i have been a skullcandy stan since like 2010, they have always been a solid budget choice and last a long time. my very favorite pair of theirs has been the Push Active. the fit, quality and price hit for me and i have used them for several years. however, the last couple pairs i had have stopped pairing, only showing up as "Tile" in the BT menu.
i replaced them with some Smokin Buds due to my tightened budget, and they worked alright for a month or so, but now there is no media audio. they still produce audio because when i put one in i get the "connected" message.
i just want a comfortable pair of earbuds for work that are sweat resistant, noise blocking, preferably with the over-ear hooks. i dont need outstanding audio quality, i primarily listen to audiobooks and podcasts while working. my budget is 50 bucks give or take.
i havent had the need to look outside of skullcandy til now, and looking at options online is very overwhelming for me. any reliable brands would even be a great starting point for me.
You can usually get some late-model Soundcores in that range, and I've always found the ones with 4.6 stars or higher to be solid. Their ANC isn't fantastic, and for music they aren't great, but they're my go-tos because I'm a podcast guy and the battery life is pretty good for the price. The Soundcore Life earbuds are the ones I might avoid, but Soundcore Liberty and Soundcore P##i series have been "fine" across the board.