Moulded ear plugs

[rocks]

I was wondering if anyone could let me know how long they last..
I presently use disposable, but suffer from tinitous.. so at the NEC had my moulds done and just ordered a set today..

Probably closing gate after horse etc..but was wondering how long people had theirs and how they easy they were to look after... and what peoples experiences were..

28days apparently.. well upto.. before i get mine.. oh well..

 

[mark71]

Hi there

Ive had my couple of pairs for about two years now and they are still going strong, I have one pair with the moniters in for listening to my ipod and they are great even used them when I was flying around in the middle east and would not hesitate to spend the money again.

Good luck
mark.

 

[boundless]

Sorry to hear about your 'tini tous'.

Mine own ear plugs * are over two years old and look as new.

Well I remember the years of finding nasty discarded and decaying yellow safety foam rubbers heaving with rancid ear wax and gazing with such reproach when I ran out of fresh ones at the end of the month.

Acquiring the nice 'clear' flourescent blue squidges was a revelation. A quick run under a warm tap every trip and an antiseptic hand wipe once a week. Some people just suck'em, I've heard..... but we all know that can lead to swallowing .....which leads to the sieving of stools and worse.

Even boundless has his hygienic standards.

* I guess they are a blend of high silicon rubber. I have a piece of medical grade silicon about my person (not in it) of the apparently the same material which is well over 20 years old and still totally undecayed in any way that I can detect.

 

[(RIP) Bobble]

Had mine just over 2 years..used most days, and I just suck them then pop them in my ears.

Only problem is when I've been away and not used them for a couple of weeks...makes me think a bit about them festering in my jacket pocket... just before I suck the fluff off

 

[Wapping]

Ten years + and still going strong.

Rince under the tap in warm water every so often.

 

[dotcaf]

Mine are still good after a year and a half. They recommend washing either in plain water or a neutral soap as fairy liquid eventually eats away at the surface. I had 1 and a half pairs made. One pair of normal and a single side with an acoustic tube in it to listen to satnav, music or comms. It's much cheaper to buy the acoustic tube on ebay for 15 odd, then they fit it for free...
N.b. when I was at the show, I noticed that some companies were doing them far cheaper than others. There is a difference in the rubber that they use. I went for the relatively expensive Ultimate Ear ones.

 

[Droopy Dick]

Custom Made Ear Protection are less expensive than Ultimate Ear.

You can find them here: http://www.customearprotection.co.uk/

Anton Spiro-Teca who owns the business is very friendly and affable.

He goes to most bike shows. He lives in Dorchester but is happy to meet you either at home, your home, or when he's on his way to some show.

I had some made at the NEC show in 2005. There was a slight problem with one plug, but was very promptly sorted.

Best of all, he makes and finishes them 'on the spot' And the finish is excellent.

The silicone he uses seems slightly more flexible than both Green Leopard's & Ultimate's. The fit also seems to be better. I have all three makes and prefer Anton's to the Ultimate's or Green Leopards that I also own. I've used them often since I bought them and there's no sign of degradation.

I have Ultimate monitors as well for when Pink Floyd sing their calming songs.

 

[Steptoe]

The silicone he uses seems slightly more flexible than both Green Leopard's & Ultimate's. .

Ultimate offer a choice of "hard" or squishy.

 

[BLUE(UK)]

Since the ear 'hole' grows you will find that they will need replacing approx once a year due to growth which will let sounds through although this is such a gradual increase in DB's,you probably would never notice until you have a new set made 'which seem quieter'.
There are cleaners which one can use to clean them or simply give em a clean with some antibacterial wipes which are friendly to the skin.

I must say that i am pleased there are at least SOME people who care about their hearing,because once it's fecked it is FECKED!!

Good luck.

 

[ncpierce]

Sorry to hear about your 'tini tous'.

Well I remember the years of finding nasty discarded and decaying yellow safety foam rubbers heaving with rancid ear wax and gazing with such reproach when I ran out of fresh ones at the end of the month.

I stick my disposable ones into one of the net things you get for washing powder and chuck them in the washing machine and then rinse them out in boiling water and leave to dry on the radiator!

This works for me and they seem to fit better once they have been washed

I think I will get some proper ones this year even though I get the foams free from work!

 

[Droopy Dick]

Ultimate offer a choice of "hard" or squishy.

CMEP's stuff is still more compliant than Ultimate's.

I assume I must have one set of each from Ultimate. The hard stuff is used for monitors and the sift stuff for the others.

 

[buckles]

Ear plugs

I also have ear plugs from cmep good bit of kit. They are the ones that cut noise above something like 30db. Use them on the bike and in my drum shed. The main difference i find is when the weather is really cold the compound is slightly more rigid but keep them warm and you should be fine. They cost me about 30 quid two years ago with no sign of wear whatsoever. If you think ANTONE'S a bit expensive i could nock some up with sanitary silicone, cost to u mate £5. Downside is you will have to wait 24 hours till the stuff cures and i can only do four colours black white brown and clear oh yes and no mould growth.

 

[Bidet]

Brought a pair at the NEC with the outside slightly receased so they lie flat and do not dig in when you sleep in them.

 

[Brendan]

Bought from Ultimate about 5 years ago. Brillant product, well worth the money. When used first I found that my road speed increased. I presume this was as a direct result of reduced noise. ( I don't like noise). Easy cleaned with spit which also helps when inserting them.

 

[ahutcheon]

I have a pair of custom earplugs that work provided. Little hole makes it possible to hear ordinary speech and they're much better than the disposables at attenuating load noise (e.g. gunshots). Great on the bike too, although the relatively unchanged transmission of low sound levels means you don't get that "how sweetly my bike is running" effect (in my Guzzi days the yellow foam plugs were so much cheaper than a service...).

No sign of deterioration in nearly a year's use, and I merely give them a wipe if they start to look a bit grimey.

 

[Alex B]

Droopy D....

I take it you mean pliant rather than compliant.

Having said that, under the Control of Noise at Work regs (2005), "compliance" has a whole new meaning !!