Two things that should be better

[sabotabby]

Purses and earbuds. I find myself having to replace both this week.

My current purse has lasted nearly three years and was $25, making it the cheapest and hardiest purse I have ever owned. But the clasp broke in a way that is not obviously fixable. (I e-mailed the company just in case it is.) I've had my eye on another messenger bag for some time, so it's not the worst thing in the world, but it's irritating to have to replace purses so regularly. (And as I may have mentioned before, I'm ridiculously specific about purses, as the vast majority of them are not designed to be large enough to fit a book, waterproof, and not some sort of silly fashionable shape.)

Then my latest pair of earbuds went today. This was not such a tragedy, as they had the worst sound ever and were uncomfortable to boot, and I was itching to replace them. I am lost without my constant soundtrack, though. I dropped into a computer store and bought $5 ones so that I could get to work and back without having to hear people have loud, stupid conversations on their cellphones. These new earbuds sound much better but don't actually stay inside my ears. I've yet to find earbuds that are comfortable, durable, and perform the not-all-that complex task of transmitting music from the Ministry of Culture to my ears.

I know all about planned obsolescence and late-stage capitalism but really, this is downright inconvenient. Is it so hard to make things that don't suck?

Comments

[corwin77.livejournal.com]

I have extra ones, ear buds not purses, if you like. They are the ones that come with Apple products like my iPhone. I hate them but you might think they're ok. Also if you want a recommendation for a comfy, good quality ear bud, I'd go with Skull Candy. They were fairly cheap, come in a variety of colors, and have multi sized buds that come standard with them.
Ooh actually I may have an extra purse too. It is really a small size messenger bag and it doesn't come with lots of fancy pockets, but it is smaller than a backpack and has a cute spider on it!

[sabotabby]

I had some earbuds that went with my iPod. They were comfy but died. I also got some Skull Candy ones. They were pretty, and comfy, but died. My kids have some ones that look like Lego, but there's no point in getting something that looks nice if it won't hold up.

SIGH.

Thanks for the offer, but I am probably okay on the bag front, if the place near me is still carrying the bags that I like. As I said—ridiculously specific to the point of absurdity. I like lots of pockets, large amounts of space (if it's a weekend and I'm not carrying my tote for school, my purse has to accommodate a book as well as the usual stuff), waterproof, secure, and comfy. Also solidly in the middle of the butch-femme spectrum—I like girly, but it's not practical for my lifestyle, and I occasionally dress up to places where taking a small, cute purse is inconvenient.

To give you an idea of how dogmatic I am about these things: In 10th grade, I painted a smallish toolbox with gothly things, attached a chain, and bought no other purse until graduation. (My grandmother, displeased at me wearing a toolbox all the time, finally bought me a fuzzy blue leopard-print purse so that I'd have something to wear at family weddings.)

[corwin77.livejournal.com]

Well the offer for the free iEarBuds still stands, then you won't have to use your monies.

[metawidget]

Having had our commodity $10 phone die one key at a time lately, I went and replaced it with another commodity $10 phone, whose keypad was only half lit-up. Figuring that if it's obviously not completely working right out of the box, it will be fried soon, I brought it back and am now thinking about how to get my hands on a used five-pound, decades-old Northern Electric that has twelve buttons, no lights, and doesn't suck — maybe used from someone that has switched to cell-only...

Good luck with your similar quests!

[frandroid.livejournal.com]

Ask on Freecycle.

[soberloki.livejournal.com]

My Dude got earbuds for Xmas, basic SkullCandy ones like these, but electric blue and not rubberised. I stole them (after telling him they would be mine). I LOVE THEM SO MUCH.

They block out a lot of noise, stay comfortably in my ears, and deliver pretty good sound, with much better bass than any others I've had so far. Also, they came with three different sizes of rubber inserts, to fit even little ear canals. Pricey, but really worth it so far.

[kadath.livejournal.com]

I couldn't find a laptop bag I liked, so I'm making one out of a denim skirt I grabbed at the thrift store.

[frandroid.livejournal.com]

Dell frequently has sales on skullcandy-style in-ear earbuds.

[funnel101.livejournal.com]

I have this purse: http://www.amazon.com/Osprey-Resource-Warp-Shoulder-Glacier/dp/B0016OW1BK/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1295977706&sr=8-4 and it's lasted about 2 years so far with no signs of breakage. Plus, it's made of mostly recycled materials and is waterproof.

[thenetwork.livejournal.com]

This is what you need.

Messed up the link, fixed. Second-hand vintage coach bag. You can keep it a lifetime.

[secretsoflife.livejournal.com]

i'm not sure that durable earbuds exist. like, at any pricepoint. the form-factor is just not conducive to durability :(