When going out in groups whether playing airsoft or out in the outdoors, you want a way to communicate with your mates. That’s where mobile phones and radios come in as they allow you to talk to them. But then mobile phones cannot allow group talk and radios require push-to-talk to start transmitting a message.
What if there’s another way of talking to them hands free? I for one would prefer one as I have only two hands. In airsoft I would prefer my hands to be on my gun, one to hold it, the other to squeeze the trigger. Now, if I can do both whilst talking to my teammates without worrying about pushing a button just to talk, then, I am always at the ready during a game.
That’s where the BONX Grip Group Talk System comes in.
The BONX Grip is an earpiece that is connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth using the BONX app. It works by detecting your voice so there is no need to touch a button and it has a dual-microphone with digital noise-canceling technology that according to its makers, gives a clear sound in even the most extreme conditions. But if you still want to talk walkie-talkie style, there is still a button for a push-to-talk mode which is one of the buttons with the other being the toggle button. The PTT button also allows you to mute the microphones in case you want private chat with someone proximate to you.
The BONX Grip allows up to 10 people for a group chat, and for an airsoft team, that’s already a big group that can coordinate an attack or defence during gameplay. The distance is even wider as compared to PMR radios since it uses the smartphone’s data connectivity via mobile internet or Wifi. So just make sure you still have enough left on your monthly data plan so you can talk to your team for the duration of an airsoft event.
As it uses cellular connectivity, it will work anywhere where the is a signal from your carrier, which usually means the nearest cell site. In case you lose signal, it will immediate reconnect you once connection is restored.
The battery life is of the BONX Grip is around 7 hours of use with the BONX app and has an estimated standby of 400 hours. It can be charged with a powerbank if there is no mains charger nearby. It has an IPX5 waterproof rating.
Available in four colours, the BONX Grip comes with S, M, and L grips that go around your ear. There are S and M ear tips for the speaker side. They are a bit expensive, costing £89 quid on Amazon and with that amount, you can already buy four BaoFeng UV-5R Dual Band Two-Way radios, the preferred radios amongst airsoft players. But if you want to convenience of an earpiece and hands free communications, then you might want to consider getting one and badger your team mates to get their own.