Protect your Eyes and Ears.

T_C

Joined
Mar 8, 2012
Messages
4,338
Location
St. Louis, MO
Bike
2005 St1300
STOC #
8568
OK, I'll ask the question...

I just use the disposable foam ones that have an NRR of 32. They seem to work very well for me... lots of noise reduction but I can still hear my Sena, horns, sirens, etc.

What makes the custom ones worth $100+?
Well if you get the ones that are acoustically flat (or almost) it
s great to be able to protect your ears and still hear pretty naturally. If you go for the generic silicone/latex mold solids, not so flat but not much different then foam expendables.
Advantages: Comfort, hygiene, speed. After rolling the foam ones between my fingers more then once or twice you have to wonder what all they are picking up. Time to insert and protect, about a second and half per side.

Ultimately what is the best hearing protection?? The one you will consistently use!! Period, nothing else. If not consistently used then everything else is a mute point. ;)
 
Joined
Oct 17, 2015
Messages
22
Location
Shell Knob, MO.
Bike
2006 ST1300
I have tried using the foam ear plugs with little to no success. Just completed a ride to Indy and back, cross country no interstate, used the Foam plugs going out and then discovered the silicone putty plugs on the return trip. I liked the putty plugs, they stayed were they should and work great. Will try the method shown in the video for the foam.
Use sunglasses and face shield 99% of the time. There are big, hard bugs out there. Also the little rocks kicked up by cars and trucks.
 
Joined
Aug 7, 2016
Messages
17
Location
west island of Montreal ,Quebec
Bike
ST1300 2014
SunShield visor system the sunglasses i bought a HJC IMAX - 2 helmet with a smoked sun shield visor system and then changed my visor from clear to also a smoked which i find works great , i also carry my clear visor that i change out when it gets dark . Only takes a couple of minutes to do
 
Joined
Jun 3, 2006
Messages
3,514
Location
British Columbia
Bike
2021 RE Meteor 350
I worked for a large company (35, 000 employees) who ran a pilot project evaluating custom made ear plugs for employees who work in noisy environments. The conclusion of the health and safety committee (which included a co-chair who worked in one of those environments) is that these were not effective long term. The study concluded that over time people's ear canals are constantly changing shape and as the ear plug does not follow to conform to the changing shape of the ear canal their effectiveness is significantly reduced. As a result they were never deployed and I never got to try them. (No idea what kind of plugs, no idea what research material led to this conclusion.)

I would be interested in hearing from anyone who has used these long term what their opinion on the matter is.
I've used custom fitted ear plugs for about 8 years and it is true that your ears and the canals do change shape over time. The recommendation from the Protect Ear company is to replace them every five years. My first pair worked well past the 5 years, but I did notice they didn't fit as comfortably or easily near the end. Bought a new pair this spring and back to all day comfort with them.
 
Joined
Jun 3, 2006
Messages
3,514
Location
British Columbia
Bike
2021 RE Meteor 350
and custom molded ear plugs (from Walmart), but all of them give me a headache after a short time.
There's your problem with the "custom molded" plugs then. You went to Walmart! Musicians use this type of hearing protection and I know they don't go to Walmart for them. A properly made custom plug should fit comfortably in your ear and be virtually unfelt when in place. Go to a company that specializes in custom made ear plugs . . . . . . and be prepared to invest ($$$) in a quality product.
 
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