Flents PROTECHS Quiet Please Foam Earplugs Review – New, Improved, And Unusable

The new version of the Flents PROTECHS Quiet Please Foam earplugs, advertised as “Now SOFTER for more comfort!”, has essentially nothing in common with the long-established, trusted version. They are problematic for many regulars and consumers should be warned. Fortunately, alternatives exist.

Introduction

Noise is unwanted sound. Noise annoys. We all have some kind of noise sensitivity, be it your neighbour’s leaf blower, lawnmower, or Harley Davidson, the snoring partner next to you, or the hot tub and air conditioner by your bedroom window. Some of us are exposed to industrial noise at work, for example at a construction site. Others are sensitive to loud concerts.

We have different options to minimize or block noise. For example, we can deploy noise-cancelling earphones and headphones, with or without music. But these need battery power and frequent recharges – and they may be bulky — and therefore useless for sleeping. The simplest way to achieve effective noise insulation is therefore achieved just by blocking the ear canals mechanically.

The old Greeks stuffed anything that fit into their ears: beeswax, wool, cotton etc. But it was not until 1907, when German company Ohropax (“ear peace”) released the first commercial earplugs, just in time for WWI. These were only moderately comfortable and it took until the 1960s for the first mouldable silicon earplugs to provide relief.

The designs further advanced with the invention of memory foam earplugs, which first appeared in 1972. Memory foam appears to be the most comfortable, optimally moulding, and best sound absorbing material to this date.

Flents adopted the memory foam idea in their Quiet Please earplugs, which had been produced unaltered back to at least the early 1980s, possibly earlier. The Quiet Please have attracted a huge following since then – and many people have relied on them for decades. The perfect product, it seemed. Made in USA.

But, recently, the company changed suppliers (now in Taiwan). While they kept name and colour of the product, the box now sports the banner “New SOFTER for more comfort!”

In reality, the product was swapped out completely: the new version has nothing in common in terms of dimensions and material properties. As a fallout, haptic, fit, comfort, and noise blocking capabilities have changed, resulting in dissatisfied regular customers.

In this article, I will summarize the problems, reported by others and experienced myself, and look at some alternatives.

Specifications Flents PROTECHS Quiet Please Earplugs

Switching Suppliers — Consequences For the Users

The original Flents Quiet Time earplugs, used by many regulars for decades, were made of porous memory foam. The earpieces were compressed and inserted into the ear canal where they expanded slowly to optimally fill them. Their porosity minimized the pressure against the ear canals (while maximizing noise blockage) and made them breathable. They felt comfortable to my ears. An excellent, very popular product. And rightly so.

Flents did not produce these earplugs themselves but relied on an external US supplier, which stopped producing them recently. The company chose a new supplier in Taiwan, which could have been a good choice. After all, the famous SpinFit silicone eartips for in-ear monitors come from there.

However changing the supplier also changed the complete earplug design: the new version under the old name is a completely different product. Regular subscribers feel betrayed and vented in their recent reviews on amazon.com and amazon.ca.

So what went wrong? Let’s have a good look.

When looking at the above images you recognize the following: the original Quiet Please were thicker, shorter, and more porous. The new version is slimmer, longer, and has this dense, greasy, slippery, waxy surface. They are certainly not the same!

What you don’t get from the photos is that the new version is much softer between your fingers, much harder in your ear canals, and it extends much faster. It is very difficult to insert them into my ears and achieve a decent seal. That stems partly from the slimmer shape and partly from the strangely soft consistency.

Once in, the new, denser Quiet Please have more pressure points, they don’t breathe, and they don’t seal properly. They irritate my ears and tend to fall out by themselves during sleep. In comparison, the originals are heavenly comfy and seal very well.

My observations are consistent with the current amazon reviews (September 2023). There, customers report a slick, greasy plastic feel and miss the original porous foam. They further complain about poor expansion capabilities, poor fit, lack of wearing comfort, and that they are falling out. According to many, the new version does not block noise effectively anymore.

But most of all users report dry and itchy ears, irritation, rashes, burning sensation, inflammation, and pain. O dear. I can confirm that these rubber moulds act like squeegees on my ear canals, particularly on hot, sweaty summer nights. Sore ears keeping us from sleeping at night – earplugs undermining their job? Not good.

Alternatives to Flents PROTECHS Quiet Please Earplugs

I tested Mack’s Thermafit Soft Foam Ear Plugs and 3M Classic. Both have approximately the same dimensions and very similar material properties to the original Quiet Please — and all, including the new version, have a 29 dB NRR. Both work very well for my ears in all aspects. I found Mack’s Thermafit very comfortable, optimally fitting, and well insulating. Could not be better.

Can’t say too much about my 3Ms as they are 9 years old and may have lost a bit of their inner tension and become somewhat brittle. They may have been designed primarily for jobsites. But the Mack’s cover the loss of the “old” Quiet Please seamlessly and completely as they have very similar dimensions and physical properties. It is no coincidence that Mack’s founders Ray and Cecilia Benner invented the mouldable silicone earplugs back in the early 1960s.

Concluding Remarks

The new version of the Flents PROTECHS Quiet Please is considered to be a dip in the mud by many – and could become a disaster for the company (if the faithful amazon.com and amazon.ca regulars have their way).

While currently still in denial, the company may have to find another supplier or at least resume production using the original recipe. Coca Cola is a textbook example of reversing such a glaring mistake with their oversugared “New Coke” back in 1985. Otherwise, their loyal customers will talk with their feet. In the meantime, the discerning users and disgruntled regulars may try Mack’s Thermafit, 3M Classic earplugs, or something similar. And perhaps do the Pepsi test.

I wish you a good night’s sleep!

Until next time…keep on listening!