Sad but true. Came the time when this technophobe IT professional decided that one of these new-fangled gadgets might actually be useful, it never actually occurred to me to check out the opposition. Thought processes went something along the lines of "Oh Yeah, Apple make the iPod, that'll be quality then."
[Parenthesis: Not a MAC user at all, but I'd rather trust Steve Jobs/hand him money, than Bill Bleedin' Gates & Microsnot]
So I bought one. Showed it to a mate who was the owner of a Generic Other (i.e. don't know the maker). He, coincidentally (in that I don't know him from professional circles), is also an IT pro, but of the geek variety ("Oooooh! New gadget!!" - know what I mean, 'Arry?). He was dead impressed with it & thought it was better than his. I've not a single complaint to make of it. So blind luck says I got the right one! They are the pricey end of the market, but personally I've always preferred to pay a bit extra for better quality.
Caveats: This is the full iPod I speak of, not the flaky & suspect Nano. Moreover, I only use the iPod in the car. I have no reason to suppose there's any issue with using it any other way. However, the advice apparently is not to use the branded Apple earpieces that come with it in public. They mark you out as a mugging target. Buy another set of non-branded earpieces at the same time.