Recommend earplugs

Gordon

Can anyone recommend a type of earplug that blocks out practically all sounds? Currently I use the foam earplugs for light noise and the wax earplugs for heavy noise but I need something more restricting than the wax ones. Also the wax ones feel horrible when you take them out - all waxy

I remember seeing a colleague of mine some years ago with pro plastic/rubber type plugs, does anyone know if they are any good compared to the wax ones?

And if so do you know of any good online stores that sell them?

Oh, and if anyone can tell me a more appropriate forum to move this to, please do so as I wasn't quite sure where to put it!

Hagar

If I'm doing any heavy drilling or anything noisy I use the little yellow foam ones that you squeeze up and insert. They then expand to the shape of your ear. I often use these in conjunction with headphones, bulky but effective when used together. Additionally I am a long time married so I can turn off my hearing selectively which helps a lot.;)

Gordon

lol Hagar! I wish I could be so selective.

The sound is high pitched squealing office co-workers so it's around the 1-10kilohertz range (sometimes verging on 25k ultrasonic on a bad day ). Interesting plugs bedlam, I'll check them out thoroughly, cheers.

Esel

Check a good tool shop like McQuillan's, or hardware store. AFAIK, the more you pay, the less you hear!

Surely you don't want to be deaf in the office though? If it's just to tone things down, the foam type should be sufficient, while still letting you hear your phone ring, your name being called, or the fire alarm!

[edit] I have a pair that are pretty good: Quiet, by Howard Leight SNR 28 NRR 26 (presume these two numbers are ratings?). I bought them at a Sunday market though, so can't refer you to a supplier. They are orange, a bit like a miniature teat on a babies bottle, with a rod inside to help with insertion. They are re-usable.

Fanny Cradock

You should be able to get wax (not silicon or foam as they're not as good) ear plugs from your local chemist. I can't remember the name, they come in a little white box and are the best that i have encountered. I think the box has a some hieroglyphics on it and made by a french company. However, I could be completely wrong there.

To appear sane to others when asking this, just make sure you bellow at the staff member that you want "the white box from anchient egyptian with the earplugs in it" while a flood of spittle flies out your mouth and sweet trickles down your temples, falling on the counter top.

+++++++++++++++++++++EDIT+++++++++++++++++
These are them

http://www.shop-com.co.uk/op/aprod-p22379983-k24-g4-~Quies+wax+Ear+Plugs-nover?sourceid=57

Litcagral

Fanny Cradock wrote:

You should be able to get wax (not silicon or foam as they're not as good) ear plugs from your local chemist. I can't remember the name, they come in a little white box and are the best that i have encountered. I think the box has a some hieroglyphics on it and made by a french company. However, I could be completely wrong there.

To appear sane to others when asking this, just make sure you bellow at the staff member that you want "the white box from anchient egyptian with the earplugs in it" while a flood of spittle flies out your mouth and sweet trickles down your temples, falling on the counter top.

"Earfit" come in a little white plastic box - available in any chemist. I use them when I'm on nights (i.e. to sleep during the day).

Gordon

Yeah, I get the wax ones from the Chemist, they are different here (I live in Greece) and they have cotton wool around them for some strange reason. As I say, I don't really like the wax ones as they feel greasy in the nice hot weather we get over here, sun, sea, ouzo, etc etc...

I'm looking for links to online shops that sell non-foam and non-wax ones seeing as I don't live in Ireland.

esel, if you sat where I sit you'd feel similar! However, even the wax ones don't deafen you completely, you can still hear everything, it's just a lot quieter (sometimes the sound of your eyes blinking is the loudest thing you can hear, if you completely seal off your ears), it's like turning the outside world down by 70% with the waxies. I can take calls and even hear my name spoken from across the room with the wax ones on. Maybe I'm just too sensitive *cry*

Fanny Cradock

get silicon ones then. sorry, dont have any links.

feylya

http://www.thomann.de/thoiw6_in_ear_ersatzlamellen_br01_prodinfo.html

Wurly

Boots do amazing ear plugs. They are their own brand one's and they're orange. They are dome shaped too so they are much better than those crappy yellow ones. I wear them every night and they are brilliant, dont hear a thing. They're really spongy and soft and therefore really comfortable.

whimsey

Most ear plugs are designed *not* to block out speach for
safety reasons. I have not seen any designed to block out
voices. Maybe duck tape for your workmates mouths would
be better ;-).

I use plugs by "Howard Leight" I buy them on Ebay in 100's far
cheaper than any chemists.

There is a good guy in the UK that posts to here on Ebay
look up the user "mylot123". He knows his stuff and always
answered my questions quickly.

Whimsey

Ruu_Old

I used to work in a furniture factory, very loud and lots of noise and ones like these worked great for me

:|

bedlam wrote:

Depends what you want to block but I find th Etymotic ones very good. Sound is just as clear, just not as loud

earplugs, not earphones
I've also tried the ones from Boots, they're very good

the corpo

the very best are the elacin earplugs.
frank cass in kimmage will give you a hearing test, decide on what level of hearing reduction is best for you, and then take a mold of your ear, so that the ear plugs they make for you are perfectly shaped for your ear.

however, they cost 200 quid 8)

and are principally for musicians, but i've found them extraordinary for other uses. even in the pub, they cut out all the harsh noise and volume, so you can actually hear what the person next to you is saying.

also, if you ever go to gigs, they improve sound from an audience POV immensely, all the white noise disappears, and you lose the annoying chatter from the bar too, hoorah

but yea, 200 quid. spectraphonics in chicago will mail order you some pretty great earplugs, similar theory to the elacin ones, for about 10 bucks

Stabshauptmann

Im a light sleeper and was looking for earplugs too (something reusable possible) but not looking to go mad money wise, any advice?

Esel

Kaptain Redeye wrote:

Im a light sleeper and was looking for earplugs too (something reusable possible) but not looking to go mad money wise, any advice?

Plenty of advice in the thread, tbh!

Stabshauptmann

Gordon wants to reduce noise to a tolerable level, I dont want to hear anything

Victor

Try adding some background noise like a radio, your mind will then drown out some of the voices.

Also try talking loudly on your mobile phone "HI, SORRY, I CAN BARELY HEAR YOU, THERE'S SOMEONE TALKING LOUDLY IN THE BACKGROUND."