which ear plugs

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limmy01

Active member
Joined
May 24, 2015
Messages
42
Location
Leicestershire
Good Evening all,

 Currently own a set of debens muffs but these ache my ears after a while, also end up with the gun stock catching them sometimes which results in my skin getting pinched..

So now is the time to look into a set of electronic plugs that will protect my ears well and prevent my tinnitus getting any worse!

So which makes do people recommended and how do i go about doing a mold? Also what price am i looking at for a set?

Cheers Jamie 

 
Good Evening all,

 Currently own a set of debens muffs but these ache my ears after a while, also end up with the gun stock catching them sometimes which results in my skin getting pinched..

So now is the time to look into a set of electronic plugs that will protect my ears well and prevent my tinnitus getting any worse!

So which makes do people recommended and how do i go about doing a mold? Also what price am i looking at for a set?

Cheers Jamie 
Before you write off ear muffs.. consider MSA sordin. Light pressure, good shape, don’t hit stock (especially if you wear them the right way around as they have a recess for the controls). I can’t wear any other headphones. 

 
What Will  said, MSA cans  , try the Supreme Pro X model with Gel Ear-cups as well . You can wear them in a downpour and they still work . The sound quality is amazing , and a single AAA battery lasts for months . Turn them off if you want isolation , turn them up if you want to hear a trap spring , or a pheasant’s wingbeats .  At 1/3 the price of a quality set of in ear electronics they are a bargain . Starkey Headsets offer a 14 day no questions return so you could try without any risk .  I picked up a pair after reading comments on here from prolific shooters who use them  , everyone who has tried them wants a pair. 

 
Earmuffs - sweaty in the summer. In Ear - nice in the summer, but can suffer from wind noise (passive type) Each to there own, but in ear for me.

 
Earmuffs - sweaty in the summer. In Ear - nice in the summer, but can suffer from wind noise (passive type) Each to there own, but in ear for me.
got to agree with the sweaty ears but i think its a small price to pay for the extra sound deadening. i used in ear custom plugs for years and thought they were great until i forgot them and had to borrow a pair of muffs. the difference was amazing. 

 
I did watch a YouTube video that plugs have a better rating and protection level than muffs.. is this really the case?

Really like the ones on starkeys site 

Jamie 

 
I did watch a YouTube video that plugs have a better rating and protection level than muffs.. is this really the case?

Really like the ones on starkeys site 

Jamie 
Ive always believed the opposite, because the area around the ear also absorbs sound, particularly the bone behind the ear. Plus muffs keep your ears warm, which is good about 8 months a year in UK.

 
I bought some custom in-ear plugs a year ago and don’t get on with them. I have gone back to my basic muffs.

i might check out the muffs recommended above - they sound excellent.

 
Before you write off ear muffs.. consider MSA sordin. Light pressure, good shape, don’t hit stock (especially if you wear them the right way around as they have a recess for the controls). I can’t wear any other headphones. 
Another vote for the MSA's from me. Had mine for ages, never hit my stock against them. 

 
I’ve got a set of MSA ProX for sale - message me if you’re interested 👍

 
I bought some custom in-ear plugs a year ago and don’t get on with them. I have gone back to my basic muffs.
Just a point for in-ear plugs... ears never stop changing shape and/or growing so if you get custom fit ones, they'll only ever last a few years before the inner shape has changed in one or another.

I like them though. 😊

 
Any hearing protection should have a protection rating, the higher the figure the better the protection, check out the figures from the manufacturers and see what performs best on paper.

For reference the single number rating for a few random products:  msa electronic muffs state 25db, cens electronic 31db, yellow foam plugs or such like are anything from 28 to 35db of protection depending on shape and manufacturer.

 
I have tinnitus and my problem with electronic ear defenders is that they alone, don't offer enough protection. I stuff my Peltors with extra foam and use an ear plug in the dodgy ear to reduce the effect on my tinnitus which is always worse after a shoot, so which earmuff type of ear defender gives best protection?

 
Any hearing protection should have a protection rating, the higher the figure the better the protection, check out the figures from the manufacturers and see what performs best on paper.

For reference the single number rating for a few random products:  msa electronic muffs state 25db, cens electronic 31db, yellow foam plugs or such like are anything from 28 to 35db of protection depending on shape and manufacturer.
Read various reports though and that reduction number is averaged across the whole sound spectrum, however for shooting disciplines you only need specific ranges so those numbers can be much, much higher or lower within that/those ranges which makes the ear defenders much more effective than just gauging by the numbers. Tough call.

 
In the good old days when I went pistol shooting it was common practice to wear both cans and plugs . Of course for any method of ear protection to work it has to be worn properly , I’ve lost count of the number of people with ear defenders  with one cup shoved up a bit for the stock , or half of an ear so they can listen to their buddies . 

The one thing I realised when I worked for a living was uncomfortable PPE will always be discarded if possibe  , whereas comfortable gear would be kept on . Its the same in hobby world , the best PPE is the sort  that you will actually use . 

 
I use in-the-ear electronic plugs for clays, and most wingshooting that does not involve blowing a game call.  The compession circuit will make your duck/goose call sound like a duck buried in a mine shaft, and you will struggle to not "blow out" the birds with too much volume.  Otherwise, I have been very happy with in-the-ear electronics.  Living on the gulf of Mexico, muffs are beastly hot 10 months out of the year, but they do seem to provide more protection than in-the-ear.  Many folks I know wear both when pistol/rifle shooting.  Most certainly get gel cups if you are going with muffs.  The gel cups make a very noticeable difference.  My one pair of muffs are MSA Sordin Pros, which are wonderful "ear saunas." ;)

 
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