Electronic ear defenders

[No i deer]

Hi all.

I'm intrested in what ear defenders you using and which is best value for the money.

I've always used the ex army passive type and the type I use on the construction industry as ive been too tight too spend my hard earned on some when the others mentioned have been free 😁.

I find myself moving one cup away from my ear to be able to hear clearly what's being said....

The peltor sportac seem to be popular but pricey...

Thoughts please...

Atb No I deer  

[Stumpy]

Peltor sport tac, had a set for years and no problems at all! Try earshot communications, they were good to deal with and very reasonable prices 👍

[Stumpy]

https://www.earshotcommunications.co.uk/shop/product/3m-peltor-sporttac-mt16h210f-478-rd-red-black-eardefenders/

if you don’t want orange or black covers, a spare set of green ones are only a tenner

[Scotch_egg]

I’ve been in the same boat for quite some time. A lot of people like the Howard Light electronic as they are cheap. 
 

There is a difference in technology between cheap and expensive models. 
 

The cheap option clip the noise and cut off all noise so you will be in the same position as wearing passive protection when people are firing. 
 

The expensive option actually keep the microphone open but keep the sound hearing safe so you will be able to hear range commands over shots. 
 

I’m still to decide on a make/model. 

[lapua]

Msa sordins

[ds1]

For rifle I have a pair of MSA Sordin with gel pads. They sit well and don’t interfere with the cheek piece on the AI.

For pistol and carbine I have a pair of electronic peltors, they wok well and take a fair bit of abuse.

[No i deer]

Maybe Eberneezer Gould might have too splash out... Bah humbug 🎅.

I'd rather spend the money on bullets powder and primers 😁

[fizzbangwhallop]

I’ve got a pair of these on the go....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Honeywell-1018953-Howard-Leight-Defender/dp/B00D3FG2SS/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Honeywell+Impact+pro&qid=1573393775&s=sports&sr=1-1-catcorr

 

Half the price of some shooting based sellers taking the mickey! 

Following a thread over on SD, I’ve recently bought a pair of these eep-100’s from earshot (luckily just into stock but now on back-order again) 

https://www.earshotcommunications.co.uk/shop/product/3m-peltor-electronic-earplug-eep-100-eu/

The 3 sizes of the cupped eartips didn’t do much in the way of attenuation and the foam pair got uncomfortable after a while, so following the recommendation I’ve now bought some CENS Mino tips and they’re a lot more comfortable and easier to keep clean... bought from here as there’s no postage...

http://www.puretoneretail.net/mino_industrial.html#reload

SD thread...

https://www.thestalkingdirectory.co.uk/threads/electronic-earmuffs-fit.176014/

 

cheers

 

fizz

[Moorlander]

4 minutes ago, fizzbangwhallop said:

I’ve got a pair of these on the go....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Honeywell-1018953-Howard-Leight-Defender/dp/B00D3FG2SS/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Honeywell+Impact+pro&qid=1573393775&s=sports&sr=1-1-catcorr

 

Half the price of some shooting based sellers taking the mickey! 
 

cheers

 

fizz

Made in China.

[Popsbengo]

3 minutes ago, Moorlander said:

Made in China.

so what?  So's the Apple computer I'm typing on.

Replacing the ear pads every other year does make the Howard Leight one's work better and more comfortable (£9 for pads kit from Amazon)

[Re-Pete]

I evidently have a non-standard shaped head..................I've tried most conventional types, but found every one of them is dislodged slightly by the cheekrest.

So I splashed out on a pair of : https://www.earshotcommunications.co.uk/shop/product/3m-peltor-level-dependent-earplug-lep-200/

Wish I'd bought 'em years ago............they really are brilliant and can be worn under a beanie or a sombrero...........

Pete

[lapua]

Ear plugs don’t stop all of the damage, you need proper ear defenders with gel pads to protect the head behind the ear

[furrybean]

41 minutes ago, Re-Pete said:

I evidently have a non-standard shaped head..................I've tried most conventional types, but found every one of them is dislodged slightly by the cheekrest.

So I splashed out on a pair of : https://www.earshotcommunications.co.uk/shop/product/3m-peltor-level-dependent-earplug-lep-200/

Wish I'd bought 'em years ago............they really are brilliant and can be worn under a beanie or a sombrero...........

Pete

Ive got them and love them, the only issue is the battery life is crap. Ive got some Sordins and use the 3m for when Im shooting

[One on top of two]

Peltor sportac 👍

with foam ear plugs if the complete To55er next to me is using a muzzle brake!! 

[No i deer]

Easy that might be me 🤔..

Nowt wrong with muzzle brakes 👍

[One on top of two]

21 minutes ago, No i deer said:

Easy that might be me 🤔..

Nowt wrong with muzzle brakes 👍

There are no need for muzzle brakes , you can’t use  them in comps . So if your NOT the competitive type and your only shooting for fun / Practice use a sound mod .....

they work better than a brake !  and you get better MV ! 
 

if your practicing for a comp why use one 🤔😂

bit like fitting  a spoiler to a front  wheel drive car ......
 

[Chris-NZ]

3 hours ago, lapua said:

Ear plugs don’t stop all of the damage, you need proper ear defenders with gel pads to protect the head behind the ear

??  Pray tell

[One on top of two]

3 hours ago, lapua said:

Ear plugs don’t stop all of the damage, you need proper ear defenders with gel pads to protect the head behind the ear

 

3 hours ago, lapua said:

Ear plugs don’t stop all of the damage, you need proper ear defenders with gel pads to protect the head behind the ear

This is very true ! Ear plugs alone are ( to a point ) a waste of time , ear defenders are needed for max protection. 

[One on top of two]

4 minutes ago, Chris-NZ said:

??  Pray tell

I believe there is a small bone behind the ear drum ,  or something along those lines . That does not get covered with plugs , however ear defenders that encompass the whole ear and surrounding area behind the ear offer better protection. There is plenty of info on the web that has been available for years on this subject.

[No i deer]

You can shoot McQueens with a muzzle brake which is one of my favourite COF's and they look way better and perform better than any mod....

Ive used muzzle brakes for 9 or 10 years and much prefer them.

The noise/blast doesn't bother me unless it's from a 50 cal that is harsh 😆

[Mark II]

3m peltor sport tac work well and ear plugs don't give you full protection that's why we had to use over the ear protection at the airport. 

[Scotch_egg]

3 hours ago, Chris-NZ said:

??  Pray tell

Dammit I wanted to reply to this asking you to comment and you got there first!

 

please educate  the masses Chris  

 

there are some in ear I’m about to import but building myself up as I have short arms and deep pockets. 

[Re-Pete]

My LEP-200's will run for at least 5 hours charged from 3 x 1.7V Lithiums................

Pete

[Chris-NZ]

12 hours ago, One on top of two said:

I believe there is a small bone behind the ear drum ,  or something along those lines . That does not get covered with plugs , however ear defenders that encompass the whole ear and surrounding area behind the ear offer better protection. There is plenty of info on the web that has been available for years on this subject.

What I think you are alluding to is transmission by bone conduction. I can tell you that is a complete red herring. All damaging noise from small arms is delivered to the cochlea (inner ear) via air conduction, ie, down the ear canal then through the middle ear system to the cochlea. You simply need to sufficiently block sound energy from getting to the middle ear and the cochlea will not be exposed to damaging levels.

The two problems with plugs is that firstly, many users simply don't insert them properly/deeply enough. It amuses me to see shooters with 2/3 of a closed cell foam sticking out into their concha (ear bowl). You can stake your life on the plug giving very little protection if you see this.  In the case of custom-moulded plugs, the quality of the ear impression and post-impression processing can easily be poor, and you'll end up with a leaky plug. I've seen many "instant plugs" made at shows/ events/ fairs that are just plain pathetic in execution. Some I saw were downright scary- spotted a pair curing where the impression material had skirted the too-small cotton dam and had actually been pressing on the drum. This is one small step from disaster. The other risk is people who don't know what they're doing injecting down canals where they haven't the knowledge or illumination gear to see what's down there. Some people have badly necked canals which increase markedly in diameter further down. End result is a trapped impression that can't be removed other than by a surgeon under GA, and believe me, the surgeon won't thank you for being called in for that.

If you're in the market for custom plugs, either passive or electronic, please make sure you get someone with proper training and extensive experience to take the impressions. The end product is only as good as the impression, and you don't want your ear written off by an "accident" during impression taking.

I can't really comment on actual brands of electronic plugs as the vast majority are what we in the audiology profession call house brands, ie, built from relabelled and/or fairly generic chipsets/transducers. The requisite design feature is that the circuitry is able to respond fast enough to control the transient, and we're talking here of less than 3-4 milliseconds. This is far quicker than the main processing (full dynamic range syllabic compression) hearing aids use for their routine volume adjustments .

I have at least three different sets of custom electronic plugs but I had these made from expensive hearing aid amps, def not a commercial proposition..

[Re-Pete]

The Peltor LEP-200 comes with different sized removable/washable silicone inserts. These are well designed, and you trial them to get a good seal. No need to pour silicone rubber into your head.

I have to twist mine to break the seal at the end of a session, otherwise they have a sink plunger effect on the eardrum. Once in, they're very comfortable. I have been reminded on one occasion on the way to the cafe afterwards that I still have them in.................

They're claimed to give around 30dB attenuation. See here for full spec: https://www.3mpeltor.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/3M-PELTOR-LEP-200.pdf

Background noise/conversation is normal with just an audible crack when a rifle is fired. I'd recommend them to anyone who can tolerate earplugs.

Re battery life, I remove the AA's from mine once the plugs are charged, and then put them back in the day before a shoot.

Pete