I dunno, I felt the same way about the normal Airpods until I relented and bought them and its almost weird to say that its been a huge quality of life improvement for me. Running is far more enjoyable without the cables. Pretty easy to carry them around too.
But then again I didn't shop around the other brands at all.
I put my airpods through the washer and dryer about 2 weeks into ownership (oops). They still work perfect to this day, almost a year later. I also run a couple miles every other day with them in, during the summer that means 90 degree weather and me drenched in sweat. Sweat is a non-issue for them.
I have a $30 set of over-hear bluetooth headphones I use for running. I'd describe the sound quality as "reasonably good" and the battery life as "excellent".
For sure, I mean I always knew I could find something else looking around, but I was into the idea of having something that connected super easily and that I could trust would work. Plus half of my co-workers had them and swore by them, word of mouth is a powerful thing.
But then again I didn't shop around the other brands at all.