Spyderco Forums

Up until now I just have always used the orange foam ear plugs, but I saw these on a shot show video and they were priced good enough I thought I had to try them. http://www.safariland.com/products/comm ... ml#start=1
What kind of ear protection do you prefer at the range?

WHAT???????......CAN YOU SPEAK UP PLEASE?????

Honestly, just google "Peltor hearing protection"

I buy the highest noise reduction foam plugs I can find, usually 32, and put them in backwards. For some reason they seem to seal up in my ears far better this way and block out far more noise. I have some pretty nice range ear muffs that filter out loud noise but still allow you to hear speech and lower level sounds but they don't block as much loud noise as the backwards foam plugs.

OldHoosier62 wrote:... just google "Peltor hearing protection"

+1 Peltor ear muffs are what we use at the range too. Very well-made and will last a long time.

Howard Leight Impact Sport muffs, sometimes augmented by foam plugs.

Early in my RSO days (prior to the new electronic muffs) we were required to use the Sonic II ear valves (plugs) so we could communicate with the shooters. They worked well but weren't comfortable for me to wear for long periods of time. In my later RSO days at the club I belonged to we used the electronic muffs. My competitive shooting is all rimfire so I use good foam plugs. They work well and are the most comfortable option IMO. When I'm shooting a loud centerfire (or somebody near me is) I typically use foam plugs combined Peltor muffs.

The joy of internet shopping is that specialist retailers will sell bundles of different styles of ear plug so you can find which type works best for you. Makes a huge difference.

Howard Leight Leightning L3, and Howard Leight Plugs.

I have some Etymotic ETY Plugs for when I go to concerts: http://www.etymotic.com/consumer/hearin ... ction.html

They are acceptable to me. They sound good and my ears aren't hurt after concerts. I thought I paid $20 for them on amazon.

I have a couple of Surefire ear plugs after watching a youtube review on them. The EP3 are nice and that little flexible plastic thing lets the weight rest on the shape of your ear instead of the weight hanging from the inside of your ear. They have these little plugs that you can take out of the middle and it allows you to hear better if you need to.

http://www.surefire.com/tactical-equipm ... ducts.html

Don't be scared by the prices, they sell 25 packs!

Thanks for this topic. I have two questions:

1 How do you make sure the plugs don't get stuck in your ears too deep where they can damage or interfere with inner ear?

2 What is a good efficient and safe way to remove excess ear wax?

I use a combination of foamier plugs made by Gateway and amplified ear muffs from Howard Leight. With the combination I can hear range commands and shoot alongside of most shooters. I say most because there are some rifles/pistols with exceedingly rude muzzle devices. When they are being fired I take the opportunity to load magazines behind the firing line.

I have a narrow ear cannel and the Gateway foam, non latex, plugs work very well:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00FA ... UTF8&psc=1

I like the low profile ear muffs for rifle use and you can get replacement er pads for these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B001T ... UTF8&psc=1

I use the Aeciro E-A-R Classic foam ear plugs as well as the Howard Leight Industries Thunder 29 earmuffs when I go to the shooting range.

I use any old 28db or better roll-up foam plugs, or alternately a set of 3M commercial muffs, also have a Remington branded set, not sure who made them, but they work fine.

SpyderEdgeForever wrote:Thanks for this topic. I have two questions:

1 How do you make sure the plugs don't get stuck in your ears too deep where they can damage or interfere with inner ear?

2 What is a good efficient and safe way to remove excess ear wax?

if you lose grip on the end of the rolled up earplug or it hurts your ear, then it's too deep!

there are ear wax removal kits with a dropper bulb and cleaning solution for those who are unwilling to put a cotton swab in their ear.

Cheap foam earplugs work very well. Roll them into a narrow cylinder & quickly stuff them into the ear canal. Hold them in place until they expand. Cuts out sounds almost completely once they expand.

I wear decent muffs over cheap foam plugs at the range. It never hurts to double up. I used to work for 12 hour shifts in 80+ decibels and just got used to doubling up for safety. I did have to keep qtips in my locker. It was quite warm too. I don't miss the sweaty waxy ears, that is for sure.

I had regular hearing tests over the years working there and never lost any hearing. I also wore a decibel meter once a year to track my actual exposure. My shift average was around 80 but the peaks were much higher.

noseoil wrote:Roll them into a narrow cylinder & quickly stuff them into the ear canal. Hold them in place until they expand. Cuts out sounds almost completely once they expand.

I always pull up on the ear while inserting (step 2 in video below).

Howard Leight video

For 12 years I was a Firearms Instructor and Range Officer for a Public Town Firing Range. Hearing protection was very important being around gun fire 8-12 hours a day. I found most muffs did not give me adequate protection.
I went to a Hearing Specialist and he made me custom ear plugs (in flesh color) fitted and molded to my ears. The reduced decibel level was 32 decibels. They were surprisingly not very expensive to make up and worked very well. I would then double up by putting an additional muff over my ear plugs. I still carry my custom ear plugs, and slip them in whenever there is too much noise around me. I would really suggest you not use the cheap foam earplugs...It's just too easy to have loss of hearing issues from range exposure. Even with the best possible protection, I still suffer from hearing loss in my right ear from that exposure...so be very very careful.....Doc:)

I worked in a factory once that also made us custom ear plugs that had speakers in them for radio communications.

One tip for foam plugs, besides putting them in backwards (seriously, try it), make sure you roll them up slowly and gradually instead of just mashing them up. You don't want wrinkles in the foam because they won't expand property and will leave gaps for sound to get through. Roll them slow, put them in backwards nice and deep and you'll be good to go. If anything maybe get some powered ear muffs like the Howard Leight muffs that only reduce loud noises. I sometimes use those because you can turn up the volume of speech so you hear the people around you but they still help muffle the bangs. It's a pretty effective combination.

Evil D wrote:I worked in a factory once that also made us custom ear plugs that had speakers in them for radio communications.

I forgot I also have a pair of custom molded plugs. They work well but I find that firm foam plugs work just as good when used properly.

Good hearing protection is important! Especially when you're working on a firing line all day. Eye protection too!

Heh, yeah eye protection is a must. Funny story, last time I was at the range with my bro in law, he had some brass fly up and actually land on the arm of his glasses and it stayed there and burned the crap out of his temple, even left a little tiny blister. We both laughed our butts off.