[jball1125]

Anyone recommend a pair of ear muffs that would be good enough to not have to double up with plugs? I really don't like to have plugs in my ears and for some reason I feel that I wont like the electronic muffs. I have heard more than one person say that the electronic muffs are hard to get used to and I would agree. The constant on off of sounds must be a bit annoying. I have been shooting indoors lately, this past weekend I rented a pair of the muffs at the range and some Guy decided to take out his 357, I thought it was going to be really loud but surprisingly, the muffs I rented were really good at keeping the sound down. I'm not sure what type of muffs they were but I know they were big and blue.

Any suggestions? Are the electronic one really annoying? I was looking at the Howard leights but would have to double up with those.

 

[log man]

Good electronics like Pro Ears are not annoying and give seamless hearing while blocking damaging volume. You can't detect the on/off/on. I have the gold model and while expensive they are much better than the $50 ones. I can even wear my hearing aids with them and hear the bullets hitting the steel plates now.:biglaugh:

LOG

 

[eljay45]

I've been using Pro Ears Dimension 1 muffs for several years. They are not annoying at all. I can't imagine ever going back to passive muffs.

I think the problem with any muff, passive or electronic is that they may not seal around your ear good enough to provide the best protection. That is why I wear Surefire Ear Pro plugs with my muffs.

Get the best you can afford, hearing loss is permanent.

 

[The Shootist]

I suggest any muff made by Pelator.

I have had years of good use from their electronic and passive muffs.

When shopping look to the measurement of decibel reduction. The higher that number the "quieter" the muff.

 

[JohnC]

I have the Peltor muffs and they are not annoying. You can always turn them off and use them as regular muffs. I only turn mine on for safety reasons when there are other folks on the range.

 

[Thorgrim]

When shopping look to the measurement of decibel reduction. The higher that number the "quieter" the muff.

Absolutely. Remember that decibel isn't a linear scale, it's exponential, so a muff that gives even a 2-3 greater dB reduction than another muff is likely to sound twice as quiet in comparison.

 

[jball1125]

Thanks everyone for the replies! I cant justify spending $200.00 on muffs right now. The only electronic ones that I have seen good reviews on and are about $60.00 are the Howard Leight sport impact model. Anyone have good reviews for this muff, or should I go with passive ones for now and save up to buy the pro ears later on???

Absolutely. Remember that decibel isn't a linear scale, it's exponential, so a muff that gives even a 2-3 greater dB reduction than another muff is likely to sound twice as quiet in comparison.

This is good info, I didnt know that.

 

[DirtyRod]

Thanks everyone for the replies! I cant justify spending $200.00 on muffs right now. The only electronic ones that I have seen good reviews on and are about $60.00 are the Howard Leight sport impact model. Anyone have good reviews for this muff, or should I go with passive ones for now and save up to buy the pro ears later on???

This is good info, I didnt know that.

Just sold my Impacts for a pair of Pro Ears Slim Golds (NRR 28). The Impacts are good med to low OUTDOOR range muffs with a rating of 22. My I had been using Peltor Ultimate 10s (33 NRR) and the difference between 33 and 22 is night and day. A guy had a shotgun one lane over and I had to check to make sure the Impacts were on correctly. My 45 was twice as loud to me as me as when I have my Peltors. Maybe I'm was just used to having a NRR of 33 but the next day my ears started ringing for a short period so I decided that it's not worth my hearing.

I suppose if I just did outdoor stuff they would probably be fine but I wouldn't go with the Impacts if you are shooting indoor or anything loud. For indoor or shotguns, rifles, etc, I would look for something with a higher rating than the Impacts. Hit the Pro Ears sight and watch the videos. They pretty much represent what you will get with Pro Ears and pretty accurately compares Pro Ears with others.

 

[L84CABO]

I have a pair of Pro Ears Gold and I must say that I've been pretty disappointed with them. They're rated at 33NR. The electronics are flawless but they fail miserably at doing the one thing they should above all else...block the noise. Ok...maybe not miserably but considering how much the cost...

I even sent them back to Pro Ears and they upgraded the circuit board and the foam. The most certainly are not 33NR's. Still have to wear plugs with them.

I do seem to be unique here as most people are quite satisfied with theirs.

 

[oldandslower]

jball, 9/4/10

I have had several sets of electronic muffs (Peltor 7s and a high end ProEars) but keep going back to my passive set of Remington muffs with a Noise Reduction Rating of 32 decibels. The Peltors died after a year and a half and I was unable to get any response from the factory to repair them. The ProEars headpiece tension is too slack and the muffs move around too much. The Remington's do a great job for my pistol or rifle work outdoors and the price was reasonable (about $30 if I remember correctly). I do use the electronic muffs if I am going to a training course, however, so I can better hear range commands.

best wishes- oldandslower

 

[RetiredRod]

Thanks everyone for the replies! The only electronic ones that I have seen good reviews on and are about $60.00 are the Howard Leight sport impact model. Anyone have good reviews for this muff, .............???

I have recently added a set of the Howard Leight electronic muffs to my range bag. Prior to that I was strictly a Peltor Tac-6 user. 3 or 4 of the guys I shoot with were using the H.L.'s and really liked them, so I decided to give them a try. I like them at least as much as the Tac-6's, and possibly more. Now I use the H.L.'s for my outdoor shooting, and my Tac-6's for indoor shooting with plugs underneath the muffs.

 

[40dcoe]

I've never been so lucky with muffs. I have several pairs, and none seem
to reduce noise levels as well as plugs. I see these muff ratings of 30+,
but I'm skeptical.

I use foam ear plugs and a pair of Dillon muffs. I'm more concerned
with protecting my hearing than with comfort.

Joe

 

[Horoscope Fish]

If you want some really good earmuffs I can't say enough about a pair of Peltor 10's or H10A's

Both are cheap (~$20), comfortable and very effective.

 

[Thorgrim]

If you want some really good earmuffs I can't say enough about a pair of Peltor 10's or H10A's

Both are cheap (~$20), comfortable and very effective.

I have a pair of the H10A Peltors that I use mowing, weedeating, and running a chainsaw. I haven't shot in them, but they are great. I forget just how good they are until I lift them to scratch my ear and break the seal.

 

[Colt M4 Carbine]

I have a pair of Howard Leight Leightning L3's that have a NRR 30 rating that I bought a few years back for $15. They work really well for shooting pistols, not so much for rifles as the ear pieces are quite large.

Start out with the low priced set but I would ultimately recommend getting a set of high quality electronic muffs with the indention in the ear piece to accomodate rifle shooting.

 

[Thorgrim]

This is good info, I didnt know that.

Actually, I oversimplified it, but the description I used gives a "seat of the pants" idea.

There's an entry on Wikipedia here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Decibel#Acoustics_2
that gives you the detailed calculations, with earmuffs the acoustic measurement is used. We used the "A" weighted measure (dBA) in mining to test all work locations for excessive, damaging noise. I no longer remember how to do the math, but I was just reading the meter when I did the testing anyway.

 

[Jim Watson]

After The Incident, I replaced my old Peltor electronics with Pro Ears Ultra 33 dB passives. The intent being to try the Pro passives and if I liked them, go up to their electronics. They seem not to be as quiet as my old Peltor Ultimate 10 30 dB, but better than the cheap sets in the 20s.

 

[FXWG]

I have a set of the Howard Leight's with the MP3 input.
I really love them. I am able to listen to music (at a low level),
while still being able to hold a conversation without having to yell.
If I was at an indoor range, I would probably leave them turned off.

 

[Frank G]

Great info fellas, thanks for sharing. I think HP may be something we underestimate the importance of.

Frank

 

[ambluemax]

You have to be careful though, some electric muffs won't reduce enough to bring the blast down to a safe level. My peltors are not enough indoors or with high-power rifles. Also, you can have awsome muffs but if your eye protection breaks the seal- its all for not.

Since I now have hearing damage at a very young age (b/c I'm dumb dumb dumb:grumble, I wear foam plugs underneith for anything except shotguns and 22's.