Are these things made out of the same material as Pinmoors?
I admit that I was a skeptic, but Pinmoors really do grip the pins (or needles) where the earplugs I tried did not.
The earplugs wouldn't stay on while I quilted and I ended up with loose earplugs and pins. Yes, they're more expensive than earplugs - earplugs are made in unbelieveable quantities with little associated R&D cost. The smaller the batch, the higher per-piece cost of manufacture.
The Pinmoors aren't in the way any more than safety pins - you have to stop and remove safety pins or tagging gun tags or basting stitches or Pinmoors and pins.
I'm not at all affiliated with Pinmoors or any earplug company, either. ;)