I was worried that I was going to break them by opening the cuffs too wide but they are sturdy enough and I didn't need to open them more than 1/4th of an inch to slip them on my ear. The hardest part was determining how tight to make the cuffs so that they don't fall; I had to loosen them the first day I wore them because I put them on too tight and made my ear sore. After I adjusted the size, I was a lot more comfortable and they did not fall at all. I also tuck my hair behind my ears a lot throughout the day and the cuffs never budged! I just wish that there were more sizes available!