New ears
I brought them to the range earlier this week and tested them out. I only hit the pistol range, and we were shooting 9mm, .45 ACP, and .22LR. The pistol range is a covered range with walls and ceiling, so it's almost like shooting indoors. I also brought my standby, a set of Peltor 7s I bought when I first got into shooting:
New and old ears
Obviously, the first different in the two sets of ears is the size. The 6S set is much thinner than the 7s - it was significantly easier to get my eye protection on over the ears (I go up over the muffs themselves so that the ear cups get a good seal). They're also lighter than the 7s by a fair amount (I'd throw them on my scale but I'm lazy...), and pack down a lot smaller.
The electronics, well, they're about what you expect for $35. Many reviews of this set complain about the PITA factor in replacing batteries, and there's a good deal of truth to that complaint. You need to pull the ear cups off to replace the AAA batteries (two per ear!), and getting the cups on or off takes a bit of finesse (no "OOG SMASH" here!). The sound, though, is pretty clear, if a little on the iffy side (the right ear would cut out every once in a while). There are dual controls, which really means that you either set them on or off - trying to match the volume on both sides is an exercise for someone with more patience than I.
Overall, I like the Peltor Tactical 6S hearing protection. They're lighter and thinner than the Peltor 7s, and bring the sounds to levels that I couldn't tell apart - in fact, to my untrained ear the new Peltors seemed to work even better. Now, granted, this could certainly be that the 7s are about 15 years old, of course, and the foam isn't what it used to be.
In any case, these are well worth the $35 spent on them!
That is all.
12 comments:
I was disappointed when I received mine, I am thinking of sending them back. Only 22(?) db sound reduction, and made in China, to boot. I guess you do get what you pay for. I may keep them for guests, but I also have the 7s and the 7s are better in every way.
I passed on them specifically because of the dual controls and battery packs. Shootin' shouldnt be a PITA.
The package says 20NRR.
Let me be as clear as I possibly can, here: There is NO FUCKING WAY I'm trusting my hearing to a pair of muffs with a rating of only 20NRR.
I wear a set of Pro-Ear Gold - cost me ~$300 - and they have a rating of 33NRR. If there's a higher rated pair of muffs out there, I haven't found it.
I've lost enough of my hearing to 10 years of riding a bike without wearing ear plugs - I don't want to lose ANY more. You use what you want, Jay... but I sure hope you wear plugs under those pieces of crap. Why Peltor is so popular I will NEVER understand - I don't think they make ANYTHING rated better than about 24 or 25. I shoot enough rifle and magnum pistol that I'll never trust Peltor with my hearing.
I've used a pair since... '04? '05?
I only use them on outdoor ranges/gun school and maybe if I'm with one or two other rimfire shooters on an indoor range. They don't cut enough sound for centerfires on an indoor range.
In re: Ross's comment above, I don't know that I'd use them around magnum rifles or shotguns, either.
Heck, if there's more than one person shooting a .308 or suchlike, they're pretty overwhelmed. They were okay for carbine class where almost everybody was shooting 5.56, unless I was on a string next to that dude with the 16" DPMS .308.
(WV: "belly". Y'know, HAL, when you use real words for the Capcha, it takes all the fun out of making sentences with them...)
Excellent points, Tam and Ross.
These aren't for shooting .308 Win in an enclosed range, that's for sure; few ears that I've come across are rated that well.
My experience with these muffs was that they were entirely sufficient - on a par with the superior-rated Peltor 7s - on an quasi-outdoor range (the pistol house is basically an enclosed building with a half-wall on one side facing the berm). We shot .22LR, 9mm, and .45 ACP through handguns and a couple rifles (.22LR only), and the 6S hearing protection was just as efficient as the 7 series.
Again, to reiterate, the 7s are older hearing protection and as such have probably lost some of their effectiveness. Like with motorcycle helmets and child car seats, over time the foam padding gets brittle and less effective, and I've had the Peltor 7s for 15-20 years. A new pair of 7s may very well be more effective than the 6S.
For what they are, they're pretty decent. No, they're not $300 ear protection, nor should they be expected to do the job of $300 muffs. If you're going to be shooting rifles, magnum calibers, or indoors, you should definitely double up on hearing protection - but that's a good idea even with higher end protection...
Best price I see is $54, so who's selling them for $35???
With electronic muffs I generally double muff anyway - earplugs under the muffs, then turn up the sound so I can hear voices. Best hearing protection you can get and you can still hear what you need to hear.
I do the same thing as Les. Plugs and Muffs. Works great.
1911A1 - It was a one day special on Amazon before Christmas.
Nice review... I've had a set for several years...
...three years ago I also purchased a set of Peltor Tactical Sport Hearing Protection muffs... they only require two AA batteries...
I use mine for two-plus hours 2 or 3 times each week from February to July with 4H Shooting Sports and usually one go through one set of batteries per season and they are much easier to replace... plus they come with both black and orange side covers that are interchangeable... worth the price difference over the 6S model IMHO...
I've also used them in addition to foam ear plugs on an enclosed range and while firing a friends Barret .50BMG...
Dann in Ohio
At GBRVI, Pro Ears put a set of their $350 ears on my head while we all were on the line.
Amazing! He could talked to me as everyone was blasting away.
They gave everyone a pair of cheap shit ears and they are better than the shit [4] that I have in my range bags.
After reading Unc's post I ordered a set of 6s and will compare them to Pro Ears, but I'm sure they will be donated to the club.
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