Eh, What's That You Say? E-A-R Ultimate Muffs
Written: Sep 07 '07
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Product Rating:
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Pros: protects hearing while still allowing one to hear lesser sounds, such as voices
Cons: hot, not quite as comfortable as disposable plugs
The Bottom Line: This is an indispensable piece of equipment for any hunting or shooting enthusiast.
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| wychic's Full Review: E-A-R Ultimate 10 Muffs |
The importance of protecting your hearing can not be over-emphasized...or so my mother always told me. My mom is a sign language interpreter, and as such she has had to take extensive classes on the ear, hearing, and the everyday hazards one faces in relation to hearing.
I was never allowed to use headphones or earphones. If my mom could hear my music upstairs from my basement bedroom it was far too loud. I couldn't go to concerts. Until I learned to get past her I couldn't go to sporting events without hearing protection.
However, I was allowed...or, rather, compelled...to attend shooting practice three times a week, plus competitions. In 4-H I shot air rifle, air pistol, .22 rifle, .22 pistol, shotgun, and black powder. In competition I was allowed to shoot the airs without protection since they make less noise than dropping a fork on tile, but during practice the airs and the .22s were all shot inside at targets with metal stops behind them. Yeah, loud. Shotgun and black powder are loud no matter where you are.
For sporting events, lectures, blocking out snoring at night, or whatever else I may need hearing protection or blocking out background noise for I generally use small foam disposable ear plugs. For my shooting, I use E-A-R muffs.
Protective ear muffs are fairly simple, consisting of an adjustable plastic band that goes over the top of the head just like warming ear muffs. At each end of the plastic band are circular pieces that cup over the ear and have a rubber sealing ring around the edges that come into contact with the head to block noise.
The muffs are not quite as comfortable as foam plugs. They're bulky, hot in the summer, and annoying after extended use, especially if they're pinching your ear back against the temples of your safety glasses. However, they have some distinct advantages.
First, according to my mom (the ear expert), inserting an ear plug directly into the ear has the potential to damage the ear, though that danger is very very small (otherwise she wouldn't let me use them at all). Obviously there is no such danger with the ear muffs as they do not come into contact with the ear at all.
Next, foam ear plugs tend to block out all sound regardless of its timbre or intensity. Muffs, on the other hand, are designed to lessen the sound of anything over a harmful decibel range, but allow lesser sounds through. This is particularly important to me when I am practicing or in competition because I must be able to hear everything the range master says, even if there are twenty or thirty firearms going off at the time.
For example, I used to wear the foam plugs for all my practices because they were more comfortable. A man who obviously wasn't working with a full box of crayons and apparently had work to do in the place we were practicing came in and walked straight out into the firing range. The range master called a cease fire immediately, but I couldn't hear him and nearly shot again while there was someone in the danger zone. The man was far down the line from my shooting position so the chances of me actually shooting him were almost none, but that's not the point.
With these particular muffs I can hear human voices almost as clearly as I can without any protection. I've never missed a command from the range master, I wear them hunting so I can hear everything from my hunting partner and can keep an ear out for anything else I should know is going on, and when we're out "plinking" (target shooting for fun, generally at aluminum cans) I can hold conversations with my fellow shooters pretty easily.
Another plus is that the muffs, if taken care of properly, won't need to be replaced for many years, whereas the foam plugs (at about $1.00 per pair) have to be replaced about every couple of weeks. My muffs cost about $25 and I got them nine years ago. As long as they're taken care of they'll last pretty much forever, but they have to be replaced when the rubber seal on the earpieces gets worn out or otherwise damaged.
One drawback I've found with these muffs refers back to the fact that they can be hot. I don't take heat well, and for my outdoor disciplines during state shoot in the middle of a Wyoming July this can cause a problem. One year I nearly passed out during my shotgun competition at said state shoot, now I bring along foam plugs just in case!
All-in-all, the ear muffs work best for me when all I'm going to be doing is shooting. For me they're definitely worth it for the added hearing ability they give me while protecting me from harmful sound levels. They're also great for smaller kids if you can get them to keep them on because foam plugs have a greater chance of harming small ears. If you're in a hunting family or enjoy target shooting these are a must-have, for other ear protection needs try disposable foam plugs.
Recommended:
Yes
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Epinions.com ID:
wychic
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 in Books |
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Member: Rebecca Brown
Location: Sheridan, WY, USA
Reviews written: 490
Trusted by: 48 members
About Me:
Insane but completely harmless country gal
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