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Earplugs/hearing protection

Take a look at EarPro by Surefire. I've been using them for a number of years, both on the bike and in other "high noise" enviroments.

A pair will last you all year and for me I can wear them 8+ hrs without any discomfort.

Depending on the pair you buy, they can provide up to 26dB Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) to minimize potentially harmful sounds.
 
I'm waiting on my Howard Leight order, so when I rode today I took a cotton ball from the bag of them my wife has, and tugged off a couple of small pieces and stuffed them in my ears. Holy cr*p...they worked great! Not as good as the HL's probably will, but it was a true revelation to ride without all that noise. My goodness...I was more relaxed, and it didn't hurt that it was an awesome Fall day going up the canyon. Sheesh...what a deal...:thumb
 
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1st: I'm no expert.
2nd:I have read/been told via professionals that cotton balls don't protect your ears from noise.
3rd: Just trying to keep everybody hearing well. :thumb

As to all the commotion r.e., ear infections; I don't know what the heck some of you do when your ear itches but I stick my pinkie finger(regardless of its condition) in mine and twist away! When your old and hairy eared! like this ,guy ya gotta scratch once in awhile & I do this with no infections yet! Often happens just after removing my el cheapo ear plugs.:dunno
 
1st: I'm no expert.
2nd:I have read/been told via professionals that cotton balls don't protect your ears from noise.
3rd: Just trying to keep everybody hearing well. :thumb

As to all the commotion r.e., ear infections; I don't know what the heck some of you do when your ear itches but I stick my pinkie finger(regardless of its condition) in mine and twist away! When your old and hairy eared! like this ,guy ya gotta scratch once in awhile & I do this with no infections yet! Often happens just after removing my el cheapo ear plugs.:dunno

Well, those professionals might be right. But then, like many professionals, they might be wrong. All I can tell you is that with a cotton ball in my ear, the noise level is markedly diminished. So maybe some frequencies are attentuated, but the bad (inaudible) ones are getting through? Hey...all I know is...it's more comfortable. And until my plugs arrive, I'll take whatever comfort I can get.

What professionals, by the way? :whistle
 
I ordered the disposable assortment pack from the earplug store (www.earplugstore.com) along with some re-useable plugs to try out for fit and function. There used to be only EAR brand and I suppose the patent ran out or others realized the market and started selling ear plugs. My custom earplugs from long ago aren't nearly as comfortable or suppress noise as well as the 32/33 NRR plugs. One of the reasons they make so many varieties is because one size (or style) does not fit all ears or situations.
 
Another Howard Leight fan

I've been wearing Howard Leight SmartFit ear plugs for years. They're typcially sold in a package with two pair for ~$4 to $5, which includes a small plastic tube for storing them. I ride ~15,000 miles per year, and one pair typically lasts me six months. I have back-up ear-plugs everywhere: a pair in each jacket, an extra pair in my tankbag, a two pair package in one pannier, and several two pair packages in the garage. I even use a pair for air travel. They fit well, are comfortable, and are secure in my ears. When they wear out I throw them away and break open a new pair.

For years I bought them at a local gun store. Earlier this year I found a table at a local gun show selling the two pair packages for under $3, and I bought a half-dozen packages, so I'm good for the foreseeable future. I've also seen them advertised for $100 for a box of 100 pair. Here's what they look like:

TST-BB145.jpg


One note with ear plugs. Try some out before buying in bulk. Some aren't comfortable. Some don't stay in the ear well. And some are just long enough that putting on your helmet will knock them out of your ears. In any event, I highly recommend trying out cheaper reusable earplugs before spending an arm and a leg on custum ear plugs.
 
In any event, I highly recommend trying out cheaper reusable earplugs before spending an arm and a leg on custum ear plugs.

Just remember that hearing damage is permanent. If I'm riding for a short distances, I'll use my Schuberth C3 without anything in my ears or maybe with foamy plugs. The C3 is rated in independent testing as the quietest helmet made. But, an all day ride with it left my ears abused and I felt much more exhausted vs. the Sensaphonics. I feel so much fresher after a full day in the saddle with these.

Until I listened to some people I trusted and tried a really good quality custom ear monitor like the Sensaphonics, I really thought I was getting most of the bang for the buck with the foamies and the C3. It's truly amazing how much difference there is between that solution and the Sensaphonics.
 
i have tried many different kinds of foam plugs over the years and have finally settled on custom made plugs by Westone, the hearing aid manufacture. they make a specific model just for motorcyclists that allow you to hear surrounding sounds while muffling wind noise. not only do they go in easily and are all day comfortable, they actually work as designed. total cost was $100.00 and that includes the custom mold by a certified Westone Audiologist.

If I'm riding for a short distances, I'll use my Schuberth C3 without anything in my ears

i wear my C3 without plugs on my 5 mile commute to work, but for any thing longer i wear my Westone's.


145842204.jpg
 
i have tried many different kinds of foam plugs over the years and have finally settled on custom made plugs by Westone, the hearing aid manufacture. they make a specific model just for motorcyclists that allow you to hear surrounding sounds while muffling wind noise. not only do they go in easily and are all day comfortable, they actually work as designed. total cost was $100.00 and that includes the custom mold by a certified Westone Audiologist.



i wear my C3 without plugs on my 5 mile commute to work, but for any thing longer i wear my Westone's.


145842204.jpg



When I looked at the Westone ear phones, they were made of hard plastic and looked like they'd hurt after being in all day. Are these like that or are they made of a more pliable silicone like the Sensaphonics?
 
When I looked at the Westone ear phones, they were made of hard plastic and looked like they'd hurt after being in all day. Are these like that or are they made of a more pliable silicone like the Sensaphonics?


These look much like my heari aids. When these are correctly fitted by an audiologist, they are comfortably from morning to bedtime. The issue is correct shape, rather than hard or soft. Yes, there is a "getting used to them" period, but it is short.

I use dbblocker fitted earplugs on the bike.
http://www.protectear.com/ is their website. Very effective and as comfortable as my hearing aids.
 
The Westone earplugs are made from a soft silicone type material, unlike the Westone earphones I have. They are made from some type of hard plastic type material.
 
People who have some sort of degree in medicine, probably specializing in the ear.
I was sent to the U.S. Army hearing protection seminar @ Ft.Knox ,KY to be specific & yes they were in fact hearing /medical pros saying don't use cotton balls. No, they were not selling anything except to encourage us to go out & make certain soldiers were using proper protection all the time.Certainly doesn't make me the expert but memory serves me right here.
I have zero need to play gottcha here. I was seriously attempting to get a correct hearing protection thought in place. Buy a bag of cotton balls if it makes you feel safe. You can buy cheapo ear muffs @ Harbor Freight that are a crappy way to attempt protection too.
Protecting hearing is a serious subject so, as one who has lost much of his own thats the only way I know to approach it. My hearing profile kept me from being promoted in the military @ a time it mattered. Now , hearing my grandchildren & the boss matter too.
The main thing is to use something that actually works.:hug
 
I was sent to the U.S. Army hearing protection seminar @ Ft.Knox ,KY to be specific & yes they were in fact hearing /medical pros saying don't use cotton balls. No, they were not selling anything except to encourage us to go out & make certain soldiers were using proper protection all the time.Certainly doesn't make me the expert but memory serves me right here.
I have zero need to play gottcha here. I was seriously attempting to get a correct hearing protection thought in place. Buy a bag of cotton balls if it makes you feel safe. You can buy cheapo ear muffs @ Harbor Freight that are a crappy way to attempt protection too.
Protecting hearing is a serious subject so, as one who has lost much of his own thats the only way I know to approach it. My hearing profile kept me from being promoted in the military @ a time it mattered. Now , hearing my grandchildren & the boss matter too.
The main thing is to use something that actually works.:hug

As I said, I have some Howard Leight plugs coming this week. In the interim, instead of going unprotected, I'm using cotton balls. There are probably other things I could use, but for now this is what I've got. Worked pretty well on a ride of 95 miles yesterday, though wind noise was still audible, if attenuated.
 
As I said, I have some Howard Leight plugs coming this week. In the interim, instead of going unprotected, I'm using cotton balls. There are probably other things I could use, but for now this is what I've got. Worked pretty well on a ride of 95 miles yesterday, though wind noise was still audible, if attenuated.

If you end up wanting something more than cotton balls between now and when your Howard Leight's arrive, you may want to take a look at your local drug store.

Not sure where you're at, but in my area (and pretty much everywhere I've traveled in the U.S.), Walgreens, CVS, Walmart, etc. all carry decent foam ear plugs. Get the ones from the "ear care" section of the Pharmacy. You can get 7 pr of Hearos 33db NRR plugs for $3.99 at Walgreens (when I just looked, Walgreens has them on sale for $2.99 this week). You wouldn't want to pay that week in and week out, but $3.99 doesn't seem too bad for a one time purchase of a weeks worth of hearing protection.

Just a thought.
 
Cotton Balls?! FYI

Info from this website:
http://www.healthyhearing.com/conte...tection/31180-Hearing-protection-from-general

"I have also examined cotton balls, motorcycle helmets and simply putting your fingers in your ears. You can find all the data in my hearing protection chapter in The Noise Manual, 5th Edition, by E. H. Berger, L. H. Royster, J. D. Royster, D. P. Driscoll, and M. Layne, Am. Ind. Hyg. Assoc. (2000). In short, cotton provides only 5 10 dB except at the highest frequencies; surprisingly motorcycle helmets, which are quite acoustically leaky, are not much better, but fingers in your ears (though not terribly functional for general activities) nets you 25 30 dB; quite sufficient for a brief noise emergency."

:dunno
 
Info from this website:
http://www.healthyhearing.com/conte...tection/31180-Hearing-protection-from-general

"I have also examined cotton balls, motorcycle helmets and simply putting your fingers in your ears. You can find all the data in my hearing protection chapter in The Noise Manual, 5th Edition, by E. H. Berger, L. H. Royster, J. D. Royster, D. P. Driscoll, and M. Layne, Am. Ind. Hyg. Assoc. (2000). In short, cotton provides only 5 10 dB except at the highest frequencies; surprisingly motorcycle helmets, which are quite acoustically leaky, are not much better, but fingers in your ears (though not terribly functional for general activities) nets you 25 30 dB; quite sufficient for a brief noise emergency."

:dunno

Ingenious! So...let me understand, before I try this tomorrow: If I put my fingers in my ears (requiring I ditch the helmet) and ride with no hands, my hearing will be saved. I, however, may be prematurely...terminated?
 
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