I work in a fabrication shop that is very loud so instead of wearing ear plugs, I wear in ear monitors with good enough isolation so that I can listen to YouTube while I work. A lot of people with a loud workplace probably do this, I assume.
I know that etymotics are divisive because of how deep they fit. I ordered a pair of ER2XR And if they don't work out for me, I can just return them to Amazon, but I figured I'd ask around ahead of time, for anybody who likes this brand and the way that they fit, and finds it comfortable, have you ever tried to wear them for the full length of a normal work shift? What was your experience with it? If it was uncomfortable at first, but you figured out a way to make it work, what did you do that helped? Basically what I'm looking for is any possible tips to help improve comfort to increase the likelihood that I can make them work for me.
Etymotics will beat top of the line ANC from Sony/Apple/Bose/etc.
For me only Comply P foam ear tips work (I've gone more than 12 hours or the whole day with Etymotics and Comply P foam ear tips, and without removing or reinserting it) but they're super expensive. Especially for you, it's likely you'll need to replace the 6 pairs or so every week since you're gonna sweating with work and such.
So do what I did: I just used the singleflange regular IEM ear tips instead. Like Spinfit CP155 (this needs several adapters, go through the links below on how to do so, or actually I'll just post it again).
Or just use Spinfit CP100+ and a few other ear tips that have that adapter/converter bundled when you buy them. As the Spinfit CP155 is an outlier and I only use it as it's basically the tallest/longest aftermarket ear tip and so it's good for that deep fit. And the CP155 was really made for IEMs that have super wide nozzles, so ya it needs like two or three adapters instead of just one, so that it doesn't get stuck in your ear or doesn't fall off the nozzle.
For the Spinfit CP155 with Etymotics, basically you get the adapters/converters for thin long nozzles like Etymotics, Shure, etc. from Spinfit CP100+ or Spinfit CP240, Final Audio E ear tips, AZLA SednaEarfit MAX Standard, et cetera. And then you use the core of a used foam ear tip (like say from NewBee foam ear tips), or an O-ring (from keyboards/etc.), and so on to make the Spinfit CP155 snug on the nozzle.
With those adapters/converters for thin long nozzles, you can use basically every aftermarket ear tip with Etymotics. Just keep in mind the length/height of the ear tip as if it's too short then the earwax/moisture/etc. will have an easier time clogging the filter/nozzle of your IEM. So it's better to always look at the dimensions/measurements/etc. of the ear tips before you buy them.
The dimensions/sizing/measurements/etc. for most ear tips these days will be on Amazon/AliExpress/HiFiGo/etc. Unfortunately you have to blind buy the ear tips in order to get a feel for the dimensions/measurement/etc. that you like for your ears. Remember, this will also change with different IEMs as they'll have different nozzle length, nozzle angle, and so on.
Anyway ya, the stock Etymotic tripleflange and doubleflange don't work for me. But Comply foam ear tips do. And same with the singleflange ear tips for more normal IEMs (those with wider nozzles) I mentioned above. Do note the sound changes in addition to the comfort/fit.
So ya basically get the Spinfit CP100+ or Spinfit CP240, Final Audio E ear tips, AZLA SednaEarfit MAX Standard, et cetera, and then use those adapters/converters with other IEMs/TWS earbuds ear tips to see which ones fit you well.
This comment talks about basically everything related to noise reduction, like Etymotics, ear tips, et cetera: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/17wy08i/92_db_average_for_2_years_how_fucked_am_i/k9lkx16/
Ear tips, noise reduction, comfortable IEMs and nozzles with small ears, et cetera: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/14uzhh8/ear_canal_stretched/jrbrpwy/
Here's a bit more info on ear tips (talks about narrow/wide bore ear tips, effects of sizes of ear tips, how to put ear tips on wide nozzles, et cetera): https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/10lly6d/how_to_make_sense_of_iem_tip_fit/j5xnyv2/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/13ms5gs/does_different_eartips_matter/jkwqi8p/
Use ear tips in the Small size so that you can shove the Etymotics real deep for better hearing health and noise reduction.
See here for a bit more info on smaller ear tips (Final Audio E, Sony EP-EX11, Radius Deep Mount, etc.): https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/xdqljz/azla_sednaearfit_max_vs_spinfit_w1_which_one/iod0gkl/
Comply foam ear tips and other noise reduction stuff: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/139efmf/are_mem_foam_eartips_all_equal_or_different/jj2bq04/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/HeadphoneAdvice/comments/1333n7o/comfortable_industrial_ear_tips/ji87kcu/
Moisture, condensation, humidity, tuning foams/filters meshes/et cetera with IEMs: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/1305hxz/i_got_the_tangzu_wan_er_and_left_side_dropped/jhvbmli/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/12lg8az/green_powder_on_moondrop_chu/jg7jwbf/
Etymotics, noise reduction, and PC gaming noises: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/14vcrof/actual_noise_cancelling_headphones/jrc9tzm/
Ear tips and cables for Etymotics: https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/11p4hej/er2se_with_hf5_eartips/jbwcfja/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/11mj73j/why_does_lunashops_er2se_cable_sound_worse_than/jbix1iq/ and https://www.reddit.com/r/headphones/comments/10i5ha8/7_unused_at_a_local_amazon_warehouse_store/j5dpuij/