Because my ears have very narrow ear canals, and one of them takes a 90 degree bend and goes straight up, I am particular about my ear plugs. Because I use earplugs for active motor sports, shooting, and chainsaw work in Hawaii, over the ear protection isn't always practical. I recently purchased 5 different brands of earplugs and put them to the test. Here's what I found, sorted for most to least favorite.
Mack's Ultra Soft - My personal favorite, and at $0.17/pair, also the least expensive. They share the same small diameter of the Hearos Ultimate Softness, but are a bit more firm and a few millimeters longer. So, for me, they did a better job of subjective sound dampening, and were a bit easier to grip and pull back out. My tests are mostly in warm weather. In very cold weather, these could be too firm for some users. The Mack's and Hearos Ultimate Softness both shared the same smaller diameter.
Hearos Ultimate Softness - These were the softest, most comfortable plugs I tested. At $0.18/pair they were the second cheapest, and also my second favorite. My daughter doesn't like earplugs, as they really bother her ears, but she was at least able to tolerate these. I think most people would be pretty happy with these, however, they were not my favorite for two reasons. First reason is that they seemed to stop slightly less high-pitched sound than the other plugs. All the plugs are rated at 33 db, but that's because that is all they are allowed to be rated. Subjectively, these were at the lower end of sound blocking, but still adequate for most tasks. My only other "complaint" is that these seemed to take the longest to spring back to shape and fill the ear because they are very soft, and they are somewhat shorter than the Macks. This makes them feel a bit like they might fall out for the first minute or two, and their 2-3 millimeter shorter length makes them every so slightly more difficult to grip and remove. Both minor complaints, and these are very good plugs.
Hearos Xtreme Protection - As the name implies, subjectively, these blocked the most sound of all the ones I tested. They have the same larger diameter as the 3M plugs, but are easily twice as soft/half as firm. They gave a very full feeling to the ears, but were not uncomfortable. At $0.39/pair, they were the most expensive plugs tested. They were the most effective and were quite comfortable, but the Mack's were 95% as good, and less than half the cost. These went into my shooting kit and would be my third selection, for use when max protection for a shorter wear period is ideal.
Flents Quiet Contour. These plugs have a bell shape. I did not find that the shape made any improvement to sound dampening. These were on par with the Mack's for noise suppression. The downside of the wide end is that there is more material in your outer ear, which could be uncomfortable for some, and also perhaps less aesthetically appealing. However, if you're in charge of safety compliance, that extra bit makes it much easier to visually see that someone is wearing hearing protection, and it did leave more to grip for removing the plugs. At $0.30/pair, these were the second most expensive, and I do not recommend.
3M 1100 - These are what was issued to me for my 22 years of military service, and the benchmark from which I was judging. About the only positive thing I'll say about them is that they came individually packaged by pairs, so you can carry or store them in dirty or wet environment easily, but these were absolutely the least comfortable of the ones I tested. I paid $ 0.27/pair for them which puts them in the middle of the pack price wise. For me, they are much too firm, and also have the largest diameter of the group. In very cold weather, they would be nearly solid. They quickly made my ears sore/itchy. As much as I usually love 3M products, I do not recommend these.
For those who care about such things, I tested these several ways. I wore each pair for about an hour just to get subjective feel for long term comfort. The exception was the 3M, which I could not leave in the entire hour because they were uncomfortable. Then to test for noise reduction, I put one brand in one ear and a different brand in the other ear and work for half an hour, then switch ears. During the test, I listened to speech, music, traffic noise, etc, and noted which plugs seemed to be most effective.
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From the manufacturer
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EXTREME PROTECTIONWith a high Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) of 33 decibels, Mack’s Ultra Soft Foam Ear Plugs help protect ears against harmful noise that can cause permanent hearing loss. |
MULTI-PURPOSEBlock out snoring, relax while traveling, enjoy music concerts, use power tools and even target shoot with Mack’s Ultra, multi-purpose, noise reducing earplugs. |
MAXIMUM COMFORTMack’s ergonomically-shaped, super soft foam earplugs provide the safe, comfortable hearing protection and relief you need in a noisy world. |
Sleeping
Shooting Sports
Travel
Loud Noise
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| Original Soft Foam Earplugs | Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs | Slim Fit Soft Foam Earplugs | Dreamgirl Soft Foam Earplugs | Maximum Protection Soft Foam Earplugs | Pillow Soft Silicone Putty Ear Plugs | |
| Features | Made with Mack's Original, super soft SafeSound Foam | Made with super low-pressure, Comfy Cush Comfort Foam | Provides maximum comfort for small or sensitive ear canals | Unique hollow and flared design for women with small or sensitive ear canals | High performance, low pressure foam earplug designed for slightly larger sized ear canals | Silicone putty molds to the unique contours of any ear; more comfortable fit and seal than custom ear plugs |
| Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) | 33 decibels | 33 decibels | 31 decibels | 30 decibels | 33 decibels | 22 decibels |
| Ear Canal Size | Average | Average | Small | Small | Average to Large | Average |
| Style | Foam | Foam | Foam | Foam | Foam | Moldable silicone putty |
| For Sleeping | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| For Noise Protection | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| For Water Protection | - | - | - | - | - | ✓ |
| For Airplane Ear Pressure | - | - | - | - | - | ✓ |
| Count | 50 Pair Jar | 50 Pair Jar | 50 Pair Jar | 50 Pair Jar | 50 Pair Jar | 6 Pair Plus Storage Case |
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This Item  Mack's Ultra Soft Foam Earplugs, 50 Pair - 33dB Highest NRR, Comfortable Ear Plugs for Sleeping, Snoring, Travel, Concerts, Studying, Loud Noise, Work | Made in USA |  |  |  |  |  | |
| Price | $14.99 | $14.99 | $11.99 | $6.99 | -8% $9.89 List: $10.79 | $10.79 |
| Price Per Unit | $0.30 / Count | $0.30 / Count | $0.40 / Count | $0.70 / Count | $0.20 / Count | $0.36 / Count |
| Delivery | — | Get it as soon as Monday, Mar 4 | Get it as soon as Monday, Mar 4 | Get it as soon as Tuesday, Mar 5 | — | Get it as soon as Monday, Mar 4 |
| Customer Ratings | ||||||
| Comfort | ||||||
| Noise cancellation | ||||||
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| Value for money | ||||||
| Softness | ||||||
| Sold By | Amazon.com | ShopMcKeon | ShopMcKeon | Rock Ridge Retail, LLC | Amazon.com | Rock Ridge Retail, LLC |
| material | Polyurethane Foam | Foam | Polyurethane Foam | Polyurethane Foam | Polyurethane Foam | Polyurethane Foam |
| size | 50 Pair (Pack of 1) | 50 Pair (Pack of 1) | 30 Pair (Pack of 1) | 10 Pair (Pack of 1) | 50 Pair (Pack of 1) | 30 Pair (Pack of 1) |
| number of pieces | 100 | 100 | 50 | 10 | 100 | 60 |
| style | Foam | Foam | Foam | Foam | Foam | Foam |
| noise attenuation | 33 | 33 | 33 | 30 | 30 | 32 |
| sport | Shooting | — | Motorcycling, Shooting | — | — | Shooting |
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Reviews with images
Too good?
I sleep with ear plugs every night bc my husbands snoring keeps me up all night. These ear plugs are great! They are very soft and comfortable. They also block out so much noise that I now have to put my phone under my pillow when I sleep so that I can hear my alarm in the morning. When it’s on my nightstand I can totally sleep through the alarm. Very happy with these!
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Reviewed in the United States on November 28, 2018
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Top reviews from other countries
Devin
These do block out sound, completely.
Reviewed in Canada on December 11, 2022
Olga Yakovleva
die beste Ohrstöpsel die ich je gekauft habe
Reviewed in Germany on February 21, 2024
