Custom earplugs?

[2wTraveler]

Where did you have yours made? or did you do em yourself? I rode to work this morning for the last time with an earplug hanging half way out of one of my ears. Damn thats annoying  
So now I'm looking to get something that fits a little better. Any downsides to the custom molded vs disposable other than the price tag?

[marc11]

I had mine done at the IMS show many years ago.  Fit and worked great for a long time, something like 5 or so years, but eventually they didn't seal as well and started to hurt.  I guess your ear changes or something over time.

[bomber]

bring your helmet when you get the molds made, and wear it as the molding agent sets up.

some folks' ear canals change shape while wearing a helmet, and the change can make perfectly fitting molds very painful in no time at all.

you know how I know.

[2wTraveler]

bring your helmet when you get the molds made, and wear it as the molding agent sets up.

some folks' ear canals change shape while wearing a helmet, and the change can make perfectly fitting molds very painful in no time at all.

you know how I know.

I can see that happening. Anyone tried the do it yourself kit?

[elader]

I can see that happening. Anyone tried the do it yourself kit?

I tried the diy stuff twice and failed both times. I went to the show in DC and had a set made by an 'audiologist' and they are MUCH better. I think the secret is that they slam that stuff into your ears with a syringe rather than by pushing with fingers. Also the stuff seems softer to me.

I dont know if it is really any better than my favorite foam earplugs yet...

[MadOzodi]

I've tried the DIY Radians kit.  Unfortunately, my lack of success with them at the time was due more to helmet fit than the actual plug.  I've since gotten custom fit Westones through an audiologist and will not use anything else anymore.

It seems the DIY kits use the materials an audiologist would use to take the initial impression of your ear canal.  Once that stuff is hardened, it's no where near as comfortable as the softer silicon or vinyl material a company like Westone uses for the actual plug.  My DIY Radians kit plugs now only see use when I'm using my lawn mower, line trimmer, etc.

Forgot to add:  I only realized how skinny and not round the openings of my ear canals are when I finally got my custom plugs back from Westone.  Very much () as opposed to O so it's no wonder I couldn't find a pair of OTC foam plugs that would be comfortable for more than a half-hour.

[ST-DocLizard1]

I had mine made at Americade two years ago. Great product! I just have to remember to use them after so many years of not having ear plugs. Mine have a small conduit so I can still hear my sound source via helmet speakers.


http://www.earinc.com/p1-filtered-afiltered.php


Doc

[cognosticator]

I had mine made here:

http://www.earplugco.com/prod01.htm

Great to work with and they are great custom earplugs

I had already had a set of custom earplugs made at a BMW rally, so I sent hime those and he made the plugs for me

[Cheddarhead]

My son (A Sr. at Wisconsin...music major) had a pair made at the University.  A bit more expensive that the $50 solutions available at the IMS Show...but he stands in front of a Drum Corps for 10 hrs/day all summer long as the Drum Major, conducts Bands and Orchestra's, and performs in bands, ochestras etc all year long...so hearing is not only very critical to him personally / professionally...but he's also exposed to it loud & proud for hours at a time, for weeks at a time.

I also recently saw an Audiologist at Sams Club...who was offering the custom-molded plugs on the spot for $50 or so.  didn't have my helmet with me (thanks for the heads-up, B-man...) or I would have had a pair made then and there.

May want to check out the Sam's club in your area, if you can't attend the IMS and / or don't have easy access to an audiologist or a University School of Music.

[katego]

Custom fit Westones. Way better than anything else I have ever used.

-k

[MadOzodi]

FYI, the custom fit Westone model I have is the 4RT.

They fit nice and flush with the ear canal opening and don't shift when donning the helmet.  When I had my molds taken, I actually assumed my closest approximation of my riding position and then sat up and tried to maintain that head tilt.

[Fun Dog]

I don't understand the desire for custom made ear plugs.  The disposable ones I use cut enough noise, are easy to plant in my ear and stay put.

I work in a lab that used to be attached to a chemical plant.  Whenever we went into the plant, we had to have earplugs in.  I experimented with A LOT of different kinds of earplugs.  Some of them hurt my ears if left in more than an hour or so.  Some of them were impossible to fit in my ears.  Some of them wouldn't stay in once I got them in.

One day I found a variety that works wonderfully.  They do it all.  Easy to put in, stay in, all day comfortable, cheap, disposable.  When I found the kind I like I bought about 1000 pair.  I won't be running out of earplugs in my lifetime.  Don't mind if I lose them because I got 998 more waiting at home.  How would you like to lose a set of customs?  Hmmmm?

The difficulty people have with disposable plugs is they don't know how to compress them properly before they "install" them.  A lot of people think you just jam them in your ear like standard ear plugs.  They don't work like that.  They have to be compressed equally from all sides to get them to their smallest possible size; then and only then do they get placed in the ear.  Once in the ear they expand back to their original shape and in the process mold to the very specific shape of your personal ear canal.  You can't just arbitrarily squeeze them once and consider them compressed.  You squeeze them a little one way, turn them in your fingers about 30 degrees, squeeze some more, turn them in your fingers another 30 degrees, squeeze some more, until you've gone around full circle.  Personally I go around twice because the foam takes a while to compress in your fingers and a good rounded compression will not take with too much squeeze force in the beginning...they'll "blow out" or lose shape.  You want them to look like a smaller version of the original shape when you stick it in your ear, not flat like somebody just stepped on them.

I can't believe how long it took me to tell you all how to stick it in your ear.

Try a variety of disposable types before you go to a "personalized custom" set.  Be sure to use the above preparation/compression technique or you won't get them in correctly or they will fall out before you want them too, or just simply be uncomfortable.  You may be surprised how well the right disposable earplug works for you.

[cognosticator]

I don't understand the desire for custom made ear plugs.

Because I had speakers put in mine so I could hear the audio better

[BizJetGuy]

Another Westone satisfied customer. Fitted with an audiologist.

Being around jet engines daily, they do double duty nicely under the helmet.

I prefer them to throw-away foamies not only for fit but speed. The instant you put them in, they're there - no waiting for expansion (which takes longer in the cold). Long term comfort is excellent.

I can't think of anything else that lets me walk up to a turbine engine at full howl and check for bleed air leaks, ride home in comfort and allows me to hear my children whisper to me that evening.

I gotta do something about those voices, though

[katego]

I don't understand the desire for custom made ear plugs.  The disposable ones I use cut enough noise, are easy to plant in my ear and stay put.
...
They have to be compressed equally from all sides to get them to their smallest possible size; then and only then do they get placed in the ear.

can't speak for everyone, but i have tiny earholes. i have found some disposables that are marginally comfortable, but then they fall out. With my custom fits i just put them in. works every time & i don't have to dork around with compressing the plugs and waiting for them to expand. also they are not very porous; they stay clean longer than the disposables.

-k

[RiderCoach]

This is the best "in ear" speakers I've ever tried: They are called the Universal S-Plug

http://plugup.com/cart/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9&products_id=44

And they do a good job of reducing noise as well as the normal ear plugs I use, for when you don't want music on. While these are a bit pricey, they sound very good and cause me no discomfort with my tight fitting arai. They can be inserted all the way in as they are made to be pulled out by the wires.

The custom plugs I had would only reduce outside noise by about half of these when not playing music. And because they filled up so much of your outer ear, just rubbing my ear with my helmet would cause irritation.


For just plain ear plugs I use Hearos Ultimate soft: (you can find them at pretty much any pharmacy). These are all day comfortable. I can sleep with them in.

http://www.hearos.com/products/ultimate-soft

just my .02

[wibornz]

I have been using these for two years and 40,000 miles

http://earfuze.com/

Love them.

[Scoop]

Just an FYI.  The silicone that custom plugs are made from is a much denser material than the foam or silicone "foam" disposables.  Typically, disposable plugs have a better noise reduction rating (NRR).  Of course, that depends on fit etc.  But, disposable plugs will usually dampen noise better than custom plugs.  
One of the nice things about custom plugs is that you can get them fit to various ear buds and things to have a good fit for music.  
Musician's plugs are nice too (custom plugs with filters that change the frequency response), but disposables usually win out on the NRR.

[KRider]

I had mine done at the IMS show many years ago.  Fit and worked great for a long time, something like 5 or so years, but eventually they didn't seal as well and started to hurt.  I guess your ear changes or something over time.

I was at IMS talking to a custom earplug Rep. and he stated that they will need to be replaced every 2- 3 years, not because our ear changes, but because the earplug material actually begins to shrink as it gets older.

[knolltop314]

Because I had speakers put in mine so I could hear the audio better

Somewhere out in never-never-land I found how-to melt hole through foamies (using sumpin like a nail) that ear buds then fit into semi-permanently.
Took bit of experimenting, but works good for me.  Sound is good for the tunes, but suppresses bike noise.