No Noise Ear Plugs

[Anyname]

I bought a large bag of foam plugs at either Woodcraft or Home Depot. They were cheap and appear identical to any I have bought at shooting supply stores.

 

[roncooper]

IMHO there is nothing better than these:

http://www.amazon.com/Worlds-Finest-Plug-12-pair-Personal/dp/B003GVTDQW

View attachment 56562

I have am extra large head and ears, and get 3 plugs out of 2 slugs, seat them well and you can't hear anything, in fact when you walk it sounds like you hear the stuff in your head sloshing around. Got the wife to try them this year and said she can't chew gum when she has them in because it sounds too weird.

If they do unseat when riding, slipping a finger under the helmet will re-seat them on the fly, no need to stop.

I tried these and agree that they work well and are very comfortable. However, I didn't hear an ambulance coming from behind and was really startled as it swept past me. I am once again searching for a comfortable earplug that will allow me to hear emergency vehicles.

 

[glenfiddich]

I carry three different types and switch back and forth on long rides. My custom set of Brite Ears work very well, but are getting old and stiff. I'll probably get another set at the rally. I get the left one in red and the right in green (port and starboard) to tell at a glance which goes in which ear. No Noise plugs work well in my left ear, but the right ear canal has a wicked bony bend in it from an old service-incurred skull fracture so no matter how carefully inserted, the right side tends to lose the seal especially on bumpy rides. My fallback plugs are the soft silicon pellets that you smoosh into place over your ear canal; I find those extremely effective.

I treated a lot of external ear infections aggravated by prolonged earplug use in the service, so one thing we used to do is put a couple drops of a drying agent in each ear at the end of the day. Alcohol works well since fungi are generally responsible for otitis externa. I use a drop or two of Glenfiddich, which has the added advantage of smelling good as well.

 

[KenDittrick]

put a couple drops of a drying agent in each ear at the end of the day. Alcohol works well since fungi are generally responsible for otitis externa. I use a drop or two of Glenfiddich, which has the added advantage of smelling good as well.

You da man!

 

[Friedle]

No noise ear plugs

I carry three different types and switch back and forth on long rides. My custom set of Brite Ears work very well, but are getting old and stiff. I'll probably get another set at the rally. I get the left one in red and the right in green (port and starboard) to tell at a glance which goes in which ear. No Noise plugs work well in my left ear, but the right ear canal has a wicked bony bend in it from an old service-incurred skull fracture so no matter how carefully inserted, the right side tends to lose the seal especially on bumpy rides. My fallback plugs are the soft silicon pellets that you smoosh into place over your ear canal; I find those extremely effective.

I treated a lot of external ear infections aggravated by prolonged earplug use in the service, so one thing we used to do is put a couple drops of a drying agent in each ear at the end of the day. Alcohol works well since fungi are generally responsible for otitis externa. I use a drop or two of Glenfiddich, which has the added advantage of smelling good as well.

Ah, but do you remember what you heard the next morning ?

Friedle

 

[The_Veg]

I did not find the No Noise plugs to be worth the expense. My ears are not an easy fit; anything flanged has always been a problem for me, I think due to narrowness of my ear canals. Despite that, I found that the No Noise plugs had to be inserted really deep to seal- so deep that their ridiculously-short handles were almost impossible to grip for removal, and in fact on two occasions I had to use needle-nose pliers to pull a plug out. On top of that, the right one would un-seal every time I turned my head to the right. I found the noise-reduction to be slightly less than with foamies, or at least what noise gets through seems slightly higher in frequency.

The cheep ol' foamies remain the best that I have ever used, of which I am glad- because for once, the thing that works best for me is low-budget and readily available.

 

[rangerreece]

One thing I'm learning from this thread is that ear plugs are definetly an individual choice. Lots of different ear canals out there. No one option or maybe four options will work. Seems like the solution is many tailored approaches in order to determine the best solution for your ears. My left ear is different from my right. I'm hoping the custom design guys are at the national, I'd like to check out that option. The Army made me pay for a set of custom plugs, (CEP's). Problem is, hard plastic... Wore them once, extreme pain under the helmet. Back to foamies.

 

[The_Veg]

I haven't been down the custom plugs road, but I've heard a few people say that their custom plugs fit better when they put their helmet on right after the goop gets squirted in, because apparently our outer ears deform under pressure from the helmet, which affects how things fit and by doing this, the plugs take the shape of the helmet-deformed ear rather than the unencumbered ear. Makes sense.

 

[rangerreece]

I haven't been down the custom plugs road, but I've heard a few people say that their custom plugs fit better when they put their helmet on right after the goop gets squirted in, because apparently our outer ears deform under pressure from the helmet, which affects how things fit and by doing this, the plugs take the shape of the helmet-deformed ear rather than the unencumbered ear. Makes sense.

Hmm... That makes since now that I think about it.

 

[Bobmws]

I haven't been down the custom plugs road, but I've heard a few people say that their custom plugs fit better when they put their helmet on right after the goop gets squirted in, because apparently our outer ears deform under pressure from the helmet, which affects how things fit and by doing this, the plugs take the shape of the helmet-deformed ear rather than the unencumbered ear. Makes sense.

Having recently retired after 18 years of making custom plugs I'll add this:
A few words about custom earplugs and helmet use. These earplugs are a full helix design, which basically means they fill the outer ear and extend into the ear canal past the second bend, a deep mold. Helmet manufacturers make a helmet quieter by adding foam padding to isolate your ear from wind noise. If this padding causes your ear to deflect it can "rock" the earplug and cause a pressure point where the plug extends into the ear canal. Depending on the amount of deflection, this may not be noticeable for 20-30 minutes! In severe cases it will cause the seal to break. This is easily remedied by pulling down the helmet liner and removing some of the foam rubber padding from around the ear area.
Note, just modify the foam padding, not the styrofoam shock absorption material!
Another thing to be aware of is an extreme headcheck can cause your ear canal to change shape and break the seal, but in most cases the seal will be regained when you return your head to the front.
There where only a few instances when helmet was pulled on before the material set, generally an instance where a persons ears really protruded. If you feel this is your situation, use a helmet liner when you make the molds as the material sticks to the cloth and makes it hard to remove the helmet and hard to clean from the liner.

 

[ricochetrider]

Been using the No Noise plugs all summer. They seem to work well for me. I sort of "screw" them down in so they seat well. No problems getting them out at the end of the ride. No pain or discomfort, they stay seated and don't interfere with or rub against my helmet like the foamies did.

I like em.

Clearly this is an individual matter, but these are working well in my ears.

Cheers guys.