Eargasm Activewear Series Earplugs

Ok... so, one stars are rare for me. But these things are dangerous.Without the neck cord attached they're incredibly difficult to get out of your ears. If my nails were any shorter, I wouldn't have been able to get a hold of them to dig (yes, dig) them out. It also wasn't comfortable digging them out of my ears, and I almost went to my roommate with tweezers to help. The suction created by these (pressure on the ear drums) wasn't helping either, and was making me anxious. So... dangerous. If you do purchase them, use the neck cord so you can get them out.That being said, the little keychain thing is nice - but with the neck cord attached to the ear plugs, they don't fit in it *Appended* - easily. They do fit with the cord, but not well.* So their one selling point deserving of high praise is kind of pointless, because you really can't use these without the neck cord. (It's also about the same size as the one for the Earasers that I already had - though it is fatter/not tapered - so easier to get things in and out.)But what's really the most disappointing is the sound. I'm picky. Sure. But still...I got these, and the Etymotic ER20XS-SMF-P....es..... - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00RM6Q9XW/as a higher Db upgrade from my earasers - https://www.amazon.com/Earasers-HEM001-Musicians-Plugs-Medium/dp/B00E2D9HAA/ (shown with a "refresh kit" that included the blue carrying case that I've had for a little over a year - so yeah, it looks a little banged up. I ordered mediums, and got the small refresh kit to try the other size The smalls worked better for me.)Sound wise, the Etymotics smoothly reduce volume across the board at a noticeable increase in reduction from the Earasures, but not as much more as I'd hoped. The eargasms muddy the high end and don't dampen the bass as much - so they don't deliver on the flat response promised, and make it harder to understand people (not something I can deal with for my usage case).Comfort wise, I'm kind of mixed on the new two. The eargasms have the softer tips, but prying them out of my ears (there's nothing visible, but also nothing to hold on to in order to pull them out) left my ears sore. The softer silicone tips here also create a suction strong enough to hurts my ear drums when being worn.Neither compare at all to the earasers. The single oval shaped tip is just... comfortable. More comfortable than any earbud I've ever put in. Somehow the oval shape on them makes them work wonders. There's no real "pressure" on the sides of your ears. I won't say you'll forget you have them in, but you absolutely can once you've gotten used to them. Sizing is a small problem - the mediums are too big for me (and are hard to put in), but the smalls are perfect - but do have to be inserted deeply. There's no suction though, so no ear drum pain (that I got with both the eargasms and the etymotics - but it was far more pronounced with the eargasms).Visually, the Eargams are cleaner - the pull tab from the Etymotics sticks out and is slightly visible (but it also lets you pull them out.The earasers though.... they're totally invisible (with the small tips. The little plastic pull stick rests nicely behind/along the inside of my tragus (thanks Google images). With the medium tips, the little plastic pull stick... sticks out just enough to be seen, but is still far more inconspicuous than the Etymotics pull tab).This is all based on looking in a mirror and turning my head. I couldn't see the eargasms at all (from behind, the blue filter probably shows) - which was a huge downside when I needed to get them out and couldn't find anything to grab by touch.Per the packaging, the Eargasms are rated at 12db, and the Etymotics are 13db. So basically these are an inferior product all the way around.The Earasers are allegedly 19db (printed on the box), but there's a sticker on the package says "5db" because of the way they reduce sound (and the db rating not accurately describing how much sound is being reduced). Still, what I'm trying to block out is a constant very loud fan noise - and they're not doing it for me - hence the search for an upgrade.So... with all that in mind, I don't really like the Etymotics either. I've never really been fond of triple flanges - they make my ears kind of itch where the 2nd 2 flanges "pull back" after insertion. The Eargasms are more comfortable in that department, but the softer silicone "gives" a little more creating that painful suction on the ear drums.So, yeah, possibly I'm just putting them in too far, but if I don't, the filter hits the front of my ear and isn't as comfortable either, and I don't get a proper seal.So I think I've been ruined by the Earasers and can't really wear any other earplugs any more (except the foam ones in emergencies).The only downside to the Earasers is their poor performance with the fan noise. Both the Etymotics and the Eargasms are slightly better in this area, but due to the comfort issues from the triple flanges, I don't think I'll be able to use either of them most of the day.Earasers does offer higher DB filters on their website (but not Amazon), and I think I'll harass their support to see if I can get a set. That's probably the best solution for me right now.So... if you can save up for the Earasers, do that. If not, spend the extra couple dollars on the Etymotics.

What kind of sorcery is this? I don't do a lot of reviews but when I do it's usually because I really like a product. These were recommended to me by friends and I was a bit skeptical. I couldn't imagine they really do exactly what they claim.I went to a lot of concerts when I was in high school. I almost never wore ear plugs and I was warned that I would regret it by the time I reached my forties. Now that I'm in my early forties, I am experiencing exactly what I was warned about.I'm starting to go back and see the same bands I saw in high school and last night, my wife and I went to see Smashing Pumpkins in Chicago. This was finally going to be our first test with the eargasm ear plugs.We put them in when Metric (the opening act) started.I knew I wasn't supposed to notice a difference in the sound quality between having the ear plugs in or out but I figured the difference was so minimal that I must not have them in correctly. They played for about 45 minutes, which was enough to give me a slight ringing in my ears for the rest of the night and into the next day without ear plugs. We had good seats...Smashing pumpkins came on and played for over 3 hours! I felt like I didn't even have anything in my ears and I was pretty convinced that I was going to have ringing ears when I got into the quiet car and all day, today.What makes these things seem like magic is that you have no idea that they are working while you're using them. After you have used them however, you definitely know because I don't have a single bit of ringing in my ears today! My hearing is just like it was yesterday with virtually no issues from about 4 hours of loud concert music. These things are amazing!If you don't want a reduction in sound quality at concerts but you want to save your ears, these are so well worth the money!

I already have 2 pairs of this brand. I use them for playing guitar at unreasonable volumes at home, band practice and gigging, and concerts at small venues and the big stage.I bought this version for yardwork. Mowing, weed-whacking, chainsaw, etc. Keeps all the engine noise low while letting me hear just fine when I turn them off. I do double-up on the chainsaw though, as that's louder than what I would rate these for. I chose these specifically because of the connecting string, understanding the 16dB reduction, while excellent, is still less than their more common 21dB reducing versions.The case is small considering how much space the string takes up when not robot-wrapped for sale. The full versions actually have a larger case by a mm or so. I swapped cases to make it a bit easier to pack them away, but they should really make the case taller by a few mm.

I recently purchased these earplugs for use at a concert. I was disappointed with them from the get-go, as they were not comfortable in my ear. (They are quite pokey) Additionally, I found they did not do a good job of maintaining sound quality while limiting sound volume. Ultimately I ended up not wearing the ear plugs for the majority of the show. Overall, I am disappointed in the earplugs, and would not choose to use this brand again...especially for the cost!