NAMM Show Giveaways - Mack’’s Earplugs
One of the best parts about attending conventions and trade shows is filling those free shopping bags full of free booth goodies. You know, those promotional items with the exhibitor’’s logo printed on it.
Well this year’’s NAMM show exhibitors had a wide range of freebies for the taking. Of course there were plenty of pens, matches, and keychains. That stuff usually ends up in a junk drawer or glove box. And there were also industry-appropriate items like guitar picks. But the best freebies are when the exhibitor gives away the actual product they are promoting. And if that product is earplugs, it’’s a very inexpensive and effective way to advertise.
That was the case with Mack’’s booth. Mack’’s Earplugs was giving away three of their best products and I took one of each. I”ll probably never actually use a branded keychain, but I will definitely use some free earplugs. So I was excited to try them out.
I can”t remember actually ever buying any earplugs. It always seems that someone gives me a pair or I just grab some out of a box. But after trying these, I will now be purchasing Mack’’s to throw in my toolbag.
As I mentioned, there were three different types of earplugs that Mack’’s was giving away. The first type I tried was Mack’’s Ultra SafeSound Soft Foam Earplugs. These were packaged in a simple square plastic bag and looked like typical foam earplugs. The package claimed a noise reduction rating of 32 decibels. After opening the package, I immediately noticed these “foam” earplugs were different than most. They definitely felt different as I rolled them in preperation to put into my ears. Once I place the earplugs in my ear canal, they slowly expanded to create a solid, yet comfortable seal. It is common to have to frequently adjust this type of simple foam earplugs, but these Mack’’s stayed in place and maintained a seal without any irritation or adjustment. I was already sold, but still had two more types to try.
The second type I tried were the Pillow Soft Earplugs. The box contained 2 pair and claimed to be “#1 Selling” as well as “Snore Proof” and “Water Proof”. The noise reduction rating for these were 22 decibels. Unlike common foam earplugs, these looked and felt just like a plug of silly putty. The directions on the box said to roll the plug into a ball and place the plug over the ear opening and flatten to form an airtight seal. It felt a little awkward flattening the ball of putty over my ear openings. I was very careful not to push the putty into my ear canal. I did take quite a bit of molding to create a tight seal, but once the plug was in place it did not move at all.
I didn”t give these Pillow Soft Earplugs a water test, but I could see how they might be useful in the pool. But other than in possibly a water-proofing situation, I can”t see any advantage over the simpler Ultra SafeSound Soft Foam Earplugs.
The third type of Mack’’s I tried was their High Fidelity Hear Plugs. These were the “high-end” type earplugs with a removable cord that can connect the two plugs and you can hang around your neck or tie onto a credential lanyard. They were packaged in a hard plastic carrying/storage case. These Hear Plugs claimed only 12 decibels of noise reduction, but they were very simple to insert and kept a solid seal. I could see using these to take the edge of the high end at a concert or to just reduce the ambient noise while still being able to communicate with others. And the removable cord does come in handy in lots of situations.
Overall, I was very glad I happend upon the Mack’’s booth and even more glad I snagged these earplug samples. Of the three types I tried, I really preferred the simple Soft Foam Earplugs. Although I don”t know what any of these models retail for, I have no doubt the foam ones are the cheapest. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for these Mack’’s Ultra Safe Sound Soft Foam Earplugs the next time I”m at a music store. I highly recommend getting some for your bag too.
Have you ever used Mack’’s Earplugs? What kind of earplugs are your favorite? What is the best freebie you”ve ever gotten at a trade show? Leave a comment and let me know.