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. Read more

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

Over the last ten years I have bought and used most of the top-rated ear plugs here on Amazon. These will be the first ones that I will be buying more than once when I run out because: 1. They are just the right length not to stick out or become too entrenched inside your ear. 2. They are very soft and comfortable. 3. They don’t put too much pressure on my ears so that I can wear them comfortably throughout the night. 4. They do not loosen and fall out of my ears. 5. They block out noise much better than some of the higher rated noise reduction ear plugs. 6. They don’t make my ears Itch- a major problem that I had with others. 7. They are the easiest to place in your ears because they don’t take forever to expand yet give you enough time to insert them properly, about 10 seconds. 8. They can be re-used a number of times without losing their resiliency. Who knew there was so much to say about ear plugs! Remember YMMV drastically since everyone’s ears are different. Read more

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

They work well. Read more

I bought these in May of 2018. I have used them every single night since then. Over the past 6 months, I can honestly say they are "OK". *Keep in mind, ear plugs and their usage is highly subjective due to the fact, people have different shaped ears/ear canals, people have different ranges of hearing, and living or sleeping environments vary. Concisely, every person will experience using a product differently. Here is my review, They do block out a lot of background noise, but not all. Example, these will NOT block out snoring coming from the person next to you or even in the same room as you. Now, if you sleep in another room, then, yes, the freight-train type snoring is not heard. Also, if you sleep in an isolated room, most noises within the home are not heard with these ear plugs in place. Bear in mind, results can vary! In addition, they will block out a lot of mild, external or outside street noise (Examples: people rolling out their trash cans, loud talking neighbors, birds chirping, dogs barking, a busy highway about a mile away, loud car stereos, annoyingly loud rat-trap type cars, motorcycles, etc.). **However, I stayed at a rather noisy motel recently, and I was woken numerous times while wearing these ear plugs - cars peeling out, people shutting/slamming doors loudly, etc., I could hear all of it. Of course, this is a more confined, busy city area, and the sound proofing of the motel wall was most likely inadequate. So..........it does dull the noise but not alleviate it 100%. Concisely, do not expect complete silence while sleeping. Noises in very close proximity that exceed the 29dB range rating will probably be heard. These plugs are BIG. I have tiny, little ears so I have to roll these ear plugs in between my fingers and squeeze them down a good deal to insert. Then, I let them expand while I place very gentle pressure against the plug - I do not force it to stay in place, but rather, I just support it gently as it expands in my ear. This way, I am not creating soreness to my ear(s) for later. That part is really, really important because you could easily damage your ear canal or cause pain by forcing these plugs too deep or having them place too much pressure on your inner ear. Also, for sleeping, I sleep on my back; therefore, I have no discomfort while sleeping. A side-sleeping position probably would be really uncomfortable while wearing these ear plugs though. That's something to consider! In addition, I will say these plugs are good for target shooting. I used them more than once while shooting numerous caliber weapons, and they did protect my ears pretty well. Hygienically, the plugs are great! Each pair comes in an individual package. There is a perforation on one side of the package for opening. I do like the sanitary approach because ear infections are painful and a hassle to deal with. Economically, these plugs are definitely on the less expensive side. Compare these to all major brands and you will see the price difference. Thus, for a tight budget, these plugs are a good choice. Finally, I purchased these ear plugs specifically for sleeping. I am not certain if I will reorder this product or find an alternative instead. But, if you need something to help dull noises enough to help you fall asleep, this might be worth a try! Maybe, it would be prudent to purchase a small pack and test it out based on your needs. In fact, trying various ear plug brands is a very good way to find what works for you. ***A side note, for general noise reduction in a noisy work area, these plugs would work well. I know that I rely on Amazon reviews to help guide my purchases so I hope this review offers insight to fellow consumers/customers. :) Read more

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

Quick delivery. Good price. Thank you. Read more