chups' father's day gift guide: But soooo worth it.

Bose QuietComfort 15 Noise cancelling headphones.

I'm a test buyer. I'm not always proud of it, but there it is. Those of you in retail hate my type. I return things simply because I don't like them. Or to try something different. Or because I find a better price. Cameras, wafflemakers (thanks Nat!) GPSs, flashlights. Underwear.

I kid!

I may be the single reason Best Buy modified their return policy. It's a sickness. Buy, return, buy, return, rinse, repeat until I have EXACTLY the...thing...that I want.

Didn't have to return my QC15's though. Tried them in an airport once and immediately started saving my pennies.

And that's the problem. They're 300 bones. $275 ish on ebay for a nice used pair. I'm not normally one to swallow cliches like: "you can't afford not to buy them," or "how much is your sanity worth?" or "you get what you pay for," Howevers - I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say; "I know!" and "just about $300." and "I know!"

Normally, I snort derisively at Bose and their pricing. QC15s, however are within $25 - 30 of competitors top offerings.

I've tried Sony, Sennheiser and some other also-rans, but the Bose take the pie.

There are probably 75 million reviews online about these headphones, so here's my lists:

Pros:
- Noise cancellation is truly best-in-class.
- Over the ear form factor means they're Noise isolating too. Like the hearing protection you use at the gun range or, doing really...loud...stuff.
- Great carrying case is included. Form fitting case offers protection for your investment and has a little pouch for extra AAA batteries/airline adapters. A bag of skittles and a twix bar fit as well.
-Runs on one AAA battery for, ever. Like, 35 hours.


Cons:
- They don't work if the battery goes dead. Period. Noise canceling HAS to be active to hear anything through them. I've read several theories as to why, but I still think it's lame.
- Some people report vertigo or sea-sickness or a "feeling like being underwater"while using them. SWEET! That means the noise canceling is super-extra-A-plus-powerful, right?! I've experienced something similar, so I just turn them on BEFORE putting them on, and have no problem.
- Wearing them for extended periods = hot, sweaty ears. Now, normally that's a good thing, but not on the non-stop to JFK. You gotta take em off for a few minutes here and there.
- Price. BUT, if you or that special husband or father in your life spend a lot of time on airplanes, trains or buses, you may want to consider the expense. Then deduct them on your next tax return. Cha-ZING!

After all, you're worth every penny.

-chup