Electronic Ear Muffs

[Azrial 1,091]

I hate to reinvent the wheel, so has anyone seen any serious research done on the various brands of Electronic Ear Muffs? I am looking for both noise suppression and durability. I saw a Peltor pair the other day that seemed like a Cadillac, with built in Bluetooth, but at over $350.... pricey. They need to stand up to rough usage, but it would be helpful of course to be able to hear the Student speak.

 

I would also love to hear of any real experience with non-eletronic muffs that some of you may be using for training and rental. These see rough usage, as the people using them will see them as disposable, to them anyway. Thanks, but plugs are not a viable option here.

 

If you are an end user that just wants to report good indiviual service from an particular brand/model, that is fine too. Thanks!

Edited October 27, 2010 by Azrial

[yakdung 2,926]

I own a dead pair of Peltor 6S electronic muffs. Worked great for about six months and then one of the circuits went out in one of the ears. Tossed them on the work bench and haven't touched them since. I paid around $75.00 for them. I'm now using Howard Leight Leightning L3 Hearing Muffs non electronic (also double plug with bubble gum foam). Inexpensive good protection.

 

Peltor 6S:

 

My next pair are going to be something along these lines:

 

Good luck on your choice and hope this helps you,

Yakdung

Edited October 27, 2010 by yakdung

[TacSat 90]

I used the peltor pro 7's for about a year.Excellent quality great for the first 2 months. Background on use Industrial with radio plugged in for communication. First the cord to UHF radio went bad. So i hard wired. Then because of sweat once or week or so i had to blow out with air to get to work, and pull out the foam to clean and dry. yes the circuit boards are coated to keep water out. but sweat from your body is acidic and does eat through. The best solution peltor could give me was a Hygiene kit that was 16 bucks and would need to be changed on a weekly basis. So yes they were great just not very durable for day to day use in an industrial environment. If your use is hunting or the range they are very good. the adjustable volume for for sound is very good. plus the ability to use with two way commo a plus. the auto silence on the mics when it heres a anything over 86db great. I have tried others in the end i went back to ear plugs cost not worth it.

[gpqueen 545]

I have owned many different brands of electronic muffs over the years. Mostly Peltor. They last for a few months and then one or both of the circuits cut out.

I now only use the Howard Leight and they are the most comfortable and work perfect. They are also not bulky to get in the way for shooting shotguns. I like them so much I carry them for sale now.

http://store.carolinashooterssupply.com/servlet/-strse-666/Howard-Leight-Impact%E2%84%A2-Sport/Detail

[TR Young 175]

I use the same Howard Leight muffs that Greg posted above. I really like them and would recommend them to anyone. They are very thin and very light, and the amplification is fantastic, as well as the noise cancellation. Best of all, they are under $60.

[kyhelo 5]

Believe it or not, I bought a set from Harbor Freight several years ago (more like five or six years) just to see how well it worked. I had gotten tired of always having to lift up the regular 'ears' to hear any conversation and range instructions. The set was on sale for less than $20. Worked so well I went and bought two more, one for the wife and another for a spare. The original is still working great. With normal shooting (.45, .44 Mag pistols, 5.56 and 7.62 rifles, no really big boomers), the set works great, are comfy, and the noise cutoff works well. The amplification on the mic is adjustable, so if the range instructor is at the far end of the line, I can still hear him.

[ChileRelleno 7,071]

I have owned many different brands of electronic muffs over the years. Mostly Peltor. They last for a few months and then one or both of the circuits cut out.

I now only use the Howard Leight and they are the most comfortable and work perfect. They are also not bulky to get in the way for shooting shotguns. I like them so much I carry them for sale now.

http://store.carolin...A2-Sport/Detail

I use these too and they are a great bang for your $.

I was happy enough with'em to write a review on another firearms forum.

Finally got to the range with my new Howard Leight Impact Sport electronic earmuffs.

 

My wife actually got to use'em first during her 'Level 1 Pistol Course'.

She doesn't know enough to really comment other than, "They worked." \

.............................................................

 

Pros

Very Comfortable

Lightweight

Good volume control & easy to use

Excellent sound amplification

Excellent sound dampening

Slim profile did not affect my cheek weld

 

Without plugs,

I could hear people talking 100' away like they were next to me... These things are great for eavesdropping

The sound of shots were very effectively cut out, and the noise reduction was significantly better than plugs alone.

 

With plugs,

conversation at any distance was like it was unamplified.

Overall noise reduction was fantastic with plugs/muffs combined.

..................................................

 

Cons

Picks up a little wind noise.

Will be hot during summer months. ETA: Used'em thru the summer and they weren't too hot.

..................................................

 

100% satisfied

Edited October 28, 2010 by ChileRelleno

[22_Shooter 1,560]

I have owned many different brands of electronic muffs over the years. Mostly Peltor. They last for a few months and then one or both of the circuits cut out.

I now only use the Howard Leight and they are the most comfortable and work perfect. They are also not bulky to get in the way for shooting shotguns. I like them so much I carry them for sale now.

http://store.carolinashooterssupply.com/servlet/-strse-666/Howard-Leight-Impact%E2%84%A2-Sport/Detail

 

+1. Heard lots of great things.

[Azrial 1,091]

Thanks guys, a lot of useful information here. There also a ton of information on the Internet, much of it conflicting, on this! This 'they worked great and then in 6 months" one or both the circuit boards went bad seems a common story with the Peltors. They seem to make everything from low cost earmuff for very occasional shooter to very expensive models suitable for the most demanding heavy duty applications. Hopefully I will get enough information to make a report back to the group. It looks like we are going to be buying some before we know on which to standardize!

 

I am thinking that a mic would be nice, if I could hook it to an old HT600 or an MT1000 I could program the radio on my wireless mic frequency and address the whole line through the PA system if I hit the PTT! That would be nice! I also like the Bluetooth feature of some of them, I need that connectivity with my phone, even when working on the range.

Edited October 29, 2010 by Azrial

[yakdung 2,926]

Azrial, I think it is important to find a company or vendor that will stand behind their product. With all of the cheap

crap on the market these days, I believe this is very important.

 

Good luck and be safe,

Yakdung

[Old18C 4]

I have a pair of Pro-Ears I wore in Afghanistan for 13 months in 2007 & 8 and they are still going strong. I had to get the shotgun muffs and turn the ear covers upside down to get the switches out of the way of my helmet but they fit. With the sound pick ups in the center they work great.

 

Pro Ears

 

 

Edited October 28, 2010 by Arch

[mirceaiclozan 33]

I hate to reinvent the wheel, so has anyone seen any serious research done on the various brands of Electronic Ear Muffs? I am looking for both noise suppression and durability. I saw a Peltor pair the other day that seemed like a Cadillac, with built in Bluetooth, but at over $350.... pricey. They need to stand up to rough usage, but it would be helpful of course to be able to hear the Student speak.

 

I would also love to hear of any real experience with non-eletronic muffs that some of you may be using for training and rental. These see rough usage, as the people using them will see them as disposable, to them anyway. Thanks, but plugs are not a viable option here.

 

If you are an end user that just wants to report good indiviual service from an particular brand/model, that is fine too. Thanks!

 

For 6...7 months (my whole "gun owner" experience) I used the "Howard Leight": low profile, sufficient attenuation/amplification. No problems to report.

I like them (in fact I bought another 2 pairs). They also have a mp3 player input.

 

At the time I bought them, CSS wasn't selling them...

 

I would still buy from CSS - Greg is one hell of a guy!

 

... Amazon sells them for $10 cheaper

Edited October 30, 2010 by Wolverine
Posting non-business member site link

[ChileRelleno 7,071]

For 6...7 months (my whole "gun owner" experience) I used the "Howard Leight": low profile, sufficient attenuation/amplification. No problems to report.

I like them (in fact I bought another 2 pairs). They also have a mp3 player input.

 

At the time I bought them, CSS wasn't selling them...

 

I would still buy from CSS - Greg is one hell of a guy!

 

... Amazon sells them for $10 cheaper

Then why do you immediately shit on Greg/CSS by linking a Non Business Member who is competing with him to sell the same product? Edited October 30, 2010 by Wolverine
Deleting non-business member site link

[yakdung 2,926]

I would caution you on Amazon. I just purchased a 3 1/2 HP wood router and when it arrived it appeared to be a returned item. The damn thing had wood chips in the box. I boxed it up and called for another and when the second one arrived, it was a little better then the first one but the parts were loose in the box flying all around. I just decided to keep this one due to all of the hassle and frustration involved. I'm very selective now when using Amazon. It is unfortunate because I use to purchase a ton of stuff from these people. Due us all a favor and purchase products and services from vendors on the Saiga Forum as it greases the wheels and keeps this forums lights on.

 

Good luck and be safe,

Yakdung

Edited October 30, 2010 by yakdung

[Rockina 60]

Do yourself a favor and buy from CSS, I promise you won't regret it !!!

[csspecs 1,987]

I have a pair of ryobi muffs.... I got them in a package deal for cheap, my brother bought the same ones.

They are to bulky for shooting many rifles. But they are ok for shop use, I find them annoying as my ears won't totally fit within the padding.

 

 

Greg will probably see an order from me at some point. Are the Howard Leight muffs ok for those of us with big ears?