>1 Big deal, Soly.

Sooner or later, Sculpin.

Meanwhile in Canada...

Easy-to-mold custom earbuds

Shaw reviews Sculpted eers by Sonomax Technologies, My Passport Studio portable hard drive by Western Digital.

The scoop: Sculpted eers, by Sonomax Technologies, about $170

What are they? Eers are custom earbuds that feature the company's Sonofit Fitting System, which molds the earbuds to the shape of the user's ear -- the outside part and just inside the ear canal. This creates a unique custom fit and shape -- once you create the earbuds, nobody else can use or borrow them for such a fit.

Why it's cool: A few years ago, I had a pair of Ultimate Ears, which required that I visit an ear doctor in order to get a custom mold created of the shape of the inside of my ear for the perfect fit. The end-result earbuds worked great, but the plastic form eventually got uncomfortable when wearing them during long stretches (like on an airplane). Not only is the process easier with the eers, but the materials used feel a lot more comfortable inside my ears than hard molded plastic.

The process involves squirting some solution on the unformed earbuds, then sticking them in your ears for five minutes (the unit comes with an old-school headphone-like device that helps you keep the earbuds in your ears during the molding process). After that, the earbuds are ready to use, and the shape formed through this process makes them unique to you. The earbuds also have a handy ear loop that you can put behind your ears, for a more secure fit and to help you when you're putting them on your ears.

Once complete, the earbuds sound great, making them wonderful for taking along with you on a long flight, or if you want earbuds that aren't going to fall out when you are working out.

One caveat: At first the molding/sculpting process can feel a bit daunting, so having someone help you with the fitting is a suggestion, especially when pouring the solution on the earbuds. Also, when finished, the earbuds didn't completely seal inside my ears like I expected them too, so I thought I may have messed up the process. But in the end, I think it's a good thing, as this made them feel more comfortable than if I had jammed them inside my ears during the molding process.

Grade: 4 stars (out of five)