The Evolution of Ponytail Holders

I've been on a quest for the perfect ponytail holder for pretty much as long as I can remember.  Not like a "take over my entire existence, all consuming" kind of quest but countless shopping trips have included a walk down the hair accessory aisle just to see if there have been any recent breakthroughs in hair holding technology.

Recently, I ran across these...

Apparently ponytail holders have "evolved."  Upon examining these thoroughly, I observed that they are made of some kind of stretchy silicone, or plastic, or magic material that seemed like a good idea but I've been tricked by gimmicks before so, although I was intrigued, my skepticism got the better of me and I decided against purchasing the gummy wonders, opting instead for the same old elastics I've gotten lots and lots of times even though they continue to disappoint me...

My experience with these "same old elastics" always seems to end in frustration but at least I know what to expect, so I keep going back.  Here's the biggest problem with these, this is how they look when they are new...

but after two or three uses, they end up looking like this...

I've had the same problem with these ...

I've also tried these ...

...and since they don't have any seams, they work a little better but they aren't really strong enough to hold my slightly thicker than average hair and usually end up too stretched out to be effective in any way.

Finally, after one of the "same old elastics" completely snapped, forcing me to wear it for the rest of the day like this...

...my mind went back to the hair accessory aisle of Target and I decided it was time to "evolve."  I figured just about anything would be better than what I had been dealing with.

I am happy to report that after several uses, the Scunci Evolution hair elastics are working very well.  I'm impressed by the way they are maintaining their original shape and size.  I'm also impressed by the way they don't slip out.  Unfortunately the same technology that gives them that "no slip grip" also seems to prevent them from being completely "gentle to the hair."  I haven't noticed them actually damaging my hair but I've had to learn to be more careful when undoing my ponytail because these elastics do tend to pull on hairs here and there.  It's taken some practice but I think I'm getting the hang of it so I don't consider the "grippyness" a deal breaker, merely part of the learning curve.

Overall, I think these are pretty amazing.  Even though these seem a little too trivial to put in my "Miracles of Science" category, I would more than recommend them to anyone who has medium to thick hair and has problems keeping it in a simple ponytail.  Also, the price point seems fair.  I paid $3.49 for a pack of 14 so, if they continue to last like it looks like they will, I shouldn't have to buy more for quite a while.

Have you tried these or something else that works better?  I would love to hear about it.