Great value, despite being on the more expensive end of BT speakers.Like many who want a bluetooth speaker, I started looking for one by going online and reading comparisons. I followed this up by visiting local retailers and compared the UE Boom, Bose Soundlink Mini, and this. My findings were that the lack of a speakerphone would be a dealbreaker for me, so the Bose was out, even though it offered very rich (and sometimes overwhelming, boomy) bass. The UE Boom, while louder, is also larger, not fully waterproof (while I have no intention of submerging my belongings on a regular basis, I do get caught in the rain a lot), and had a tendency to be knocked over and roll around. These sound like silly foibles until you end up with regrets. That's how I ended up with the Fugoo.First off, the speaker itself really does look good. While I'm sure the plastic frame of the jacket will eventually scuff, and the cloth grille will eventually fray, they look upmarket and are easily replaced. They also are tougher than they seem and can withstand a one week trip to the beach tossed in a bag. The included accessories (flat USB and 3.5mm aux cables, compact charger) are excellent. Their build quality is high and look neat, and come in a small carrying pouch. I've made the charger and USB cable my main charger for my phone as well.The speaker itself is a hoot. I usually have it at arms length, and never need to go above half volume at that distance, even if I'm rocking out to Funk Heavy Bluesy on Spotify. Again, at this distance and volume, the bass is punchy, mids are pleasing, and treble is clear.In a store, I was blown away by the sheer volume of the UE Boom, and I might have purchased that instead to be honest. I had imagined how I would fill my house with music, throw a party outdoors, never have to be without music ever again. Well, that's not really how it works. If you are alone in a large room, half volume on the Fugoo is about enough to engulf the room. Outside, with some background noise from the street, a conversation is more of a yelling match within 5-8 feet of it at full volume, and it's loud enough to fill a sizeable garden with music. Even at full volume, the speaker never feels overdriven, doesn't snap/crackle and the bass doesn't fizzle and distort. Disregarding unrealistic expectations such as a 50 person dance party in a living room, the volume is quite sufficient to have a garden party in which about 20 people can still hear each other talking and have a conversation without having to shout.The last important thing to note as a positive, is that the battery life claims are true. In real world use, I charge it about once a week. It can be used (both through bluetooth and wired) while charging, and I use it for about 5 hours a day. I never had to charge it during a weeklong camping trip to the beach (sand and dirt can be washed off).The little speaker is not, however, perfect. While learning to use the buttons and their combinations to change settings, enter pairing mode etc. is not hard, it's not entirely intuitive either. It took me about a week to get used to the button presses. Speaking of which, after about 3 months, the volume down button - while still working - now requires a harder press to register (beyond the tactile "click") While this doesn't influence performance, it does worry me about the longevity of the buttons as the issue is with the "core" button and not the jacket button. Another issue I had with the core is that upon arrival, out of curiosity I removed the jacket to find one of the speaker cones slightly marred. While this in no way influences the performance, it's one of those things that you wish weren't the case for a new-in-box experience.All in all, I'm very satisfied with this little speaker. It goes anywhere, it can withstand pretty much anything, the battery lasts forever, and most importantly, it sounds great. I'd take it over alternatives for the peace of mind you get from knowing you're using a well-engineered piece of hardware, the phenomenal battery life, and excellent sound quality (in that order).