Hi Chelsea,
I am sorry to hear that you feel this way about TIY. When we created the TIY Pro the main thought behind it was the cutting system, given the fact that the product lasts for so long (up to 3 years for some people) we usually suggest people that use less loops to have the cutter with them. If you have thicker hair and/or use more loops, we always suggest the basic option since the entire 34” can be used for those loops.
We are working on a refillable version as we speak, since it has been an incredible hit amongst majority(96%) of our users.
As far as the “antennas' that you are referring to when you say that it looks like a broken band are part of our brand. We have a trademarked #spottheknot, so all the people that have seen TIY from the olympics to the junior’s practice gyms around the world, know that is TIY!
I would like to hear how the elastic performs and/if it fulfills the need of your hair.