Hearing Protection - Guidance Please!

[m98]

Help me understand something. The foam plugs that I buy from Home Depot have a NRR of 32, the earmuffs, these for example http://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight-.../dp/B001T7QJ9O have a NRR of 22. So the foam plugs from Home Depot actual provide better protection?

Yes most ear plugs will block out loud noises better than almost all elect earmuffs. The only advantage with the e muffs is when used in conjunction with ear plugs and be able to hear range commands or conversations or on some models you're abl to listen to the radio/mp3

[eqlzr]

I am wondering how many shooters have had a baseline audiogram, and then regularly over the years have had their hearing retested to monitor the efficacy of their hearing protection regimen. That would seem to be the about the only way to be sure of efficacy.

[pTa]

i want pink earmufs and see these are nrr of 22 should i use ear plugs as well?



is the 22 a db number?

[xrMike]

is the 22 a db number?

Yes. The higher the better. 22 is not bad for muffs.

[pTa]

ok, so muffs might be easier than plug but if youre going for LOUD then use both plug and mufs?

thanksyou

[Iknownot]

If it were my 2 cents, I'd go and visit a hearing doctor and have a custom set of plugs made up. They are much more comfortable to wear under muffs, fit right every time, and really cut down on the amount of hassle when dealing with longer shooting sessions.

Get the custom plugs made up and then buy a set of high quality ear muffs that fit your head and ears correctly so you have a good seal over your ears.

[Sky_DiveR]

....visit a hearing doctor and have a custom set of plugs made up....

About how much are those running for now? I was thinking of looking into that myself.

[Haket]

I'm looking for a good set myself, in the last 3weeks I've tried the following:

Peltor Tactical Pro: Fantastic quality and protection, unfortunately hated their size/bulkiness

Peltor 6S: Fit ok but the battery compartment is difficult to open and two sets of batteries needed. Very annoying. Returned them.

Howard Leight Impact Sport: I found them to be poor hearing protection, and I needed to wear earplugs under them. Back to Amazon.

The search continues.

[rabagley]

Howard Leight Impact Sport + cheap foamies all the way.

[Hopalong]

I'd say that pretty much anything and everything works.

The difference is ease of use, and price

And only you know those answers

[Sky_DiveR]

You can take a look at Howard Leight Impact Sport's and use earplugs (just turn the volume up). I know alot of folks do just that. I also have a pair of MSA Sordins but I double plug those also. At least both of those are compact enough to use with long guns

[emil77]

I received the Howard Leights I ordered from Amazon today, they seem to be a good fit. I am a bit confused with the features of the earmuff. How exactly should the speaker feature be used? With the earmuffs on, speaker off, I can hear things, but they are muffled. When I start turning the speakers up the sounds become clearer. At the range are you supposed to keep the speakers down or up in volume?

[Omega13device]

The speakers will amplify regular voices so you can clearly hear what people are saying, but they cut out for gunshots. That way you can hear people speaking without having to take off your muffs. The electronics are purely for amplifying regular sound and have nothing to do with noise reduction. The noise reduction is done by the earmuff itself.

[Yugo]

pick one @ http://www.sportsmansguide.com/net/s...ear+protection

[emil77]

The speakers will amplify regular voices so you can clearly hear what people are saying, but they cut out for gunshots. That way you can hear people speaking without having to take off your muffs. The electronics are purely for amplifying regular sound and have nothing to do with noise reduction. The noise reduction is done by the earmuff itself.

Great, thanks for the info!