Sometimes a product review from a customer perfectly captures what makes a particular product uniquely great far better than we could explain it ourselves. I'd like to share one of those today - this recent E-A-R Express Pod Plugs No-Roll Earplugs Review:
These are the only standard type of ear plugs I use. It would be nice if they offered a bit more noise dampening but otherwise I won't use the standard plugs. These typically STAY IN, where they belong. I hate messing with regular foam plugs, rolling, squishing, trying to get them to fit right. They get filthy and fall out anyway. These are easy to use and they stay in, which is important when running any type of machinery. I'd give them 6 or 7 stars if they worked as well as ear muffs but they do have limitations. STILL, Best bang (or lack thereof) for the buck in my view.
Pros: Easy to use and insert They actually stay in Easy to clean
Cons: Maybe a tad more decibel control if it's even possible? Otherwise there ARE NO CONS
This customer's experiences are actually really common - and ear plugs like Pod Plugs were created especially for this reason!
When this reviewer talks about "standard ear plugs," you can tell he's an experienced PPE-user who's talking about standard foam ear plugs, which really can be tricky to properly fit. They do indeed need to be squeezed tightly and rolled down into a stiff cylinder before insertion. If your hands are dirty or you're in a hurry, this can be a real problem. And in fact, the main compliance problem with foam plugs is about insertion, too: it occurs when folks don't do the insertion roll-down correctly - understandable, given that it's a very particular process - and they end up wearing improperly-inserted ear plugs that don't properly block sound. Peoples' ears are left vulnerable.
E-A-R Express Pod Plugs to the rescue. These are a special kind of foam ear plug called No-Roll Foam Ear Plugs. Developed as a direct answer to the problems presented by standard foam ear plugs, namely insertion woes, no-roll foam plugs feature an innovative stiff central stem made of a different, firmer material than the rest of the plug. This sounds like a simple change, but it was a huge innovation in terms of making foam ear plugs cleaner and easier to use. Thanks to the addition of the central stem, the same soft foam that works so well to block noise and ensure a comfortable fit could still be used to achieve excellent noise-blocking for the majority of the plug, but with a whole new set of benefits from the stem that had previously been reserved only for reusable silicone and rubber ear plugs.
Instead of touching the foam to put no-roll foam plugs in and remove them again, your fingers only need to make contact with tip of the central stem that never enters your ear. As you can imagine, hygiene is drastically improved as a result. And instead of rolling the ear plug down before insertion, the central stem on a no-roll foam ear plug lets you insert these hearing protectors into your ear canals with a single quick motion for each plug. This eliminates a huge amount of errors with proper insertion. The speed matters, too; it's a few seconds of saved time that can add up big over days and weeks and years. Looking at how clean and convenient they are, it's no wonder that no-roll plugs are very popular... with those who know they exist!
What are the drawbacks, then? There are a couple ways in which standard foam ear plugs still beat no-rolls. The big one is price. Standard foam plugs are the cheapest, and they probably always will be. Another area where standard foam earplugs win out is when it comes to NRR - Noise Reduction Rating. In terms of pure decibels, a solid foam ear plug can block more sound than one interrupted by a central stem; regular foam tops out at a slightly higher NRR (33) than no-roll foam (31). That said, it's worth noting that anyone who's struggling with standard high-NRR foam ear plug insertion likely stands to gain a great deal of noise blocking by simply using properly-inserted plugs with a lower rating. Lastly, those looking for the softest ear plugs, or plugs for sleeping, may find no-roll ear plugs to be less ideal than standard foam, because no-roll plugs do have that firmer central stem. If a short, soft plug is your priority, stick with regular foam plugs. But for most other applications, and for customers like the gentleman who wrote the above review, no-roll foam ear plugs present some great innovations. Check them out if you haven't yet!
If no-roll ear plugs sound like a good fit for your unique hearing needs, take a look at our No-Roll Foam Ear Plug Trial Pack. This small assortment of different products is a fast and inexpensive way to try out the most popular no-roll plugs to see if they're a good solution for you. This is a great test to try before you have to commit to buying multiple pairs of the same type of plug. It's better to be safe than sorry. No-roll ear plugs are much easier to use and insert correctly than standard foam plugs, but it still will likely take some trial-and-error for you to find exactly the right size, firmness, shape, and noise reduction rating to suit your needs.
Of course, we're also happy to provide personalized recommendations for you - contact us any time at [email protected] and we'll be happy to help!
And until next time, be safe and do the right thing.
Tom Bergman, Vice President
Ear Plug Superstore
Roll the ear plug into a tight cylinder between your thumb and your forefinger.
This is a step that's easy to skip but makes all the difference. Ear canals have twists and bends that make it difficult to get a plug inserted properly.
Don't let go! Hold the ear plug gently but firmly in place with your fingertip while the foam expands.