Got these b/c I'm in grad school and like to have silence when I study, which is like 24 hours a day. This would not be a problem if I were a monk, however, I am married and (sigh) my husband likes to do things like watch TV, cook, and breathe when I'm studying. I was getting tired of making annoyed sighs, so I decided to get some ear plugs.

These work much better than the regular squishy foamy ones. For one, because they're on the string, I don't just lose one of them. They also fit nicely in my ears and I find them to be comfortable. They are soundproof, at least what I need it for. I did have my husband turn the TV Up to see how loud it could be before I heard anything and I Have to say, he'd never listen to the TV or stereo THAT loud. So I imagine in a real situation where I needed to protect my ears these would do quite well.

I like that it came with 3 of them.

These ear plugs are comfortable soft rubber and come with a small carrying case. They decrease loudness about 10db - enough to lower the volume and still hear everything clearly. They are easy to insert and remove and the cord keeps them from getting lost or being dropped when taking them out. I wear them at movie theaters when the previews or the movie are way too loud and on loud trains.

These are very easy to use. Yet, they are not nearly as effective as wearing earmuffs. But, we shouldn't expect them to work as well as muffs (and I don't expect them to). I wear these when using a gas-powered air blower. I like to use plugs instead of muffs so that I can wear a hat at the same time. Maybe I was expecting too much. But, I was hoping they would block just a little more noise. Yet, they do help.

These work well enough, but getting them to make a seal isn't as easy as it is with the squishy foam kind. And even if/when you do manage to get that level of seal, they sometimes back out a little. If your hearing truly depends on these, get something else. They are good enough for outdoor shooting to an extent, but no way would I use them at an indoor range.

I finally took them to the range the other day and was really happy with the results. I love how they are attached so it's harder to lose one, my issue is they only send one bag to hold them when there could be 3 different people using them. Not sure about any of you but I don't want my ear pieces covered in other people's ear wax. Good thing I'm artsy cause I'll just make another 2 bags but this time it will be slightly bigger and with a zipper; no slightly useless pull string and crap fabric.

The ear pieces themselves were amazing. They cut out sounds perfectly. My rifle is very loud but with these in my ears, it was as if I had ear muffs on. I couldn't hear my boyfriend too much with them in so I kept taking one out and putting it back in. My issue is I'm pretty sure one ear is shaped differently or something cause I had an issue inserting in one ear but not the other. Probably a personal issue but it's ok cause once they we're in, no falling out, no noise leaking in, and they were fairly comfortable. The issue I see people having is you need to make sure you really put it in your ear. If you don't you will hear everything. Trust me these work if you use them correctly. I had forgotten to put one back in, fired and realized my mistake instantly cause one ear was ringing while the other was not. All and all they worked better than expected and if I lose one, cause they only come in a tiny stupid bag, I'll definitely order it again.

Side note: I would add a picture cause I like doing that for other people but the picture it gives is what it is.