I have been doing a lot of woodwork lately with a buddy, a couple of projects around the house. I had a couple of my fiance's earplugs she uses when her dad stays with us (he saws more logs in his sleep than I could do in a lifetime awake), but some of the tools were getting through the ear plugs so I decided to hunt for a solution.
When I had shop classes we were always given earplugs in the shop so I sought the best noise-dampening earplugs I could find. I turned to Flents Quiet Time ear plugs (Amazon Item B07HHXGPW6). They were effective when inserted properly, but unfortunately they often worked their way out of proper insertion and were therefore far less effective. But they were $15 bucks for 70 pairs, so I figured I could keep them for my buddies when they work on stuff with me, but I knew these earplugs weren't the everyday option I was looking for. I had seen other options when searching, so I took to the web again.
I pulled up other earplugs on Amazon, and the suggested links had earmuffs. I remember seeing them on children at concerts, so I clicked on a couple. (Good enough for developing ears, good enough for mine, right?) All the noise ratings were higher than industrial earplugs and the price was still in that $10-$20 range. I bought a couple of them to test by Pro For Sho (Amazon Item B017RZ45F6) and ClearArmor (Amazon Item B00NKSMPZW).
The Pro For Sho is a good set. They're sleek-looking and they fold relatively compact when not in use. I think they muff noise better than the Flents earplugs even when the earplugs are properly inserted. However, I felt that they were tight. They aren't bad for a few minutes at a time, but I did feel the pressure with sustained use. My buddy tried them for a day and said he didn't have that problem, so maybe I just have sensitive temples? For the record, my cap size is S/M and his is M/L.
The ClearArmor is a GREAT set. They aren't as low-profile as the Pro For Sho, but frankly no ear muff is going to be invisible; it's not about looking cool, it's about being safe, right? Plus they also fold on the same mechanism that the Pro For Sho does, so they also fit in storage easily. They muffed sound about the same as the Pro For Show, but I could almost forget they were on. The ear pad is soft and comfortable, the headband didn't feel too tight at all, and I could and did wear them all day in the shop.
I was going to return the Pro For Sho in favor of the ClearArmor, but my buddy said he would take them. So in the end I guess they were both good buys, just not for me. The earplugs weren't a bad buy--they'll get used--but I won't buy them again.
PS if you want all kinds of ear protection, pair the earplugs with the muffs. The internet says it adds something like +5 NRR to the one with the highest rating. I don't know numbers like that, but I did give it a try with the earplugs inserted poorly and the earmuffs on and it was super effective. If I had some comfortable earplugs that stayed in, it would be easy to see myself using both when working on the loudest-of-loud tools in the shop.
Ultimately:
Flents Quiet Time (Amazon Item B07HHXGPW6): 3 stars. Effective but iconsistent.
Pro For Sho (Amazon Item B017RZ45F6): 4 stars. Effective but uncomfortable.
ClearArmor (Amazon Item B00NKSMPZW): 5 stars. Effective and comfortable.
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