Motorola H300 Wireless Headset €24.50 Highs: The cheapest of the headsets tried, this was also the easiest to get up and running as it uses an AAA battery (included) that doesn't need to be charged.
The sound was grand, with no crackle and it sits comfortably on the ear.
Lows: On, rather than in the ear, which means you might struggle to hear the other side of conversations in noisy situations. "No need to ever charge," shouts the box loudly, which is absolutely true, although you will need to actually replace the battery every 30 hours, something which is whispered gently in the instruction manual. While it could hardly be described as big, it was the bulkiest of the headsets we looked at, which gives it a slightly larger "eejit factor" than most of the competition.
Verdict: Cheap and easy
Star Rating: ****
Blackberry HS655 Wireless Headset €99.90
Highs: This headset looks like a clunky pen, which we did not fancy attaching to the side of our head, even for a few short minutes. There was much relief when we realised that the headset was actually slotted inside the case and when it was removed, it was the smallest and arguably least ostentatious of the headsets tried. It fits more snugly into the ear than most of the competition, which suggests it will offer better sound quality.
Lows: We can't say for sure because we couldn't get it to work. The box said it was compatible with all Bluetooth-enabled phones, but our phone was unable to find this. So we can't comment on the sound, but we can express dismay at the absence of a charger. For €100, we'd expect everything to be included.
Verdict: Sleek and stylish but silent
Star rating: ***
Jawbone Wireless Headset €119.90
Highs: This is undoubtedly the coolest of the headsets we tried, with its rectangular perforated texture, hidden buttons and gently blinking white lights, but it is the technology that makes it stand out. It has a Noise Shield which blocks out background noise and its audio enhancement technology automatically adjusts the volume according to the environment. The earpiece fits well and it comes with a range of differently shaped ear plugs to improve comfort further.
Lows: It is undoubtedly on the biggish side and does look like you've attached a red bicycle reflector to the side of your head. If you want a discreet option, this is not it. Mind you, if you've just splashed out €120 on a headset when there are far cheaper options on the market, you might want everyone to know about it.
Verdict: Expensive but excellent
Star rating: ****
Nokia Wireless BH20 €59.90
Highs: We found this to be the easiest to put on and take off in an emergency (well, if answering a call could ever be considered an emergency). The volume control was easy to access and control and it seemed to be a pretty good quality product without being at all flash.
Lows: It lacks the bells and whistles of the fancier model and, while it is absolutely fine, it is hard to see why this costs €35 more than the cheapest model we tried. It was also the only headset through which we heard significant crackle, although the charitable thing might be to blame the conditions on the day we used it.
Verdict: Sturdy and safe
Star rating: ***
Sony Ericsson Bluetooth Headset HBH-PV702 €49.90
Highs: This is another no-nonsense headset that we had up and running in seconds. It was the second cheapest of the models reviewed and delivered top quality sound. It is, perhaps, marginally smaller than all the others, apart from the Blackberry, and sits comfortably in the ear.
Lows: It did display an alarming tendency to come off the ear at crucial moments, leaving us to scrabble around with headset and handset in a most undignified fashion.
The instructions come in a map-like booklet and are hard to follow and filled with hilariously incomprehensible drawings, although it is pretty idiot-proof - so the instructions are all but completely unnecessary.
Verdict: Cheap and absolutely fine
Star rating: ****
