Howard Leight Electronic Muffs - NRR30

[TDDude]

Has anyone got anything positive/negative to say about these muffs?
http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-R-01902 ... ard+leight
They have a rating of 30. All the other competitors that have this kind of rating cost $250-$500.

For example, Peltor makes these at NRR 26 for $200.00.
http://www.amazon.com/3M-SV-Tactical-He ... c+earmuffs
26 isn't bad but remember that the dB scale is logarithmic so a difference of 4dB cuts the sound by more than half.

Pro-Ears make one with NRR30 but they retail for $340. Amazon dealers want $260.00
http://www.proears.com/Pro-Ears-Shootin ... Gold-Black
These are quite a bit lighter at 13.5 oz. The HL model is 1.2 lbs (19.20z.)

For $190.00 of savings, I can deal with 6 oz.

I do most of my shooting indoors and the HS Sports model (NRR20) that I've been using for over a year don't have near the protection they need for inside. I always have to double them up with ear plugs but again, that makes it hard to understand what's being said. I do a lot of instructing and competing so I need to understand what's being said.

Just wondering if anyone has these and how they work.

[surferdaddy]

I have the impact sports and I like them quite a lot. Not sure how they compare to the pros, but they are a great quality muff for the price.

[Charles L. Cotton]

I have the impact sports and I like them quite a lot. Not sure how they compare to the pros, but they are a great quality muff for the price.

That's what I have also and I've been very happy with them, as have some students who have borrowed them during classes. I think I'll order a pair of Pro muffs and have them for students and for me when shooting rifles with muzzle breaks.

We aren't talking about a headset for audiophiles, so I can't imagine spending $200+ for range muffs. I spent a lot more than that on Bose headsets for flying, but that's a different application.

Chas.

[Abraham]

I have the H.L. Impact Sports model: That automatically blocks noise above 82 dB, noise reduction rating: NRR 22 - I like them.

But, they're not rated NRR30.

To gain greater noise protection, I also wear custom ear plugs with the electronic muffs.

From what I can tell, wearing both types of noise protection is a good idea even if the electronic muffs are rated at NRR30.

Why?

I take off the muffs when I change targets or reload and bingo, I forget to put them back on. At that point, I'm grateful to have the in ear plugs...but, maybe I'm the only goon that does that.

[puma guy]

I have both this model and the Impact Sport. There is a noticeable reduction in loud sounds but it seemed like normal sounds weren't as good with the NRR30's. The muff is thicker than the Impact Sport and depending on stock configuration they interfered some while I was shooting from a bench rest. I wear foam plugs with both models and turn the volume up quite high since my hearing is not so good. I wear the Impact Sport most times, but keep them handy for the times someone has a ported muzzle rifle next to me or really very large and loud pistol at the indoor range.

[rotor]

I had the Howard Leight R-01526 Impact Sport Electronic and they did not fit my head properly and did not make a tight seal. Therefore I had virtually no protection. I don't know if this model is better. You need to try them on to see how they fit. My $13 Winchester muffs from WalMart did a better job for me. These are not noise reducing headsets like Bose or other expensive units. I tried to deal with the company now owned by Honeywell and they were very non-responsive to my complaints. My mistake of course was buying them on line and not using them right away as Amazon would have given me a refund had I been more prompt. Oh well, they sold on ebay. Some people rave about these units but this all comes down to individual fit. As the OJ lawyer said, if the glove fits ( or whatever)... my muffs did not fit.

[jiannichan]

I have the Impact Pro and don't use them much. They get uncomfortable at times but they work really well. The noise reduction is good at letting in speech while blocking out the rest. Also, I haven't found a good way to wear them comfortably when shooting rifle so I just wear a set of Surefire Sonic Defenders underneath the HL.

[OldCurlyWolf]

Has anyone got anything positive/negative to say about these muffs?
http://www.amazon.com/Honeywell-R-01902 ... ard+leight
They have a rating of 30. All the other competitors that have this kind of rating cost $250-$500.

For example, Peltor makes these at NRR 26 for $200.00.
http://www.amazon.com/3M-SV-Tactical-He ... c+earmuffs
26 isn't bad but remember that the dB scale is logarithmic so a difference of 4dB cuts the sound by more than half.

Pro-Ears make one with NRR30 but they retail for $340. Amazon dealers want $260.00
http://www.proears.com/Pro-Ears-Shootin ... Gold-Black
These are quite a bit lighter at 13.5 oz. The HL model is 1.2 lbs (19.20z.)

For $190.00 of savings, I can deal with 6 oz.

I do most of my shooting indoors and the HS Sports model (NRR20) that I've been using for over a year don't have near the protection they need for inside. I always have to double them up with ear plugs but again, that makes it hard to understand what's being said. I do a lot of instructing and competing so I need to understand what's being said.

Just wondering if anyone has these and how they work.

I don't know anything about any of them, except I will not buy first ones you listed. They are made in China.

The other two are reported as made in Sweden and the USA.

[TDDude]

I don't know anything about any of them, except I will not buy first ones you listed. They are made in China.

The other two are reported as made in Sweden and the USA.

Well, duh... Of course they are made in China. It's really too bad that good and affordable electronic gear isn't made here anymore.

I purchased a pair and I liked them so much I purchased a 2nd for my son.

They work fantastic. They would be amazing performeres at double the price.

[Excaliber]

I have the Pro-Ears Pro Mag Gold. They are fantastic, and the sound quality is great. I bought them through Amazon at around $260. I put off buying them for a long time, and finally bit the bullet for exactly the reason you're looking at - it was hard for me to understand instructions when using ear plugs and muffs, which I always do. After a lot of research, I bought what I found was the best because in my experience it's better to pay the money for the best tool you can find even if you have to save a bit, you buy it once and it works right. Otherwise, you end up buying one inferior tool after another, none of which work really well, and often you end up springing for the good one at some point anyway.

I still use the ear plugs too (SureFire EP5), but with the Pro Ear muffs, I have no trouble hearing range instructions even though I have considerable hearing loss.