The Sam Vimes “Boots” theory of socioeconomic unfairness, often called simply the boots theory, is an economic theory that people in poverty have to buy cheap and subpar products that need to be replaced repeatedly, proving more expensive in the long run than more expensive items.
Sony MDR-XD400. Lasted ≈18 years before the cord gave out near the plug and started shorting out. Replaced the ear pads twice during that time but OEM availability is shrinking to only shitty third-party reproductions, so I moved to a wireless Sony MDR-100ABN. Needed to add a USB Bluetooth adapter to my iron, but so far (about 5 years now) it’s working decently well.