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These JBL wireless headphones double as a heart-rate tracker -- and they're slashed to $29

Originally $150, the JBL Reflect Fit offers quality sound and easy-to-use heart monitoring. Today only! Plus: Brother's multifunction laser printer hits an all-time low.

Rick Broida Senior Editor
Rick Broida is the author of numerous books and thousands of reviews, features and blog posts. He writes CNET's popular Cheapskate blog and co-hosts Protocol 1: A Travelers Podcast (about the TV show Travelers). He lives in Michigan, where he previously owned two escape rooms (chronicled in the ebook "I Was a Middle-Aged Zombie").
Rick Broida
3 min read
jbl-reflect-fit-001

The whole thing rests on your neck, so you don't have to worry about your earphones going missing if they fall out. 

Aloysius Low/CNET

It's pretty widely accepted that keeping tabs on your heart is a smart move, whether it's to keep you "in the zone" for maximum exercise benefits or make sure your resting heart rate isn't too high or low.

Lots of smartwatches and fitness bands can do this, of course, but did you know there are earphones with this capability as well? There are, and today only they're crazy cheap. Meh has the JBL Reflect Fit Heart Rate Wireless Headphone for $29, plus $5 for shipping. Price at JBL: $149.95. Best price elsewhere: $52.

The Reflect Fit employs a neckband design, which is fine for walks, hikes, cycling and the gym, but not necessarily ideal for running. From what I've read, the band fits fairly snugly, and therefore shouldn't bounce around too much unless you have a small frame.

The big advantage to this design is that you can pop one or both earbuds out and let them dangle, something you definitely can't do with true-wireless earbuds.

As for the 'buds themselves, they're definitely of the noise-isolating in-ear variety, which is how they're able to measure heart rate: Once inserted, they analyze light that's refracted from blood vessels in your ears. You go, science!

CNET hasn't reviewed the JBL Reflect Fit, but there's a hands-on preview that discusses both performance ("the earphones don't overemphasize the bass, and deliver respectable highs") and fit ("I tried them out while jumping and running around, and found it pretty hard to dislodge the earbuds once they're in place").

Thankfully, Meh is selling them new, not refurbished, and at this writing they're still available in all four colors (blue, black, red and teal). Even if you're not that excited by the heart-rate monitoring, a good pair of JBL wireless neckband earphones for $29 is hard to pass up.

Bonus deal: Brother's stupid-good auto-duplexing monochrome laser printer can also scan and copy for $80

Tired of replacing pricey ink cartridges? If you mostly print in black and white anyway, it's time to consider a laser printer, one that can get a ton of mileage from inexpensive toner.

brother-dcpl2550dw

This super-versatile multifunction printer is a steal at $80.

Brother

Like this one: For a limited time, and while supplies last, Amazon has the Brother DCPL2550DW Multifunction Laser Printer for $79.99 -- the lowest price it's ever been (on Amazon, anyway). It lists for $160 and typically sells in the $100-120 range.

This thing does all the things (except faxing). It prints, scans and copies, all by way of an auto document feeder. Its paper tray can hold 250 sheets, and it can automatically print on both sides of the page (also known as auto-duplexing).

It's also wireless, of course, with support for AirPrint, Google Cloud Print, Wi-Fi Direct and several other lesser-known protocols.

Perhaps best of all, you can find Brother TN760-compatible toner cartridges for as little as $25. So not only is the hardware itself cheap, it's cheap to operate. Woot!


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