I had the same issue with the Howard Leights, even with the NF gel cups. The head band is just too tight.
I switched to Peltors with gel cups and haven't looked back, the only down side is the HL have better amplification than the Peltors
I had the same issue with the Howard Leights, even with the NF gel cups. The head band is just too tight.
I switched to Peltors with gel cups and haven't looked back, the only down side is the HL have better amplification than the Peltors
This may not apply to everybody, but I found that the "groove" for eyewear stems in the noise fighters were too high up to actually be useful. If I actually put the stem in the area designed for them the eye wear wouldn't sit flat on my face since the stems had to be angled up at a pretty steep angle. I've seen this mentioned from other people as well. I wouldn't really call it an issue since they still work just as well as any other quality gel cup, but to me having the cut out for the stem is mostly marketing.Originally Posted by BWT
I bought these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1 and rigged up some fastex attachments to my ear pro. That way, there is no earpiece from the eye pro underneath the ear cup of the muffs. Makes a huge difference.
https://www.amazon.com/Pro-Ears-Prot...8&sr=8-11&th=1
I've been using Pro Ears Gold for several years. They seem comfortable to me. I think the sound quality is better than any other brand I have tried. It seems more lifelike rather than tinny like some others.
I use peltor sport tactical 300's with amazon gel cups and I am very happy with the setup and it cost maybe $100 total. The sound quality is pretty good too.
I would mention though, that headache with ear pro might be due to eye pro more so. Thin bayonets on glasses helps a lot and I like smith elite aegis echos for this.
Well, to make you and LL's friend feel better about themselves, lets just say that nobody ever steals my 7 3/4 fitted ball caps. Removing that stupid cap button is a must. I do it to all my hats.
I shoot a lot of matches with braked rifles and regularly shoot indoors with fellas with sbrs without cans. I run double ear pro. After trial and error I have found this setup works best for me:
https://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leight...%2C193&sr=8-25 under cheap electronic Howard Leight by Honeywell earmuffs work best. The key is the Valholl Gear gelcups that replace the stiff unforgiving plastic cups. I have tried most foamies and those tricolor HL ones are the best. I used to run Sordins but they were cost prohibitive to fix when the electronics took a dump after the warranty. The cheap HL earmuffs are easily replaced if lost or broken.
At some point I will will switch over to in-ear electronics but I am still trying to decide what is best.
I wonder if any company would cater to us BIG headed people!?! It reminds me of my motorcycle days… some people fit Shoei helmets (me) and some people fit Arai helmets depending on their head shape.
I remember years ago, I took part in a research study by Revision glasses. I commented on how I could only wear certain brands of glasses because of my large noggin. Coincidence or not, but about a year after the study, they came out with a line of glasses for WIDER faces.
Proper, comfortable, and ergonomic ear and eye pro sort of works as a system, and even the hat is a part of that.
Glasses- I use Smith “Elite Echo Max Pivlock”, which go beyond the ANSI impact standards, and the key is that they have very thin stainless steel ear stems, so they never break the seal on over-ear earpro. Full wrap-around coverage, so they protect against sideways projectiles (required by a lot of schools, and for something like steel challenge, an absolute must.)
Hat- I typically use “Notch” brand caps, which have notches in the bill which clear the tops of your shooting glasses and prevent the glasses from being smashed down across the bridge of one’s nose. They have a velcro patch on top rather than a button (the velcro patch is the same as on my Crye Precision shooting hat and is meant for an IR reflector). Those goofy notches in the bill actually make a huge difference. I got mine from an H&K rep, but they’re easily found elsewhere and worth every penny.
Earpro- I have a set of Otto Noizebarrier Micro (in-ear) which are great for outdoor USPSA pistol (even when running a timer for the occasional Open shooter)- I use the Shure “olives” for an ideal seal (for my ears, YMMV). Now that temps are in the triple digits (my match this weekend will see 105 degrees) this is also a lot more comfortable than over-ear solutions. They are also fine for the permanent indoor-to-outdoor building props and hard walls set up at my local range, as long as you aren’t running a fire-breathing open setup.
Indoors, and especially for rifle, I double up with my MSA Sordins, on top of the Ottos. Full situational awareness, you can hear a pin drop (literally) but full blast noise and bone conduction protection, which is a big deal particularly with rifle brakes, short AR barrels, and indoors.
Every once in a while at my indoor range, someone will touch off a few rounds from an M2 or a Barrett, a short belt off an M60, or a box off an M249 (they have rentals), and other than my eyeballs vibrating, (and my cringing at the cost of what they’re doing), this setup handles it fine.
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