Harbor Freight electronic earmuffs

[Wayne Smith]

Are these any good? I bought a pair but am taking them back because there is no way to open them to insert the batteries! I read the information that said that they "may not be reliable for inpulsive sounds such as gunfire". Is this a standard disclaimer for all such products or is there a quality issue - i.e. the more expensive ones are reliable for such "impulsive" sounds?

I've got to take these back and wonder if I want my money back or if I want to exchange for another pair I can use?

[edsmith]

get a quality pair,those cheap ones are not worth a lifetime of ear ringing,not able to hear clearly,take it from some one who knows.I drives me nuts.

[Rocky Raab]

I agree. It is vital to understand that "noise canceling" earphones are NOT effective against gunfire, which is an "impulse" sound. Background sound elimination and impulse protection are entirely different.

However you value your hearing, get protection commensurate with that value.

[Poygan]

I bought two sets. They DO NOT work for shooting! I kept one set for chain saw use, etc. and took the second set back. I've already had to fix the one I kept. Cheap but not worth it IMO.

[mike in co]

ok so first i am over 60 and have worked around high noise machinery.
i have dillon and hate the way the plastic ear covers crack and are then uncomfortable/less effective.
i bought a pair of miday last time they were on sale...they work fine. not a $150 product, not as quick as the dillon...but work fine...just bought my second pair.

the battary cover is a pain...keep pushing down and away..it will open...and just as much fun putting it back on.

mike in co

[jcwit]

I'm a Harbor Freight fan to a point, but saying that, get a better set. I'm now part of the "What'd she say crowd" is now part of my vocabulary

I've bought Remington Electronic, Caldwell Electronic, and Silencio Electronics. Have finally settled on a pair of The new Howard Leight Electronics by Sperian, They're reasonably priced, around $45 on sale, and work exceptionally well and their volume control for range commands can't be topped.

[Lee]

I must agree to disagree this time.
I bought 2 HF electronic earmuffs close to 10 years ago, on a lark. They have served me well. The attack time is just about instantaneous, and the recovery time is faster than my Caldwells, Midways, and 3rd party brand. I keep going back to them, and still retain my hearing, even field tested them with an AK-47 on full;-). (tested yearly, no loss yet)
Now that's not to say that what you purchased recently was the same as what I purchased back then. Mebbe I just got lucky.

FWIW, on the subject of battery changing, I am not impressed with the method on any of mine. All have to have a foam rubber ear cup removed in order to insert batteries, seems a flimsy way to do it, always concerned that I'll rip the foam or something.........Lee
P.S. Just went and pulled out the Caldwells. Stored same location as the HF. Turn them on, and the volume control is scratchy as heck. HF is smooth, no static. I decided to pull the batteries from the Caldwell, as I have no use for it currently. Screwdriver in the slot to pop out the earmuff, and gouges the plastic pretty good until the ear piece POPS out. HF is the same way. Mebbe them $300 ones are better...........

[jcwit]

I don't know about the $300 ones, to expensive for me. Spent all my money on $2000 per ear hearing aids.

One thing about the Howard Leigth muffs is they do not cancell out to zero, they7 drop the sound to a safe level, you never loose hearing while wearing them. Very nice if trying to carry on a conversation while wearing them.

They also have an outside door that pops off, something like a pocket radio or camera battery compartment.

[bohokii]

the clear electronic muffs work fine they are rated at 24db which is about the minimum for gunfire the ear pockets arent that deep since they are full of electronics and batteries and my cab door type ears kind of chafe on the innards which is kind of hard plastick with a material that is kind of abraisive after a while

also the sound quality isnt that great they are not stereo but they are adequate for the price $19 every couple weeks when they go on sale

i think there is some confustion beween electronic muffs and noise canceling headphones

they are 2 entirely different things

if they are designed to plug into a sound system they are not for "hearing protection"

noise cancelling headphones are not for hearing protection

kind of like inflateable pool toys are not for lifesaving use

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92851

gee they went on sale even deeper

[imashooter2]

A friend and I each bought a set of the cheapies back when Harbor Freight was selling them for a song. They worked, but the electronics cut out for far too long and you cannot follow conversations. They also picked up a lot of interference, constantly chirping what I call chipmunk noise.

I replaced mine with a pair of Peltor 6S muffs after a year of that. Superior electronics. No chipmunk noise and the cut out is very fast making conversation easy. My bud replaced his shortly after as well.

If you can stand their shortcomings, the HF units are cheap and robust.

[Wayne Smith]

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=92851

gee they went on sale even deeper

Yup, that's what I got except they literally have no access to a battery compartment. The soft covers are glued on and there is no coin slot on them.

[Rocky Raab]

We are actually talking about THREE different kinds of electronic muffs.

One is noise cancelling, and it is true that they do not work for and are not intended for gunfire.

Another are muffs with clipping circuits. Those are the cheapest and least desirable protective circuits. They turn completely off during loud sounds and come back on when the sound level drops. Being cheap and simple, they seldom have either good sound quality or are very fast (that "attack time" mentioned above) so they might not go off until the most intense portion of the sound wave gets through the circuit and to your ears.

Finally, we have muffs with compression circuits. These allow sound through at all times, but limit the volume of loud sounds. You still hear the gunshot, but it is a dull thud, and background sounds continue to come through. This is a much more sophisticated circuit, and gives better sound as well as better protection.

Far beyond that, we have in-ear electronics. Those designed for shooting have compression levels of about 90 dB (nothing louder than that gets through). That offers both meaningful amplification of soft sounds but full protection. They also have much less wind noise, no "seashell effect" and greater comfort - especially with hat or glasses. They cost significantly more, but if you value your hearing, are worth every dime.

[bohokii]

just got back from getting a pair hell they are cheap enoug to loan to people dumb enough to not bring hearing protection

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e366/bohoki/DCP_7693.jpg

first off the pot crackles so horribly(volume knob) its lounder than gunfire so adjust before putting on your ears and dont touch it or just be glad your batteries are dead

to open

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e366/bohoki/DCP_7695.jpg
sick your finger inside grasp the edge of the earpad plastic ring and pull from the side

http://i43.photobucket.com/albums/e366/bohoki/DCP_7696.jpg
nope new batteries dont make them sound any better

[jcwit]

Rocky, you nailed it. And yes the muffs with the compression circuit are the best muff. I still wear foam plugs with them, just not stuffed in to the point I can't hear anything.

[Rocky Raab]

Thanks. I was in the business for 15 years. Darn well ought to have learned somethin' huh?

[Bent Ramrod]

Mine take apart like the ones Bohokii illustrates. Cost about $25 three or four years ago at Harbor Freight. They're starting to fall apart, but a few wood screws and some tape takes care of that. The earmuff part is as good as most other earmuffs. There isn't a "sound dampener" in there per se; it's a little amplifier that cuts out at loud or sharp or sometimes all-inclusive noises. You can hear range commands, but the sharp crack of the guns is reduced to a thud. My annual hearing tests at work do not show any degradation from year to year, so I guess even cheap circuitry and the lack of a large price tag can protect me well enough. The amp does cut out in high winds, but this is no more than a temporary annoyance. I go to the range to shoot; protracted conversations are not a priority then.

[Ed Barrett]

I bought a set a few years ago, and they have worked fine for me. I found that they worked so well they pick up conversations from a couple of benches down. The only thing I can think of to improve them would be if they were stereophonic. Everything sounds like it's coming from the same direction. I have used electronic earphones that cost $500 many years ago when I shot indoor pistol matches and I think the Harbor freight are just as good.

[jcwit]

I guess it all depends on how much you value your hearing. And you don't know it till its gone. Believe me I know!

If you have a constant ringing or surf sound its already past repair, and aids is the only fix if you're lucky & got the money. Somehow I feel those looking at Harbor Freight hearing protection aren't the ones willing to spend $4000.00 on hearing aids.

[Lee]

Geez, I don't know if Radio Shack sells it anymore, some MO electronics places do. "It" is a spray on tuner/contact/rheostat cleaner that works just dandy on those volume controls. Don't spray too much, a little dab'll do ya. Then work the control furiously for several seconds, both on and off if required.(some electronics have a separate on-off switch)
The HF I have cut out all the sound, and do it right now. I don't even "hear" a dull thud, more like feel it. As I said, mine may have been made differently than yours, but mine work, and was the best $20 bucks I ever spent. As mentioned above, when I'm shooting, I'm there to shoot, not cut the breeze.....................Lee:)

P.S. bohokii....thnaks for the info. Perhaps that is ANOTHER way to get the foam seals off. I'll have to try it!!!!

[imashooter2]

As mentioned above, when I'm shooting, I'm there to shoot, not cut the breeze.....................Lee:)


I never had a problem with them turning off, my issue is they stayed off too long. Shooting USPSA or ICORE, being able to follow a conversation is a good thing.

[Dave C.]

Buy a good pair of Peiltors (spelling?) and foam plugs. Use both at the sme time.

[Wayne Smith]

I went to the range yesterday. The guy beside me was shooting his Kimber 300 Win Mag and his 450/500 double. I could feel the concussion of his firing, especilly the Win Mag, but had no ability to hear the shots. The range wasn't busy at first and I had no problem hearing conversation but as the range got busier and the shots came more frequently conversations would cut out more frequently, as expected.

[swheeler]

Wayne I bought a set of the Caldwell electronic muffs on sale at Midway about a year ago, work just fine. I think they had them for 14.95/ reg 49.95?? I figured they would be junk, I was wrong.