Electronic ears, school me

[SuperSet]

I've had 2 of the Peltor 6Ss go bad on me so I just stick to the Howard Leights now. They're affordable and work good so grab a few.
Double up with plugs as they work even better. Plus, if you ever knock off your hearing, you still have plugs underneath.

[baranski]

Double up with foam and crank them up. I have Howard Leight, and they are inexpensive.
Indespensable in a pistol course. Very handy at the range. You can talk. Battery life is very good.

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Same here, I use custom silicone in ear plugs with the HL impact sports

[orangeusa]

Its useful if you have to use a walkie-talkie, like when you're working as a range safety officer. It lets you talk using your radio easily.

Learn something everyday. Thx.

[L84CABO]

Once you use electronic earmuffs you won't want to go back. HL Sports are the value play. Decent quality and very affordable at about $50.

From there you can spend up to $300 (give or take) for more expensive muffs, and up to $2000 + if you want a set of custom molded electronic plugs like ESP's, etc.

Money buys you better electronics...and smaller size as you move into the plugs. Many of the cheaper ones cut off when a loud noise (gun shot) happens. So if someone is talking while shots are happening, their conversation will be broken. More expensive muffs, like the Pro Ears Gold, don't do this. You can continue to hear the conversation through the gunshots.

Noise Reduction Ratings can be questionable. I have a set of Pro Ear Golds that were rated at 33 NRR but were far from it. They were so bad they were simply unusable. Several trips back to the factory resolved the issue.

Muffs work really well when you double up with plugs btw. You get better noise protection and you can crank the volume and hear conversations just fine.

[fritztkatt]

The intention was to use them with plugs. Not as a stand alone.

I have to wear double ears at work quite often, and the muffs we are given are junk. The plugs are good though. Indoor ranges, I wear double, regardless of policy if it's more than myself shooting 9mm or other people shooting.

Outside, I'm comfortable with just plugs, although away from the line, still within the eyes/ears area, that borderline, I'd like to carry on a conversation. It wouldn't hurt to wear double, especially the electronic outside.

Another use is when I run my chop saw or air compressor in the garage. Typically, again, plugs. But it of course gets annoying that I don't take them out and get lost in my own little world, or do take them out and then proceed to drop them in sawdust and/or oil... then go grab new ones and have to wait for them to expand before I can make another cut with the saw.

No way I'd wear something rated at 18-22db nrr alone for gun shots. In case tl/dr...

[orangeusa]

Mine go up to 11.

[AreWeFree]

Pro Ears Tac Plus Gold for $225, pretty good deal. http://www.amazon.com/Pro-Ears-Elect...o+ears+tac+pro

[SVenigma]

I have the Howard Leight Impact Sports and they are good for the money. I have a big head and found I have to be careful when putting them on. The wire can hang up on the headband and prevent proper adjustment of the ear cups and cause them to pull the bottom away from my head. The seal is also not very thick, so low profile glasses are a must. I also double up with plugs.