Electronic Ear Muffs

[Malleus Dei]

I would appreciate any suggestions / advice on electronic ear muffs. Likes / dislikes. My current peltor (non-electronic) bottom out on my stock. Thanks in advance!

[Stickman]

One of the things that myself, and a bunch of other instructors I work with will do is use a foam earplug in the shooting ear when doing riflework (in addition to the ear muffs). This way when your hearing protection breaks its seal around your ears, you are good to go. I do this while wearing amplified hearing protection or standard ear muffs.

Peltor makes a few different low profile versions that work under helmets, and aid in a decent cheek weld without popping your seal.

[Custom-X_Sponjah]

I use the Peltor Tac 6s'
Been good to me through plenty of rounds down range.







CXS

[Cohibra45]

The ones I have are Pro Ears with the slant cut for mounting rifles/shotguns. They work great and like Stick, I too use plugs as double protection. I already have tinnitus from shooting a lot when I was younger without protection and from working at an electrical power plant as an operator.

Can't wait until the next huge class action suit happens to the 'thumper' generation when they say they didn't know that loud noise would hurt their ears!!!!

[tac40]

I use the Surefire ear protection when not using a Peltor Tac6 at range training. I have also been issued a custom built headset. A few of my co-workers and Special Forces guys I know use Sordin, they work like Peltor.
Bottom line is cost. For me the Surefire works great, in real world, I may not always have my Peltors, but the Surefire are in a small case that fits in my shirt pocket. Good luck with your pick.

http://www.surefire.com/maxexp/main/...ssupandreg-sup

http://www.tacticalcommand.com/indexa.html

http://www.sordinearmuffs.com/

[Malleus Dei]

Appreciate all the responses. It help steer me in the right direction. I ended up purchasing the Peltor Sport tactical as it was in my price range and offered a little higher NRR of 20 vs. the Tac 6's 19. Its equipped with the cut outs on the lower portions of the muffs as well as a few other features.

Thank you!

[.22Three]

I use regular ear muffs and foam plugs. The double up of ear protection really helps.

[sdcromer]

Peltor TAC6's are cheaply made. There is nothing between the electronics and your sweat but a thin piece of foam . I've got a pair that is only 3 months old and the left side is already kaput from moisture on the printed circuit board.

I recommend these from Howard Leight:



$60 at Cabelas.

[Arms_Reach]

I have two areas of concern/questions pertaining to Electronic Headsets:

-I would like to know if anyone can speak to the battery life on any of these units.

-Also, Would they allow speech to come through during sustained ambient sound in general?

This thread is of special interest to me as I own a small construction company. I encourage, but
don't necessarily enforce the use of hearing protection on the job. I would consider purchasing
multiple units for my employees (two of witch are shooters) if I believe the headsets to be beneficial
to work as well. This would mean roughly 40-50 hrs/week runtime in conditions that will demand more
ruggedness than the range would require.

I am not trying to steer the discussion away from the gun/range environment.
I feel these questions have parallel relevance/importance within my shooting hobby.

Thanks in advance,

-ARMS

BTW: Thanks, sdcromer for the recommendation. I went ahead and ordered a pair this evening. This will be a less expensive trial for me.

[Omega_556]

I had a pair Pro Ears and I liked them too, up until they gave up the ghost.

I now have the Peltor Swat TAC II electronic muffs, and I absolutely love them. The electronic gain is loud enough that I can hear well with ear plugs in, and have the piece of mind that I'm protecting my hearing. I have no problems with them breaking the seal shooting carbines.


Stock Photo from Peltor.com

[Army Chief]

I don't know that I would consider the SureFire's a replacement for muffs to any great extent, but I too have found them to be an extremely effective expedient, whether used alone, or in conjunction with a headset. They are definitely worth the price of admission, and I've pretty much shelved most of my foam alternatives. (Keep in mind here that I consider this a pretty strong endorsement, as I've been dealing with earplug/headset combinations for my entire adult life as a helicopter pilot.)

My only direct experience with shooting headsets is with Sordin products, and I see no benefit in looking elsewhere, as they have met my needs extremely well.

AC

[JustMatt]

I ended up purchasing the Peltor Sport tactical as it was in my price range and offered a little higher NRR of 20 vs. the Tac 6's 19. Its equipped with the cut outs on the lower portions of the muffs as well as a few other features.

I got the same Peltor's a few weeks ago and they seem to work just fine. I also have the Surefire plugs and there is def more protection with the Peltor's than plugs alone. I like the idea of using a plug in my shooting ear though like Stickman said, gonna try that next time I go shooting.

[lmmmmm]

I use Sordin's.

And I hear conversations I dont want to hear from people nearby!

[SERT103]

Peltor TAC6's are cheaply made. There is nothing between the electronics and your sweat but a thin piece of foam . I've got a pair that is only 3 months old and the left side is already kaput from moisture on the printed circuit board.

I recommend these from Howard Leight:



$60 at Cabelas.

I too would like to try those. I had the same experience with the Tac 6's. The left ear would fuzz and crackle and then both just died. Plus I found that they were difficult to replace the batteries and just overall felt cheap.

[Teufeldog]

Those Howard Leight sets look to be a deal. I'll have to pick some up the next time I'm at Cabela's. Thanks for the heads up on those.