[visordown.com] - Used: Hearwave B2 custom earplugs review

[Ninjette Newsbot]

Hearwave B2s ... once they're in, you won't want to take them out


I’ve been using these Hearwave B2 moulded earplugs for the last 5 months, after 10 years of using disposable earplugs.

f you are a regular user of disposable earplugs you probably don’t think twice about the process of getting them into your ears. However, if you watch someone who has never used them (like an occasional pillion) try and fit disposable plugs into their ears, then after giving them a good couple of minutes and looking on at the earplugs poking out of their ears like a popped cork resting on a Champagne bottle, you feel the unstoppable urge to intervene and show them how to do it.

Well, when I first got hold of these B2 custom earplugs, I felt like the newbie with the disposable earplugs; I couldn’t get them to fit right and when I did, or at least think I did, one of them would work its way loose just a few minutes into my journey.

I’ve found that with custom earplugs, unlike with disposables, there are no half measures. They’re either in and working or not in and they don’t offer any protection. Spending this much time mulling over these custom earplugs has made me realise what a strange shape ears are but regardless of their intricate and unique nature, these earplugs are custom fit, so it’s no good getting them just-about in, they have to be in perfectly. I did spend the first couple of weeks with them not quite in because I didn’t spend enough time familiarising myself with the shape of my ears to know when I was good to go. I just stuffed the B2s in, there or thereabouts and got on with it. I stress this because when they’re in, they’re great, all-day comfortable and block out the wind noise well.

I’m not convinced they block out the same level of noise as some disposable earplugs but I don’t think that’s a bad thing either. Some people don’t like disposables as they feel it completely numbs a sense they rely on. My Hearwave B2s block out enough noise and completely kill wind blast but I can still hear what’s going on around me, more so than with disposables and I don’t feel like I’m riding along in my own bubble.

I find them great for trackdays, where, with short stints on the bike and grubby fingers thanks to a bit of tinkering between sessions, I don’t end up rolling up the same pair of earplugs throughout the day and stuffing something into my ears that’s as clean as a handyman’s mop. If they pick up any dirt, I just run them under the tap. Sure, I could use more disposable earplugs but I’m really tight and will always make a pair last until I lose them.

I’m worried that I’ll lose these B2s, as sunglasses, headphones and watches all seem to have a life of around 6-months in my hands but so far, so good.

I wear these for around 50% of my riding and find they’re a great alternative to the disposables I’ve lived with for a decade. I sometimes leave them in the pocket of another bit of riding gear or forget to take them with me and usually end up with a set of disposables. If I could remember to take them with me, I'd use them more! Recommended.

Model: Hearwave B2 custom silicone blocker earplugs

Cost: £55

Contact: www.hearwave.com / 0208 320 1145



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