PACE Africa, have you ever heard of them?
Anyway, if you haven’t, PACE Africa (not to be confused with an NGO that goes by the same name) is a Kenyan startup that designs a couple of really good-looking headsets. I am no audiophile but I have been salivating at their Pace Focus headphones and the Pace Mate sport earphones since they launched in September and December last year respectively.
On February 15th, I ordered for a pair of the Pace Mate earphones. To date, I really like them. The sound is good, not great, as would be expected of a pair of entry-level Bluetooth earphones. They feel great even though changes depending on if you’re really out to prove that they can go all the way for up to 11 hours. They have so far managed to survive my ultimate test, the road test. This is whereby I take any device I am reviewing with me for my monthly trips to the coastal town of Malindi to see my family and expect it to last the entire gruelling 12-hour journey down north. The Pace Mate survived.
I have a review of the Pace Mate on the way so you should definitely stick around for that. I also managed to get a few other entry-level earphones from Amazon and Gamechanger that I wanted to pit the Pace Mate against. I’ll be back soon with both my full experience using the Pace Mate and an overview of how they compare when they’re up against the competition.
Having used the Pace Mate, guess what else I have wanted to use extensively? The Pace Focus, of course. I have ordered for a pair and I expect them to be on my desk maybe even before you get to read this article. The reason I have taken this long to order the Focus is because I got to try them out late last year and, while I really liked the design, I was not entirely sold that they were worth the Kshs 7,000 asking price by some merchants (they go for Kshs 5,500 on PACE Africa’s website and on their Jumia Kenya page). That’s the same feeling I have of the Pace Mate’s steep Kshs 3,800 pricing.
This is why this text message I got this morning had me all warmed up:
The Pace Mate may be overpriced at Kshs 3,800, in my opinion, but take off Kshs 1,000 and that’s a really good deal. It’s pretty much what I paid in 2016 (including delivery fees) for a pair of wired Infinix earphones (the XE-02). When it comes to the larger headsets, the Pace Focus, it was a no-brainer for me to pay less than what I paid up for the JBL E25BT earphones.
One thing I really like about Pace Africa is the speed of delivery. If you order directly from them (on their website) early in the day and you’re based in Nairobi, the headsets get to you on the same day. And there are no delivery charges, something that should have you thinking twice before deciding to order via Jumia Kenya.
Take advantage of the International Women’s Day and use voucher code Awomanspace to get a decent pair of headsets for a little less than you normally would. Oh, and happy Women’s Day!
