PELTOR Ear Muff Hearing Protection, X5 Series, Noise Protection NRR 21 dB, Construction, Manufacturing, Automotive

I have used this once at the shooting range; worked pretty well, but I was glad to have some ear plugs as well. I often wear it to get to sleep when I don't want to be bothered. Comfortable. Well made. Good quality.

These are absolutely fantastic! My ears are on the sensitive side, so I wear these at the workshop with my AirPods tucked underneath-and with that combo, I’m never bothered by saws, sanders, or any of the other power-tool chaos. Even on their own they do an incredible job blocking ambient noise (including the giant industrial fans), and the quiet they create is genuinely calming. They can run a little warm in the summer, but that’s par for the course with real noise protection. They’re not overly heavy, and the padding is soft and comfortable enough to wear for 8+ hour stretches without a second thought. They’re also impressively durable-more than once the earmuffs have saved me from giving myself a surprise whack with a sheet of plywood. With daily, heavy use they last me about a year before the foam needs replacing, but at that point I usually just grab a new pair. It’s amazing how frazzling constant background noise can be, and how instantly manageable the day feels once you put these on and everything goes blissfully quiet.

I can not and would not tell you how many pair of these formerly-known-as-headphones-now-"earmuffs" I have bought and paid for. And tried to use. Some, many in fact, do block noise. Most also unfortunately block blood flow. My brain seems to need this. So, I take small plastic storage tubs. Like, shoebox size, and turned upside down I put the, er, earmuffs over width-wise to "train" them. It takes a long time. And sometimes they never fit comfortably. Sometimes they stretch too far. Not really any better. Enter these: 3M Peltor Uncorded, Black. The first difference was that they were wearable. Comfortable. Right away. No "training" exercises. No waiting. Shortly after that I realized that they block noise better than the other ones I've tried. All, of the other ones. Noise reduction -with- blood flow. These are the hearing protectors I've been waiting for. Now, if you are, idk, buying earmuffs to "look cute…" these are probably not the ones you've been waiting for. They are big. Like, in a Princess Leia kind of way. She was already cute. She could get away with it. (Plus, good lighting.) But these will definitely get you noticed lol. I have a pretty serious hearing sensitivity. So, I take hearing protection pretty seriously. It's not cute. Exposure to loud noise makes my ears hurt. And hiss. Tinnitus. I also get migraines from changes in circulation to my head. So, yeah. These do the job really well without causing me any issues. They're actually micro-adjustable, too. And they protect my hearing. I'm glad to have -finally- found them. And I won't be without them if I can help it, again. (I'm here to get another back-up pair.) I don't want to be without my hearing, either. It's always surprising to find a product that is just that much better than all the rest. But this is one of those rare exceptions.

I have purchased three of these so far and I am going to purchase a fourth one now. I get a high level of noise protection. It is not perfect but I do not need perfect. If I were to add earplugs it would make the protection even greater. But I need to replace each set every two or three years even though it still works. Why? I need to replace it because they have a thin grey rubber covering around the outer ear shell on each side and after a few years it starts to crumble. Little by little tiny bits fall off unexpectedly and I leave a trail of them around the house. I mainly use them in bed to help get a good nights sleep and in the morning there are lots of little grey particles amidst the sheets. I supposed I could just scrape it all off and just use it that way. The rubber probably contributes little to sound protection though it probably adds something. But these are inexpensive enough that I just start with a new pair once that starts happening. I certainly do not expose them to hard use and I do not subject them to severe conditions. But I guess the moisture from my hands putting them on and off must cause them to deteriorate. I would try another brand but I finally found these after trying many brands. This was the best compromise between fit, comfort, and effectiveness so I am hesitant to switch.

The X5A has this one-of-a-kind immersive silence quality, which gives the wearer the sensation of having entered a silent chamber. This is brought on by the snug, deep earcups and the very high noise reduction of 31 decibels they generate. The headband is easily adjustable when the unit is on the head. The fit is tight yet reasonably comfortable for the sublime noise relief that it offers. This is a purpose-built item that gets the job done properly.

These are absolutely not the first headphones I've used to try to block out noise. But they're the first ones to fit somewhat comfortably, without squeezing my head like a vice. They are still a little tight, but very secure, and the pressure seems more widely distributed, which is positive. I think with time, I'll be more comfortable. But as far as comfort goes, this is really not bad at all. Other earmuffs (whatever you may call them) are either super cheap, broken, or incredibly tight and painful on my ears and head. One set I even struggled to open apart to put on my head at all. They folded up and took a minute to unfold as well. When I first put these earmuffs on, the world absolutely fell silent. I heard nothing for the first time ever. It was beautiful. I'm impressed in that regard. It actually does what it's supposed to, and it's designed well also. I feel that the design is remarkable. The earmuffs are adjustable in size, but they pretty much fit me perfectly from out of the box. The earpieces are really big and wide in profile. And that is the one sacrifice. I honestly think I might be too embarassed to wear such a big contraption on my head, in public, unless I had no other choice.. actually, I guess it's not that bad. I'm already used to being stared at. And I'm living for myself, and no one else. So who cares? I sure as hell shouldn't. I'd be happy at least. I'm ordering another pair, but in a lesser decimal protection unfortunately. But they look cooler- skinnier, and with some neon yellow flash. I don't shoot guns and I never will. Nor do I work around noisy construction sites. I need to be protected around everyday life, including people, their voices and places. I'm usually pretty fashion-forward. But I also value and need to protect my health at the moment. Health is my number 1 priority. Without it, I have nothing. Besides, because of the even distribution of weight, the Princess Leia look is lighter than it appears. I need these earmuffs to block out sound. I suffer from sensory sensitivity to the point where I'm now in almost complete isolation. Misophonia. Fibromyalgia. Etc. It makes life really difficult when I can't handle normal smells, sounds and lights, or anything rapid in movement. It gets a lot deeper than just that. This is on top of much grief and chronic pain. So these 3M Peltor headphones are the first step to finding some peace in this increasingly noisy world. Oh and another thing.. this won't concern everyone. But the inside of the earpieces are oval and hollow to allow my ears to fit comfortably inside. They fit right around my ears, thus protecting my left triple ear cartilage piercing. It always feels sore if I touch the area around the piercings. But the earmuff earpieces are a really nice fit, and I appreciate that. There isn't great pressure against my ears, and that's vital. So yeah I'm gonna give this 5 stars now. It's not perfect, and it doesn't particularly feel like a snuggly fur scarf. But this is a huge improvement from my past attempts to block out noise. I admit, I will have to get used to these, and they will irritate me sometimes, if I have to wear them for a long period of time. But it's a great start regardless. If you want good sound protection, there is no doubt that these will do it for you. I'm a petite woman, just so you know. I can see how these can fit almost anybody. Women and men alike. Teens as well. I'm pretty happy with this purchase. I just hope that one day the protection can be slimmer in profile, and softer and more comfortable as a whole, without sacrificing the noise blocking ability. Get this. It works. Well.

Rarely do I feel so moved to write a review such as this. I haven't had a life-altering experience or anything of that magnitude with these earmuffs, but I have had a few moments of silence that have made my day! As a matter of disclosure, I bought these earmuffs to silence my many neighbors at my "open" workplace. I am a software engineer, and I very frequently need to hear myself think. Where I work, each employee gets 3 square feet of cubicle space. The official line is that being this close to all your office colleagues will foster collaboration. It is really just a way to save money on cubicle furniture (which -- to my employer's credit -- does gouge out souls with their prices). So they try to put a positive spin on what is essentially a negative occurrence: everybody now gets less space. And more noise. And more distraction. And a ridiculous amount of light. But the light is another story. Anyway, my previous tries at finding a set of headphones or earmuffs to stifle every little joke, conversation, phone call, laugh, etc. had previously met with mixed results. I had already settled on how I would listen to music: a really good set of noise-cancelling headphones and some Bluetooth transmitter/receiver magic (not all good headphones are wireless). But I still longed for times where it could be library-level quiet at my desk. A quixotic desire to say the least, since people are on the phone right next to me, having meetings right next to me, walking by in groups and talking like no one else is around right next to me, etc.. So I tried a few earmuffs with high NRR, again with mixed results. The most effective set of earmuffs I used before these were a set of earmuffs rated 29 NRR. They worked very well. But the ear cushions were square (who thought of that?) and after an hour or two of wearing them, my ears would protest vociferously. Hence my search for a quieter and more comfortable set of earmuffs. My search led me to these and another set that claimed a rating of 34 NRR. I ordered these, and told myself if they didn't do the job, I could always order the 34 NRR ones. Wow. The first time I put these on, I could feel myself physically relax. The noise was GONE. I can't hear a THING with these earmuffs on. Well, I can, but everything outside of the earmuffs is either dead quiet or so muffled it doesn't even matter. Any amount of distraction due to sound is effectively eliminated with these earmuffs. My previous 29 NRR earmuffs used a huge cushion on the inside of each earmuff to do the hard work of absorbing noise. But it made my ears hot after a while (body part + insulation + containment = heat & sweat). These Peltor earmuffs are hollow on the inside of each earmuff, and the shell is lined with the noise-absorbing foam. As a result, my ears are much cooler with these on. The space between your ear and the outside of the earmuff shell is part of the strategy of how these earmuffs reduce noise, and it is VERY effective. Also, the seal provided by the ear cushions is the tried-and-true plastic/vinyl-like material (I believe it is PVC) that creates a good seal around your ears without acting like an adhesive. That being said, no earmuffs are perfect, and these Peltor earmuffs are no exception. The immediate inside of each earmuff -- where your ear makes direct contact with the earmuff -- is solid plastic. This plastic wraps around the whole earmuff, but for the most part you feel it on the back of your ear. I believe it is designed this way on purpose, because a rigid plastic ring where the foam ends and the cushion on the outside begins helps to create a superior seal around the ear. And the plastic does not put any crushing pressure on your ear lobes. But this rigid plastic can become tiresome. I usually need to wear these for hours at a time. Sometimes, during crunch times, I wear these earmuffs for four hours straight. And either my head will protest, or my ears will, depending on whether I put them on correctly, of if they are a little off balance. When I take them off, the areas on my ears where the plastic made contact are the most sore. And the headband could stand to have some kind of cushioning on it, to prevent the "two-band" impression in my hair after a long programming session. I realize these earmuffs are intended to be used along with protective headgear, but for my application (i.e. shutting everyone around me up) I wouldn't mind a terry cushion or a memory-foam cushion on the headband. But I swear these are quibbles and nitpicks. I LOVE these earmuffs. If 3M has a higher NRR set of these Peltors, I will be all over them. I now use these all the time at work. I look like a dork with these huge cans on my head, but I don't care. I can finally work in a library whenever I want to! Now, all I have to do is conquer the copious light in my "open" workspace...

I purchased these specifically to block out the sound of my neighbor's dogs barking at 6:00 AM. They have a very roo-roo sort of barky-yowl and this blocks about 99% of the noise. I also happily discovered that it also blocks out the sound of power saws, nail guns, and other power equipment when construction was being done nearby. It also effectively blocks out the sounds from lawnmowers and leafblowers. And, it blocks out the noise of screaming babies, children, and adults - even high-pitched screams. It also blocks about 95% of television noise - standard TV or sports games - you can hear mumbling if you try very hard, but it's not distracting at all. Now, these aren't the most comfortable items ever. They fit over your ears so your entire ear goes in each ear cup. This is great because it provides a tight seal. However, if you wear glasses, it will squish the back end of the glasses arm into your head. It's not a huge deal, but it is something to be aware of. The top band is comfortable and the length of the arms is easily adjustable. I'd say that I can comfortably wear them for at least an hour before my ears and glasses start to feel squished and I need to take them off for a few minutes for a break. Overall, these are THE best quality noise-blocking earmuffs you can buy. Yes, they're bulky and unattractive,, but they are extremely effective and I highly, highly recommend them if you need a distraction-free environment for getting work done. They're the next best thing to a soundproof room.