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[ARCHIVED THREAD] - electronic muffs (Page 1 of 3)
Posted: 7/18/2006 9:35:40 PM EDT
| I'm interested in buying a pair of electronic muffs and would appriciate any opinions or advice on styles or brands. Thanks |
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+1 on the Peltor Here is a lower price alternative. Not sure on the quality. www.sportsmansguide.com/cb/cb.asp?a=222367 |
So those amplify normal sounds but the report of the gun makes them tune out the loud sound? |
exactly, normal sounds are amplified and when the sound reaches a certain level and a gun shot is definetly above that level it shuts off. when the Peltor first came out they sold for well over $100 so the price for them now is great. |
Thanks. I just got done ordering a pair. |
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If your looking for the best... it's not Peltors.... I just bought a pair of Sordin Supremes. Way better. The Peltors are OK if you don't mind the clipping, and the batteries corroding into the contacts because of sweat after a day of use in warm weather. (Ask me how I know this...) The price is good at around $70 compared to just a few years ago (Glad I waited) There an allright value if you want them for light range use and you take care to remove the earrcups and foam inserts and the Batteries after every range use. But are they the best..... Not hardly |
+1 I have the ProTac model with chop sides. It doesn't get in the way of rifle or shotgun buttstocks, and the electronic response time is better than Peltors. |
| Anyone tried the Caldwell ES85 electronic muffs. They are way cheaper (like $25 on Ebay) But sometimes you get what you pay for. I use caldwell bags and shooting sleds and they make nice stuff so I thought I would ask if anyone has any experience with them. Thanks |
We have a pair as a backup, picked it up for $25 on sale at Midway. They're on sale now in fact. They work as advertised, but don't get too excited. The sound quality is very poor compared to the name brands. For example, when wearing my Com-Tacs the sound is so good I can forget I have them on. The ES85s? Well, it's like listening to a recording made and played on a cheap micro-tape player. The recovery time after a cut-off for the Caldwell is LOOONG, well over a second and the foam is flimsy. The power on indicator is handy though. My wife uses it as she's not picky about that sort of thing. I prefer my Com-Tacs of course, but you can buy eight E85s for what one of those cost. |
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I have the Caldwells now in Afghanistan...don't like em. I keep em close in the vehicle and if I know somethings coming up I throw them on...also use em on the range. Problem is my radio, and my cell phone bleed thru it. I've used the Peltors and they are nice...a little pricey. Shop around. |
here is the best price I have found for the Peltors here. It's from Botach who sometimes are a pain to deal with but with this product I'm almost positive you won't havy any problems with them. |
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Guys, if I may, here's my 2 cents...... The Sordins have great electronics but its a downer in the comfort department. We've found that no single unit provides the very best UNLESS it's a damn hybrid of sorts. What hybrid? Here are two examples that I would recommend; one at entry level and the other high end. Both Peltors 'cos these are the only ones that can take the upgrades. The one on the left is their upcoming Tactical Sports. We've tested the sh-t out of it and it works like a charm for a pair of ears that will retail for around $89.95 and the one on the right is (most of you are familiar with this one) the Swat Tac (black version of the ComTac). Both have been upgraded with gel ear seals (this is the added cost to the price of the ears). I shot the PA State IDPA match yesterday and had the Swat Tac on from Stage 1 to Stage 12, not once removing them. How's that for comfort? Best combination of electronics and comfort at two price points   |
Yes, I do. Like I said, Sordin has great electronics but this combo on the Swat Tac / Com Tac is very hard to beat. I shot a 3 day Advance Rifle class with Pat Goodale last month and we got the chance to compare a Sordin and the Swat Tac/Com Tac combo; everyone agreed the hybrid Peltor had an edge. If the Sordin can be upgraded then that will be a great set-up but we've tried and we can't seem to find gel seals that will fit the Sordins. Bill, I shoot and I shoot a lot. 20K rounds a year is considered a low count year for me. Some of the guys shoot anywhere from 600 to 1000 rounds almost every week (depending on the time of the year, especially if the Nationals is around the corner). We've been testing this set-up for almost a year now. Hope this helps. Helmie Ashiblie (V.P./Founder) i-SHOT Shooting Sports (www.ishot-inc.com) S.E.R.T. System (www.sertsystem.com) |
Bill, Tons of folks rave over the Sordins and I've said it once and I will say it again, they are great ears BUT they don't fit my personal needs. The Sordins allow you to adjust each side separately and the Peltors don't. Each type has it's own following if you read the 10-8 forum carefully. Read what Jeff Gonzales and Tim Lau mentioned in those replies; each has its pros and cons to serve an individual's needs. Take Jeff for example; he mentioned he wears Sordins for the range but the ComTacs for tactical use. I wish I could tell you the Peltor hybrids are it but it will be your decision to make for what you need them for. In the competitive shooting circle, you'll find folks like Scott Warren, Ernest Langdon and a bunch of other Masters with ComTacs by their side. I've personally handed a gel ear seal to Scott and he swears by them now. In a perfect scenario, it would be great if you could try 'em out first before making a decision. I have one of almost all of 'em in my office and when fellow shooters ask me to recommend one, I let them take 'em all to the range for the day and try 'em out. This way they come to their own conclusion for their own type of shooting needs. Like I said, just my 2 cents bro  Helmie Ashiblie (V.P./Founder) i-SHOT Shooting Sports (www.ishot-inc.com) S.E.R.T. System (www.sertsystem.com) |
Thanks for your $.02 I-Shot... I just snapped up a used pair of the Sordins, at a good price. Now I read this... Oh well.The New Peltors look interesting. Question. Do they still use the same set up for the batteries?? That was one of the biggest reason's I switched over to a higher price set up. I'm generally a lazy shooter and If I wear my ear pro all day on a 95 degree range , at the end of the day, I want to put them in my bag and not worry about disassembling the ear cup and let them dry out so my batteries and connections don't corrode (Ask me how I know this...) I'm not a expert on sound quality. I liked the Peltor tac 6's and thought they were just fine for range use. If they just had a separate Waterproof battery compartment I'd still be using them. |
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Harv, You're very welcome. Are you talking about the ComTacs or the Tac 6s when you mentioned your concern about having to dry the ears out for fear of corrosion? I don't see that happening with the ComTacs at all but if you are looking for something that is a tad more waterproof, there's always the ComTac IIs. These were developed for the boys at Naval Special Warfare and if I remember correctly, they can go swimming with these no deeper than 3 meters. In fact, I recently recommended these to a client who's unit handles maritime ops 'cos the Kit that the ComTacs are available with is also waterproof. I've used the ComTacs in rainy weather, 3 days in a row, and I did not find any issues with 'em. Here are some pixs of the ComTac II kit setup. You can see how the battery housing is waterproof with the use of the snap seal closure. Helmie Ashiblie (V.P./ Founder) i-SHOT Shooting Sports (www.ishot-inc.com) S.E.R.T. System (www.sertsystem.com)  
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I have a pair of Falcon electronic. They are cheap and work well for me, I can also hear range commands well. Bigger no electronic ear protection works slightly better for noise reduction (about 3db) but I like these because I don't have to take them off to hear. |
Edited: for my come home from a 28 hour tour Brain-Fart Question.  One thing that annoys me about the Peltars is the fact that everywhere you go the NRR is different. I just broke my ProEar Slimlines and have a class coming up so need a new pair. I've seen the ranges go from 19 to 25! Thats a big difference. Anyone know the actual NRR of the ComTac's? Thanks! Riese |
Fish, we can't compare an expensive ComTac to a Tac Sport really; that's quite a price difference between the two. If you want to, the ComTac, of course, is superior but the way I see it, at the two price points, these are the ones I would recommend, depending on what your budget allows for. FYI, the Tac Sport does not have that clicking every time you press it. I never had a problem with the Com Tac doing so.
Riese, I would stick to the 20-21 rating provided by Peltor themselves. For outdoor use (like a class or match), this is well within the range of protection you would need. In fact, with me, I crank the Peltor up from 75% to full for outdoor use and never had a problem. Indoors, however, things change for me. When shooting 3-gun indoors, I almost always use some ear plugs 'cos the sound of an AR or shotgun indoor is pretty deafening. FYI, the Peltor hybrid I am using is the Sport Tacs & the Com Tacs that have been upgraded with different gel ear seals that was purchased separately. Hope this helps. |
Thanks. I sent an email to Peltor and the rep said that the clicking is not normal and to send them in for service. The service tech called me (at 6:45 in the morning  ) and said that the clicking IS normal and that they were sending them back to me. I must say that I was disappointed.
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Fish, trust me when I say I know what you're going through. Our Peltor rep learns from us, that's the scary part. The tech guys are the ones who really have the answers. We have a great rep. They're helpful as hell but unfortunately they don't spend time on the range testing the stuff out. We usually keep them updated on stuff. As I've mentioned, with the ComTac, once it's on, everytime you press a button to increase or decrease, you hear a click. I like it that way 'cos it allows me to set my preferred settings depends on what and where I'm shooting. A set of clicks for this and a different set of clicks for something else. Once you have a preferred setting, dial it in. |
The clicking when I adjust the volume does not bother me. In fact, I actually like it because it confirms to me that I fully pressed the button. It's the click of the cut off circuit that bugs me. Specifically, if there is a noise that's barely loud enough to trip the reduction circuit there is an audible click in the set. The easiest way to reproduce it is to turn the volume down to the lowest level and crumple a sheet of paper. It sounds like snapping twigs. Is that normal? |
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$20 Electronic Muffs I have these and they are a good deal for the money. |
I do hear 'em on my sets but very rarely especially during a match; so much shooting going on. |
Ok, many thanks to you. Now that I know that I will drop the whole thing. |
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Just ordered a pair of Peltor TacticalSports from here. I plan to Duracoat the extra orange covers in flat dark earth. ETA: Never mind, I found the gel pads on the i-Shot site. |
| I have the peltor's and they are good for noise reduction, but the downside is getting a good cheek weld is difficult. The other issue is if the muff touches the buffer tube the spring noise is transmitted through the muff. I would reccomend a slimmer type. My .02. |
Which model do you have? |
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I got to use my Comtac II/Gel ear seal combo today for a carbine match. It's worlds better than the Comtac II's old ear seals. It was 101 deg at the range today. I had the ear protection on constantly for 4.5 hours. It was much more comfortable with the new ear seals. My batteries went dead near the end of the match, and I could stand next to guys shooting compensated rifles, without any discomfort. This is somthing I could not do before. I think the gel seals improve the passive cancelling ability of the comtacs. I still Can't shoot my 16" .308 without wearing ear plugs under the muffs, but for the 5.56, ever without the electronics working, this setup works very, very well. Also, I've never experienced any clipping with the comtac II's. |
| Do the Peltor TacticalSports use compression so softer sounds (like conversations) are audible over gunfire, or do they "clip" the sound off completely when it gets loud? I think the latter would drive me crazy, especially if there's any clicking noises along with it. |
Sorry about the delay. They are the Peltor protacs. These use clipping technology so communications on the range can be annoying. The main reason I bought them was that the controls are buttons not knobs. Before the Peltors, I had a no name pair and the volume knob broke off in my range bag. |
Have you tried to contact the manufacturers of the gel ear cups to see if they are willing to make a version that will fit Sordins for you? I would think they would sell VERY well initially by pretty much everyone who owns them. What kind of minimum initial order would be necessary to do a run? I would imagine you could post polls on all the various boards to check interest and get hundreds of orders lined up in short order. |
| I don't like them while on the range. the constant winking out of sound is so distracting and somewhat disorienting. It's like trying to listening to a radio that is being fliped on and off randomly. Versus one that is just turned down really low. It's easier to just listen to the low volume than trying to compensate for random clarity. The super duper ones that only cancel out the loud noise while still maintaining the low sounds are just way too expensive for me. Besides they are hot and get in the way of a nice cheek weld (especially in prone). I still prefer the high quality foamies. |
[ARCHIVED THREAD] - electronic muffs (Page 1 of 3)
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