When my Motorola H850 bluetooth headset died I was beside myself with agony for a proper replacement. I had grown quite fond of the boom to turn on/off the device and answer calls; it was a real battery saver. My only complaint with the H850 is volume – it was never loud enough.

Side note: most (if not all) Bluetooth headset reviews fail to mention how loud the earpiece gets. I suppose an actual measure of decibels would be nice, but a statement such as “I could hear very well with my car window down” works for me. Even better, “the earpiece is so loud I can’t keep it at the loudest setting, even in my car driving at highway speeds.”

A trip to Fry’s unearthed the Jabra BT5010. What caught my eye: the familiar boom. Most of the BT5010 reviews were positive so I went with it and thus far, satisfied. To top-line it for you:

• Louder than my H850; I have to lower the volume for most calls but driving in the car requires it to be louder
• Easy to use on/off/pairing button instead of a single function answer/power button
• Sliding boom: easily answer/end calls but this does not control power
• Appearance: while the black body might stand out attached to your ear, it’s not chromed out with giant blinking lights
• Attachment: Jabra uses a twisting ear hook which accommodates use on the left or right ear; the hook keeps the BT5010 secure against your face. You can jog with this thing without fear of it falling off. For maximum comfort you might need to adjust the ear hook but I don’t keep anything attached to my ear for an entire day
• Ear piece: Jabra doesn’t use their popular gels with this model; although the gels provide a custom, and comfortable, fit I find they easily fall off in your pocket or as you jam the whole headset into your ear
• Pocketability: the device is solid, the ear hook is strong, and without ear gels, you can easily pop this into your pocket without fear of breakage
• Charging: a big selling point of the BT5010 compared to other units like the BlueAnt X3 is the miniUSB charging plug; no need to carry “yet another” charger or buy a custom tip for your iGo

The headset has been a solid performer for months although I have a few criticisms:

• Sliding boom is too delicate: if you touch it, even slightly, it will hang up the call. It seems the sensor is near full extension which guards against an accidental acceptance of a phone call, however it means an increase in accidental hang-ups
• Replacement ear hooks: the “Gumby-like” ear hook broke after a couple of months of use. Fortunately a five-pack of replacements is inexpensive the Jabra Store
• Answer delay: when a call is placed there is a solid two second delay before the microphone is activated. The other party might ask another “hello?” or wonder if you’ve hung up on them

These issues aside, the headset has worked well and battery life has not diminished with successive recharging. The BT5010 is not the most svelte headset available but it’s a workhorse.