Wearing hearing protection is not something that should even be debated.
I’ve heard all the arguments about auditory exclusion and “hey, it’s only one shot”.
The biggest gripe I hear for hunters is they’re cumbersome, they take too long to put on, or they are just a pain to deal with so I leave them in the truck.
My normal hearing protection that I use on the range/hunting are custom molded electronic plugs. I’ve used these for many years and many hours a day on the range while shooting matches. Electronic plugs are great but they require a hefty financial investment to purchase.
Enter OTOPRO Impulse Hear Through Earplugs.
These small rubber plugs come with an impulse filter that fits inside the plug that closes when it registers a certain decibel reading.
According to the package they have a 33dB reduction at 166dB impulse peak with only 5dB of reduction for soft sounds.
So what does that really mean?
It means the impact filter closes when it registers a loud noise but remains open a little to be able to have situational awareness and actually be able to carry on a conversation.
The rubber tips were very comfortable and soft enough to be worn all day.
The plugs let just enough air into the ear canal to reduce irritation unlike other plugs. Ever wonder why when you remove your plugs that your ears itch?
The package comes with medium & large ear tips that fit most people but they have small and extra large tips available by request.
These are also ANSI certified and they have different impact filters available for whatever activity you’re doing.
So how did they work on the range?
I’ve worn them on a few different open air range days and they work as designed.
Shooting 357 & 44 magnum revolvers, shotguns, rifles, and pretty much anything I could think of that had some snap to it. The OTOPRO worked fantastic.
I didn’t experience any delay in the suppression of the sound, it was instantaneous. My local long range club has essentially a big metal box with an open front with benches for the shooters. Now picture big guns with big muzzle brakes going off in that big metal box, IT IS LOUD!
My normal procedure here is to put in foam ear plugs with muffs over the top, a double ear pro is a must but the downside is you can’t hear anything which makes following range commands and communicating difficult.
I used the OTOPRO plugs with muffs over the top and they worked perfectly, I was able to spot/shoot and still talk. The OTOPRO plugs fit great under my muffs and didn’t feel awkward at all.
If you have ever fired a rifle with muffs on and it sometimes breaks the seal with your cheek weld then you get the blast, these ear plugs will solve that problem.
Obviously, I’m not able to measure the dB at my ears and I’m sure some folks are going to say that the muffs are taking all the noise so the OTOPRO isn’t doing what it’s meant for. I can tell you while wearing them this way made a big difference for me and I really liked being able to hear my surroundings.
For something different I used them while running my snowblower where I normally would wear foamy plugs and these were great.
I understand that it doesn’t have a snap to deal with but that loud motor running for an hour or so gets to be mind numbing.
So wearing them with the snowblower, chainsaw, lawn mower or any power equipment would be great while still being able to understand what’s going on around you.
To sum it all up if you’re in need of new hearing protection these are worth looking at. Comfortable enough to wear all day in the field and still remaining able to hear your surroundings. Compact enough to always have them in your pack, pocket, or center console and put them in when you get ready to head out just makes sense.
A product that does what it’s designed to do at an affordable price!
OTOPRO is a full service hearing protection company that sources and service all kinds of hearing protection devices.