HB Tune Hand Band Review 01-18-2014

Running Tip of the day: You can significantly improve on how you carry your cell phone with you when you head out for a run! Check out this HB Tune HAND Band! It may be time to ditch your basic old-fashioned all-kinds-of-annoying arm band and take advantage of HB Tune's unique design which has proven to be the perfect mix of comfort, functionality and flexibility.

I have logged more than 1,100 miles over the last 12 months and more than 2,700 miles over the last few years. My cell phone has tagged along on almost every single one of those adventures. The vast majority of those events involve me grabbing a zip lock bag, stuffing my phone into it and then carrying it in my hand throughout the entire duration of the run. 2 miles, 5 miles, 12 miles and even 16 miles... and I've dropped that phone exactly zero times during those runs. It wasn't a perfect method, but it worked pretty reliably.

Then... I got an armband. The ones that everyone else seems to already have. It looks like the phone sits so perfectly still and accessible but I quickly learned about the variety of downsides to this method. It didn't stay on my upper arm, it twisted around to the back side of my upper arm, tried to slide down over my elbow, the phone would only fit if I removed the protective case, the touch screen usage was dismal and it was a pain to get the phone into and back out of it. It was surprising how much less hassle there was with my tried and true zip lock baggie method.

As it turns out, there is a better option that completely outperforms the others: the HB Tune Hand Band. Yes, HAND band. It fits over your thumb. Your phone sits right in the palm of your hand. There is a velcro strap to tighten the fit, but really, gravity does much of the work to keep it in place.

This thing has it all! My phone fits in the HB Tune easily, even with the bulky Otter Box cover on. Seriously - no need to remove it!

The touch screen completely works while my phone is in the HB Tune, and it also works with those fancy 'texting' gloves; I've done it.

Running Apps? Work like they are supposed to without having to hold my arm in weird positions to read a rotated screen on my upper arm... my phone is in my palm right where it is when I'm not running! What more could you ask for?

Well... you could ask for an armband in case you don't want it in your palm (not sure why you would but it could happen) or you could ask for a way to stash small items of importance such as identification cards, credit cards, cash or a car key or maybe you could ask that it be durable, water resistant and sweat resistant. What the heck, while we are day dreaming, let's also ask that it be accommodating enough to fit over running gloves for those cold weather runs.

Have a seat so you don't fall down: the HB Tune Hand Band has ALL of those features! I've personally tested them all and its no joke, this thing is the bee's knees!

Unfortunately there are two things that this product can't or won't do.
First, it is not waterproof. Resistant, yes. Waterproof, no. If you are running 12 miles in a classic northwest Washington downpour, it is possible for water to come into contact with parts of your phone. In those severe weather situations you may want to consider your zip lock bag supply, just in case. Use common sense, check the weather forecast before you run. The only other downside is that the HB Tune won't actually run any miles for you.

Visit the HB Tune website for a lot more info, including specifications for the small size vs the large size and a number of informational videos which demonstrate exactly how to use this product.

In summary, I highly recommend the HB Tune Hand Band!  Even if you already have an armband, you owe it to yourself to give one of these a test run!

Thanks for reading this review.  I'd love to have your insights and opinions in the comments section for this posting!

Happy Running!

~E

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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a HB Tune Hand Band for free from HB Tune as coordinated by Deep Creek Public Relations in consideration for review publication.