Kordl promises to tangle proof your earbuds

Kordl

You reach for your earbuds already knowing they are a tangled mess, but you don’t know any different. Why are they always tangled? The guys behind Kordl are trying to start a tangle free revolution with their Christie Street project. Having met with some Christie Street reps at CES, they have been keeping me updated on their new projects and were nice enough to send over a working prototype of the new tangle preventing clip of plastic…

I must admit, after checking out the funding page, I was extremely skeptical about a thumbnail size of plastic promising to eliminate my tangle woes. However, after only a few minutes with Kordl, I am sufficiently sold. In fact, my wife and I already bickered about who gets to keep it after my review.

It is a simple concept, although this is the first time I have seen a prototype like the Kordl. Many companies sell a form of fancified twist tie or maybe a rubber strap, but Kordle remains on your headphones between uses. J2 Product Development designed a double barreled system where one side of Kordl holds the headphone cable between the 3.5mm plug and the earbud “Y” split. The second barrel is large enough to hold both headphone cables but tight enough they will not slip out.

To use your earbuds, leave the first side attached to the bottom of the cord, below the split, and pull out the buds. Then, when finished, push both headphone cords into the second side. No matter how tangled the cable gets in your pocket, it simply falls straight when you pull it apart. Unfortunately, the prototype seems to only fit OEM Apple buds and pods, as it does not work with my Logitech buds.

http://vimeo.com/60423032

The project is seeking crowd sourced funding on Christie Street with a required buy-in of 3 units at $2.50ea and a goal of $25,000. With around 30 days left, it is best to jump now if you want to support the project. The Christie Street advantage is the product has already gone through manufacturing audits and confirms delivery times if the project is funded. After using a prototype model, if this is funded, I expect to see these little guys everywhere.

I think this is a great idea… but to make their $25,000 goal, J2 will need to sell 10,000 units. That is a long ride with on a short time frame. What do you guys think? Is this a great idea or simply a novelty? I guess I have to give mine to my wife now.