My e-Circuit Earphones, which I got back in 2021, died on me. One earbud went out (as usual). As a replacement, I found another e-Circuit pair that I liked on the Dollar Tree website: the e-Circuit Rainbow Shoelace Earbuds.
These earbuds, which cost $1.25, are colorful and made from shoelaces. I thought that was creative and cute. So, my mom picked me up a pair the next time she went to the store. It was a solid purchase.
Form
The earbuds look like plastic tubes with a handle, almost like a little gun or a bullhorn. They come in red or blue, with matching rubber tips and wires. I got the red ones.
No matter which color you choose, however, the shoelace part always has the same striped rainbow pattern. And it’s definitely shoelace fabric—soft, but a little faded and of an understandably cheap quality.
I was disappointed that the wires aren’t completely hidden inside the shoelace. Only the top part—the two halves that come down from the earbuds to the middle of the wire—is covered. Then there’s this weird red plastic tube in the middle where the shoelace ends and the regular wire continues.
Instead of having a perfect Y shape with the plastic tube vertically situated in the middle, the tube tends to shift sideways, which makes it look like one earbud is attached to the regular wire and the other is attached to shoelace. It’s kind of messy. When I first untied the earbuds, I was very confused about what I was seeing.
Function
The earbuds are mostly comfortable to wear, but they don’t stay in my ears well. They’re always on the verge of sliding out, even if I’m not moving around much. I actually made the insides of my ears sore from constantly pushing the earbuds back in.
On the upside, they are surprisingly durable. I often wear them while I’m doing the dishes (the cord is 48 inches long, so they have no problems reaching the phone in my pocket). One side has fallen into the water twice with no noticeable damage. I think these earbuds will last for a long time.
I have no complaints about their sound either. They’re on par with my last pair from e-Circuit: slightly hollow, but otherwise loud and clear with decent bass.
Conclusion
Overall, the e-Circuit Rainbow Shoelace Earbuds are a great buy. Yes, they have quirks. It really bothers me that shoelace doesn’t completely cover the wires. I hope there’s a good reason for that (cost? technical?) rather than it being a deliberate design choice. But I still like them.