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Best off-the-rack earplugs?

Everyone is different.

I like the DIY molded kits for about $10 from the earplugstore.com

The most important thing is to wear the earplugs!
 
flying_hun said:
I'll state the obvious, it depends on the size/shape or your ear canal. It can also depend on the way your helmet fits.

FWIW, I buy Howard Leight plugs bulk. I used to use the Max, but they hurt my ears when I wear my dualsport helmet, so now I use the Laser Max.
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I like the Super Leights. They're always easy to fit and work very well.
 
motomania2007 said:
Earplugs are required unless you want permanent hearing damage.

I wish someone had kicked my ass about earplugs as a teenager. Tinnitus began in my 40s as a result of riding for many years without earplugs.

Adding music only adds to the damage of riding without earplugs.

http://www.motorcycle.com/features/motorcycles-hearing-loss.html
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Right. That's why I only ride with earplugs. Unless I'm riding for 10 minutes or less.

I was shocked so many people I rode with didn't wear earplugs.
 
I did the sampler pack thing. Road with a different set for a week each over the course of months.

Howard Leight Max Lite (green ones) were the best for me.

If you have larger ear canals, try the Moldex Meteors.
 
Howard Leight Max

http://www.howardleight.com/earplugs/max

NRR of 33 and available corded or non. They're a single use plug but you can re-use them multiple times if you're a cheap^^^^frugal rider if you keep them in a clean case.

I buy them by the 200 count box on Amazon for about $16 including shipping according to my last order.

I carry a dozen packages of 'em with me and hand them out like candy to other riders that I see riding without ear protection.

Tinnitus is real and debillitating.
 
HappyHighwayman said:
For some reason I never got the hang of flanged earphones...do you like jam them in past the flanges?
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I stick them in till the end of the flange is just barely sticking out of my ear canal so I have something to grab onto to remove them.

I also get 1-1.5 weeks out of a single pair of ear plugs. I bought the 200 ct box from Amazon in June and I've barely made a dent in the box (partly because my friend gave me a bunch more because they didn't work out for him and he bought a 200 ct box as well). As long as your ears are clean they last a long time, unless they get wet, in which case they bloat up and don't fit in your ears anymore.
 
I use these and have had pretty good results. I like the fact they don't go into the ear canal and just mold to seal the entire opening.

http://www.macksearplugs.com/details/Motorcycle-ear-plugs/pillow-soft-earplugs-6-pair-value

image.php
 
Phanuel said:
I use SF ep 4. Haven't really tried anything else though. Disposable foamies aren't stiff enough to actually get into my weird ear canals.
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3rd vote for Surefire. Started with EP3's in medium (nrr 24), and they were a little on the small side, and while reasonably comfy, sometimes my helmet would shift things just right to open a gap in my ear to make them basically useless.

Went to the EP5 max (nrr 26) in large....better fit, still comfy, and no gap. tempted to try the EP7 also, but i don't know how comfy those foam tips will be.

have also used some similar to the tasco tri-fit (start to get uncomfy on the longest rides, but good otherwise), and the radians snugplug (comfy for a bit, ~30min or less, easy in).
 
I've been using the simple orange foam plugs but now thinking about trying the NoNoise ones. ADV has a thread similar to this one.

I may try the Surefires based upon the above comments.
 
deathbug74 said:
3rd vote for Surefire. Started with EP3's in medium (nrr 24), and they were a little on the small side, and while reasonably comfy, sometimes my helmet would shift things just right to open a gap in my ear to make them basically useless.

Went to the EP5 max (nrr 26) in large....better fit, still comfy, and no gap. tempted to try the EP7 also, but i don't know how comfy those foam tips will be.

have also used some similar to the tasco tri-fit (start to get uncomfy on the longest rides, but good otherwise), and the radians snugplug (comfy for a bit, ~30min or less, easy in).
Click to expand...

I have ep3, ep4, and ep7.

The 7s don't compress small enough to fit into my ear canals.

The 3s were smaller, but the first mushroom tip is too large a diameter and puts too much pressure on my, again, small canals.

The 4s are what work the best for me and stay in. Especially once I got the large concha bowl size that actually was properly retained by my ear. The mediums just kind of floated around in there.
 
LabRat675 said:
With the 250pair container I have had them for a year and barely made a dent.
Click to expand...
It was when I realized that I was still grabbing earplugs from my box of North Safety Products Deci 4200 earplugs that I purchased around 15 years ago that I finally bought another box of earplugs, the 3M E-A-Rsoft SuperFit.

I don't throw a pair away until they start looking gross. :x
 
I try to do three days of commuting (six trips total) per pair of Moldex Spark Plugs -- I could get more use out of each pair but by that point they start expanding quicker than before and it's a bit harder to cram them into my ear. At two pairs a week a $20 box of two hundred pairs will still last me a couple of years; I think I can afford to discard them a bit prematurely.

Possible tip: My dad is (unfortunately) diabetic and so has to get those test strips to check his blood; those containers store my earplugs perfectly and I don't worry about them getting dirty or wet.

208768p.jpg
 
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