Hi All,

I started looking at the electronic hearing protectors offered to hunters
and shooters- they mostly cost around $150 on up. Recently I notice stores
like Woodcraft are selling electronic muffs in the $30 range. Can anybody
tell me what the difference is for the more expensive units?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Steve

"Steve" wrote in message
...
Hi All,

I started looking at the electronic hearing protectors offered to hunters
and shooters- they mostly cost around $150 on up. Recently I notice
stores like Woodcraft are selling electronic muffs in the $30 range. Can
anybody tell me what the difference is for the more expensive units?


About $120.

On Sun, 15 Oct 2006 12:56:06 GMT, "Steve" wrote:

Hi All,

I started looking at the electronic hearing protectors offered to hunters
and shooters- they mostly cost around $150 on up. Recently I notice stores
like Woodcraft are selling electronic muffs in the $30 range. Can anybody
tell me what the difference is for the more expensive units?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Read the specifications.

Mark
(sixoneeight) = 618

"Steve" wrote in message
...
Hi All,

I started looking at the electronic hearing protectors offered to hunters
and shooters- they mostly cost around $150 on up. Recently I notice
stores like Woodcraft are selling electronic muffs in the $30 range. Can
anybody tell me what the difference is for the more expensive units?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Some have a volume, frequency, and/or bandwidth adjustments, and may be
weatherized or have passed testing for military specification as well. Also
they may have been tuned for specific environments.

Something to be aware of with active noise reduction is that it is most
effective at low frequencies, which are for the most part not the ones that
damage hearing. Passive protection is more effective at high
frequencies--any hearing protector you get you want to have good passive
protection. A David Clark 10A passive earmuff, which is simple and basic
and effective and produced in huge volume, goes for about 30 bucks.
Anything that goes for that price and includes electronics would have me
wary of what corners have been cut.

FYI, Consumer Reports recommends using both plugs and muffs.

I find the plugs dampen the sound better than muffs, and are cheaper. Look
for "Howard Leight" brand plugs.

E.g.

http://earplugstore.stores.yahoo.net/holemaxuffop.html

On Sun, 15 Oct 2006 12:56:06 GMT, "Steve" wrote:

Hi All,

I started looking at the electronic hearing protectors offered to hunters
and shooters- they mostly cost around $150 on up. Recently I notice stores
like Woodcraft are selling electronic muffs in the $30 range. Can anybody
tell me what the difference is for the more expensive units?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Steve

I use the cheap $20 headsets and buy them for their comfort and ease
of use. It's rare, but I have put in ear plugs AND the headset. The
earplugs that expand in the ear canal work best for me (use these at
my job), but I prefer the headset.

wrote in message
...
On Sun, 15 Oct 2006 12:56:06 GMT, "Steve" wrote:

Hi All,

I started looking at the electronic hearing protectors offered to hunters
and shooters- they mostly cost around $150 on up. Recently I notice
stores
like Woodcraft are selling electronic muffs in the $30 range. Can anybody
tell me what the difference is for the more expensive units?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Steve


I suspect it may have to do with the difference in sound between a
router and a shotgun.

Yep, I was gonna add for the OP - be careful what you're looking at with
hearing protectors for hunters. The company I work for makes shooter's
plugs. They're similar to a hearing aid, but designed to allow normal
hearing except when "percussive" type sounds like a gunshot are detected. I
don't think they'd be very good for reducing noise level in a wood shop.

Steve wrote:
Hi All,

I started looking at the electronic hearing protectors offered to hunters
and shooters- they mostly cost around $150 on up. Recently I notice stores
like Woodcraft are selling electronic muffs in the $30 range. Can anybody
tell me what the difference is for the more expensive units?

Thanks for any advice you can give.

Steve

The $150 ear muffs usually have small microphones on each ear cup that
pickup sound and reproduce it thru a speaker in the cup. Normal sound
levels are passed straight thru, and some even amplify really quiet
sounds. Better models work in a "stereo" mode - where each ear has it's
own mic/speaker - so that you can tell where a sound is coming from.
When a loud noise is detected, the speaker shuts off, blocking the
sound. This type of hearing protection is nice because you can hear
what's going on around you, and you avoid the "clogged up" feeling you
get with ear plugs.

To choose what type of hearing protection will be best for you,
consider how you will use it. For example, do you want to put it on
when you enter your shop and leave it on, or do you want to grab it
before turning on a machine.

For me, a good bit of the time spent in the shop hearing protection is
not needed, so I use the less expensive, non-powered, ear muffs and
just put them on before turning on a loud machine.

Mike