Electronic Hearing Protection

[esrice]

Who here uses some type of electronic muffs? Having a shooting class coming up I think this would be a good investment.

What type do you have?

How much were they?

What are the pros/cons?

Thanks!

[cougar_guy04]

What type do you have? Peltor Tactical 6S

How much were they? Got them on sale at MidwayUSA for $60

What are the pros/cons? Pros are that I'm able to converse without yelling when I'm at the range, they're comfortable (for me), and that they were the right price at the right time. Cons are some weaknesses in the circuitry. From what I've been told, the boards are sensitive to moisture and will corrode and eventually, fail. From what I've read, Peltor knows about this but doesn't really want to do much about it.

Another option to look into is the Howard Leight Impact Sport ear muffs (I think they can be found cheaper than they are at Midway). Some people have used them and say they're top notch. If my Peltors go T.U., I'll look into replacing them with these.

[Barry in IN]

Yes, it's a great thing to have in a class. One obvious plus is safety-related as you need to hear range commands over anything else. And the more people present, the greater chance of distracting noise.
But a great big plus is that I've learned a lot just from being able to hear the little corrections the instructors give to other students down the line. I may not have the problem under discussion that day, but might in the futiure, and want to know all about it.

I have a cheap pair of North electronic muffs that cost around $50. I've been using them for at least five years and had no trouble beyond battery replacement.
Keep plenty of spare batts around. Mine was dead this past weekend, and I had no spares. It was the first time I had been without it for a long time, and once without it- I really learned how much I liked it.

Disadvantages? I can't think of any. Older ones used to be rather bulky, so you would clunk them into long gun stocks and push them off your ears. But most are no more bulky than standard muffs now.

[jimbo-indy]

I have a pair of Peltor and a pair of Radians. Yes, the peltor is especially moisture sensative. After using on hot sweaty days, pop the ear cushions, dab up moisture droplets with kleenex and leave open overnight to dry out. No problems when you do this. The Radians have more amplification. If you turn up the volume, it's like you have superman hearing. Peltor is OK but you need to turn them up high for normal use. Both offer about 20 dB sound deadening. Top quality non-amplified muffs give around 30 dB protection. The electronics are fine for typical pistol shooting. Use the big, non-amplified muffs for magnum pistol and rifle. There are some high end electronics form Europe that as really fine. They don't clip off the sound, just stop the loud peaks. You can converse normally while someone next to you is shooting without loosing parts of the conversation. These are high $, lie $300+

[BrownDog]

Originally Posted by Barry in IN

Yes, it's a great thing to have in a class. One obvious plus is safety-related as you need to hear range commands over anything else. And the more people present, the greater chance of distracting noise.
But a great big plus is that I've learned a lot just from being able to hear the little corrections the instructors give to other students down the line. I may not have the problem under discussion that day, but might in the futiure, and want to know all about it.

I have a cheap pair of North electronic muffs that cost around $50. I've been using them for at least five years and had no trouble beyond battery replacement.
Keep plenty of spare batts around. Mine was dead this past weekend, and I had no spares. It was the first time I had been without it for a long time, and once without it- I really learned how much I liked it.

Disadvantages? I can't think of any. Older ones used to be rather bulky, so you would clunk them into long gun stocks and push them off your ears. But most are no more bulky than standard muffs now.

I have the Peltor 6S. I got it fom Dillon Precision about 10 years ago and still working well. I use these disposable ear muff pads I get from Graingers, Grainger Industrial Supply: Ear Muff Pad,Pr,Pk5 6AV10
They work well, especially on hot days and 2.50 for 5 pairs is a good buy for me.

[rhino]

I have Peltor Tac 6S and a pair of Radians. The Radians are better in just about every way. When I got them, they were about $25 less than the best price on the Peltors. I can barely hear things with the Peltors (and I have very sensitive hearing), but with the Radians I can turn the volume up high enough to rival the freakin' bionic woman. Sweat doesn't affect the electronics, because the battery access is external, not through the inside of the ear cup. And did I mention that battery access is external?

I won't buy another pair of Peltors. I'd gladly get a another set of the Radians. I got mine either from CDNN or maybe Cheaper Than Dirt??

[Fenway]

What model do you have?

Protective Gear, Hearing Protection, Safety Glasses by Radians

Originally Posted by rhino

I have Peltor Tac 6S and a pair of Radians. The Radians are better in just about every way. When I got them, they were about $25 less than the best price on the Peltors. I can barely hear things with the Peltors (and I have very sensitive hearing), but with the Radians I can turn the volume up high enough to rival the freakin' bionic woman. Sweat doesn't affect the electronics, because the battery access is external, not through the inside of the ear cup. And did I mention that battery access is external?

I won't buy another pair of Peltors. I'd gladly get a another set of the Radians. I got mine either from CDNN or maybe Cheaper Than Dirt??

[rhino]

I have these: Radians ProAmp

If they're not what Dillon sells with their own label, they're virtually identical (I had the Dillons before but I wore them out).

[jmb79]

I had Peltor Tac 6s for a couple of years but didn't care for them. They clipped out a lot making conversation difficult and I found them less comfortable than other models. They finally crapped out and stopped working all together but that may have had something to do with the fact that I threw them against a cement wall (ooops!).

Anyway, that gave me agood excuse to purchase MSA/Sordin Supreme Pro X muffs for me and my wife. This product really rocks. Absolutely no clipping of speach and other sounds even while others are shooting. The amplifcation is amazing powerful and static free. Their shape is cheek weld friendly and they are completely water proof.

No cheap but worth every penny. My wife even told me she enjoys shooting more because of the MSA/Sordin ear muffs.

Here's where I purchased them: Triad Tactical, Inc.

[epsylum]

Originally Posted by jmb79

I had Peltor Tac 6s for a couple of years but didn't care for them. They clipped out a lot making conversation difficult and I found them less comfortable than other models. They finally crapped out and stopped working all together but that may have had something to do with the fact that I threw them against a cement wall (ooops!).

Anyway, that gave me agood excuse to purchase MSA/Sordin Supreme Pro X muffs for me and my wife. This product really rocks. Absolutely no clipping of speach and other sounds even while others are shooting. The amplifcation is amazing powerful and static free. Their shape is cheek weld friendly and they are completely water proof.

No cheap but worth every penny. My wife even told me she enjoys shooting more because of the MSA/Sordin ear muffs.

Here's where I purchased them: Triad Tactical, Inc.

I second this. I love my Supreme Pro-Xs as well. I also had Peltors and hated them. Mine crapped out as they would collect moisture in the ear cups causing the non-protected electronics to short out. This also happens to someone else I know who has the exact same model. They also didn't protect very well. I would leave the range with my ears slightly ringing. Lastly, they were very quiet. I had to have mine at full blast all the time. Anything less and I couldn't hear (defeating the purpose of electronic muffs IMO).

I also have the Radians Pro-amps and they are decent. They suck batteries down (3 per ear) and they clip pretty badly, but they are nice and loud (I never had a need to go past the just barely on setting, ever) and pretty comfortable. They also don't short out like the stupid Peltors.

So of the 3 I have had, I would rate them as:

Sordin Supreme Pro-X - A+
Radians Pro-amp - C
Peltor Tac-6 - D- (not an F because they were still better than nothing).

I have since upgraded my Sordins with the gel ear seals and those little fabric covers from Brownells. They are super comfy all day and even keep my ears warm in cold weather now. With the audio input and the FM radio tuner on my MP3 player, I can even listen to Colts games or music while at the range. I got the cell phone adapter, but it doesn't quite work with my phone as when it is plugged in, it expects my earmuffs to have a mic (as it thinks it is a hands free headset) and turns the phone's mic off. So I can hear, but can't talk.