Extended Loop Earplug Review (plus tips and tricks) - 06/11/2022
Omg, my first review on this blog. I was going to post the review I put on the Loop website after they sent me an email asking how I was finding them, then go into further detail here, but I submitted the review without copying the text first, so I guess you don't get to actually see it, but here's a summary: I waited until Guy Fawkes Night to review because the fireworks show was to be the main test of my earplugs. They worked fantastically! I bought the Experience Pro because I wanted the mute add on so I could use it during fireworks shows. They turned all the loud bangs and squeals into something quite quiet that I could cope with without getting really scared and leaving.
I also use my Loops without the mute add on during class so I can focus on what my lecturer is saying without the construction noises making me overwhelmed, and I use them as an everyday thing on days that I can't cope with being outside but still have things I need to get done. Basically, these are some really great earplugs and I love them.
Finally, my original order actually went missing. I live in accommodation and I suspect they were delivered and then stolen by someone else who lives here. I contacted support and they sent out my exact order again, which was super nice of them and I didn't expect anything like that at all. -------End of website review summary-------
I want to go into further detail about my experience and opinions of Loops here because I felt bad for the length of my review on the website, they tend to only show ones that are in the "short and sweet" genre, so mine will likely be missed by a lot of buyers. This, however, might turn up if someone decides to do outside research before making their purchase.
First of all, I regret buying the carry cord. You can't choose to include the carry cord in your purchase as a drop down option like you can with the colour of your Loops, and instead need to add it as an item to your basket. As far as I can tell, no version of Loop Earplugs come with a carry cord included, and I think I know why. I don't actually use the carry cord at all, and quickly attached my Loop case to my keys as they're on a reel clip (a retractable keychain that I wear on my jeans) anyway, so it hasn't actually been worth it to buy the carry cord. Also, you can't put your Loops on the carry cord if they have the mute add-on inserted. You'd have to take the mute add-on out if you want to put your Loop earplugs to hang on the carry cord. It isn't that tedious because you can reinsert the mute add-on really easily after you've put your earplugs back in, but I can see why someone might dislike that. From my personal perspective, don't get the carry cord. It's basically a thick rope lanyard that only holds your Loop case and your earplugs. The earplugs are held on a ring and are just...out in the open. It'd be better to put them in the case and have them in your bag or pocket. If you want easy access to them then attach them to your bag or something. If you wear a lanyard frequently, then put them on your regular lanyard. I have several lanyards that I swap and change depending on my mood, so it's better for me to put them on my reel clip rather than fiddle with moving them to whichever lanyard I want to use or risk forgetting them. The carry cord only just fits over my head, too, and it isn't that comfortable. If you really want them to be hanging around your neck I would honestly put them on the lanyard you usually wear. If you don't tend to wear a lanyard, just buy one, they're pretty cheap usually and you can get one that you like rather than having to have just a plain black carry cord around your neck (it only comes in one colour). Having a lanyard when you don't need one for work/ education is pretty useful because you can hang your earplugs, hand sanitizer, pen, keys, torch, pendrives, or anything else that usually ends up in the bottom of your bag from it! You can even buy a phone holder to hang from it and have easy access to your phone while you're out! It basically saves you having to root around for things that you might need quickly. I don't like having a bulky lanyard, so I have a reel clip on my hip where I have my keys, a pendrive, a bottle opener, my Loop earplugs case, and my Tescos clubcard, then my lanyard has my ID card and some hand sanitizer and I keep a torch in my pencil case, which I always have with me. Sometimes I move my ID card to my reel clip if I'm having a sensitive day and can't deal with the feel of something on the back of my neck, then I have hand sanitizer in my bag. This is all an adjacent topic to Loop earplugs, but I feel it's generally useful information, so consider it a freebee.
Secondly, if you haven't ever worn earplugs before, be prepared for a bit of a weird experience. I have the Experience Pro Loop earplugs, and they're advertised as being good for music and events, focus, noise sensitivity, and motorcycling. They're on the higher end of the noise reduction scale, basically, and apparently can "reduce noise by 18 decibels evenly across low, medium, and high frequencies". The Loop mute accessory is said to add an "extra 5dB of noise reduction". Just wearing the Experience Pro, no mute add-on, makes my voice sound odd to me and makes it so I can hear a quiet static-like noise constantly. Everything sounds quite foggy, and it is a strange experience. I can hear other people just fine, it mostly gets rid of background noises. I'm wearing them with the foam ear tips while writing this review because I have an upstairs neighbour that must wear bricks for shoes, and I can barely hear their banging with them in, but it is still there. I've only had to turn my TV up slightly. With the mute add-on in I can't hear the banging at all (unless I really focus on trying to hear it), and I've had to turn my TV up more to be able to hear the talking clearly. The static-like noise is louder, if I get nervous I can very much hear my heart beat, and last night I could hear the richochet(?) of my foot hitting the floor when I walked. My voice also sounds super muffled and I have a little trouble with how loud I'm speaking because I can't properly hear how loud I am against how loud everything else is. With people who are new to earplugs this usually leads to talking too loud/ shouting, but because I am used to earplugs it actually leads to me over-compensating for the fact I can't hear how loud I am and I end up muttering/ speaking too quiet even though it sounds to me like I'm speaking normally. Really weird sensation. You do pretty much forget that you're wearing them if you're wearing the right sized silicone ear bud though, which is nice. The foam ones are a little more uncomfortable, but I'll get to that later. Also, if you can't deal with the ringing/ being able to hear your heart beat stuff, I would stop looking at earplugs and instead get in-ear earphones. They're not as subtle, but they can be pretty discreet and they'll allow you to quietly play music, which will mostly negate the ringing/ heart beat.
Apparently some people have had trouble with the carry case coming open, but I haven't had that issue as of yet and the case has been on my reel clip for about three weeks. Maybe that's a thing that comes with the wear of use? If it happens to mine I'll come back and comment on this post to tell you. For right now it's actually taking a second to get my carry case open because it's a small and fiddly thing with a good clip. The carry case is a flat-ish disk that can hold your Loop earplugs and a pair of the mute add-ons (I got two sets of mute add-ons with my experience pro, a white set and a black set) pretty comfortably. From the looks of it you won't be able to fit in two pairs of ear tips quite as nicely, though. For a while I only ever had the foam earplug ends on my Loops, and they come out of the case a little bit squished, but it didn't stop me from being able to use my earplugs because the foam reshapes pretty fast once the earplugs are out of the case. Both the case and the earplugs are pretty small, with the case being smaller than even the label on my lip balm. On the site everything looks quite large, but it's really not. This is another reason I do recommend either putting the case on a lanyard or on a reel clip rather than throwing it in your bag, it'll be much easier to find.
The earplugs being small also means they're quite subtle. You'll notice that the photos of Loop earplugs in use all have the camera facing the side of the models face, or their head is tilted to show the earplug. You hardly notice them if you're looking at someone face on. When I look at myself directly in the mirror I can only see the smallest sliver of silver in my ear, and that's me looking for my Loops. The default colours that cover most ranges are silver, black, gold, and pink. I got the silver because I decided to sort of treat them as jewellery, and I prefer silver jewellery, but they're so subtle that you don't really need to worry about the colour, it is just a matter of preference. I think the colour of Loop might correspond with the colour of the case you'll get, because you can get the case in black, pink, red, light blue, dark blue, and grey when you look at the individual listing of it. I can't be certain of this because I bought silver Loops but was sent a black case, so it could be that if you want to have a specific case colour you'll have to buy it seperate, but I really don't know. The listings of the earplugs don't come with a separate "case colour" option, and I'd like to assume that if I chose pink Loops I'd get a pink case, but that may not be how it works. The earplugs being subtle means I've been able to wear my Loops in class without my lecturer asking me to take out my earphones, leading to a slightly embarassing explaination of "actually these are earplugs, I'm neurodiverse and the sounds of nearby construction is more interesting to my ADHD than William Wordsworth is, apparently". I can't with 100% certainty guarentee that your higher up (be that a teacher or boss) won't notice that you have them in and question/ scold you over it, but so far that hasn't happened to me. If you're struggling to choose a colour, treat them like a functional accessory and choose that way. Do you have gold rimmed glasses? Get gold. Do you prefer silver jewellery? Get silver. Is your phone rose gold (basically pink)? Get pink. Do you wear a lot of black? Get black. Simple. The Quiet range offers more colours, the Experience - Elements only comes in red and dark blue, the Quiet - Elements only offers red, and the Loop x Tomorrowland only offers black with a gold detail at the time of writing this review, but the rest all offer those standard four colours I mentioned earlier. Like with the individual case listing, the individual silicone tips + mute add-on listing offers the wider range of colours. I think in this case you'll always be default sent the black silicone tips and a set of white and black mute add-ons. I don't think you can change the colour of the foam tips at all. There's a whole lot of choice, but you honestly don't have to worry about getting the colour that makes them more subtle, just get the colour you like best. Honestly, I've been talking to a friend extensively about these earplugs recently, which means I've been back on the site and seen the Engage range, and it's led to me sort of wanting to get another pair of Experience because I now have gold rimmed glasses and think a gold pair would look cute. If you have the money you can absolutely do that, but that's another thing that's personal preference. If I had the money, I'd be buying a gold Experience pair, and maybe a pair of black Engage, which are apparently suited to conversation, social gatherings, noise sensitivity, and parenting. I really don't know what that last one means, but they generally seem like a more "everyday" earplug that look a little more stylish because of their see through design. I wouldn't need the Pro or Plus versions because I have the Experience Pro and all of their accessories, I'd just be switching them depending on which Loops I want to wear that day.
Speaking of choice, if you're having trouble deciding which Loop earplugs are right for you, they literally have a quiz for it. I was struggling to decide between the Experience and Experience Pro (the Engage/ Engage Plus weren't out when I was ordering), so I took the quiz. It's the "Help me choose" tab at the top of the page. I can't remember what I said on the quiz, and the results might have changed now that the Engage collections are out, but I was recommended the Experience Pro. The difference between the Experience and the Experience Pro is that the Experience gets you the earplugs, 4 silicone ear tips, and the case, whereas the Pro adds 3 foam ear tips, and two sets of Loop mute add-ons. The difference is £9, which isn't too much, and it's only 5p more than buying them individually while getting regular Experience earplugs, plus you only get one set of Loop mute add-ons if you buy them separate, so that extra 5p for an extra set of mute add-ons is worth it in my opinion.
The mute add-ons do make the sound reduction more obvious to me. Like I said earlier, I have to turn my TV up more when I have the mute add-ons and foam tips in. If you're looking for noise reduction for concerts and crowds, I'd get the Pro/ Plus versions of your earplugs. The sound and comfort difference is also very obvious when exchanging the silicone tips for the foam ones. The silicone tips are far comfier, allowing me to wear my loops for longer, but they don't reduce sound quite as much. You can just put your earplugs in, though, rather than having to squish and hold them like you do with the foam earplugs (you basically put them in like you would actual foam earplugs, they just don't go in nearly as far). For the fireworks show I wore both the foam ear tips and the mute add-ons, but sat here in my bedroom while I write this I'm wearing the silicone ear tips and the mute add-ons. After the fireworks show I had to take my earplugs out pretty quickly because they were beginning to irritate me a little. They didn't exactly hurt, but they were not exactly the most comfortable. The silicone tips obviously feel just like in-ear earphones, and I can wear those for hours at a time without an issue. I'd say the foam ear tips are for short-term use, personally, but they're really good to have. I made the mistake of thinking I should only be using the foam ear tips, but I had trouble balancing being able to hear my lecturer while not being able to ear the outside construction in class (I couldn't hear my lecturer), and I realised that I can also use the silicone ear tips, which is why they come in different sizes as well. Not sure why that didn't click at first.
I have slept with my Loops in. It was only for about two hours, but I've done it and they stayed in and didn't cause me any discomfort. I'm a side sleeper, too, so that's really important. It's safe to sleep with earplugs in, so don't worry about that. The only thing to really watch out for is earwax build-up. If you're using Loops/ earplugs 24/7, you'll likely get build-up, and that can cause irritation and other issues. Just make sure to take out your earplugs and give your ears a little clean (usually just an exterior wipe with a cloth soaked in warm water) if you're going to be wearing them really frequently. If your ears need a more thorough clean please, do not use cotton buds. Yes, they are bringing out some of the earwax, but for the most part they're just moving it about or pushing it further in. My mum used to use bobby pins in our ears, but they're not exactly safe, either. It gets more out, but it can still push stuff in and scratch up your ear. If you don't frequently use earplugs/ in-ear earphones/ buds, you generally don't really need to clean your ears, they tend to just clean themselves naturally. If you do need to clean your ears, though, you can either go to your doctor and get a flush (which is such an odd sensation and only needs to be done if you're having issues due to build-up), or you can use some warm water to loosen the wax and then tilt your head to the side to drain it out, which you can do in the shower. Chewing also helps move wax about in your ear, which is another reason why you don't really need to clean your ears unless you're using earplugs/ earphones/ buds regularly. As someone who prefers in-ear earphones/buds, and now uses earplugs, I do have to clean my ears once or twice a week. But I do also wear those earphones/buds for 8 hours a day, sometimes more. Anyway, the point is that you can absolutely sleep with your Loops in, it's safe and (for me, at least) pretty comfortable. I'm probably going to be doing this more often because I have a few upstairs neighbours that wear bricks as shoes.
Generally, I really like my Loops. I've not had too many chances to wear them, but the fact that I could watch the fireworks without getting scared and the fact that I can wear them in my flat and suddenly pretend like I don't have noisy neighbours is really awesome. I was a little silly and didn't realise I could just wear the silicone ear tips instead of using the foam ones all the time, but that's just me being unobservant. If you've used earplugs before, I highly recommend moving to these. They look nicer and are reuseable, unlike most foam earplugs. Plus, they're comfier. When I have my Loops in I can wear a pair of headphones and hear my music just fine (if muffled with the foam tips and mute add-ons in). My headphones are pretty noise resistant anyway, but when I have my Loops in as well I can legit only hear my music/ game/ whatever I'm listening to and it's bliss. I honestly give them five stars. -------TL:DR------- ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Don't buy the carry cord. If you want your Loops readily available, either put them on your lanyard (or buy one to put them on because lanyards are useful anyway), or put them on your reel clip.
If you've never worn earplugs before, be prepared to be told you're shouting, and for the fact you can hear a ringing noise and also maybe your heartbeat. If you can't deal with these, don't buy earplugs and just get in-ear earphones so you can quietly play music and negate these things.
The case is really small, so I really do recommend putting it on a lanyard or reel clip. It can hold the earplugs and mute add-ons fine, but you might not be able to carry both the silicone and foam ear tips in it (I'm not fully sure as I haven't tried).
The earplugs are really subtle, which is a very nice feature and means you don't have to worry about the colour outside of personal preference.
There's a lot of choice, but the carry cord only comes in one colour and it might be that you can't actually choose the colour of your case, because I got silver earplugs but a black case. You can't choose the colour of your mute add-ons or silicone ear tips and will have to buy the mute style pack or silicone ear tips + mute add-ons pack if you want to have something other than black or white. If you want these things and don't care about the colours, it's better to get the Pro/ Plus versions of your earplugs.
If you can't choose, there's a quiz at the top of the page, it's the "Help me choose" tab.
The silicone tips are comfier, and can be worn for longer, but the combination of the foam tips and mute add-ons really ups the noise reduction levels. I'd wear the foam tips for shorter periods of time, personally. The mute add-ons don't impact comfort.
You can safely sleep with your Loops in, just remember to clean your ears if you're using them really frequently. Do this with a bit of warm water, do not use cotton buds. And that's my review!