FodsportsM1-S Plus Motorcycle Bluetooth Headset with Customized HRSQS Speakers, One-Click Pairing, Microphone Mute, FM, Helmet Intercom up to 10 Riders with Music Sharing, Wonderful Sound, 2 Pack

Basic background; skip to the next paragraph if you want strictly product details instead of cross-shopping stories and reasoning. I originally stumbled upon the M1-S Plus when researching Sena units versus Cardo units. Curious, I investigated a few YouTube reviews and it seemed solid at a fundamental level. Given that the friends I will ride with can't settle on brand or even necessarily get a unit which supports either Cardo or Sena's mesh, I decided to save a bit of money and purchase the M1-S Plus.BASIC OVERVIEW: I was pleasantly surprised. The M1-S Plus is a solid feeling feeling device that's easy enough to mount to a helmet. I was lucky enough to be able to use the metal clip with mine, but I'm sure the 3M double sided sticky pad will do the trick just as well. DO NOT LOSE THE CHARGING CABLE. While it's USB-C, as other reviewers have commented, the end is especially narrow. You may have difficulty finding a compatible cable.INSTALLATION: Inserting the included earphones proved simple in my ZOX Condor Elite SVS. I wish I experimented a bit more with positioning before using the pads, but the velcro on the speakers and the pads holds well even when only partially overlapping. The 3M sticky pads are again marvelous and hold well to the helmet. I elected to use the risers with my helmet to get the speakers closer to my ear. The hard mic, on the other hand, was a little harder to put in, but I believe this is the fault of my helmet. I suppose the mic's attachment point might be better served as triangluar or semi-circular in shape, but it's not an issue.Be sure to take off the pop filter to see which way the mic hole is facing. I originally had the hole facing outward, which picked up too much wind noise for the system to be able to cancel. When I put the hole towards my mouth, my friends commented that the noise cancellation was overall good, except they could hear my bike when I had throttle wide open and reached 8K RPM and above on the stock Benelli TNT300. Not bad at all!SOUND: Sound quality on the M1-S Plus is... excellent, for the price. I'm sure there's better; but the sound felt rich enough and quite loud. Definitely what you'd want in a motorcycle helmet. The closer you have the speakers fixed to your ears, the better and louder the sound, naturally. Make sure you try to determine exactly where your ears are, and where each part of your ears are before you fix the stickies. Compared to the M1-S Pro, which I conveniently had an opportunity to play around with, the M1-S Plus is significantly better in sound quality, and also a little bit louder.USER EXPERIENCE: The device is overall rather intuitive to use. Even so, it comes with a handy brochure which you can fold up and keep with your motorcycle safety gear (please use safety gear) or under your seat if you ever have problems. I will say that some features are less accessible compared to the M1-S Pro. To activate your phone's assistant (e.g. "OK Google") via button press, you have to press both the large button, as well as the button with the motorcycle helmet and sound lines (the function button, I believe). Not difficult; but on the M1-S Plus, you just pressed the large button. That being said, you can also activate your assistant via your mouth with the Pro. Not sure about the Plus.Starting and stopping music; skipping songs, etc, were more intuitive on the Plus (this item). So, a mild downgrade for one function for several upgrades in the user experience elsewhere. Overall, not bad.WATER RESISTANCE: The device is absolutely water resistant. I have a caveat though; my first device did get water logged and I accidentally turned it on or tried to charge it in this state. That being said, FODSPORTS DID STAND BY THEIR PRODUCT and sent me a replacement with only the basic questions asked and only requiring a reasonable amount of proof. STRONG KUDOS HERE. I did take it apart afterwards, and I think my luck may have been that one part of the gasket simply wasn't fixed appropriately. I don't foresee it becoming a major issue unless the helmet is stuck in a torrential downpour for 5+ hours like I was at my motorcycle safety course and you happen to have this flaw.Before that, the device held up very well to several rides in the rain, when I got caught. Same with the M1-S Pro. If you want additional insurance, I'd recommend purchasing a small amount of clear silicone sealant and applying a very thin layer around the top and side seam. Again, though: I do not foresee this being an issue in normal circumstances. Be smarter than I was! Take it out if you're going to be mostly static or slow in mid-to-heavy rain for a long time.If you're not confident about me saying that the water proofing is still good; please bare in mind that certain pricier Sena and Cardo units have proven LESS resistant to water than even my defective one. FortNine, the motorcyclist/reviewer on YouTube, is one of many who have commented on this (but he still gives Sena and especially Cardo praise where they're due -- they are good units).CUSTOMER SERVICE: I know part of this is brand building, but they contacted me and offered me additional accessories. In addition, they gladly replaced my defective unit. Communication was fast, easy, and reliable. No language barrier with English. Great work, Fodsports.RANGE: It's hard for me to measure range. However, when in 1-1 mode with a friend using a Sena integrated system, it stayed connected along the length of a bridge crossing the Monongahela in Pittsburgh -- that's with line of sight. Without line of sight, it still held up pretty long, but all of these communicators in 1-1 mode (e.g. not mesh/multi-rider) will have significant line of sight issues.BATTERY LIFE: Again, hard for me to contextualized. One charge lasted several ~2 hour rides and various smaller ones. I expect it meets or beats their claims; I haven't run it to death before charging yet. It does warn you when at low battery (I left it on for a day or two before -- woops) and probably at other levels as well. There's also a way to trigger a battery check.VALUE: Easily the best value in a fully featured (minus video) motorcycle communicator. Significantly better than the often rebranded BT-S2/S3 (though they are good for the price as well, especially if you only need something basic).SUMMARY:At the end of the day, this is not a high end Sena or Cardo unit. I can't compare it to the higher end Cardo or Sena units; but at least compared to the cheaper ones my friends used (Sena 5S and Sena 20S in particular) it's at minimum comparable and in my opinion better (particularly toward the 5S and similar). This is especially true when you consider value: the 20S usually runs from $250-$300 in my experience; while the 5S runs at $160+ . The most similar Cardo starts at $250; while one that matches features and rider count starts at $330. You're getting something that's at worst only a bit worse for roughly 33-66% of the price.If you're just starting out and your friends haven't decided on a brand or use mixed ones; or don't support mesh, give Fodsports a shot. If your friends are using Sena or Cardo; it's always best to try to stick to one brand until an open mesh standard gets started.Cardo and Sena are definitely going to feel better at the higher price points, don't get me wrong. But like a Genesis can get pretty damn close to an S-Class for a fraction of the price... the Fodsports M1-S Plus gets pretty damn close for a fraction of the price.STRONG recommendation, if your pack isn't using exclusively Sena OR Cardo with mesh capabilities; or if you're on a budget and still want quality. Or, if you just want something to use by yourself; or you just don't care. It's good. It's affordable.I hope Fodsports continues to be a neat little upstart with motorcycle accessories. Perhaps an Android Auto motorcycle GPS?

I installed the FodSports M1-S Plus in my HJC I-90 modular helmet with some modifications. The metal bracket needed some bending with pliers to fit into the helmet. It was necessary to use a razor knife to modify the ear holes in the helmet. I cut away the plastic and compressed the foam somewhat to make the earpiece flush and not press against my ears and cause pain. The helmet was designed for a SENA Bluetooth system. The intercom connects instantly to my Android phone. Sound quality is good. Had to set the Bluetooth equalizer to treble boost. My FM station has static. FM radio reception appears to be weak. Learning the button press combinations, can leave cell phone in pocket. Using YouTube music on the phone works great. As far as the intercom system, connected to a 1 Cardo unit briefly, communicated clearly. I utilize this unit to listen to music mostly. I did not use the boom microphone; I think it looks goofy and gets in the way. I sewed a piece of Velcro to the cheek pad and used the button mic. Works fine for phone calls as I don't talk and ride at high speed. This unit fulfills my requirements as I did not want to pay $100’s for a main brand unit.

I would give it a solid 4/5 stars.It works just fine, is easy & straight forward to set up & use. The ear pieces are comfortable and fit in my helmet perfectly. The battery life seems to be just fine. I have only been able to get out & ride one time for about an hour, but it lasted the whole time and worked with no issues. I even called my daughter and had no problem with her hearing me. I will say, the sound is lacking in volume. Although I could hear music fine, I wish I could turn it up just a bit more, and I did have a slight issue hearing my daughter, but the sound was crystal clear. I would definitely buy this again, and I do most certainly recommend it, especially for anyone who wants a comm unit, but doesn't want to spend $$$. Very good value for the price.Pros: Very affordable, clear sound, sufficient battery life, easy & straight forward setup & use.Cons: sound volume could be louder.

You would think that an intercom system would have the volume to actually communicate with someone else. We use these on our helmets with our UTV sized by side and can’t hear unless we practically shout into the microphones. The music is loud when using the radio feature, but I can hardly hear my wife in the passenger seat next to me. As for the claim of long distance connectivity…. Ya right. Again, my wife is literally 4’ away from me and we drop coms all the time. As for music sharing…. Well if you can follow the convoluted instructions it sometimes works, but again doesn’t even cover the distance to the seat next to me.The good: buttons are large and can be found easily even wearing gloves. Units are easy to mount and dismount from the helmets. The larger capacity battery does indeed seem to have long life, we have used it over the last 2 days for several hours each day and hasn’t needed charging.Sure this is a budget device, but I certainly didn’t think I would have this much trouble with it.