Hearing protection

[25 Sharps]

What active hearing protection do people recommend?


I already have permanent tinnitus in one ear, not caused by but certainly not helped by shooting. On the range I use basic ear defenders, same for decoying. For stalking and vermin I only use modded rifles as protection and must admit if using shotty off the truck nothing as I can't hear the driver talking.


I know this is bad and a couple of shots left temporary tinnitus in my good ear. I will be far more inclined to use protection all the time if I can hear between shots, I much prefer the in ear type although I know they have their detractors. Certainly on range days they'd be complimented by over ears, possibly for pigeons too but I like to hear them if the flap in from behind.


Budget not endless but reasonable at as £150 as you only have one set of ears!!

 

[oxfordshirestalker]

I made the leap into electric ear defenders a few years ago and haven't looked back at all. Both for game shooting, clays and all other forms of shooting. It obviously comes down to personal choice (plugs vs muffs). I always thought I wanted to get some moulded earplugs but ended up buying some Peltor Sporttac ear muffs for £130ish.
Although I thought I'd be annoyed wearing ear muffs and I do admit I get quite warm sweaty ears, I'm perfectly happy with them. I now stick them on when I arrive at wherever I'm shooting whether that's having set up my hide, on the range, on the peg, at the clay ground and don't take them off until I've stopped. The amplification of background noise is of good quality, to my ears at least, and can be turned up/down to suit your base level of hearing. You can more than easily hear flapping pigeons, deer crashing through the undergrowth etc.
As a 23 year old who really really doesn't want to lose his hearing, I'm glad I've found something good. Plus, I'd be bound to lose earplugs if I had them.

 

[hendrix's rifle]

Howard leight ear defenders are what I use with the shotgun, they work great and are cheap. If I was putting hundreds of shots up or next to a really noisy rifle id put some in ear underneath them just to be sure

 

[simonl]

Peltor Sportac.
5 years of hell & mine are still great.

 

[Alantoo]

I have also used the electronic muff and in-ear plug combination when someone turns up at the range with an unmoderated or Muzzle Braked gun.

For the last 6 months I have been using some 3M Peltor LEP-100 active ear plugs which are great for many situations. At the range they go in when I get there and are removed...if I remember...when we pack up. They have three volume levels, the middle being neutral so you don't end up shouting when having a conversation and the high one amplifies ambient sound so is great when stalking. They have a much higher noise attenuation rating than the Cens in ear devices @ 32 to 38db SNR depending on the ear tips you use with them

They have Lithium Ion rechargeable Batteries which last over 16 hours (last experiment they were still working after 17) take an hour to charge from low and can be charged either with a USB lead or on the go with three AA batteries in their carry case.

Thoroughly recommend them.

I bought them for £257 but they seem to cost between £300-400 now.

There is a later model LEP-200 with a loop aerial for communication linking.


Either

Earshot Communications Ltd
01903 610006
www.earshotcommunications.co.uk

or Amazon do them

Alan

p.s. they have been much more comfortable than muffs this hot weather when strimming and chainsawing.

 

[Willie]

I use MSA Sordin Supreme Pro X ear defenders with gel seals when I’m loading, clay pigeon shooting or on the pigeons. They are excellent at instantly reducing high noise levels and at the same time let you hear everything going on about you amplifying any ambient noise like wing beats etc. It is important to get the gel inserts as this makes them far more comfortable to wear especially if you are a spectacle wearer. Batteries last a long time as well.
The OP said he preferred to wear in the ear protection and while I have tried the moulded version (passive not electronic) I found them uncomfortable after a long period shooting although they did have the advantage of being very light and unobtrusive. I know a lot of shooters who use the Cens electronic mounded ear plugs and they swear by them. Maybe I’ll give them a try but they are expensive as are the Sordins.
I tend not to wear ear protection when stalking as I always use a moderated rifle and only fire a couple of shots if I’m lucky.

 

[Tazz]

MSA Sordin would be my recommendation and buy the gel cup upgrade it makes them a more efficient seal when clay/game shooting or range work with glasses plus they are more comfortable to wear. I could not get on with in ear just a personal thing

 

[Jim xyz]

I have also used the electronic muff and in-ear plug combination when someone turns up at the range with an unmoderated or Muzzle Braked gun.

For the last 6 months I have been using some 3M Peltor LEP-100 active ear plugs which are great for many situations. At the range they go in when I get there and are removed...if I remember...when we pack up. They have three volume levels, the middle being neutral so you don't end up shouting when having a conversation and the high one amplifies ambient sound so is great when stalking. They have a much higher noise attenuation rating than the Cens in ear devices @ 32 to 38db SNR depending on the ear tips you use with them

They have Lithium Ion rechargeable Batteries which last over 16 hours (last experiment they were still working after 17) take an hour to charge from low and can be charged either with a USB lead or on the go with three AA batteries in their carry case.

Thoroughly recommend them.

I bought them for £257 but they seem to cost between £300-400 now.

There is a later model LEP-200 with a loop aerial for communication linking.


Either

Earshot Communications Ltd
01903 610006
www.earshotcommunications.co.uk

or Amazon do them

Alan

p.s. they have been much more comfortable than muffs this hot weather when strimming and chainsawing.

Hi All,

Is there anyone who has used these and CENS who could give a direct comparison. I was really tempted to order some and then started to read the reviews on Amazon.com (US). A lot of the reviews mention that they are pretty rubbish in anything but the lightest breeze due to wind noise and that the sound quality isn't great. CENS are a lot more expensive but I don't want to end up paying for both.

Cheers,

Jim

 

[Alantoo]

Hi All,

Is there anyone who has used these and CENS who could give a direct comparison. I was really tempted to order some and then started to read the reviews on Amazon.com (US). A lot of the reviews mention that they are pretty rubbish in anything but the lightest breeze due to wind noise and that the sound quality isn't great. CENS are a lot more expensive but I don't want to end up paying for both.

Cheers,

Jim

I can't give a direct wind noise comparison to any CENS plugs, but the LEP-100s are certainly better at dealing with wind noise than the electronic muffs I have. I have only been aware of any wind noise on a couple of occasions over the 6 months of use. And both of those occasions I thought...hmm these are doing well with the wind noise...after my hat had been blown off a few times!

Given that marketing hype will often claim failings as features, I suppose one should be wary of 3M Peltor because they say the microphone is designed to cope with water and wind effectively. However the claimed run time on a charge I have found to be accurate and as a leading company involved with industrial PPE I had faith in their statements. I have been using their (3M / Hornell) Speedglas welding helmets for 30 odd years.

Even with the lowest ear tip configuration claimed SNR for the LEP-100s (32dB) is higher than the best CENS model SNR claims, most of the CENS are only 25dB. The highest ear tip configuration of the LEP-100s is rated at 38dB which is higher than any other I have found.

Siemens SecureEar @ 35dB £325, Cens Mino @ 31dB £299, Cens Proflex 1e @ 25dB SNR £325

The other big advantage is the LI-ion rechargeable batteries in the Peltors...Even the best CENS ones use the no.13 zinc-air battery which lasts for 400 hours whether you use them or not, many use the 312 batteries which only last for 200 hours...and even only 50 hours in the 31dB rated Minos.

Compare CENS Hearing Protection

Alan

 

[Alantoo]

Hi All,

Is there anyone who has used these and CENS who could give a direct comparison. I was really tempted to order some and then started to read the reviews on Amazon.com (US). A lot of the reviews mention that they are pretty rubbish in anything but the lightest breeze due to wind noise and that the sound quality isn't great. CENS are a lot more expensive but I don't want to end up paying for both.

Cheers,

Jim

Following your comments I had a look at the reviews for the "tactical" version TEP-100 on Amazon.com and the most damming one regarding wind noise and sound quality came from someone who claimed to be an Iraq veteran..."aye right".*

I thought his comments a bit odd when he confidently referred to the "hole" facing forward on the RHS and rearward on the LHS making the sound muffled in the left ear! The microphone "hole" faces directly outwards and the loudspeaker "hole" goes out through the centre of the ear tip so any muffling he is hearing is not caused by whether you wear them left or right. There are a couple of indents in the case on the contact side which locate the device in the charging cradle and there is an indent on the other side but it is not a hole or connected to the sound system...

I agree sound quality is nowhere near as good as a pair of Sennheiser headphones or even iPhone ear phones, but those are not clipping and compressing anything over 85dB nor feeding it down a narrow tube surrounded by sound attenuating material in order to protect the ear drum passively. So what does he expect? I found them no worse than the over ear electronic muffs I have regarding sound quality. And certainly bird song, fluttering wings, are easily identified...I was trying to test the battery life for Coarach yesterday and wore them walking the dog, the noise of us both going through the dry beech leaves was quite interesting, I saw a fallow doe resting up who eventually took off from about 25metres away and I was able to hear the odd noise from her flight.

When you have "negative" comments on Amazon like...

"When it suppresses the sound of a shot in the background and you are talking with some one you have difficulty hearing them. Other than that works great."

...it takes my breath away! Who are these people? What do they expect, magic? Try continuing your conversation without the LEPs....Wazzock.

Alan

*Why do people ********? - Page 11

 

[caorach]

Having recently taken to the shotgun I've been looking for suitable hearing protection and, as Alan has mentioned, I'd been in touch with him as I know he has researched the various electronic "in ear" types recently. I had decided that it was the electronic "in ear" type of device that I was going for, this may not suit everyone but looks like being best for me.

I discounted the CENS on the basis of reputation. I can't comment if this reputation is deserved or not, all I'm saying is i didn't want involved.

I also looked at Vario who claim to have gone into business in part due to problems with the other main supplier of such things. Eventually I discounted them on the basis that I didn't want something custom molded as there are some problems with that which made it not for me, it works for many but it simply wasn't for me. Vario only seem to do custom molded and seem keen to build a reputation for customer service and reliability.

In the end this sort of left the Peltors that Alan is recommending so I came to them by a process of elimination. For me one of the advantages was that Amazon sell them so if they don't work for me, or fit, I can send them back no questions asked. I have only just taken delivery of the Peltors and am still sorting out a solution that fits and is comfortable for me as the flanged type ear tips simply don't work for me so I want to use them with foam ear tips. So far it is going OK and I've been quite pleased with them but haven't, as yet, used them for shooting. The storage/charging solution is very neat indeed in that you can put 3 AA batteries in the storage box and it charges the units while they are in there, this has a lot going for it but, of course, means you can't just dump old batteries out and put new ones in, a full charge will take 90 minutes, so it is something of a double edged sword but on balance I think it is very well designed and likely to work well in practice. I did try them in the garden in a breeze and their performance was better than I had expected, again this is something that takes long term use to really make any meaningful comment. Rather than getting carried away on internet reviews and magazine adverts the key thing here is going to be comfort and only you can judge that, I've got a selection of passive foam earplugs that work for me but it took a while to find the models that were comfortable for me and electronic ear plugs are going to be the same. On a positive note most seem to have a connection system that is compatible with all the other flanged or foam "communication" ear tips but if you aren't going molded then you need to accept that it might take a little while to get the perfect fit. One consideration with the Peltors is that getting the ear tips, at least the Peltor OEM ones, seems to be a little tricky, it isn't impossible but a set of their "Skull Screw" ear tips has to be bought on Amazon USA and brought in and I know Alan has been looking around to source some of the other ear tips. This isn't a huge problem and doesn't actually require much more effort than getting the tips for, say, the Mino CENS but it is worth being aware that the Peltors are "industrial" gear rather than something being marketed into the consumer market and so you might have to go to industrial suppliers, or in my case Amazon USA.

So, why not molded? Well I depend on hearing stuff to make my living so not going deaf is a priority and you simply can't get anywhere close to the attenuation with a hard molded plug that you can with a foam one that expands dynamically to fill all the voids. A foam plug makes about the best seal possible by expanding after it is inserted whereas a hard plug will always leave a tiny air gap around it, if it didn't you couldn't get it in or out. For some reason the triple flange plugs simply don't fit me at all and never achieve a decent seal. Molded ones are very good but the measurements and science indicate that they are on the limit of being good enough for a shotgun shot, or for a significant number of shots, and with the foam plugs I'm giving myself a little safety margin. Only you know if that is a consideration and the comfort may well be more useful to people than my safety margin, comfort is very important as if you aren't wearing them then they are doing no good at all so something comfortable but slightly less effective is going to be miles better than something uncomfortable that is at home in a drawer.

 

[Jim xyz]

Alan and Caorach,

Thanks for taking the time to give so much detail. One of the great things about this site is the way people are happy to take time out to help others.

I've been using MSA Sordins for the last few years and while I think they're great on the range and for clays I just find them a pain when rough shooting or foxing, for no other reason than it just feels wrong to me wearing them when I'm out and about.

I've been toying with getting some CENS for the a while but have been put off by the cost and the fact that when I tried the molded Flugz ear plugs I just couldn't get them to seal properly and found that the foam type give better protection, I know that the CENS are professionally fitted rather than DIY but I still wasn't convinced.

I also had a smile at some of the characters who had left the reviews on Amazon.com. I must admit I hadn't thought about the Amazon returns policy, it seems like a great way to try them out with an option of getting a refund if I'm not happy.

It will be good to hear how you get on with the foam tips Caorach, I don't know if you've come across Complyâ„¢ Foam Tips - Replacement Earphone Tips I get them issued at work and have bought their earphone upgrades to use for my headphones. They seem to do all sorts of sizes so they might be an option.

Cheers,

Jim

 

[FISH BOY]

Settled on Electronic Deben slimlines - everything else is just too bulky when mounting a shotgun.

 

[Richard Parsons]

I bought some 3M Sportac Peltors off ebay for £102 last week. Early impressions, both clay shooting and indoor .22 shooting are excellent. For the money I'm thrilled so far.

 

[tarponhead]

Howard leight ear defenders are what I use with the shotgun, they work great and are cheap. If I was putting hundreds of shots up or next to a really noisy rifle id put some in ear underneath them just to be sure

+1 for Howard Leight. I also use Peltor Sporttrac, but HL's are a bit thinner and fit better under a coat hood if it rains.

 

[caorach]

It will be good to hear how you get on with the foam tips Caorach, I don't know if you've come across Complyâ„¢ Foam Tips - Replacement Earphone Tips I get them issued at work and have bought their earphone upgrades to use for my headphones. They seem to do all sorts of sizes so they might be an option.

The Comply ones look interesting Jim and I hadn't seen them before, a bit pricey for what is basically a foam ear tip but they might be worth a punt if I can't make other stuff work.

At the minute I'm using the Peltor supplied Skull Screw tips, I had used the solid foam version of them in the past and decided that they were too big for me. However, over my short period of testing I'm actually starting to find that I'm getting on OK with the Skull Screws. I wore them for about an hour this morning and them were comfortable and I was pleased with the performance of the whole setup. It may be that I will be happy enough to simply go with the skull screws and call it done but I will have to see how that works on a full day.

It would be worth checking the Amazon returns policy if you do decide to get it a punt as it might vary by vendor but it should allow you to give them a good testing with no risk. I think the Vario people do something similar and give you a 30 day trail period. It is a difficult decision as they are very expensive items and there isn't much "fun" in buying safety gear so good to look at all the options, and the options to back out of the deal.

 

[sauer]

I can't give a direct wind noise comparison to any CENS plugs, but the LEP-100s are certainly better at dealing with wind noise than the electronic muffs I have. I have only been aware of any wind noise on a couple of occasions over the 6 months of use. And both of those occasions I thought...hmm these are doing well with the wind noise...after my hat had been blown off a few times!

Given that marketing hype will often claim failings as features, I suppose one should be wary of 3M Peltor because they say the microphone is designed to cope with water and wind effectively. However the claimed run time on a charge I have found to be accurate and as a leading company involved with industrial PPE I had faith in their statements. I have been using their (3M / Hornell) Speedglas welding helmets for 30 odd years.

Even with the lowest ear tip configuration claimed SNR for the LEP-100s (32dB) is higher than the best CENS model SNR claims, most of the CENS are only 25dB. The highest ear tip configuration of the LEP-100s is rated at 38dB which is higher than any other I have found.

Siemens SecureEar @ 35dB £325, Cens Mino @ 31dB £299, Cens Proflex 1e @ 25dB SNR £325

The other big advantage is the LI-ion rechargeable batteries in the Peltors...Even the best CENS ones use the no.13 zinc-air battery which lasts for 400 hours whether you use them or not, many use the 312 batteries which only last for 200 hours...and even only 50 hours in the 31dB rated Minos.

Compare CENS Hearing Protection

Alan

These look the ticket , when you talk about tip configuration ....do they supply the tips with them or separate purchase?


Paul

 

[Alantoo]

These look the ticket , when you talk about tip configuration ....do they supply the tips with them or separate purchase?


Paul

Yes mine came with 4 pairs. A set of the skull screw foam ones rated at 38dB and three different size pairs of flanged ones rated at 32dB.

I have been using the supplied pair of medium sized flanged ones for the last six months. I initially tried the foam ones but thought them too big for my ears...but this week I tried them again using a spot of Aloe Vera Gel to aid inserting them and it seemed to help with the comfort and worked fine...I wore them for a total of 6 hours on Wednesday...the last 3 hours at the range where they definitely proved a more effective seal than the flanged tips.

The possible drawback is that the edge of one has started to crumble so they are not as robust and hardwearing as the flanged ones.

Maybe I will keep the foam for the range and the flanged for stalking and hot weather strimming/chainsawing.

The Aloe Vera Gel recommendation came from the Siemens SecureEar web site I think.

Alan

 

[fizzbangwhallop]

My tinnitus got to the point last where even my moderated rifles would give it a crack ... Clays and loading on double gun days etc didn't help much either and I bought a pair of moulded passive CENS via Specsavers but they irritate after a while and get sweaty. For loading I ended up with a pair of the Peltor Optime 3's with the CENS inside those!

Not the best for hearing whats going on around you so a bit of research on decibel reduction figures brought up the Howard Leights.... found them on Amazon at less than half the price of the shooting suppliers, rang HL and they confirmed they're exactly the same muff!

Honeywell 1018953 Howard Leight Impact PRO Ear Defender, SNR 33: Amazon.co.uk: Business, Industry Science

I paid £61... gutted to see they're now £48.

Excellent muffs, if a bit heavier than the Peltors... but, hey who cares. For deer and foxing rifle work I just use a pair of the cheap n cheerful Army surplus passive Peltors with new cushions and just slip them down at the appropriate moment.

Cheers

Fizz

 

[25 Sharps]

Thanks for all of the input folks, it looks like I'll be going peltor LEP 100s, a fair bit more than I'd planned to spend but I think for me they fit the bill well, being in ear I'm more likely to use them, the in case charging is a real bonus.