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Electronic ear muffs
Kendahl:
It's time for me to buy some new ear muffs for hearing protection at the range. Over the weekend, I discovered that my 30-year-old, non-electronic muffs do a poor job of attenuating the sound of rifle shots. Simply holding the palms of my hands against my ears works better than my old muffs.
I have looked at everything on Cabela's web site. Brands are Beretta, Caldwell, Howard Leight Impact, Pro Ears, Radians, Walker's Game Ear and Cabela's house brand. Prices range from $35 to $300. Attenuation is about the same for all, 22 to 26 db, regardless of price. Paying more doesn't necessarily buy better attenuation. I did notice in the customer reviews that the cheaper models tend to suffer more failures out of the box and shorter time before failure.
Pro Ears tend to be expensive but they have one model, Revo Adult Electronic Muffs, for $70 that provide above average attenuation. Walker's Game Ear Alpha Compact Muffs provide somewhat less attenuation but are highly rated and cost $65. At the cheap end, there is Caldwell E-Max Low-Profile Muffs for $35. Menard's has the Caldwell muffs on sale for $20.
Does anyone have a particular favorite to recommend or a brand to avoid?
Mali:
I have a pair of Caldwells and a pair of Walker. I had a chance to try both out at the range this weekend because the batteries in the Caldwells died. Here is a brief overview:
Caldwell: Like the headband much better and the comfort of the ear cushion is nice. The battery area is on one ear and easily accessable. Has foam windscreens on the two microphones which are located on the front of the cans. Only one control for volume that controls both ears. Without the power on you don't hear much other than muffled voices and a .308 is noticable but not loud. There is a power light indicator that is lit when power is on.
Walker: Headband feels cheap and not as flexible as the Caldwell. No windscreens on the mics, which are located on the sides of the cans, but there are individual controls for each ear. No power indicator on the either ear if the amps are on. Ear cushions are are a little shallow and the foam inside is split to allow access to the battery area inside the headsets. Noise reduction was about the same as the Caldwells.
Both are nice although I have seen far more Caldwells on the range than Walkers. Personal preference is currently for the Caldwells. Prices were about the same.
RobertH:
I love my Howard Leight Impact. Lo profile and really good. Far better than my Caldwell's.
tstuart34:
--- Quote from: RobertH on April 27, 2015, 08:29:32 PM ---I love my Howard Leight Impact. Lo profile and really good. Far better than my Caldwell's.
--- End quote ---
+1 with Robert. Depending on what and where I am shooting I double up electronic over ear plugs. Helps a bit for flinching on my part lol. But its also nice I can turn up the electronic so I can hear a conversation or rangle commands but shooting gets filtered from the plugs and and electronics.
If you want cheap I started out with the Winchester from Walmart. They are like $10 but they really work well. They are really tall but work. I now use them for yard work and tuning out kids and wife!
RobertH:
--- Quote from: tstuart34 on April 27, 2015, 08:42:42 PM ---+1 with Robert. Depending on what and where I am shooting I double up electronic over ear plugs. Helps a bit for flinching on my part lol. But its also nice I can turn up the electronic so I can hear a conversation or rangle commands but shooting gets filtered from the plugs and and electronics.
If you want cheap I started out with the Winchester from Walmart. They are like $10 but they really work well. They are really tall but work. I now use them for yard work and tuning out kids and wife!
--- End quote ---
No need to double up with plugs if everyone is shooting with a can. :D
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