S4i Rugged In-Ear Headphones

(TLDR at the end) I love these headphones! I am on my 5th(?) pair currently and have just placed an order for my 6th pair for whenever I destroy my current pair. (I play a little rough with my headphones.) It is severely disappointing that Klipsch has discontinued their Rugged line. As you would expect from Klipsch, the headphones have wonderful sound. I'm sure if you are looking for a good set of headphones, Klipsch is a great company to consider. But, so are some other brands. The one common denominator of the multiple choices of headphones out there (even significantly more expensive alternatives) is weak construction. The very first thing I look at when evaluating a pair of head phones is wire thickness. Many companies have a super thin cable. I feel like many of them might break if I get them snagged while I'm out and about. I prefer a braided cable when I can find it. Most headphones don't offer this; and of the ones that do, they are typically over-the-ear. I haven't found a single in-ear set that meets my cable expectations (entirely). The cables on the S4i Rugged headphones are a little thicker than the average pair. This isn't perfect; I still would prefer a braided nylon-like material for the cable. I find the rubber does tend to snag where it wouldn't be desired. The controls are spectacular. Large spaced shaped buttons...LARGE SPACED SHAPED BUTTONS!! This combined with sound quality is why I have bought (and will buy as long as they're available) the S4i Rugged line of headphones. I can find buttons in the dark with gloves on....I don't have to stop what I'm doing to look at the printed image on 3 similarly shaped narrowly mounted buttons on a tiny form factor and engage the button with the tip of one of my fingers because using the pad of my finger would engage the button I want as well as the neighboring button (or buttons if it's the middle button). Is it lighter to have small buttons narrowly placed on a small form factor? Yes. More aesthetically pleasing? Yes. Easy to operate in the dark? No. Do you stand a ghost of a chance of hitting the button you want on the 1st try with gloves on? NO. Also, the remote is located on the combined L/R cable from the phone before the headphones split into individual channels. There is one good thing about this and one not so good. The good thing is that the remote is always hanging around the sternum. You can easily reach it with the left or right hand equally. For me, it is the optimal spot for controls. The bad part about it is that the remote also houses the microphone. This makes it difficult for "hands-free" calls. I often have to hold the remote closer to my mouth for people to hear me clearly. If the microphone were mounted on one of the L or R channels, it would be better. However, I would NOT want the controls there. I really like the controls where they are. Separating the microphone from the remote would probably be more expensive to manufacture; but in an ideal world, that's what I would do. Bottom line, I have enjoyed these headphones for years. I am very sad to see them go without a new version being released. I sincerely hope I can find a replacement for them or Klipsch releases another Rugged line of one of their headphones. Since they have moved on to newer versions without an update to this set, I don't expect to see another rugged set released in the near future. So very sad. TLDR: You won't find a better ruggedly built headphones with the sound quality of the S4i Rugged. I have destroyed (mostly through abuse) 4 pairs of these headphones. I keep coming back to the S4i Rugged because of the cable thickness, extremely large buttons, and sound quality. Amazing amazing headphones. If Klipsch would continue to make a "rugged" set of headphones, I would continue to buy. ...in fact, I just purchased an extra pair before the rest of the stock disappears. It's so sad these won't be able to be found much longer! Bad: - Rubber: It snags. Braided exterior layer would be better. - Microphone is sometimes too far away to use without holding the remote. - Discontinued Good: - Sound quality - Excellent. Note: this is not why you buy these particular headphones. Other Klipsch headphones will have good sound quality. - LARGE BUTTONS!!!!!! I can very easily manipulate the controls even with gloves and without looking. - Cable Thickness: Thicker than the average pair, but room for improvement. - Remote is located before the R/L split. It is always in the same place and equally accessible by both hands.