If you can't be with the earbuds you love, love the earbuds you're with.

Are these JLab Hi-Fi Noise-Reducing Earbuds anywhere near the best earbuds? Don’t be ridiculous.

Unless they’re the only earbuds you have with you at the moment. The best earbuds are always the ones you have, not the ones you left at your desk or on your nightstand or in your other carry-on.

Today you should buy an assload of these, or the biggest load your ass can safely accommodate, and stow a pair in every bag you might take with you anywhere. They don’t sound fantastic. We don’t know why “Hi-Fi” is in the product name except maybe to appeal to someone who has just stepped out of a time machine from 1956. And at $20 list, these clearly aren’t trying to compete with the higher end earbuds out there.

But they’re vastly superior to alternatives such as “going without headphones of any kind” or “paying two dollars for what the airlines call ‘earbuds’ in what can only be described as a failure of our consumer protection laws.”

Sure, when it comes to earbuds, we’re all looking for Mr. Right. But with a backup pair of these permanently stashed in your backpack or roller bag, it won’t hurt too much when you have to settle for Mr. Right Now.