Why You Only Should Choose The Best Electronic Ear Muffs When Shooting

I Only Choose The Best Electronic Ear Muffs When Shooting and so Should You!

Electronic ear muffs are one of the coolest gadgets you can have in your shooting bag. While wearing an appropriately chosen pair, you’re able to have conversations with your friends at the range while wearing hearing protection.

Electronic hearing protection ear muffs will allow quiet sounds (like speech) to pass through while still blocking loud noises (like gunshots). You can protect your hearing while still understanding range instructions and talking to your friends.

Choosing the right pair of electronic earmuffs will do wonders for your ears. The insides of your ears will appreciate the reduced noise levels, while the outside will sit comfortably inside each muff without any pain.

After some research, here are some of my favorite pairs on the market right now:

Howard Leight Impact Pro (R-01902)

Howard Leight offers two lines of earmuffs. This “pro” line comes with 30 dB of noise reduction. Because electronic ear muffs have built in microphones and speakers, it’s harder for them to dampen noise. Most pairs struggle to do -27 dB, let alone 30.

While this extra little bit of noise reduction might seem small on paper, decibels are a logarithmic scale. This means that there’s a big difference in just 3 decibels of noise reduction. Your ears will really notice the difference between these and a lesser pair.

The HL Impact Pro’s run off of normal AAA batteries. They’re good for about 350 hours off of one set. The speaker quality is quite good, and you can plug in your mp3 player or phone.

There’s a bit of hiss if you turn the pass-through volume up all the way, but it’s still very easy to understand speech and hear most ambient noises.

As far as comfort goes, these ear muffs have plenty of padding and are fine to wear for longer stints of shooting. They fit quite securely without unnecessary pressure or pinching.

Overall, these are some of the best electronic ear muffs on the market when it comes to shooting. If you want to protect your ears while still hearing conversations at the range, you’ll love these.

Visit HowardLeight.com for more information on this set and other models they produce including the model we will dicuss next.

 

Howard Leight Impact Sport Electronic Earmuff

These earmuffs are a slightly slimmer version of the Impact Pros above. They’re rated to provide 22 dB of noise reduction, which is still quite a bit.

You’ll certainly notice the difference between these and a pair rated at 30 or higher, however, so if getting the most hearing protection is your primary goal, you’ll want to choose the bulkier Pros above. In other words, for outdoor shooting these are great. For indoor shooting, you’ll want to back these up with earplugs or choose another pair.

Like the Pro model, the HL Impact Sport works off of two AAA batteries. Battery life is identical at roughly 350 hours, and the speaker quality is similarly good.

These earmuffs are incredibly comfortable and durable, especially considering the price. You can take them apart easily to replace parts if necessary. It’s unlikely you’ll have to, however, as these ear muffs are built to withstand lots of abuse.

The price on these earmuffs tends to be very low, especially considering their features. They’re my top recommendation for people who shoot outdoors occasionally.

If you’re an indoor shooter or you shoot often enough to warrant a bit more hearing protection, the Impact Pros above are slightly better.

 

Champion Electronic Ear Muffs

The Champion electronic ear muffs are available in a wide variety of colors. Overall, they’re quite comparable to the Howard Leight Sport.

They’ve actually got a bit MORE noise reduction (25 dB instead of 22), so they’re slightly more appropriate for indoor shooting. Still, I’d recommend that you get a set with 27 dB of reduction or back these up with ear plugs for indoor use.

The electronics in these ear muffs are a bit worse than the Howard Leights. As far as speaker quality and noise transmission go, they work fine, but they’re lacking two important features.

First, the batteries are quite a bit harder to change. These earmuffs use 2 AAA batteries on each side. The lids to the battery compartments are a bit tricky to get back on after replacing either set.

Second, there’s no easy way to plug in a phone or mp3 player. This means you can’t listen to podcasts while vacuuming or tuning out other noise around the house.

If you’re looking for a colorful pair of electronic ear muffs for shooting, these are a solid option. Even if you aren’t, if these are on sale, they’re certainly worth considering over the Howard Leight Impact Sport for outdoor shooting.

 

If I had to choose a single pair of ear muffs, I’d go with the Howard Leights.

The Best Pair Of Electronic Ear Muffs For Shooting

Impact Pros in a heartbeat. The noise reduction, durability, and convenience features offered by the Impact Pros are unmatched at their price point.

If budget was a concern, or I wanted a slightly smaller pair for outdoor shooting, I’d give the Impact Sport some careful consideration. They offer all of the same features in a smaller package, and if noise reduction is less of a concern, they’re a great way to save a few bucks!

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