DecibullzCustom Molded Earplugs, 31dB Highest NRR, Comfortable Hearing Protection for Shooting, Travel, Work and Concerts

10/10Will now be my go to for hearing protection, hands down. I’ve been using these for about 2 months, Monday through Friday, 8-12 hour days while MIG welding and I am impressed. They’ve held up to 100>degree days in the shop under the hood, I’ve remolded them 4 times now, (the edges can sometimes become “sharp” in the ear after some normal use, no big deal) and all I’ve had to do is wipe them down at end of day and I’m done. If you’re even thinking about it, get them. They’re great quality and I have to imagine their other options offer the same quality fit for their use case.

For a while, I was researching a lot of the top choices for hearing protection because my girlfriend and I were going to the Indy 500 for the first time, and we wanted to protect our ears. Having been to NASCAR races before, I knew what I was looking for and I also knew I didn't want over-the-ear ear muffs because they can put some strain on your head and cause sweat to pool around your ears. So, I wanted earplugs to counter these issues. I investigated a lot of options, but Decibullz was the first choice I saw and it stuck with me the whole time.I'll put it simply: These ear plugs are the best out there. With the slightest caveat.Most of the negative reviews for this product are due to user error. If you follow the directions and mold them properly, you will experience NONE of the issues they faced. These ear plugs were comfortable for an entire 3 hour race, no irritation, and no hearing loss at all. No sound bled through, and they didn't ever feel like they were going to fall out.The setup is pretty straightforward, but let me share what I did to make them fit absoultely PERFECTLY:1. Setup the earplugs while boiling your water. I got the case/laynard/plugs bundle, so I used the non-laynard filters and the smallest tri-flange tip they had. This is to ensure the earplug goes in far enough into your ears to get a good inner mold(very important).2. Once water and plugs are ready, do ONE PLUG at a time!!! This is crucial. The steps say to do both, but it is much easier when you can focus on one plug at a time. Let it sit in the water for 5-6 minutes.3. Gently scoop the plug out with a spoon. I used a metal spoon and had no issues. And let it cool until you can touch it. Be careful not to squeeze too hard!4. This is the most important part: Carefully put the plug in your ear. Make sure to rest it in your ear, and then ONLY push where the filter is initially. Making sure the plug is IN your ear properly is the most crucial step! And make sure it is in as comfortably far as possible.5. Begin to massage the plug into the space of you ear. I focused on pushing to the back of my ear, then massaging above my ear lobe, and then the front of the ear. And then keep pushing on the filter to maintain that seal. Keep doing this for a few minutes. Also, very useful to have another person helping, but a mirror works too to ensure the whole ear canal is covered.6. During this process, I also was squeezing my ear (top and bottom, front and back) around the mold to make sure it took total shape of my ear and to ensure it's not going to hurt my ears for being in a long time.7. Once the plugs are hardened, carefully take them out and let them cool. Then repeat the steps for the other ear plug.8. After all the plugs are molded, it is important to test the plugs TWO different times. First, test both plugs in at the same time to ensure the sound around you is at least muffled. Have some air blow into each ear. If you hear a lot of air/wind, then it is best to try and refit them to make sure your whole ear hole is covered.9. If that test passes, then you will want to switch to the foam ear tips (these offer the best noise cancellation). Squeeze the foam tips so they compress and go further in the ear. Do the same test as the last step. If you have the same issue, make sure to change the tips BACK to the ones you used initally and then repeat the steps to refit them/warm them back up.10. The plugs should significantly reduce the sound. Almost like you're underwater. But you should still be able to hear mostly everything. It reduces the noise, not cancel it out.For anyone looking to use these plugs for the same application as me (in-person auto racing spectating), then these are absolutely PERFECT!I was able to hear the cars go by at a reasonable volume, AND I could still talk to my partner between passes and hear the announcer clearly over the speakers.Because of how great these plugs were, I definitely anticipate using these for other applications (concerts, more races, anything that is loud).If you were on the fence about getting these plugs, please let this review be the sign to get them. Ignore the bad reviews, because they more than likely did not install them correctly.TLDR: Bought these plugs for IndyCar/NASCAR races, and worked perfectly for that application. I shared the steps I took to make them fit right, and experiencd none of the negatives the bad reviews shared because I followed the steps. Highly recommend getting these plugs!

I got Decibullz earplugs to keep water out of my ears, and bought the Radians version for a comparison. Specifically, I need to use them for my son and wanted to try them myself before trying them on a child. Each has their advantages. For noise protection, the Decibullz are rated at 31 dB protection vs. 26 dB with the Radians. I couldn't tell a difference with a different type in each ear, but I'd say a technical point to Decibullz if you're looking for hearing protection.The molding process is a little simpler with Radians vs. Decibullz, but they are both pretty simple. Just like making a mouthguard, you put the Decibullz in boiling water for 5 minutes, take it out for 30 seconds, and then mold to the ear. I would wait a SOLID 30-45 seconds before trying on my child because they are pretty warm. Don't want to frighten a child while time is of the essence. After molding to the ear, let them sit another 5 minutes in the ear, and they are ready to roll. The directions didn't say whether one should remove the round Decibullz logo'd cap from the outside part during the heating/molding, but I did, and it seemed to work out fine.Once they are cooled, they are fairly hard plastic, but (theoretically) perfectly molded to the ears. If they aren't a good fit, they say you can repeat the process, but I've found from experience with toothguards that after the first try, they are less likely to fit the way they were designed to on subsequent tries. On the other hand, if it's only a small adjustment to be made, it might work fine the second time as long as you're very careful not to make big changes. When you finish molding them, they become pretty thin in an adult ear, but a child's ear is smaller so they will probably still have some fullness (and look like the photo) when molded to a child's ear.I wore them for a while, and they are as comfortable as you can expect any earplug to be. As long as you mold them under the curve at the front of the ear "bowl" above the ear hole, they should be pretty hard to accidentally knock out. They come with 3 different sizes of soft silicone "Christmas Trees" to fit on the stem that goes into the ear hole, and another foam rubber nub that can also be used. I think the foam rubber one gives a little bit better noise protection, but the silicone ones look to give better water protection. Still, as someone else wrote in a review, if the foam rubber one doesn't fit and you got them for noise protection, you're not getting the full benefit with the silicone ones. Also, the silicone ones seem to extend slightly further into the ear than the foam rubber ones, but this may be more perception than reality.As mentioned, they are designed with a small, logo'd rubber cap that seats on the outside of a tube that extends down the middle of the plug. With the cap in, they are pretty water-proof/sound-proof. On the other hand, if you lose that rubber cap, they lose 95% of their functionality. The reason they were designed this was was so that you could use them with sound-producing earphones (instead of the rubber caps.) Just be sure that you are ordering the earplugs if you want plugs, and earphones if you want tunes.In summary, Decibullz earplugs are safe to use (if you follow the directions), comfortable to wear, seem to stay in very well, come in slick colors, and probably do a little better job at noise protection that the competition. On the other hand, if you don't follow the directions, you could cause pain when molding them (not likely there would be any lasting damage,) and if you lose the little black rubber cap, they become nonfunctional.