3M 1100 Foam Ear Plugs, 200-Pair , Orange

BEST EARPLUGS for the PRICE !! WARNING: IF YOU ALREADY GOT THEM - FIRST, READ the BOTTOM OF MY REVIEW (SCROLL DOWN), for HOW TO AVOID PAIN, INEXPERIENCED PEOPLE MAY INCUR w/EARPLUGS, SPECIFICALLY with this model# (3M 1100-series/Orange). === Don't believe the spec of 29dB NRR as it seems real spec. of this Earplugs is much BETTER than mfg. specifies! Surprise, b/c often you may discover products in reality worse than advertised, but this product (3M 1100series/"Orange" earplugs) is the opposite - better than specified/advertised! Why? B/c its spec of NRR = 29dB must be a mistake or severe UNDER-rating, as it performs much BETTER than all found in stores/pharmacies rated supposedly at (higher) 32/33dB, and it is equal (or better!) in Noise Reduction vs. market's formerly top brand e.g. Hearos, etc. rated strangely at higher 32-33dB, & yet this 3M 1100's are more comfortable ! So happy to have found these, after a longtime of relying on others! It still doesn't negate my use of the competitor & my former favotire "Hearos" (32-33dB NRR/Blue, stiff, not soft ver.), but now the "workhorse" (most often used) for me is these 3M 1100's. Additionally, accidentally discovered 3M makes higher-rated NRR of 32-33dB (similar to "Hearos", etc.) & based on the statements above, you might expect them to equal 35-37dB in real life (but that I've not yet tested, only writing here about 1100's series, in subject of this review). SO, I suspect 3M tests/defines their spec more conservatively than others & thus 3M is hurting own sales, b/c no way these are merely 29dB NRR (more like 32-33dB). This 29dB spec 2 years ago, made me very skeptical and on the verge of cancelling the order, when I was forced to buy it (3M 1100's) when my previous favorite 33dB "Hearos" went out of stock or price rose unreasonably, so I thought "OK I'll try 3M 1100's just temporarily, until Hearos & one other brand are back in stock", looked at this 3M high/positive reviews but was put off by their (low) 29dB NRR spec. But WOW, after getting the shipment & testing some - was surprised by how not only equal, but BETTER than my usual earplugs, these 3M 1100's/Orange turned out to be: Performance (Noise Reduction) + Comfort (minimize pressure/pain) + Price (extraordinarily better, albeit only when in bulk 200-1000 pairs [but Hearos, etc. competitors don't do bulk-packing anyway), & if you know where to buy). Besides these two brands (3M & Hearos), I no longer bother w/others (and the experience using earplugs is long enough - since year2009), only these 2 lead the market performance-wise IMHO, still in 2017 (unless your ears are tiny or hyper-sensitive, and you go for extra-soft e.g. Mac's, etc., even Hearos make a special softer version, but all these are bad performance-wise [Noise Reduction]) Note: NEVER buy earplugs in physical stores (at pharmacies & supermarkets), esp. store/pharmacy-branded or generics, they're all over-marketed GARBAGE. To comply w/Amazon's rules, Won't mention store names/brands, but ironically they're often rated at (fake) higher NRR of 32-33dB, yet the noise comes thru easily unlike these 3M/Orange rated at lower 29dB NRR (strange!), & even more contrary to common sense, those stores/ pharmacies-branded junk, cost much higher (why?) than 3M (or Hearos) online, their only benefit is (sometimes) extra-softness but as stated above, they simply don't work (sometimes a pharmacy does sell the leading brand e.g. Hearos, but typ. worse/non-professional (or softer) version & at ridiculous price, whereas I haven't seen this 3M 1100's/Orange (being reviewed here) sold at a pharmacy (or outside of Online in general, unless your employer distributes for free). === OK, here is the promisied Instruction & why (some) people suffer (as they don't know the tricks we, experienced users, learned): The Instructions is supposedly on the box, but seems to fail to mention the following key trick: 1) WARM these 3M 1100's alittle before inserting - if you're in a cold climate/winter, e.g. by your breath, or squeeze enough times to warm-up, or warm-up otherwise. So doNOT insert if they're cold enough to feel like "rock"-hard, else they'll hurt your ears so rough, you'll give it a terrible review here, like some folks below (mistakenly) did ! But once inserted - DON'T worry, as your bodyheat (inside ears) will maintain proper temperature (37^C) from now on. This model# 3M 1100-series is strange, in a sense (and it has tobe PRINTED on the box, unless already there, I've not seen?) that its ability to conform to your ear DRAMATICALLY changes vs. temperature, and I mean dramatically as it can go from "hard as a rock" (pain to insert) to very (perhaps excessive) comfortable softness, in a narrow range of temperatures, ideal is normal body temperature (37*C). Unlike other brands (incl. Hearos on the good side & store/pharmacy-branded junk on the bad side), which don't transform as much vs. Temperature, obviously 3M 1100's is a different material & "fine tuned" for human bodies (37*C or higher). It really is a disaster to apply when too cold, although "too cold" doesn't apply to much of the U.S. South (unless AirConditioning is crazy) 2) Second trick I've discovered, is: If you originally inserted too "zealously" (squeezed thin, inserted deep, then allowed to expand), to maximize performance (Noise Reduction), pain "may" (depends on your ears) develop over a short time, pain may become intolerable, but all I do to fix it perfectly is - pull out slightly until pain is gone, at this moment performance drops [Noise starts to come thru, obviously as earplug is not at a proper depth), wait awhle (& don't worry about increased Noise), then re-push back in (w/your index or little finger) as much as the oriinal insertion was & allow earplug to re-expand again at that depth. DoNOT pull out much or remove completely, just enough to stop pain, wait 5 minutes, push back in: Performance will restore, not 100% but good enough, & pain won't come back.

Best ear plugs ever. Very comfortable and noise reduction is awesome

these seal very well. they fit large and small sized ears. they just seam to be good quality

Amazed by how well these work and how easy use. Just pinch thin with fingers and gently insert. So cool as the expand and you lose the noise.

Best earplugs ever!! Blocks sound extremely well very comfortable fit great

I use this product to help me sleep. They work well in an area above 75 degrees Fahrenheit. If you go below they will harden and stop taking the form of your ears, the lower the temperature the worst the effect. This is uncomfortable and it gets painful, it is not dangerous though, (keep in mind that this will happen with all foam earplugs). When used in 75 degrees or more environments, the 3Ms work well enough that you would be wasting your money buying more expensive earplugs. I previously bought Howard Leight by Honeywell Max Lite Low Pressure Disposable Foam Earplugs, 200-Pairs (LPF-1), I had to return them because I was severely injured by them, I had a long-term ear infection in both ears after having my eardrums yanked trying to take them out. I am not here saying the 3Ms are the best, they just worked well for me. Just stay a million miles away from Howard Leight products, the reviews are fake, the products are dangerous. How do I know? I made the mistake of buying from them based on fraudulent reviews and I paid both with my money and health. Some Tips*** Just don't wear Earfoams in the cold outside, trust me you will prove yourself stupid for trying it and make sure your room is above 75 degrees Fahrenheit if you plan to use foam earplugs for sleeping. Another tip: putting the foam in your right ear is easy, however, the left one can be difficult. Leave the foam that you intend to use with your non-dominant hand in the freezer for 6 seconds before rolling it, this will make it easier to insert by hardening the product. Keep your ear open for around 40 seconds by pulling on the ear with your opposite hand in a direction pointing to the ceiling. By keeping the ear open you will give it time to heat the foam back up before putting pressure on the inside of the ear, it's a lot more comfortable this way. To sum up, you can buy whichever Earfoams you like. I would recommend 3M, they work well enough and are not expensive compared with other options. I would advise that you try whichever brands you like, I don't get paid by 3m so it doesn't make a difference to me. WARNING: stay away from Howard Leight products, If you have committed a serious sin and feel that you need to severely punish yourself; in that case go for it, otherwise don't put yourself through the horror I went through. Too bad those who dig holes seldom fall in them because they know where they are. People who make dangerous products should be the only ones forced to use them. Good luck, sleep well and wake up comfortably!

These earplugs are individually wrapped, which is a bonus. You can always expect the same quality probably one of the best earplugs you can buy.

I use these for motorcycling and at work - they seem to be the go-to for my industry. Needless to say, I have used 3M 1100's extensively. I have found that (as the manufacturers have all warned us) the insertion technique heavily determines how well they work. This is my recipe for success: 1. Make sure you roll them between your fingers as to make the diameter as small as possible - heck, roll for like ten seconds each. Don't twist them, roll them. Start gently and then squeeze harder and harder. 2. Put them in your ear and TWIST back and forth as you insert. This prevents them from getting stuck if there's a sticky area. I'm not an ear expert but I believe the length of the earplug is less than the distance to your eardrum, so make sure you shove it in really far, like as far as you can while still being able to pull it out later. Deeper is better for sound attenuation. It makes a big difference. 3. Let it expand. At this point I am putting on my helmet/gloves and they'll be nicely expanded by the time I ride. Many others say that this is a stiff material. I find the stiffer material means it stays 'rolled up' longer and allows you to insert them properly. Other, "squishier" foams will expand back out too fast and they'll have become fat again before you had a chance to stick them in your ear deep enough. If these become warm, they feel like the "squishier" type foam and expand faster so you will need to rush a little more if you took them out briefly and are reinserting them. This is good because when they have the heat of your body (while in your ear) they will expand quickly and stay softer in your ear. The attached photo shows the average attenuation dB NRR for the different frequencies so you can compare against other brands. These have significantly higher ratings than some other models, even from 3M (ahem yellow ones). Notice that the lowest mean attenuation is 33.9 dB and up from there, up to even 45.5 dB, and yet they rate the overall NRR at 29. These (subjectively) are on par with the 33dB NRR plugs, but the company just under-rates them. I will definitely be buying more. You will not be disappointed unless you just really don't like the harder material. Like I said, I think it's a pro, not a con.