Custom Silicone Ear Plugs - Make Your Own!

[Old Guy]

I, for one, hope these do work out. I'm tired of using the foam ones, though they do form an excellent seal. They tend to get pretty grody with a few uses and can't be cleaned, so they need to be chucked out and a new pair used. But at least you end up discarding a bunch of cerumen in the tossing.

My ear hair is not nearly as prolific as the OP's

but I do have some. I guess who ever designed our ear canals didn't consider we'd be plugging them up all the time. They probably didn't anticipate all the noise we humans would make either.

I cleaned mine all the time.

1) Place plugs in sock and tie off the end

2) Throw in washer (medium heat)

3) Allow to air dry (I forget if I threw them in the dryer later on when i got lazy, i know i was a bit paranoid that they would catch on fire)

They swell a bit but that's only temporary until all the moisture is gone.

Yep. As I said earlier, I wash them before I even use them. Then I keep washing and re-using. I just wash them while washing my hands with regular hand soap. I squeeze and rinse until I don't get suds anymore. I let them dry overnight on a paper towel.

 

[kurbennett64]

I currently use mighty plugs from earplugsonline.com. If I am not suppose to share the link let me know and I will take it out. The earplugs are fairly soft, and mold perfect to the ear. They can be reused and are inexpensive.

 

[Old Guy]

I currently use mighty plugs from earplugsonline.com. If I am not suppose to share the link let me know and I will take it out. The earplugs are fairly soft, and mold perfect to the ear. They can be reused and are inexpensive.

Those look good. I may order some and give them a try. When you say they can be reused, can they be cleaned?

The link's fine in the post. As a matter of fact, if you look in the toolbar while you're typing, there's a tool for inserting links so they'll be clickable.

Thx

 

[RossKean]

At $0.25/pair (or less), I certainly don't bother with washing foam plugs. I may wear a pair up to a week and discard.

 

[Old Guy]

At $0.25/pair (or less), I certainly don't bother with washing foam plugs. I may wear a pair up to a week and discard.

I understand. But you said they irritate your ears, and I find that washing them first helps keep them from irritating mine.

A week? Holey moley! Mine are pretty nasty after a day

 

[Fred W]

The mighty plugs are the beeswax type of moldable plugs. I find they get nasty even faster than the foam ones and cost a whole lot more.

I have large ear canals, which limits the plugs I can use. I've had my best results from the 3M EARsoft Grippers. They are a very soft, but relatively large, plug, so they are pretty comfortable. I paid $70 for the box of 200 so disposing of them is no big hardship. I can usually get a few days out of a pair. You used to be able to get them un-corded but now only the corded ones are available. I just snip the cords off.

I would have no problem getting a set of custom plugs made, or maybe even custom ear monitor/plugs, but the ones I have experienced do not seal as well as the foam plugs, and I have heard the same story from others that have invested the 3 Benjamins and not been entirely happy. I think the best plug would be a very soft silicone custom formed to your ear. All the ones I have seen and felt are too stiff to stay correctly seated when you move your jaw or pull your helmet on and off.

 

[Fly Bye]

I have had custom ear plugs made in the past. The problem I have encountered is that the silicon used was just too hard.

Although they conformed to my ears at the time of the fitting session I found out that while riding and moving my jaw they broke the seal and that renders them useless

Perhaps a softer compound would fix the problem.

I have and will continue to wear the Howard Leight Max foam plugs until I find a better solution. They last me one day of riding then into the trash they go.

 

[Freewheelie]

I was wondering if there was another way?

 

[kurbennett64]

I currently use mighty plugs from earplugsonline.com. If I am not suppose to share the link let me know and I will take it out. The earplugs are fairly soft, and mold perfect to the ear. They can be reused and are inexpensive.

Those look good. I may order some and give them a try. When you say they can be reused, can they be cleaned?

The link's fine in the post. As a matter of fact, if you look in the toolbar while you're typing, there's a tool for inserting links so they'll be clickable.

Thx

They can't be cleaned, but I have used the same one several times so far and they are still useable. I had some Surefires but they never seated well if you got sweaty and would bother my ears after awhile. These mighty plugs work better and I don't think they are all that expensive. I bought a double set, that's 4 earplugs, and just split one and use it in both ears. I put them in a little box when I take them out so they don't really seem to be to dirty even after several uses.

 

[bluesdog]

Until recently I used the softer type of cheapo foam ear plugs, but I found they worked a bit too effectively.

A few months back, I had a pair of custom, musician's earplugs made for me. These are designed to cut most sound, particularly at the most damaging frequencies.

The molding process involved insertion of a small bit of very soft foam rubber, followed by the molding putty, waiting a few minutes for the putty to set, then the tech removed the molds, (with the small bits of foam now stuck to the end of the mold), which were sent off to the custom shop.

I use a wee dab of polysporin to improve the seal and ease insertion. Once in place, it actually takes some effort to peel 'em out.

Cost: $150 CS

 

[RossKean]

Until recently I used the softer type of cheapo foam ear plugs, but I found they worked a bit too effectively.
A few months back, I had a pair of custom, musician's earplugs made for me. These are designed to cut most sound, particularly at the most damaging frequencies.

The molding process involved insertion of a small bit of very soft foam rubber, followed by the molding putty, waiting a few minutes for the putty to set, then the tech removed the molds, (with the small bits of foam now stuck to the end of the mold), which were sent off to the custom shop.

I use a wee dab of polysporin to improve the seal and ease insertion. Once in place, it actually takes some effort to peel 'em out.

Cost: $150 CS

Same process for the ones I am having made at Costco hearing aid center. Cost is about half what you paid (C$65 + tx)- hoping they work out for me.