Do you want the best headset? 
When your headset suddenly quits and you start looking for a replacement, or maybe you’re looking for a headset for your team, but the budget’s tight, what do you do, and where do you go?
- Head over to Staples?
- Poke around on Ebay?
- Or default to America’s superstore; Amazon?
Wherever you go, you’ll have a decision to make whether you’re making a purchase for yourself, or a group. And things become further complicated when there’s limited funds available.
Tecknet TK-HS-001 Review Video
It would be understandable if this is a brand, and model that you’ve never heard of before. I, for one, have never heard of it, but we all had some curiosity about it, mostly due to the super low price ($70.00).
After all, what can you really get in a wireless Bluetooth headset for just over fifty bucks? Generally, not much. But keep reading to find out if this economical (some would say cheap) headset is worth plunking down the cash for.
To begin, what do most people look for when they’re shopping around for a new Bluetooth headset?
Based on some polling we’ve conducted in the past, here are some of the top things our customers said:
- Comfort
- Sound Quality
- Reliability
- Wireless Range
- Affordability
- And for some, compatibility with current software applications
So, if we use these as measuring points, let’s see how this Tecknet TK-HS001 Bluetooth wireless headset stacks up.
Let’s start with comfort
The headset is light enough, but when worn, it feels a bit bulky and not all that comfortable. I feel qualified to make that claim given we test and review hundreds of different headsets by a lot of different manufacturers; some well-known, and some not so much.
I honestly have doubts as to whether or not this headset would provide all day wearing comfort. In the short stretches of time that I did wear it, I wasn’t impressed with the fit and feel of it. So if you’re someone who wears a headset all day long, I’d be cautious about buying this headset.
On the flip side, the ear cushion was pretty comfortable against the ear, and the headband does have padding. Both of these things do help when it comes to headset comfort.
With that said, I suspect that it’s the overall design of the headset that makes it uncomfortable for me, though comfort, like sound quality, is somewhat subjective, and personal.
What’s uncomfortable to me, might be very comfortable to you. This is especially true when you stop to consider that we all have different sizes, and shapes to our heads, and our tolerances for pain and discomfort varies from person to person as well.
Sound Quality
I have to say that this is easily the high water mark for this headset.
Not only does the microphone sound good when on calls, but it did a jaw dropping good job when it came to removing background noise. Here are the different tests we put this headset up against:
- Office noise (you know, people talking, office machine noises etc)
- Dogs barking (this is a great test for anyone who works from home)
- Blender noise (though most of us wouldn’t be blending up a pitcher of our favorite beverage when on business calls, this is a great noise challenge for any headset)
- Walking down the street with traffic noise
- Driving with windows rolled down, and with the windows up and the AC on high
In all of these tests, the Tecknet TK-HS001 did a remarkable job to maintain the voice audio quality even when being bombarded with these different, challenging noises. I would also say that the performance of this microphone was every bit as good, if not better than other headsets that cost $200.00, $300.00, and even $400.00.
Was I surprised by this headset’s microphone? Absolutely. Being that we test so many headsets, you more or less know what to expect within reason. This one surprised us all. For just over fifty dollars, we honestly didn’t expect it to sound as good as it did.
Though the microphone performed well above our expectations, I do have a question in mind as to whether or not the headset can maintain that sound quality over a 3-5 year period. This is about the life expectancy for most business headsets.
I can’t answer it, but I do wonder. After all, at that price point should you expect reliability for multiple years? Some might say yes, while others might see this as a disposable headset.
If it breaks, just replace it, frame of mind. To me, with the many improvements to headset technology, it wouldn’t surprise me at all if this headset ended up being very reliable. It also wouldn’t surprise me if it wasn’t. Hard to know at this point. So that takes care of the next item on our list above, reliability.
That takes us to wireless range
How much wireless talk range should you expect to receive on an affordable (ok, cheap) headset like this? 300 feet? 200 feet? 100? Maybe 20? Well, in order to help answer that question we need to keep in mind that this is a Bluetooth wireless headset, and not a DECT headset. DECT headsets are known for providing long wireless range when compared to Bluetooth models.
DECT headsets, for example, commonly claim ranges from 300 feet to as much as just under 500 feet. Comparing this to Bluetooth headsets that typically state a range of up to 100 feet, well, you can see that there’s quite a difference.
The Tecknet TK-HS-001 is a Bluetooth headset. Therefore, it will provide you no more than 100 feet of wireless talk range. In fact, you’d be wise to cut that range estimate in half. This is because usable wireless range is less than stated wireless range due to environmental obstructions.
These obstructions could include walls, doors, widows, desks, people and the list goes on. Most Bluetooth headsets we test provide about 50 feet of range. So it would make sense to figure that’s about what you’ll get on the Technet headset.
Affordability is next on our comparison list
And, I’m pretty sure we’ve covered that already. This is a very affordable, inexpensive headset which makes it appealing to anyone who has budget challenges, but is in need of a new headset.
You won’t find many inexpensive options for Bluetooth headsets for business. This happens to be one, and without a doubt, it’s decent when you compare the price to the features and performance.
Compatibility is the final topic on our list
Although this Tecknet TK-HS001 comes with a USB Adapter, the headset isn’t optimized for use with the leading communication applications such as Microsoft Teams, RingCentral, Zoom and others.
So why is it important to have this optimization? For one, you get the highly desired feature of remote call answering.
When your headset is optimized for use with these applications, you can step away from your desk, and when you get an incoming call, you’ll hear a beep tone in your headset which alerts you of the incoming call.
Once alerted, you simply press a button on the side of the headset to take the call. Then, when the call is completed, you just press the button a second time to end it.
Unfortunately, the Tecknet TK-HS001 cannot provide this remote call answering feature. But, for $70.00, I wouldn’t expect it to have it. That’s not to say that this headset cannot be used with those software applications, because it can. But, you won’t be able to take incoming calls when away from the desk.
Why is this feature so popular? A lot of people like the fact that it allows them to be reachable, even when they’re not at their desk. This means that you receive fewer voice messages, and you have fewer messages to wade through, and calls to return.
Customers like it because they can get immediate answers to their questions, rather than ending up in a voicemail box.
So what’s my overall take on this budget friendly headset?
If you’re looking for an inexpensive headset that delivers good sound quality, and eliminates unwanted background noise at a high level, then this is a very good option for you to consider. So whether you work in an office, at home, or even on the go, the sound quality you’ll get is that which rivals headsets costing far more than the modest price of this one.
I can’t assure you that this will be the most comfortable wearing experience because as I mentioned earlier, comfort is a bit subjective. But, to me, it’s not great when it comes to comfort and that’s something you’ll have to sort out on your own.
Battery
After all, this is a wireless headset so it would be good to know what to expect in terms of battery life. Well, the Tecknet TK-HS001 comes with a battery that’s rated to provide up to 32 hours of talk time. For a budget headset like this, I would have expected a battery that gave less talk time, so it was a pleasant surprise to see how much available talk time you actually can get.
The microphone boom arm can be bent almost into a pretzel-like shape. So, it’s flexible enough to allow you to place the microphone where you like. You can also locate the microphone on the right or left side of your mouth. Believe it or not, a lot of headsets limit the microphone placement to one side only. The Tecknet gives you the choice.
Clearly, the Tecknet HS-001 isn’t the ultimate in Bluetooth wireless headsets. But, it is a decent headset for a modest investment.
But, if the Tecknet isn’t what you’re looking for, make sure to reach out to us here at Headset Advisor for free headset advice. We’ve been serving up free, professional advice for almost three decades. You’ll not only talk with a headset expert, but the advice you’ll receive is free (Which is a price that’s hard to beat).
So let us know if you’d like a product recommendation, or if you have a nagging question you’d like answered. Or maybe you’d like some help setting up your headset. Whatever you need, we’re here to help.
