I am thinking of getting a pair of the custom earplugs made at the local PDX gunshow.

Has anyone had these done before?  How well do they stand up?

Also, does the vendor of these have a website or a brand name?

Thanks,

Fidel

Jeff Bob Ear Plugs?

http://www.eartechusa.com/

I've heard mixed reviews on them.  I ride with him and a couple other people that have these.  Some have said they work great for riding/shooting, I've heard others say they were a complete waste of $$.

Yea,

Jeff Bob

Jeff Bob [email protected] 503-784-4578

They may or may not work for you.

The way it is supposed to work is that you get the casts made of your ears, and then send these off to get the real earpieces made based upon those casts. These "real" earpieces are made of a relatively soft material that expands slightly inside your ear to completely seal it.

What you get at the gunshow is just the initial cast. The material used to create this sets relatively hard.

Some people find that these casts work just fine. My wife had no problems with hers.

Mine worked when I could get the casts back in exactly the right place to seal properly. Much of the time it didn't, and just a bit of movement could open up enough of a gap to make life uncomfortable when trying to use them to shoot.

The real version seals much more reliably - but is also VERY expensive.

I consider mine a waste of money and never use them.

If the plugs are made correctly they should fit perfectly everytime. Your ear canal does not change shape and neither do the plugs. Chances are that the plugs were not made correctly, and they should be remade.

Most plugs should be made out of medical grade silicone. Most of the time the can that the silicone comes out of will say "Insta-Mold" on it. If it doesn't I would question where it came from and what type of material it is. Currently plugs are made using the silicone and a hardener that are mixed by hand to make the plugs, its not an exact science so sometimes some plugs come out really hard while others come out too soft.

In the very near future you will see people making these plugs out of silicone from a gun type system (think 2 part epoxy tubes). The mixture will be perfect to produce a uniform product each time. A big plus to this system is that the unsanitary practice of mixing the product in hand will be done away with. :)

I dont like ear plug style unless in a crunch. They fuck up my ears and at the end of the day they are sore.
CH

Quoted: I dont like ear plug style unless in a crunch. They fuck up my ears and at the end of the day they are sore. CH

I have sensitive ears. That means an unsupressed .22LR 10/22 is loud to me.

So I use full muffs.

I don't really need ear plugs any more......

As Too Short said:  "Been Bumpin so long I can hardly hear...."

I've been listening to car stereo's at 140-145db straight for 7 years.  And now I shoot so much that it just feels better to not have shit stuffed in my ears....oh well, I wouldn't wear them to war anyways.....practice for SHTF right?

At least I'm good at sign lauguage....

Quoted: I don't really need ear plugs any more...... As Too Short said:  "Been Bumpin so long I can hardly hear...." I've been listening to car stereo's at 140-145db straight for 7 years.  And now I shoot so much that it just feels better to not have shit stuffed in my ears....oh well, I wouldn't wear them to war anyways.....practice for SHTF right? At least I'm good at sign lauguage....

Huh? What? Speak up sonny!

Even if they fit perfect in my ears one side of my jaw (not noticable on the outside, but easily noticable in xrays) is different shaped than the other side.  If I talk or move my mouth with an ear piece in itll pop loose on the right side every time.

Only way Ive found to get around it is use the armys plugs and the pusher with it gets em in pretty good.  (no not far enough to hurt my ear :P )

I wonder if some of you have the same problem, could be why they dont stay in your ears.  
(not saying irregularity, just top of your jaw muscle may push up or pull out on your ear canal too much when you open your mouth)

Cant stand using muffs, I wear glasses and it breaks the seal around my ears :(

That being said, I havent had them myself.  My friend bought them and its the only pair he will ever need again and they fit perfect.  Just make sure if you get them, they fit perfect.