Molded Ear Plugs

[CarlS]

I wear ear plugs when riding out of the urban/suburban area to reduce the effects of wind noise. I use the standard, off the shelf foam ear plugs. However, the ear plugs interfere with with using the intercom; the speakers are in the helmet. - which are less than satisfactory at best.

I found a site where one can get a kit to mold your own ear plugs including a built in ear bud. This seems to me to be they way to go. Do any of you have experience with molded ear plugs and/or molded ear plugs with ear buds?

Here is a link to the site: http://www.earfuze.com/about.html

 

[Rocky]

Sorry, not me. I wear the foam E.A.R plugs and don't use any electronics in my helemts.
Years ago I had a pair of molded ear plugs made for when I was shooting a lot. They lasted for many years, but eventually went to pieces and I didn't bother getting new ones.

 

[CarlS]

Thanks Rocky. I always use shooters ears muffs with shooting. I have never tried molded ear plugs on the range.

 

[Rocky]

Thanks Rocky. I always use shooters ears muffs with shooting. I have never tried molded ear plugs on the range.

I always used ear muffs too. After the molded ear plugs fell apart I went back to muffs and that's what I use now. The pair I have now are electronic and powered by a 9v battery.

 

[CarlS]

Yes, that is what I use also. They are great!

 

[keystiger]

Ive never tried ear plugs on the bike.....As most my riding is urban I prefer to hear the cagers around me. I guess on a long highway trip I might give em a go.

 

[hemibee]

Molded ear plugs are the greatest thing since the invite of Triumph Motorcycles!!!!!!!!!!

We used to get them at work and if the person doing the molding knows what they are doing you won't find a better plug for use at the range, on the bike or in any high noise environment. The key is to have the proper amount of the plug in the ear canal, too much and you damage your inner ear by it pressing against the working parts. Too short or too narrow and you don't get the proper seal around the ear canal which is the key to the ear plug.

I have never used the molded with the ear bud but want some so I will be checking out the link.

On a side note, our company quit making us the molded ear plugs and we had to use such as EAR or other ear plugs and my hearing has been damaged.

 

[hemibee]

Ok, I've looked at the link now and can comment on these plugs with a little more knowledge of how theirs works. The ear bud will be the sealing for the canal so that part should be good. The molding portion of the plugs will provide extra sealing around the bowl. Foam ear plugs and the bullet plugs do not seal this area and are a source of problems in providing proper ear protection. These custom molded plugs will fit perfect as long as you follow the directions and work the putty into the bowl and helix.

I will be checking the bank account to see if I can order a set of these ASAP or ASAP after payday.

 

[Rocky]

I've done a lot of riding without ear plugs and am now beginning to hear ringing/hissing in my ears.
I wore ear plugs off and on, but now that I have a slight bit of tinnitus I don't want it to get any worse. It's ear plugs all the time from now on.
I find the E.A.R plugs do the best job of the many I have tried so I just bought a large supply of them and put several pairs in all of my jackets and tank bags.

 

[kbalch]

Custom-molded ear plugs have utterly transformed my riding. Prior to having them done, anything over ~30MPH would result in ear pain and noticeable ringing for hours afterward, a sure sign of hearing damage. Foam plugs didn't work for me. Too variable in quality, not reliably reusable, and too dependent on precise insertion. I did my research and chose Chameleon plugs: http://www.earinc.com/p1-nonelectronic-chameleon.php

I use the Scala G4 (with its in-helmet speakers) and, though I can still hear the intercom, the perceived wind noise is considerably muffled. I no longer have any ear pain or ringing after rides at any speed or of any duration.

While I generally wear ANC ear muffs at the range, they've always interfered with a proper cheek weld on the Garand. These ear plugs are just the ticket for that, too. Bonus!

They're also great in the race car...

Ken

 

[CarlS]

EAR's and similar ear plugs are far better than no protection at all. Back 30 and 40 years ago, the Army did not offer ear protection. My hearing is damaged from weapons fire and the loud mufflers on Army diesel trucks.

Thanks for the information on these ear plugs, Tony. I am also going to order a set.

 

[hemibee]

I've done a lot of riding without ear plugs and am now beginning to hear ringing/hissing in my ears.
I wore ear plugs off and on, but now that I have a slight bit of tinnitus I don't want it to get any worse. It's ear plugs all the time from now on.
I find the E.A.R plugs do the best job of the many I have tried so I just bought a large supply of them and put several pairs in all of my jackets and tank bags.

I keep a few pairs of E.A.R. in my tank bag at all times. Of the disposable plugs I find E.A.R. Classics are the best for me I don't have a slight bit of tinnitus, I have rare moments without it. Some times the ringing is so loud I want to reach in my ear and answer that dern phone.

Custom-molded ear plugs have utterly transformed my riding. Prior to having them done, anything over ~30MPH would result in ear pain and noticeable ringing for hours afterward, a sure sign of hearing damage. Foam plugs didn't work for me. Too variable in quality, not reliably reusable, and too dependent on precise insertion. I did my research and chose Chameleon plugs: http://www.earinc.com/p1-nonelectronic-chameleon.php

I use the Scala G4 (with its in-helmet speakers) and, though I can still hear the intercom, the perceived wind noise is considerably muffled. I no longer have any ear pain or ringing after rides at any speed or of any duration.

While I generally wear ANC ear muffs at the range, they've always interfered with a proper cheek weld on the Garand. These ear plugs are just the ticket for that, too. Bonus!

They're also great in the race car...

Ken

Thanks for the link, I'll have to check them out too.

Garand? I want to get one to go along with my 03A3.

EAR's and similar ear plugs are far better than no protection at all. Back 30 and 40 years ago, the Army did not offer ear protection. My hearing is damaged from weapons fire and the loud mufflers on Army diesel trucks.

Thanks for the information on these ear plugs, Tony. I am also going to order a set.

Almost the same here, too many years around ranges and loud equipment and then the company I work for swapped ear plugs and it just got worse.

 

[boofhead]

I have used molded plugs for 10 years now and can not ride without them
I just ordered a set of those http://www.earfuze.com/about.html , At that price they are worth a try

 

[DaveM]

Well I have never used earplugs and I am now starting to see why I should have all those years as my hearing has taken a huge beating due to riding without

 

[CarlS]

I have used molded plugs for 10 years now and can not ride without them
I just ordered a set of those http://www.earfuze.com/about.html , At that price they are worth a try

Please let me know what you think. I can't order until next payday.

Well I have never used earplugs and I am now starting to see why I should have all those years as my hearing has taken a huge beating due to riding without

I didn't use them for years. When the Army starting issuing ear protection, I began to wear earplugs while riding and for recreational shooting.

 

[donroger1]

I've always worn hearing protection while in the military and later in the factories and shops but it never occurred to me to wear earplugs while riding until I failed a hearing test at work.
I've always had excellent hearing and argued with the technician that something else must be wrong. The tech spoke with my supervisor about my work environment and the boss assured the tech that I was a fanatic about hearing protection.
The tech finally asked how I got to work. I said that I had rode to work. He told me to drive the following day and I passed with flying colors.
Seems the "follicles" in the ear continue to vibrate after stimulation for several hours before settling down to normal and while vibrating, your hearing ability is diminished.

I've worn earplugs faithfully since that day over 30 years ago.

BTW: I haven't had an employer in 20 years that tested my hearing............(Thanks Dave!!)

 

[hemibee]

I ran acros this on the other forum Don and I have been known to hang out on. . .

Poking about following TwinSpar's comment about Radians, I stumbled across this how-to
http://www.howtogeek.com/57481/how-to-make-custom-silicone-ear-molds-for-your-in-ear-monitors/
For the cost (~$15 for the Radians, plus the earphones, if you want them) I'll probably give it a shot.
May not use the Etymotic's first, but possibly on the 2nd go round.
ETA: appears Radians recently switched up their site, so the link in the HowToGeek page is broken
Click HERE for the Radians site
and HERE for the Academy link.

I may have to run by the local Academy Sports & Outdoors store to grab me the Radians kit. If I do it, I will do it like the EarFuze with the ear buds on the inside of the mold so they will fit inside my helmet.

 

[CarlS]

Tony, thanks for this. Do you put your ear buds in your ear and then do the mold in your ear on top of the buds?

 

[hemibee]

That is the way I would do it for multiple reasons.
1. My helmet would hit the ear buds when putting it on if the buds were on the outside like the how to link.
2. The ear buds would probably make contact with the liner in my helmet
3. If the contact is made I would be concerned about the wear it would do on the liner.
4. That outside mount just ain't cool man Like I really care if I'm cool or not.

 

[hemibee]

Ok, I finally got around to making a set of molded ear plugs. I was going to use the EarFuse plugs but changed my mind. I told my wife that was what I wanted for Christmas so she did a little looking around and found multiple bad reviews from folks that had used the EarFuse brand. She said the areas she checked were running 3 times higher for unsatisfied users so she didn't order them for me. Well I had already bought some Radians brand Custom Molded Earplugs for the boys to use at the range so I decided that was what I would use for the first attempt. I finally bought a couple kits last week so I can build a range set and a bike set. I bought one set in pink and one set in blue.


I didn't really need the two different colors but bought them anyway. The first set we would make for someone at work used red and blue posts to help them remove them and to help identify which ear the plugs went in. I've used enough of them to be able to tell at a glance which one goes where without first trying to get the left one in the right ear and vice versa. Since I was going to make a set for the bike and would have electronics in it I figured I would go ahead and do the color code. This would make it easier when placing them in service in low light conditions. Since they were out of the red, I used the pink for the red (left) side and blue for the right. The way we told them at work to keep them different was red was a shorter color name so it went in the left ear. Also since right was a longer word, the blue with more letters than red went to the right. I know that sounds odd but it seemed to work with the new folks at work. The range set will be just straight molded plugs and when I get to the bike set I will add the electronics to those.

The completed range set. . .

The inner side Left & Right



The outside Left & Right



I guess I got ahead of myself. . . take half of the tinted and half of the white, mix until uniform color. . . no white streams showing. Roll the product into a ball and ram 'em in your ear or follow the instructions and gently push on the center of the ball to move some of the product into you ear canal. If you feel something pressing against your ear drum, you have gone too far. You will feel the product moving into your ear canal, just try to judge the distance as they will expand just a hair as the set up. This expansion may actually be caused by the work you will be doing to smooth out the outside of the plug. Notice my pink one is not as smooth on the outside as the blue one since it had been a while since I had done it and didn't have the right touch on it. I did these one at a time (you can do them both at the same time if you wish) and was able to see what I had done on the outside of the first (pink) one.
DO NOT TALK, CHEW OR MOVE YOUR JAW WHILE THE PLUG IS SETTING. . . DOING SO WILL CAUSE THE SEAL TO BE LOOSE. To hold your jaw in one position you can take the cap off of a mouthwash bottle and hold it between your teeth. You don't want the jaw stretched to the max but around half open or a little more. One other hint, don't let a riding buddy/mate or your spouse see you doing this, you will never hear the end of it.



After 10 minutes the earplug should be set enough to slowly remove. You will probably have a pressure difference in your ear(s) so go slowly to avoid damage. Also as you are pressing the product into the ear canal, if you reach OVER your head with the hand on the opposite side of the ear and pull up on the top of your ear it will help equalize the pressure as you insert the product but not completely equalize the pressure. After the 10 minute set up time, slowly remove the ear plug and place it in a clean location to sit for another 3 hours to finish curing. After curing the plug can be placed in the storage bag that may have come with your kit.

I have never done a set of molded plugs that did not need a little trimming after they were made. This can be done with a sharp knife or a pair of scissors. I prefer a sharp knife. I cut off the end of the plug, just a little since it is easier to cut off than to glue it back on. I then trim the edges of the canal portion so I don't have any edges, a slight angle on the end is all you need. You can also trim off the thin edges on the outside that may have gone a little over the edge of the ridges on you outer ear. You will see these with no problem, just trim with the knife for a clean look.


If you have any questions I will try to answer them. Once I get the electronic plugs made I will post my thoughts on them. . . maybe tomorrow?