Earplug review

I don't use earplugs as much as I should.

Annoying bloody things, and the disposables are always either too filthy
to use or you've just run out.

I also like to listen to music on long rides, and normal earplugs don't
make that easy.

I had tried some Alpine special ones I bought at the motorshow, that
claimed to block out all but speech frequencies, and they did indeed,
but were fiddly to put in - you needed a special doover to use them -
and eventually they vanished. I opened the case one day and they
weren't there...

So after a while I tried again. I enquired about such plugs from local
suppliers, most had no clue the others wanted $100+!

A bit of a search online found www.earplugstore.com who recommended
"QuietEar" for bikes. At US$5.95 a pair, it seemed like they were worth
trying, even with shipping almost doubling the price.

Tried 'em out today, and I'm impressed.

They come in a small hard case, and are a rather organic shape. They
look a little bit like they were grown in a vat, a sort of bulbous tuber
that goes in the ear, and a flower like base.

I have a fairly small ear, and I suspect that I should have got the
small size rather than the average size, as they are perhaps a little
big for me. I found it took practice to get them seated comfortably,
but once I worked it out they seemed fine. Iwas worried the base would
stick out and contact helmet or speakers and conduct noise to me, but it
didn't seem to happen.

Riding without music they were not quite as quiet as the best
disposables I've had. I'm not sure how they compared to the Alpine, I
really can't remember those well enough.

Riding with music was fine. The music had to be up fairly high to be
heard through them off the bike, but didn't have to be any higher on the
bike.

And of course removing them and riding made me realise how damn loud
everything is!

So the verdict is I'm happy with them, and even with the postage making
them $US10.90 that's still pretty cheap, it's about A$15-A$16., That's
less than half the Motorcycle Show Special Price of the Alpines, and
these are easier to use and as good or damn near.

I think if you find those yellow cylindrical EAR disposable plugs a bit
large for your ear you should order the small size, but most folk will
be fine with average size, and few will want the large size.

online ordering is simple and easy, took about 2 weeks to get to me.

Zebee

 

I use the pink squishy disposables, and cutting 5mm of each one makes em plenty comfy

 

Eh? They look vaguely like benzene?

What makes the Alpines so special that there is such a high price on them?
Where they trying to sell you a box?

Hammo

 

go to any construction site and ask the guys there where they get them, they
use the best ones (they have to !)

anyone who has done the occupational first aid course should be able to
point you in the right direction.

 

In aus.motorcycles on Mon, 20 Oct 2003 00:09:08 +1000

no, not like a piano either.

The Alipine claim to fame is they are "tunable", they are a 2 piece
item, the earplug and a filter than inserts into the earplug. YOu can
change the filter to change the frequency response of the plugs.

They were, I think, a bit better. WIthout back to back testing it's a
bit hard to be sure, but I think they blocked a little more unwanted
noise and let a little more wanted noise through.

Zebee

 

In aus.motorcycles on Mon, 20 Oct 2003 00:34:21 +1000

It's unlikely that they want ones that allow speech through. I've
already tried the industrial ones.

Zebee

 

mmmm 11 years in the construction industy...used the ones everyone
else did..the one suplied to us....buy them HAHAHA

that way ------>




--

MH

"the Kiwipete hall of fame"

lame duck who leeches on society
leeching on taxpayers and leeching on society
Maggot
you useless piece of shit
you lazy fucker
leech!
dull dumdrop
bludger
you dirty piece of scum
Moron

 

sardo numspa said....

sn> go to any construction site and ask the guys there where they get them,
sn> they use the best ones (they have to !)

EAR, Decidamp and others are used in industrial sites. I work in a power
station where ambient levels can exceed 130 dba. EAR and Decidamp work
for me. Under the turbines, where its louder and the noise more high
pitched I wear these you-beaut earmuffs that hook into a two way radio.
The plugs still are OK in these areas, but not as good as the muffs.

On the bike, the EAR/Decidamp do it for me. I wore a pair of these
tapered plugs home from the GP on Tuesday. Not quite as good as the
cylindrical EAR/DD ones, but still OK.