Military

The military is usually the first to try new technologies, and they have adopted a series of electronic and passive hearing protection devices to accommodate their various needs. This is true for militaries all over the world, not just North America.

While the military has a duty to protect soldiers during training and in combat, the products used by the military are not always of the highest quality. Electronic hearing protection is necessary, however, for gunners and anyone in machineries such as tanks and helicopters.

Recreation/Sports

It can be very exciting to watch live sports, but it can also be devastating to your eardrums.

If you are into race cars and motorsport in general, then you’ll want to invest in an electronic noise-canceling hearing protection device.

These are especially important for children to wear if they are going to be near loud cars and trucks, such as those at monster truck rallies. It’s all fun and games, sure, but it is very important to protect everyone’s hearing.

Shooting

The obvious benefits of protecting your hearing have been covered enough at this point. Shooting, including in the military, is one of the most common uses of electronic hearing protection devices, especially noise-canceling models.

You need to ask yourself how much your hearing is worth if you are debating purchasing a pair of quality earmuffs because they could mean the difference between keeping your hearing and losing it.

Overall Thoughts and Conclusion

The most important part of choosing the appropriate hearing protection device for your needs is to determine what you are going to use them for.

Since this is a review for the best hearing protection for shooters, we have reviewed products that are appropriate for lower caliber firearms and higher caliber firearms. While the more superior hearing protection products are the earmuff style electronic protectors, the earplug style electronic devices are just as effective for use with lower caliber firearms.

They are noteworthy because some protection is better than no protection and we’ve seen through statistics that over half of all hunters and sport shooters don’t wear any hearing protection.

So if you are avoiding hearing protection because of the size and potential discomfort of an earmuff style hearing protection device, go for the earplug style. The more you can do to save your hearing and prevent damage, the longer you will enjoy your hearing into your old age.

So when it comes to choosing an overall winner for the review of the best hearing protection devices for shooters we looked at whether or not a device was electronic, how much noise canceling ability it had, how much noise reduction rating it had, the overall design and wearability of the product, whether or not the product offered attachments or accessories to make it useful in other situations, how comfortable the product is for long term wear and use, and the reviews we read from other consumers who have tried these products as well.

While we liked the Howard Leight R-01526 Impact Sport Electronic Earmuff Set, the R-01902 Earmuff by HL Shooting Earmuff had slightly more hearing protection.

What’s more, there is just something about buying a 2 pack of something that makes it seem like it is lesser quality. Maybe because it looks like it could be a toy, but it’s certainly not a toy. Anyway, the R-01525 had a lower noise reduction rating than the R-01902 so it didn’t win our review.

Here’s why we ike the Howard Leight by Honeywell R-01902 Shooting Earmuff as the overall winner of this review:

• The earmuffs are professional looking while still providing darker colors for camouflaging ability which is helpful in the woods for shooters and hunters
• It offers a noise reduction rate of 30 — the highest in this roundup review
• They provide built-in multi-directional microphones to capture sounds all around the wearer and allows them to hear commands and conversations within earshot
• Actively listening for louder, less acceptable levels of sound and reduces them to a manageable 85 dB, which is acceptable to the human ear without causing permanent damage
• Quick recovery time/ attack time so you can be exposed to multiple rounds of fire from a gun or rifle without worrying about your hearing
• An adjustable headband that didn’t have complaints of cracking or warping and makes for comfortable wearing all day long
• External audio port for connecting to your MP3 player or smartphone so you can listen to your favorite music or the radio while you are waiting for some wild game to cross your path
• Automatic shut off after 4 hours to conserve battery life which is important for storage purposes, so you don’t get stuck in the woods without power
• Powered by 2 AAA batteries which last up to 350 hours of “on” time – that’s a ton of time to use your electronic hearing protection earmuffs

The Howard Leight R-01526 Sport Electronic Earmuff set would get a close second if the Shooting earmuff wasn’t on the list. They are similar enough, but the winning earmuff set is more robust and professional-looking than the previous model.

It’s important to have a good quality set of hearing protection earmuffs that can take a beating on the trail, or when you are hunkered down in a trench waiting for a buck to walk past you in the woods. The Shooting earmuffs by Howard Leight are great for longer wear because of the comfort build in and they won’t scratch your gun while you are shooting.

What’s more, when they are properly fitted and secured on your head, you should not experience any movement from them. The more secure your earmuffs are, the more hearing protection you will have.

When it comes to choosing the right hearing protection device for you, remember that the more noise reduction rating your device has, the more hearing protection you will receive.

If you aren’t currently wearing any hearing protection while firing a rifle or firearm, try incorporating the use of hearing protection devices into your routine. Even if you don’t realize it, you are probably losing some hearing capacity from your shooting experiences.

You can save what hearing you do have left by using approved hearing protection devices with a good noise reduction rating.

This article first appeared at Gun News Daily.

Image: Reuters.