The Peltor Optime 95 earmuff is recommended for very high noise level environments. Safe, comfortable and economical for all day protection. Note, this is the over the head model.
Owner Reviews, Ratings, Comments and Criticism
I work as an aircraft mechanic in a high-operations tempo environment... meaning I do a lot of running around, a lot of tumbling around, and get a lot of jets fixed to do a lot of flying. I've used numerous other forms of hearing protection: Peltor Shotgunners, Peltor H10 Optime, Bilsom Thunder, from what I can recall.
I'll go over the various qualities of this product:
-Slim design
Not quite as slim as the Shotgunners, but definitely not as obstructive as the H10 Optime or Bilsom Thunder. For my line of work this is very nice, as we often work in tight spaces in or around the jets. Also, when running/tumbling around they aren't as prone to wriggle off your head.
-Comfort
These offer a decent amount of comfort. They only started to get painful to wear after about three hours. They don't get to being uncomfortable/annoying until about an hour. The H10 Optime and Thunder has slightly more padding, but because they are bigger and heavier it makes them less comfortable overall to wear and gets irritating to wear very quickly... a general consensus among my workmates who vary by height, build, headshapes, earshapes etc. The Shotgunners have minimal padding... which is a key part of their slim design. Needless to say they aren't very comfortable either.
-Affordable
Less pricey compared to the Shotgunners, H10 Optime or Thunder. Yet this doesn't sacrifice much (if at all) in build quality or protection.
-Protection
These offer slightly more protection than the Shotgunners, but not as much as the H10 Optime or Thunder. The difference is noticeable, but for an industrial area where jet engines reach over 100 dB, the protection is good. For this type of environment the Shotgunners provide an acceptable amount of protection.
-Rugged
I typically see Shotgunners last 6-12 months (they're not meant for this type of work environment anyway). The H10 Optime and Thunder are fairly rugged, but I think they last as long as they do because most of my people try not to wear them unless they really need to. My H6 Optime has lasted me four years, and was a hand-me-down. While they aren't meant to be tossed about or otherwise abused, I'm pleasantly surprised they lasted in my work environment. For folks who work as car mechanics, in woodshops, or otherwise low-operations tempo environments (where you aren't running around like a madman trying to get things done) these will last you at least twice as long.
