Invisibobble Coil No-break, No-mark Hair Tie Review, Use

What looks like a telephone cord has ousted all those hair ties, bobbles, clutchers, clips and scrunchies from my vanity. The Invisibobble hair tie promises - and keeps its promise, mind you - not to stretch, pull, break or hurt your hair. It also doesn't leave a trace on the hair once it is removed.

I can't photograph my own ponytails so I've done a rudimentary braid. This is what it looks like. The Invisibobble is available on several online websites in different colours - this is brown. I think the colour goes with my hair quite well. You can also get black, blue, white, yellow, red, purple and so on. It comes in packs of three, so there's one for your handbag, one for travel and one for your dressing table.
The principle is simple. 1. There is no rough soldering or jagged end so no hair is pulled out. 2. Because of the shape, there is uneven pressure which means there is more space for the hair to "sit" within the Invisibobble, so it won't leave a mark. At the same time, it does hold my hair tightly enough. because locks of hair lie within one "coil" of the Invisibobble and don't move about (see photos).

Yes, it stretches a bit, but so far I have found it always returns to the original circumference the following day. I don't know if it will stretch after a while. The company also says you can use it as a bracelet, but it looks awkward (to me) and a bit uncomfortable if you do a lot of actual writing (like me). One bobble is quite small, smaller than the circumference of a China Glaze nail polish bottle. It weighs next to nothing.

These are now my Holy Grail hair ties and I love how subtle they are for work and how comfy and efficient they are. I will definitely repurchase when I need more!

Now for the shock. I was busy showing these off to my aunt and cousin who were visiting. They didn't say much but turned up the following day with black "Invisibobbles" (to the right of the original brown) and I asked if they were from Feelunique and they said, nope - these are from our local corner store for five pence/eight cents/five rupees - no box, no brand name. I nearly had a heart attack! They are exactly alike! I haven't tried out the dupes, though, so cannot vouch for how they perform.

Ever bought a product and loved it, only to discover a far-cheaper version? Do share!