Is Buddie earbuds cleaning tool worth the money?

To be clear, I didn’t want to write about this at first because the images were a little disturbing. But I couldn’t lose a good chance to get to know a good product like Buddie. So here we are.

We talked about earbuds before. But today we’ll focus on how to clean those small devils. Your ears are not the cleanest places on the Earth. Surprise, surprise. Earbuds get stained and they are designed to be hard to clean. And thus, earbuds cleaning tools became a thing.

Let’s talk about Buddie. A 5-in-1 earbuds cleaning tool project on Kickstarter. Bear in mind that it is not a ready product so buyer’s discretion.

What is it

Buddie is a 5-in-1 earbuds cleaning tool for wired and wireless earbuds. Airpods, Bose, Beats, and more. What are the five, you ask? Well, they are a dirt picker, a bristle brush, a cleaning gel, a micro fabrics brush, and a soft brush.

These are the photos Buddie used to show us how earbuds are dirtier than toilet seats. Ok, I get their point. Earbuds are dirty. But whose earbuds are this dirty?! Seriously! If your earbuds were like this, maybe you should be looking for ear cleaning tools instead? Have you ever considered that something might have gone wrong there?

In this before and after photo, did they create the ‘before scene’? Put something that resembles earwax on it? I admit that my earbuds are not the cleanest ones but they are nothing like what’s in the photos.

What problems does it solve

It solves the ancient problem of having no proper tools to clean your small but dirty earbuds.

My old way to clean earbuds and the case is to blow and wipe using a small tissue. Not sure if I’m the only one who does it like that. But it solves my problem. You may need some efficient tools if your earbuds are dirty as those in the photos.

Buddie also prides on helping the environmental issue – to save marine life. They even listed out how cotton swabs, wet wipes, and toothpicks are wasted per year. I was a bit confused at first. What do those have to do with Buddie, an earbuds cleaning tool?

Then I realized that they meant to say that we can use Buddie to clean instead of cotton swabs or wet wipes. So that we can save on the waste of those in the environment and Aquaman’s favor.

But can you really? It feels a bit forced to me. If it were made from recycled or biodegradable materials, I would support it despite all the disturbing photos. The main jobs of cotton swabs, wet wipes, or toothpicks are NOT to clean your earbuds. They all have their own original missions – to cotton your nose or wipe your ass.

Even if we stopped using them to clean our earbuds, we’d still use them in other aspects of our daily lives, which would still pose a threat to the ocean.

Who is it for

It is for earbuds owners. Or dirty earbuds owners? (Just to be clear, the word “dirty” is to modify “earbuds”, not “owners”.)

If you have the need to clean your earbuds all the time, Buddie earbuds cleaning tool is for you. You can bring it with you everywhere. Since it’s 5-in-1 and with a keyring, it’s easy for carrying around.

Is it innovative

Hell no. Funny thing is, I’m not the only one that thinks this.

Nothing high tech going on here. And similar products already exist. Like this NW earbuds-cleaning pen. It has multiple functions in one and can serve the purpose of Buddie’s. And the below photo is from NW’s Amazon product page. This is more realistic than Buddie’s ‘before photo’. Don’t you think so?

Is it worth it

I don’t think so. Even before I found out how much it would cost. $22 for one if you could get their Kickstarter early birds price. The retail price is $29. Did I mention that I don’t think it’s worth the money?

I wouldn’t spend money on this because I can find almost the same alternatives at a fraction of the price. If Buddie was made from eco-friendly materials, I’d still consider it. However, that’s not the case, either.

And wait, I don’t even need a specific tool to clean my earbuds!

Are there any alternatives

Yes. There are.

The NW earbuds cleaning pen I mentioned earlier is one. And that’s not the only one. This QMNDC one at $14.88 will also do the magic. Some (the team) may say that the rest of the tools don’t have the gel and keyring. But, do they really matter? It’s not like they make a difference whether you get the cleaning done.

Who needs a keyring to bring an earbuds cleaning tool on the go? It’s probably the last thing on an EDC list.

It’s a hard truth but not all components matter.

Conclusion

As a critical, dark, but still humane bear, I believe even if it’s sh*t, it serves as good food to flies. I just lack the ability to discover the beauty of the product. So, it’s totally me. It’s not you, Buddie.

Hi, I’m Rainee.

I’m a reindeer that identifies as a bear. I’m the Critical Bear that does standup comedy.