High-Fidelity Protective Earplug for Firearm Users

I know there was a legal issue with 3M, but I wore these through Iraq, Afghanistan, countless Humvee rides, helicopters, and rifle ranges. My hearing tests still come back stellar after nearly 20 years in.

I am an amateur marksman, and I reload and hunt.I bought these because I was looking for another set of ear plugs and wanted to try something different but would still work; I previously would buy sets of the three-flanged silicone plugs that you can get for fairly cheap at just about any store with a sporting-goods section. I prefer them to the disposable ear plugs, and I dislike using ear muffs style hearing protection.What caught my eye about these was having the two different sides - as a hunter I've always wanted something that would still allow me to hear but would save my hearing when I took the decisive shot. I took these out hunting with me this year, and while I didn't manage to shoot anything, I can tell you that you still retain a large part of your hearing. You'll still hear the wind blowing, and the birds chirping, but you still might miss things that are very soft - some leaves rustling, or something taking slow steps.When I took these out to the range, I found that the green tips did a good job at blocking sound. My friend has an M-38 Mosin Nagant, which fires a full-sized cartridge and has a short barrel, so it blasts a huge fireball, and the sound didn't bother me. (The shockwave, however, was another story, but that's something felt, not just heard.)The yellow tips I also tried, but only for a little bit. I felt comfortable with their protection with people downrange, and while I was firing my smaller caliber stuff - like my .22 LR plinker - but I didn't care for firing bigger cartridges with them in. It sounded like someone clapped right next to my ear, when I fired my old military surplus 8mm Mauser (think of it as firing a .308 or 30-06). I knew I was being spared the brunt of the noise, but I felt better using the other (green) tips. What I actually ended up doing was putting on a pair of ear muffs, and doubling-up on protection, for when I knew things would get really loud. When we were just plinking with our .22s, or checking targets, I relied on just the yellow tips.Lastly, as far as ear plugs go, they are fairly comfortable. It is possible to wear them for a couple hours at a time, but they're ear plugs, so you'll know they're there. My biggest complaint is, given the double-ended design of them, you have these small plug antenna-looking-things sticking out your ears - purely cosmetic.

My sensory-sensitive son bought these, and it made so much difference in his ability to tolerate crowds and loud music. So I bought my own pair, and use them at least weekly. Comes in handy little plastic box to keep in your purse or backpack. Oh, and they are inconspicuous- if anyone spots them they’ll seem like earbuds.

These earplugs DO come loose out of the ear, which is why there are lawsuits about this earplug. I remove the yellow part and just use the grey part. (See photo.) It stays in the ear that way. The yellow part makes it slip out of the ear. Using just the grey end, the comfort is acceptable and the noise cancellation is best I have found with any ear plug.

This earplug it work really well. It has the a little plastic box to carry and protect the earplugs. I can just hang on my jeans. It has two tips on one side and it is really easy to replace but strength enough to not came off. The gray one is non-hole version. So it is just noise-canceling version. It works better than the soft 3M earplug but less comfortable. It has a weird feel. It likes there is pressure in ear. I never try to use it in a flight, but I think it maybe not as comfortable as 3M soft one. But noise canceling works really well. It works better than 3M one in the shooting range. And the yellow one is like Weston/Etymotic one. I am sure it works on my Weston earphone. But not recommend for shooting. And I also want there is a string to tie these two together, so it wont be really easy to lost.

Maybe I'm doing it wrong, but they aren't working for me. I've used foam plugs in the past with decent results. These days I use over the ear muffs as I find they are more comfortable and stay cleaner,but thought I'd give these a try. I may double up with them if I'm shooting a cannon or something, but by themselves, they're not working for me.

Not particularly comfy. And im not sure im getting a complete noise seal as i can still hear noise with these on. And now i see theres a lawsuit involving their sales of these to the military and users with hearing loss. Pretty bummed Amazon did not vet this product before selling.

I used the yellow end with the hole for hunting, and it worked great. Conversation was clear, even with the two way radio, but shooting the rifle was sufficiently quieted so that the ears didn't ring.Important note is how to insert them into you ear. If you go straight in, they will end up hurting, at least for me. The better way is to angle the insertion so that they are pointing forward. This was very comfortable.