Get Smartomi neckband Bluetooth earphones and a running belt for $16.99

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Happy Friday, friends! Hope you're staying warm and safe during these cold and scary days. Quick reminder: It's your last chance to sign up for Lose Weight with the Cheapskate, which currently has 51 players looking to claim (or at least share) a $1,785 pot.

Among the tools in my weight-loss arsenal: indoor exercise (of the elliptical/stepper variety) and meditation. Both require earphones. Which brings us to today's deal.

For a limited time, and while supplies last, you can get the Smartomi Bluetooth Neckband Headphones and a Smartomi Running Belt for $16.99. Here's how:

• Click that first link, then look for the little orange coupon flag and click that. It'll knock 15 percent off when you add the headphones to your cart.
  
• Click that second link, then choose a color and size. Add the belt to your cart, then head to checkout. You should see both discounts applied, for a total of $16.99.
  

Let me address the elephant in the room: $17 earphones can't be any good, can they? I wouldn't have thought so, but I listened to a variety of tunes on these, and I have to say: pretty darn good.

So, what, that means I bought a pair myself? No. Full disclosure: They showed up on my doorstep one day, unannounced, unexpected. That happens on occasion; vendors send a product in hopes that I'll write about it.

In this case, I had no intention of reviewing yet another pair of neckphones, but curiosity got the better of me: They normally sell for $20, there was already a discount coupon available and you could get a freebie on top of it. So I tried them out, expecting them to be terrible. They were not.

Rather, they're impressively lightweight. The 'buds are magnetic, so they snap easily into their respective "silos." Smartomi promises up to 14 hours of play time from the battery (I wasn't able to test this), compared with the 8-9 hours you get from some neckbands and the 3-4 hours from many Bluetooth sport 'phones.

Also impressive: They vibrate, making it much easier to tell when you've successfully turned them on or off. (Usually you have to watch a tiny LED.) They also vibrate when a call comes in, meaning you're less likely to miss it when the earbuds aren't in your ears.

Are they reliable? Will they last? Tough to say. Remember: $17. The good news is that there's a one-year warranty. (This isn't specified on the product page, but it's printed right on the back of the box.)

I have no qualms about recommending these for your morning meditation, your train-ride podcast, your time at the gym and your sittin' at the desk all day.

Your thoughts?

Bonus deal: Nintendo Switch deals are about as rare as bipartisan acts of Congress -- but no less welcome. For a limited time, and while very likely limited supplies last, Blinq has the refurbished Nintendo Switch game console (in gray) for $266.67 shipped. That's after applying promo code NEWSJAN25 at checkout.

(Pro tip: BeFrugal, Ebates and TopCashback all offer 3 percent back on Blinq purchases, effectively shaving another $8 off your final cost.)

As you probably know, the Switch sells new for $300. It's arguably the biggest tech success story of 2017, and certainly the most buzzed-about game console in years. The question is, are you willing to risk a refurb in order to save $34? There's no warranty information listed here, only Blinq's 30-day return policy.

Tough one. Again: your thoughts?