After six years with the same earbuds, they needed replacing, but I was torn: Should I just get another pair of Bose SoundSports, or should I spring for AirPods, the trendy status symbol du jour? I polled Instagram and the rallying cries rolled in: “I honestly don’t know how I lived without my AirPods!” one person said. “Prepare for your life to be changed,” wrote another. I was unconvinced until a former coworker said she ran the New York City marathon with AirPods. After 26.2 sweaty miles, they were still in her ears. That’s the review I was looking for, because I mostly listen to music when I’m running. For me, there’s nothing like the building momentum of a Beyoncé track or the thrill of a new Maren Morris release to push me into another mile, and then another. So, two weeks ago, I burst into the Apple store on 5th Avenue and declared, “Show me to your pods!”
Well. It turns out my ears are weird. My AirPods didn’t fall out, per se, but they felt like they were in my ears just so. I kept imagining it. Me: tripping on the treadmill. My AirPods: falling into the treadmill and getting crushed to smithereens. It was distracting. I run to clear my head, but instead I kept worrying that my AirPods were going to fall out any second.
Then came my EarBuddyz 2.0. They’re essentially the same piece of waterproof silicone built into traditional athletic earbuds, but made for AirPods with a hook that fits your inner ear groove. They also work for EarPods, aka the corded set that comes with a new iPhone. You get three pairs in a pack, allowing you to try ’em all and choose the size that fits you best. There's an “L” and “R” for left and right, so you know what goes with what. And they have little holes that go around all of the AirPod's tiny speakers and whatnot. After one run with my EarBuddyz, I felt like I was finally able to stop thinking about my ears and fly.
An Amazon reviewer who bought them for her EarPods offers her own resounding review: "I can run in them, I can sweat with them. I have accidentally pulled on the cord while running and they have STAYED PUT like the glorious little amphibious soldiers that they are."
Now, all of this begs the question: Why not just return my AirPods and get Bose’s cool new "truly wireless" SoundSport headphones? I thought about it. I had an older version of the SoundSports for years and know the quality is impeccable. But running without a cord is nice. And as for the "truly wireless" model, I've seen them around and they just look super bulky. I'd rather be a walking cliché than the girl with two Walkmans on either side of her head. (Children: A Walkman is a magical portable music player from the '80s!)
The downside of EarBuddyz: They're one more thing to keep track of. But I keep them in a little pouch with my jewelry in my gym bag, so when I need them, I know where to find them. Shrug. Next.
I have them in white, but they're also available in black, bright blue, and pastel pink. They're also available on Amazon Prime, so you can have them before your next workout. Bottom line: If you own AirPods or EarPods and would love if they were just a little more snug, give EarBuddyz a try.
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Devin is the head of content at The Muse and was previously executive editor of Prevention.com. Her work has appeared in Cosmopolitan, The Cut, and SELF.
