tldr; looking for stereo headset with Bluetooth, open ear, behind the head/neck and with a microphone arm and good voice quality. Can you help?
I've been using a knock off version of the Nokia BH-503s for some time now. I had the original BH-503 then got a couple of knock off versions after I lost them 'cause they stopped making the originals.
I liked the BH-503 for a few reasons. There were open, so they were good for driving and the band goes behind the head. They were also comfortable - I've never found a closed ear or in ear headset that wasn't uncomfortable over any decent period of time. You could also easily take them off and rest them around your neck and put them back on again without them dangling weirdly or having to put them down. The battery life was also great. The sound quality was pretty mediocre but I only listen to podcasts & audiobooks and use it as a phone, none of which require high quality sound reproduction. The mic was easily the weakest part of it. The behind-the-head also has the advantage of not getting in the way of a bicycle helmet.
The knockoffs were OK and I've been getting by on them but less comfortable, worse battery, more likely to have Bluetooth issues, and the mic which was never good on the original was even worse. I tried a couple of other cheapo facsimiles but they were considerably worse than the BH-503 knockoffs.
So I've been looking around for a decent quality replacement but it's hard to find the combo I'm looking for. I'm basically after the BH-503 design but with a mic on an arm that can neatly fold away, preferably with higher quality earpads and sound quality.
The closest I've found is the Jabra Evolve 65 Stereo set. They're not behind-the-head but otherwise they fit the bill… but they're ~$180 delivered from MegaBuy and are listed as out of stock so it'd probably take weeks if not months to get them. Or there's the Sennheiser MB Pro 2 for ~$235 delivered which is pretty similar. They both have single ear versions but they look like they'd be unbalanced and uncomfortable resting around your neck as well as uncomfortable/weird when you're just using it for podcasts/audiobooks while out for a walk on the weekend or whatever.
I am completely uninterested in a single ear option because you can't take it off and rest it on your shoulders when you don't want it in. Even if you could convince me that stereo isn't important/good I wouldn't get one because you couldn't convince me I wouldn't put it down somewhere and lose it. I have lost two of them before, I have no doubt I'd do it again.
Just found these Sena SPH10s for $204 courier delivered. They've got an interesting feature I wouldn't likely use (bluetooth intercom & conferencing) but everything else is exactly what I'm after, I think. Although this review says the ear pads regularly pop out and you have to wrangle them back in. And seeing it on someones head it does look pretty bulky. And the behind the neck bit looks a bit too tight and inflexible (the reviewer mentions this too). Hmm.