It's no secret that I absolutely love my Qt Halo headset - unless I am wearing a parachute and helmet, you won't catch me flying my plane without it - so comfortable and convenient, with excellent hearing protection. The only "problem" that I have found is that the ear buds last me about three weeks before losing their resiliency and therefore their sealing and noise protection properties. Perhaps it's just that I put them on a good ten times a week that causes it.....
I settle on the yellow buds as my favorites, and traded with a few folks on the forums to get a few more and let the other styles I wouldn't be using end up in the hands of folks where they would be. The yellow buds are basically the standard foam ear plug with an attaching tube installed in the middle. I try and get as much use out of each pair as I can, but can tell a huge difference when I put a new pair in place - the loss of protection is gradual, and you only notice when there is a change. The QT web site does say that you can buy more, and in fact, when I was at Oshkosh this year, I stopped by their booth and told them I need some more, and why, and they gave me a dozen or so for free. They told me that they are normally 75 cents a pair, and that they be washed so I shouldn't need that many.
I finally had a handful of used one, and ran them through the wash, and while they came out clean, they still had lost their ability to expand properly, so rather than sink a lot of money into ordering a bunch, I decided that I should give a little DIY a try. (I can't expect them to keep handing me freebies at every airshow where I find them!) I happened to be standing at my workbench with a pair of yellow foam ear plugs in my hand, and some heat shrink lying in front of me. I drilled holes in the plugs, cut a couple of pieces of tubing, used a dab of super glue, and voila' - perfect duplicates! A quick trip to the airport and short flight confirmed that worked great.
The next stop was the internet, searching for "foam ear plugs". I found a supplier that sold them in any quantity that you want, and ordered a box of 200 pairs for $15. 3/32" heat shrink is four feet for a dollar at my local electronics house, so that was my next step. Super glue I have.
the manufacturing process is simple. Take a handful of ear plugs, and put them in a small cooler with some ice packs. chuck up a #43 drill in a Dremel tool - you need a really high speed to do this right. When the ear plugs are frozen hard, take them out one at a time, ad drill holes in the centers, from the end of the plug with the "skin". I found that clamping the Dremel in place and moving the foam worked best. Cut the heat shrink into 1.25" pieces. Slide a piece in each hole, put just a drop of super glue on the tube, and slide it into the foam so it is flush on one end.
Repeat for as many as you think you might want to have......
I've flown with my home-mades twice, and they seal great! I'll see how long they give good performance - hope they last as long as the QT ones - but even if they don't, they are only about $0.12 per pair, so i can change them much more often. there's something nice about a fresh set of ear buds - kind of like putting a new, sharp bit in your drill after a couple hundred holes....
I settle on the yellow buds as my favorites, and traded with a few folks on the forums to get a few more and let the other styles I wouldn't be using end up in the hands of folks where they would be. The yellow buds are basically the standard foam ear plug with an attaching tube installed in the middle. I try and get as much use out of each pair as I can, but can tell a huge difference when I put a new pair in place - the loss of protection is gradual, and you only notice when there is a change. The QT web site does say that you can buy more, and in fact, when I was at Oshkosh this year, I stopped by their booth and told them I need some more, and why, and they gave me a dozen or so for free. They told me that they are normally 75 cents a pair, and that they be washed so I shouldn't need that many.
I finally had a handful of used one, and ran them through the wash, and while they came out clean, they still had lost their ability to expand properly, so rather than sink a lot of money into ordering a bunch, I decided that I should give a little DIY a try. (I can't expect them to keep handing me freebies at every airshow where I find them!) I happened to be standing at my workbench with a pair of yellow foam ear plugs in my hand, and some heat shrink lying in front of me. I drilled holes in the plugs, cut a couple of pieces of tubing, used a dab of super glue, and voila' - perfect duplicates! A quick trip to the airport and short flight confirmed that worked great.
The next stop was the internet, searching for "foam ear plugs". I found a supplier that sold them in any quantity that you want, and ordered a box of 200 pairs for $15. 3/32" heat shrink is four feet for a dollar at my local electronics house, so that was my next step. Super glue I have.
the manufacturing process is simple. Take a handful of ear plugs, and put them in a small cooler with some ice packs. chuck up a #43 drill in a Dremel tool - you need a really high speed to do this right. When the ear plugs are frozen hard, take them out one at a time, ad drill holes in the centers, from the end of the plug with the "skin". I found that clamping the Dremel in place and moving the foam worked best. Cut the heat shrink into 1.25" pieces. Slide a piece in each hole, put just a drop of super glue on the tube, and slide it into the foam so it is flush on one end.
Repeat for as many as you think you might want to have......
I've flown with my home-mades twice, and they seal great! I'll see how long they give good performance - hope they last as long as the QT ones - but even if they don't, they are only about $0.12 per pair, so i can change them much more often. there's something nice about a fresh set of ear buds - kind of like putting a new, sharp bit in your drill after a couple hundred holes....