Ear protection

[MoJo]

Good information, thanks!

[GeekwithaGun]

Just fyi.

Initially, bought a Peltor ear muff, electronic. This was the first generation, that did no dynamic range compression/expansion, but just momentarily shut off when the sounds surpassed the threshhold. They were great for hunting/home defense, since the amplification could be turned up high enough to hear bugs walking through the grass. They were useless at the range, since the ambient noise kept them shut off all of the time.

Then I replaced them with Pro Ears Dimension 2. These used the compression technology, and I have used them for several years. They also had an input for my iPod. They worked well, but the downside was they used unusual batteries (type N), did not have an automatic shut-off, and the battery compartment was inside the ear piece. If you wear them long enough, the sweat inside the ear piece will cause corrosion in the electronics/battery compartment. After several years of this, my electronics got "buzzy" (like a bee was trapped in the ear piece).

Recently replaced the Pro Ears with a set from MSA Sordin ProX. These use the compression technology, can be used (optionally) with Bluetooth, have the input for my iPod, use AAA batteries, the battery compartment is external and waterproof, and the electronics are waterproof. I got the neck style, so I could wear a full brim hat. I also got the gel-filled cups (fit better around glasses). I wore these for 5 hours saturday, and the comfort was fantastic. Too new to get a reliability report, but everything here seems to military grade, not consumer-plastic type. I did notice that when a song by the Stones comes on, I would shoot (IDPA match) faster and sloppy. When Al Martino/Perry Como came on, I was shooting more slowly and deliberately. % year warranty.

Could you post the the vendor and contact/web site info for where you purchased yours? I'm looking for a new pair - my cheap set from Academy are very uncomfortable and the battery life is terrible. Battery location is inside the ear muff, hard to get at.

[GeekwithaGun]

thanks

[gigag04]

MSA/Sordin are the way to go if one has the money.

I also have set of custom molded plugs I enjoy.

[Scott in Houston]

Could you post the the vendor and contact/web site info for where you purchased yours? I'm looking for a new pair - my cheap set from Academy are very uncomfortable and the battery life is terrible. Battery location is inside the ear muff, hard to get at.

Which "cheap" ones from Academy?

I've noticed Academy sells the Howard Leight ($59) that were recommended to me by another shooter at IDPA recently. I just bought them, but have not shot with them yet.

http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/store ... fs&Ntk=All" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Then there are the "Walker" ones... for $49:


And a cheap ($30) Radian (sp?) brand that are huge... would not be good for any weapon you have to shoulder.

[GeekwithaGun]

Which "cheap" ones from Academy?

Yeah, not sure the brand or anything, none that was pictured and it has been almost 3 years now. They are black and bulky. I don't think I paid more than $50 for them.

[Scott in Houston]

Probably these:



They're HUGE. $30.

Thanks. Just curious because I bought the Hower Leights and wanted to see if they were a 'good buy'.

[smoothoperator]

The Howard Leight Impacts are OK. They're not Peltors but I have no real complaints, especially for the price.

[10Shooter]

Could you post the the vendor and contact/web site info for where you purchased yours? I'm looking for a new pair - my cheap set from Academy are very uncomfortable and the battery life is terrible. Battery location is inside the ear muff, hard to get at.

Which "cheap" ones from Academy?

I've noticed Academy sells the Howard Leight ($59) that were recommended to me by another shooter at IDPA recently. I just bought them, but have not shot with them yet.

http://www.academy.com/webapp/wcs/store ... fs&Ntk=All" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I bought one for myself, then after using them, one for my son, then my father bought a set.
Price is reasonable, batteries last a long time. It has an auto shutdown feature after 4 hour I think.
Even has a plugin for an ipod, etc

[Scott in Houston]

Thanks for feedback. The only downside I can maybe foresee is that it seems like, at least on my head, the bottom of the cups aren't always flush with my face, leaving an opening. I have to really concentrate when putting them on to ensure there's no openings there.

My experiments at home with the sound enhancement are great. I was able to watch TV at a very low level, allowing my wife to read, while I watched college basketball. That is a real nice bonus to these things.

[Keith B]

With any sound amplification device it is basically a issue of you get what you pay for. The higher price usually means better construction, better audio quality and better sound dampening.

I have a set of the cheap electronic muffs mentioned above. They are made for many companies and just have a different color case on them, but you can tell they are all the same. I actually bought 5 sets of them from Harbor Freight a few years ago for $9.95 a piece. First off the fit is poor, so the basic muff doesn't properly cover the ear so external sounds can come through. Secondly, they are poorly insulated, so even if pushed down to cover they don't block as much external noise as they should. Lastly the recovery time on the sound cutoff to restoration is very slow on switching. When the sound cuts out it takes anywhere from 1-2 seconds for the sound to come back. On a busy range you end up being cut off all the time.

I have not tried the ~$60 Howard Leight set, but have heard form several that they are pretty decent on sound isolation and the switching time.

Personally, I have a set of Peltor Tactical Sport muffs that I love. Proper isolation of sound, and very fast switching. You actually don't even realize the shot has been muffled as you can't hear the transition between muted and not muted. I caught them on sale at Botach Tactical for $69 plus got another 15% off with a coupon, but they are regularly $99 http://www.botachtactical.com/petasphepr.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; If you watch Amazon, you may be able to find them cheaper from another supplier.

[Scott in Houston]

Good stuff, Keith.

I'm going to shoot today with my Howard Leight's, and will let you all know what I think.

As for the Peltors, they have more than one they label as "Tactical". These seemed to look the most attractive in case you're shooting a long gun that needs to be shouldered.
I found on Amazon for a 'decent' price. Not as good as the deal you got, but not bad.


" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Are these the same ones you have?

[Keith B]

Are these the same ones you have?

Yes they are same model. They also have a connection for an mp3 player, but the connector is a funky military or aviation one and you either have to order the connector from DigiKey or buy the Peltor cable which costs you half the price of the muffs. http://www.opticsplanet.net/peltor-exte ... -fl6n.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;