Life is Loud MAX Foam Ear Plugs
Written: Sep 06 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: lightweight, comfortable, inexpensive, easy-to-use, effective
Cons: none
The Bottom Line: Definitely recommended for anyone that runs into potential hearing hazards.
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| wychic's Full Review: MAX Foam Ear Plugs (NRR 33) |
My mother is a sign language interpreter. Translation: hearing is extremely important and we must do nothing to jeopardize that. No headphones, certainly no earphones. No music over a certain volume. No concerts. Kind of funny that this same person should be a shooting instructor, huh?
I am a shooter. As a 4-H competitor for ten years, then continuing with NRA competitions, I have tried just about every hearing protection there is. I shoot in seven disciplines, four of which are very noisy, and of those four noisy ones two are often shot inside, which increases the volume even more.
My mother followed me into the 4-H shooting and became an instructor around my third year. She was not at all satisfied with the job the current disposable ear plugs were doing, and since there was no approval to spend money on them and the ones we were using were given to us by the local gun club, she just made me bring my own.
I have shooting ear muffs, but don't use them for hunting or any outdoor shooting in hot weather...we found out the hard way that they are much hotter when I passed out during my shotgun match at the state shoot one year. So it comes down to disposable ear plugs.
These are small, lightweight foam plugs. All you have to do is twist the plug and insert it in your ear. As the plug unfurls it seals the ear against loud sounds.
Because it's inserted directly into the ear I suggest definitely not sharing these plugs, but at less than $1.00 per pair you can get plenty to go around. I generally throw mine away when a waxy buildup forms on the ends, depending on the frequency of use this could be anywhere from one week to one month. Mine usually last about a week; that's including shooting practice at least three times a week, and nightly uses which I will detail.
I knew these were great for shooting, but until I complained about my husband's snoring to my mother I never would have thought to use them at night. The plugs are very comfortable and stay where they're put, so it's no problem wearing them through the night if you're noise-sensitive.
I found another good use for the plugs. I have trouble hearing when there's excessive background noises, such as is generally the case in classrooms. My high school was fairly small and the community college not much larger, so for lectures these plugs work great at blocking out the general disruption of other students and letting me focus on the teacher. I'm sure this wouldn't work so wall in large lecture halls, but as I've never had experience with those I don't know for sure.
All the disposable plugs I've used work well, but there are some differences. Some collect earwax and other gunk much too quickly, having to be thrown away after only two or three uses. Some are bulky and not very comfortable.
This particular earplug is my favorite for two reasons. First, they have a shiny coating on the foam so they don't collect gunk very easily, and some that they do collect can be wiped off. Second, they have a molded shape so they fit very comfortably into the ear. They have many uses, including the ones I've mentioned above, and also working in loud places or swimming. They're small and easy to carry in a pocket, though their fluorescent color makes them rather noticeable. Translation: if you're going to use them in a classroom situation like I did you may want to cover your ears so the teachers don't think you're trying to drown THEM out (I always wore my hair loose when I used them)!
In short, for $1 these are a great thing to keep on hand. You can't get your hearing back once it's lost, so protect it while you have it!
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
wychic
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 in Books |
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Member: Rebecca Brown
Location: Sheridan, WY, USA
Reviews written: 490
Trusted by: 48 members
About Me:
Insane but completely harmless country gal
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