Loop Engage Earplugs - Flux

These Engage earplugs are absolutely awesome. It took me a while to get my ears ready for them. At first, I had a lot of pressure on the left eardrum when inserted, while the right was comfortable. That was super frustrating. After some online research, it seemed I may have had some impacted wax in that left ear. I tried a drugstore wax dissolving/ear wash treatment for about a week or so in that ear. The treatment dislodged a lot of wax. Once that was over, I used some water drying agent in the ear (due to the water wash procedure) and some aquaphor just at the canal opening for healing. I tried the earplugs again, and all was pain free! I have very very small ear canals, the XS tips work best for me with these. I have also used the Quiets for sleeping, but those XS tips seem bigger and I have ordered the XXS tips. It took quite a bit of practice, days of using 2 mirrors front and back simultaneously to see tip placement in my ears, for me to finally get proficient at inserting these properly. There are a lot of videos online, but honestly everyone's ear's are made unique and I feel there are many ways to get a good personalized fit. You need a comfortable fit and a good seal. It is an adventure to achieve both at the same time, but do not give up. It probably took me 2-3 weeks to finally be able to wear these as intended. I think these are quite comfortable. I could probably do 3-4 hours without a break. They are not comfortable enough for sleeping. Eventually, I think I would be able to wear for an 8 hour day if necessary. I purchased the clear. I want to wear them at work. I am a high school teacher in a STEM lab environment. I have 30+ students in a class. My space is concrete walls and floors with an open concept ceiling. There are power tools running, loud conversations, banging on projects with hammers, we have a wind tunnel (super loud), and the students like to have their music playing in the background. It is a great class to teach, but sometimes it is very overstimulating to be in all day long. I have 1-2 ninth grade classes a day each week, and they can be quite loud just in general due to the maturity level. These bad boys tone things down for me. They take the edge off so I don't lose my mind. I can still hear the kids, but MUCH MUCH less loud. If I need to insert the Mutes, even better! I still can maintain engagement, but it is so much more tolerable to be in the room. Currently, I have them popped in, the kids do not know due them being clear, and I can actually think/grade/lesson plan while they do their thing. Everyone is happy and I am not a crabby grumpy teacher. If I lost these I would 100% get online and repurchase. I NEED these for work, not everyday, but often. I keep the little case zipped up in my jacket chest pocket. It is so small that it is not even noticeable that I am carrying it around. I have asked for the Loop necklace strap thing for Christmas. They do not cancel all noise, as this is not what they were designed for. They tone things down while still allowing you to participate in the environment. The Mutes do make things noticeably quieter and I feel they are worth it. Be careful to take them out with a twist to break the seal. If you just pull them out, the sudden change in pressure is somewhat of a discomfort to the eardrum.