Skullcandy Skullcandy Push 720 Open-Ear True Wireless Earbuds Review

The Skullcandy Push 720 are the Humvee of earbuds: not subtle, but they'll go anywhere and won't quit. Buy them for the gym, skip them for the bus.

The Skullcandy Push 720 are a weird, wonderful, and very specific tool. They're open-ear earbuds that clip onto your ears, and they're built like a tank. The one thing you need to know is this: they're not trying to be the best-sounding earbuds. They're trying to be the most durable, secure, and situationally-aware earbuds you can buy for active use. And at that, they mostly succeed.

The sound quality is the biggest surprise, and it's a good one. For an open-ear design that doesn't seal your ear canal, the 12mm drivers pump out a lot more bass and volume than we expected. It's not going to beat a sealed in-ear monitor for detail, but it lands in the 72nd percentile for sound in our database, which is impressive for this style. The real shocker is the build quality, scoring in the 98th percentile. An IP67 rating means you can basically hose these things off after a muddy run.

At $150, the value is solid if you're in the target market. You're paying for extreme durability and a unique, secure fit. If you just want good sound, you can get better for the price. But if you need earbuds that won't fall out and can survive being drenched in sweat, this is your price point.

Don't compare these to the Sony WF-1000XM5 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra. Those are noise-canceling champions for immersion. The Push 720 are the opposite. A better comparison is to other 'open' or 'bone conduction' styles for athletes, but the Push 720 offer much better sound quality than most of those. Against the Jabra Evolve2 Buds, which are also built for movement, the Skullcandy wins on pure ruggedness but loses on call quality and ANC.

If you're looking for earbuds to block out the world on your daily commute, these are the wrong choice. The lack of ANC makes them score terribly (45.6/100) for that use. Go get the Sony WF-1000XM5 instead and enjoy the silence.

We recommend the Skullcandy Push 720 if your primary use case is sports, workouts, or any activity where staying aware of your surroundings and having a bombproof fit is more important than perfect audio isolation. They're a niche product, but they excel in that niche. If you're a runner, cyclist, or gym rat who's sick of earbuds falling out, these are a fantastic solution.