Recommendations for electronic hearing protection

Tackleberry270

Well-Known Member
I am wanting to by a pair of electronic ear defenders. The type that you get moulded to your ears. Does anyone have experience of the main brands on the market? Do they stand up to bad weather? How long do they last? Which ones would you recommend?
 
Peltor Sportac. Comfy, cut out lots of noise but are not as badly affected by the wind as some others I have tried and the batteries last for ages. :thumb:
 
My Peltor sportac have just died...I've had em for a while but yet to use the first set of batteries......so nul points for them I'm afraid
 
Hi mate,
I have a pair of exactly what you are talking about, had a resin injected into my ears at a hearing specialist, then they sent them away and about three weeks later i received them back as CENS pro flex hunter.

They weren't cheap, but IMO worth every penny.
Its nice to shoot rifle / shotgun without realising you are wearing bulky ear muffs, feels more natural and they are more effective as they are a perfect complete seal of your ear.

The batteries last about 20 hours - they are hearing aid batteries so not expensive.

When wearing them, you get what some of the sportac guys will have experienced - a kind of super hearing, the ability to hear other people talking a long way off, or your quarry moving in the woods!

Hope that helps you make your decision - i wouldn't wear anything else now
 
I used to have a pair of Peltor Tactical 6s and they were fairly good. Heavy rain finally killed them though. Then went on to Peltor Sportac and couldn't get on with them at all. Too big and clunked the stock each time I mounted the gun, so sold them. I now have a pair of MSA Sordin defenders and am pleased with them. Fairly slim. You can get waterproof ones but couldn't afford them at the time. If it is raining constantly I just turn them off and use them as passive defenders.

If however, you mean the electronic plugs where you get a mould made for inside your ear then I can't help I'm afraid. I do have the passive plugs made to fit and they are great.:)
 
Hi mate,
I have a pair of exactly what you are talking about, had a resin injected into my ears at a hearing specialist, then they sent them away and about three weeks later i received them back as CENS pro flex hunter.

They weren't cheap, but IMO worth every penny.
Its nice to shoot rifle / shotgun without realising you are wearing bulky ear muffs, feels more natural and they are more effective as they are a perfect complete seal of your ear.

The batteries last about 20 hours - they are hearing aid batteries so not expensive.

When wearing them, you get what some of the sportac guys will have experienced - a kind of super hearing, the ability to hear other people talking a long way off, or your quarry moving in the woods!

Hope that helps you make your decision - i wouldn't wear anything else now

Thanks. These are the ones I am interested in although I am not writing off the traditional ear muffs. What I want to find out is how they perform in bad weather (wind and rain). How long have you had yours? Have you got yours wet? are yours the more expensive 'hunter' model? what batteries are they so I can look them up? I will be wearing them for long periods and will probably need to change the batteries quite often.
 
Hi Tackleberry 270,
I have a pair of "Ulimate Ear Protection - Reactear". Not as expensive as the electronic type but not cheap (£100). I have found them to be superb far better than the "muff" type - don't even know your wearing them and cut out loud noises but still let you hear people talking. Only issue I have is with wind noise (I can already hear you laugh) but I think you would have same problem with other ear defenders.
Willie
 
Thanks. These are the ones I am interested in although I am not writing off the traditional ear muffs. What I want to find out is how they perform in bad weather (wind and rain). How long have you had yours? Have you got yours wet? are yours the more expensive 'hunter' model? what batteries are they so I can look them up? I will be wearing them for long periods and will probably need to change the batteries quite often.

Sorry chap I misread your original post.

I also have a set Cens Digital in ear jobbies that I now use as my first choice for hearing protection, they are the more expensive hunter model but personaly I wouldn't bother if I was buying again, just buy the standard ones. I have had them for 2 years now and been out in all weather with no problems as yet. I do find they start to hurt a bit if I wear them all day but others I know have not reported any problems.

The batteries are cheap as chips standard hearing aid 312, they last all day but always go flat when not being used.

I much prefer them to any form of over ear protection.
 
I happily use Deben slimline which seem pretty good and are very reasonable. Don't seem to mind the wet so far. (Hope that hasn't tempted fate)

David.
 
Sorry chap I misread your original post.

I also have a set Cens Digital in ear jobbies that I now use as my first choice for hearing protection, they are the more expensive hunter model but personaly I wouldn't bother if I was buying again, just buy the standard ones. I have had them for 2 years now and been out in all weather with no problems as yet. I do find they start to hurt a bit if I wear them all day but others I know have not reported any problems.

The batteries are cheap as chips standard hearing aid 312, they last all day but always go flat when not being used.

I much prefer them to any form of over ear protection.


I'm more interested in the moulded plug in ones as I spent extended periods in peltor ear defenders when in the forces. The best thing I remember about them was when you could take them off! I wear the cheaper rubber ear plugs with a valve on them at the moment (cant remember the brand) but they start to hurt my ear lobes after a while. I am just trying to work out whether the cens ones are worth the money.

Cens have about 5 different brands. When you say you wouldn't buy the hunter ones again do you mean you would get the next one down instead? Do you hear the wind badly through them?
 
I'm more interested in the moulded plug in ones as I spent extended periods in peltor ear defenders when in the forces. The best thing I remember about them was when you could take them off! I wear the cheaper rubber ear plugs with a valve on them at the moment (cant remember the brand) but they start to hurt my ear lobes after a while. I am just trying to work out whether the cens ones are worth the money.

Cens have about 5 different brands. When you say you wouldn't buy the hunter ones again do you mean you would get the next one down instead? Do you hear the wind badly through them?

I have just had a look at the Cens website, the models have changed a bit since I bought mine. My ears did not have enough room for the Proflex range which are softer than the digital range, so I have the digital 2 with the hunter electronics. I personally think the Proflex 1 would be the one to go for.

I think they are better in the wind than any of over ear electronic defenders I have tried and you can pull your hat over them to cut the wind out further, they are supplied with some very gay windshields which I have never worn
 
Thanks. These are the ones I am interested in although I am not writing off the traditional ear muffs. What I want to find out is how they perform in bad weather (wind and rain). How long have you had yours? Have you got yours wet? are yours the more expensive 'hunter' model? what batteries are they so I can look them up? I will be wearing them for long periods and will probably need to change the batteries quite often.
Hi Tackle berry - i have used mine in extreme weather, they have never given me cause for concern. They are affected by the wind a bit as they are quite sensitive, but they are supplied with some foam covers to prevent this although i just turn the volume down and select program 1 and i have no worries with it. I have had mine over a year. I have got them wet, they were fine.
Yes mine are the hunter model.
The batteries are the small round cells - somebody else has given the part number in a post.
Mine came supplied with 50 batteries anyway, so i shouldn't rush out and buy any spares just yet.
 
Thanks. These are the ones I am interested in although I am not writing off the traditional ear muffs. What I want to find out is how they perform in bad weather (wind and rain). How long have you had yours? Have you got yours wet? are yours the more expensive 'hunter' model? what batteries are they so I can look them up? I will be wearing them for long periods and will probably need to change the batteries quite often.

I have these as well, but not the hunter version as the guy I bought them off said I didn't need them for my needs.

They are extremely comfortable to wear but I do find mine go through batteries quite quickly (maybe that I just don't turn them off properly!)

I've never used them in rain but they are a pain in the wind as they amplify the sound of the wind blowing over the mic. One solution is to simply wear a wooly hat that covers your ears.

They also amplify the sound of the fans at the indoor range I go to.

I would still recommend them though, mainly because I hate bulky ear muffs. Have a look at the Surefire EP3 for a very good, much cheaper alternative Surefire Earpro EP-3 Sonic Ear Defenders Airsoftgames.com
 
One more thing to note if you go for moulded plugs. . .

When I went for my apt with the audiologist, he couldn't take the moulds as one of my ears had too much wax in (sexy I know). I had to go and get my ears syringed by my doctor and make another apt with the audiologist.

If you have to travel far to get the moulds done, it may be worth getting the doc to check your ears first.
 
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