Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I purchased the SG-31 as my first pair of shooting range muffs, mainly for indoor. I found normal over-the-ear muffs to be very uncomfortable due to having to wear glasses and the intrinsic side effect of warming up the ears. I've never tried plugs, so can't compare them.
The ZEMs actually blocked more noise at the indoor range than the muffs rented there previously. Higher caliber sounds in the next stall were still pretty loud, as they were wearing normal muffs, but not unbearable or painful. My 9mm pretty much sounded like a light *POP* and 9mm and 22s in the adjacent stalls were just slight pings.
As far as being able to hear normal sounds clearly, I would say they are still pretty muffled. I could hear people around the range fairly clearly, but still had to strain to understand them as they sounded very far away. I didn't actually converse with anyone, so direct sound waves from someones mouth may be more audible. The worker sweeping spent casings was very audible. I could hear the push broom swish across the floor and the casings pinging around rather clearly. Odd. Racking my slide and loading magazines was somewhat clear. In short, some of the higher and lower pitches were audible, but speech was lacking somewhat.
I am very happy with these. They are comfortable for periods of at least 45 minutes, which was the time I wore them today. They are extremely light and fold up to fit in your pocket, even. They are black, so they match any wardrobe. =]
If you do purchase these, make sure to put them on as the packaging illustrates to get a good seal:
1) Loosen the band and fit the plugs into your ears.
2) Rotate the device forward to about your forehead, then back to rest on the top of your head.
3) Tighten the band until it fits comfortably.
This should create a noticeable seal and drown out the noise. I'm not sure exactly why or how the rotation works, but it does. I had to repeat the above steps a few times before getting a good seal in my right ear for some reason. Also, a couple times my right ear lost the complete seal during shooting. It still provided adequate protection, but was producing slightly more noise than the left. A simple rotation forward and back did the trick. Your mileage may vary as all ears are not created equal, of course, and mine are way beyond their warranty period. I shave my head, so be wary if you have a sensitive skull with very thin, fine or no hair on top because the band is hard plastic with little grooves which rest on your head. Mine is fairly tough, so I became used to it, but I can see it maybe bothering some more sensitive skin. A simple strip of duct tape may do the trick. Doesn't that stuff fix everything?
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