electronic ear muffs

[justintime]

I use HL Impacts and love them. during the winter months when i'm guiding/hunting I just constantly wear them all season since shooting comes up unexpectedly and they keep my ears warm in the meantime. I have worn them a lot in the rain and when it is hot and humid, and in extremely dusty/windy environments and they are still going very strong. It is hard for me to fork down more money on better ear-pro when these work so well. I've never had a problem obtaining a proper cheek weld either with them. Battery life is really good too and if you forget to turn them off it switches it off after four hours or something like that. I think I have only been using them for three years or so but really love them.

[ford.304]

The custom molded plugs I was talking about are something like this:

http://www.earinc.com/popstoppers.php

Filtered they give better reduction than the HL's, but it's easy to pop out the filter when you need to hear people talk and still get >20db of reduction. He said he can hear range commands as well as with electronic muffs.

[rudy99]

I have the Peltor Tac 6s

Pros:
-low profile
-compact when folded up
-pretty decent noise reduction
-relatively inexpensive
-option to replace ear cups with gel cups for better comfort

Cons:
-battery life seems poor
-electronics seem delicate
-mic switches can be turned on inadvertently when folding them up.
-battery access sucks, you have to tear out the ear cups to change them

I have these. They worked well, until I used them in a 2-day class that had a light drizzle going almost the whole time. Now they have some snap, crackly and pop noises. IMO, the electronics push the foam out almost to the point it hits my ears. Not a problem with normal wear, but there were some plugs I've used when I "double up" on ear (indoor range) and the plugs will hit the Peltors.

I'll probably replace them with a set of the HLs.

[LittleLebowski]

The Howard Leights are only $42 now. Well worth it. I had two pairs of Peltors that cost twice as much and ate batteries and then died. Now sure what model; bought them at the NRA range.

[TheTrevor]

Thanks to everyone who has shared feedback on the Peltors, will not be buying those anytime soon. I've had a pair of those on my wishlist as my "upgrade to get better padding/fit" choice, but not anymore.

So... If I wanted proven-reliable pair of electronic muffs for <$200 with large, comfortable padding, what should I buy?

Note that I already own HLs and passive ear pro, this would be a comfort-driven upgrade from the HLs.

[PPGMD]

You buy a set of the Sordins and after awhile you start to wonder while you waited so long to do so.

This.

Break easily, die shortly after you have a hot sweaty day wearing them.

My experience match yours with the Tac6s.

[TheTrevor]

You buy a set of the Sordins and after awhile you start to wonder while you waited so long to do so.

Missed your recommendation the first time through. Just looked at those and, what do you know, MSA Sordins are what my shooting partner from a CA SWAT team was wearing at my last carbine class. He had the model with the annoying intercom pigtails, which fortunately would not be required for me.

[Chuck Haggard]

I've got this model;
http://www.srstactical.com/communica...and/76302.html

They have been bullet proof for almost ten years now. Worn on SWAP activities, FoF, lots of range time in all weather conditions, sitting in the car for weeks at a time, and otherwise generally abused. Works bare headed, with a ball cap, or under a K-pot.

I wish I had something like this available at the beginning of my SWAT career instead of at the end, I wouldn't have all this ringing in my ears now.

Highly recommended.

[TheTrevor]

I've got this model;
http://www.srstactical.com/communica...and/76302.html

They have been bullet proof for almost ten years now. Worn on SWAP activities, FoF, lots of range time in all weather conditions, sitting in the car for weeks at a time, and otherwise generally abused. Works bare headed, with a ball cap, or under a K-pot.

I wish I had something like this available at the beginning of my SWAT career instead of at the end, I wouldn't have all this ringing in my ears now.

Highly recommended.

I was eyeing the neckband model, thinking that it'd likely be more comfortable in conjunction with a cap or hat. No downsides for neckband vs. conventional headband?

[LSP972]

You buy a set of the Sordins and after awhile you start to wonder while you waited so long to do so.

Yeah, I've pretty much decided to go that route.

About two months ago, the wife and I were in a really cool pawn/gun/convenience shop in Gulfport, and they had several new sets of Peltor 6S Sports for $60 apiece. Since my latest electronic ear pro acquisition, a pair of ProEars Pro 200 muffs, had recently died on one side, I decided to buy one of the Peltors… even with the knowledge of their cheapness (this would be my FOURTH set of them; Peltor replaced the first defective set twice, and when the third one croaked I gave up. So yes, I got what I deserved here).

Well, they died (one side) last week. I took stock, and I have no less than an even half-dozen of various makes of e-muffs that are unserviceable for one reason or another. The Dillons are still working, but the head strap arrangement has lost its friction fit and now sits cock-eyed on my head. Several attempts to "fix" that didn't hold up. All the other sets have either one side, or both, dead.

In checking out the Sordins, I see where there is some question whether or not all models available here are genuine; to wit, MSA/Sordin, the US distributor of the Swedish product, doesn't warranty some examples that clearly say Sordin on the ear cup.

Anyone got the straight skinny on this? Basically, what vendors are carrying the "authorized" versions? I've been all through the gray-market business in another area of interest, so I know much of the intricacies involved in all of that; IOW, major PITA.

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