Anything else to comment on?

I really enjoy my headphones, but they are most certainly not good for music imo. Still, it makes my rotation, which is mostly these plus a pair of buds that go in my pocket for all other listening purposes

I’ve had a pair of shcokz until I forgot them in an airport. I bought regular pair instead since that’s what was available at the time. Pretty much what everyone said here is true. Comfy, you hear well 90% of the time, good combo with earplugs when you can, sound quality is okay but not great.

One very neat (accidental) feature of them is that if you put them in the right accustic (like in a cupboard) they turn into an okay speaker.

AfterShokz is the most notable brand that makes these, but they are called “bone conduction” headphones.

I had a coworker who would swear by these things. We cannot wear double earplugs at work, so that was her solution to listen to music. I did some googling and found that many people stated that the audio quality is decent, but bass can be very lacking on them. It seems like wearing earplugs with them supposedly help things like that. I love bass and can’t stand not having it, so I never bothered to try a pair.

Personally, I have a pair of wireless earbuds instead altho I don’t wear them at work. They have both an “ambient” mode where I can hear stuff around me similar to how you can with bone conduction headphones, and they also have a noise cancelling mode. The battery doesn’t last nearly as long as with something like a pair of AfterShokz tho and you have the discomfort of putting them in your ear canal. But I’ve always been curious about bone conduction headphonesn too! Hope you enjoy them if you get a pair!

I got the shokz openrun pros just a few weeks ago despite considering them and other bone conduction headphones for years. I wanted them because I bike a lot and wanted to have open ears when listening to music. I quickly found the reason they are called openRUN, because when biking at anything over about 10kmh, the wind noise overpowers them so much I need to turn them to unhealthy levels in order to hear anything.

Another disappointment is that they aren’t really bone conduction. They are just small speakers pointing directly into your ears. I partially bought them because I was excited about the tech, but they are now useless in my application and boring. I will probably sell them and get in ear buds with pass-through noise canceling and wind noise cancelation.

Another believer in Shokz. I’ve got two. I mainly use them during work (wfh) to listen to YouTube/podcasts. And for me it’s a vastly superior experience to ear buds and on/over ear headphones, which always make me feel super hot.

The other pair I use while cycling. And yeas, while at high speeds I don’t really hear anything because of wind, during normal riding they’re excellent because I still hear ambient sound, which is my preference, safety wise.

Lots of Aftershox comments and recs here. I’ve owned 3 generations of Aftershox and now use the Suunto Wingz. I like the head gestures and led and the sound is as good if not better. YMMV.

In my experience, after trying most brands, they are just ok for music.

Using them at the gym was not a good experience because the gym music is too loud, and this is the same for malls and airports.

Outdoors usage is good for running and washing the car. None of them are good for Webex or Zoom meetings because the mic is very tinny, except for Shoks OpenComm2 UC, with the boom mic.

In a quiet office, with open space design, my coworkers didn’t complain. One coworker sits two desks down, from me, has a pair of Shokz and I don’t hear his music.

And because of the behind the neck design, you can’t lay in bed. Anything that pushes the conductor out of the sweet spot will ruin the music.

I didn’t keep any of them.