Twenty pairs, ten weeks of clay and game shooting, and one that actually held up. Here’s the shortlist, and why the top pick wins.
See our #1 pick ›
Comfortable enough to forget you’re wearing them, priced right, and they tame the crack of a shot without cutting you off from the stand.
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A shotgun blast can top 150 dB, loud enough that a single stand without protection leaves your ears ringing. The trick is cutting the sharp crack of each shot without going deaf to the call for “pull” or whoever’s talking to you on the next peg.
That’s the balance we set out to test. Not the highest number on the box, but the pair you’ll actually keep in for a full day on the ground: comfortable, secure, and easy to hear around. Here’s how twenty of them stacked up.
Ear defenders are what most shooters reach for first, and they do work. They’re also hot under a cap, they foul your gun mount on a shotgun, and they knock against the stock. That’s why this list is in-ear only.
Electronic in-ear sets like the CENS ProFlex amplify quiet sound and clamp down on the shot. They work well, but you’re at £549 before the £50 ear impression, and they need charging. The rest of this list is passive: no battery, no electronics, noise reduced by fit alone. Because higher frequencies drop away first, the sharp report of a shot is softened while speech around you still comes through.
Tames the crack of a shot without cutting you off from the stand.
See our #1 pick ›After a comprehensive ten-week test, BOLLSEN WorkPRO came out on top for comfort and everyday practicality. Most testers found the noise reduction effective, and the plugs stayed put through recoil and movement without working loose.
90% said the crack of the shot was noticeably tamer, while the call for “pull” and conversation still came through.
These carry an SNR of 24 dB, tested to ISO 4869-2 by an independent institute (H=24, M=21, L=19). Like any passive earplug, higher frequencies are reduced the most — so the sharp report of a shot is softened while you still hear what’s around you.
The soft medical-grade silicone drew consistent praise: no heat build-up, itching or pressure points, even after a full day out. The low-profile shape sits flush, so nothing catches on a cap, eye protection or the stock when you mount the gun.
Reusable up to 100 uses and washable with mild soap — one pack lasted daily users around five to six months. Made in the EU, and backed by a 40-day money-back guarantee we tested ourselves: a used pair returned on day 35, refunded in full, no questions asked.
Five to six months from one pack — with 40 days to change your mind.
See our #1 pick ›The pair that seated flush under a mount and was still comfortable at the end of a full day, at a fraction of the electronic outlay.
| Scored on | WorkPRO | CENS | Surefire | Howard L. | AURITECH |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seats flush | ✓ | ✓ | ✗ | ✗ | ✗ |
| Comfortable over a full day | ✓ | ~ | ✗ | ~ | ~ |
| Rated noise reduction | ✓ | ~ | ~ | ~ | ✗ |
✓ met · ~ mixed · ✗ missed — scored on the pros and cons inside each card above; tap a card to open it.
See our #1 pick ›Every pair was bought at full retail. Testers scored fit, comfort over a full day, and how much each pair cut without shutting out the stand. Nothing here was supplied by a manufacturer.
TrustScore comparison · 7 September 2026
Trustpilot gives every company it lists a TrustScore out of 5 and a rating band. We looked up the branded reusable earplugs that appear in our tests. Only one of them reaches the top band, Excellent.
| Rank | Brand | TrustScore |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | BOLLSEN Hearing Protection | 4.3Excellent |
| 2 | Alpine Hearing Protection | 4.1Great |
| 3 | Flare Audio | 4.0Great |
| 4 | Loop Earplugs | 3.6Average |
Excellent starts at 4.3 on Trustpilot. A perfect 5.0 usually means a company has collected very few ratings, so one more review moves the score. BOLLSEN is the only brand here that reaches it, on a profile you can open and check yourself.
Method. TrustScores read from each brand’s public Trustpilot profile on 7 September 2026. Where a brand runs several country profiles, we used the one with the most reviews, so every row shows a global profile rather than a local one. Brands with fewer than 250 reviews are not shown. Star ratings are the ones Trustpilot displays, rounded to the nearest half star. Trustpilot bands: Excellent 4.3 to 5.0, Great 3.8 to 4.2, Average 3.0 to 3.7. Scores change as new reviews come in. Compiled independently by UK Consumer Review Company. Not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Trustpilot.
Yes. These bring the volume down rather than sealing you off, so range commands and a dog working stay audible. What comes off is the crack of the shot.
No. They sit flush in the canal with nothing protruding, which is the point on a shotgun stock. The Howard Leight pair is the bulky one here, and the Surefire outer ring stops the plug seating fully.
The CENS set starts at £549 plus around £50 for the ear impression, then an appointment and a wait before you can shoot. It fits superbly and amplifies quiet sound between shots, and if that is what you want, buy it. WorkPRO is a passive plug at a fraction of the outlay that testers actually kept in all day.
They are rated SNR 24 dB. The AURITECH pair here is 21 dB, and foam varies enormously with how well it is rolled. A passive plug takes the top end down most, which is where the crack of a shot sits.
That is the criterion most of the field failed. The Surefire pair got less comfortable over hours and foam works loose as the day goes on. No pressure points was the thing our testers kept mentioning.
There is a 40-day money-back guarantee, so you can judge it over real days out. If your ear canals are awkward, there is a version sized with AR KI TECH.
Wash them with mild soap, dry them, and put them back in the case. They are rated to 100 uses in medical-grade silicone.