Reddit mentions of 3M Personal Protective Equipment PELTOR Camelback Gel Sealing Rings HY80, Comfort Replacement Earmuff Cushions, Black

How does your product differ from the available OEM gel cups by 3M/Peltor that are already on the market?

Such as: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DHVXKVA/

I bought these and shortly after bought a pair of thick Peltor muffs. Having compared the two, the Howard Leights are a fantastic bargain compared to regular slim earmuffs but I strongly recommend going for the Peltors if you only intend to wear muffs and not doubling up with ear plugs and muffs. Shooting without doubling up on these is not possible if you are near anyone who is firing a rifle or is using a brake.

Stereo sound from the Peltors was a huge improvement over the Howard Leight's mono sound. Once you hear the difference, you see what an improvement it is being able to hear where sounds are coming from.

The Peltor set is far more comfortable. As in inflatable mattress vs memory foam mattress difference in comfort. This is to be expected from the price difference, but they are perfectly comfortable for hours and hours. I don't have grass to mow here in the desert but I can imagine these would be great for mowing a big yard. They're like pillows for your ears, seriously. And I just found out that they make Gel pads


If it is in your budget, you can get the Peltors for $180ish when you can catch them on sale.

Cost a little more but this is what you're looking for: 3M Personal Protective Equipment PELTOR Camelback Gel Sealing Rings HY80, Comfort Replacement Earmuff Cushions, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DHVXKVA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_tai_UcXVDbPMAY9ZB
They seal really well and are way more comfortable than the standard earpieces on most Peltors.

I currently use the Peltor Sport Tactical 100 ($50) which does have a very basic compression circuit. At least from my personal experience, the noise suppression performance in that model is better and the sound more natural than the Howard Leight Impact Sports, though both pale in comparison to my employer-provided MSA Sordins.

If I was in the market for a new set, I'd probably be looking at:

• 3M Peltor Sport Tactical 300 ($100) - These have a far more sophisticated compression circuit than the 100s;
  
  
• 3M Peltor Sport Tactical 500 ($120) - Effectively the same thing as the 300s but adds Bluetooth capability. While Bluetooth is useless to me at the range, I also use frequently use my earpro for air travel including long international flights, so one less cable in my way would be nice for those situations.
  
  
• MSA Sordin Supreme Pro X ($260) - Newer version of my work-provided set, these do everything quite well but don't have Bluetooth.
  
  Of course, any set of Peltors I might buy would also get 3M camelback gel pads installed, which adds another $40. The difference in comfort with those pads is amazing; with the standard soft plastic pads the Peltors get uncomfortable for me after an hour or two, but with the gel pads I'm fine wearing them for the duration of 10+ hour international flights. The MSA Sordins come with similar gel pads installed, but overall they're $100 more than the Peltor 500 + gel pads.
  
  So yeah, if I were buying today, I would most likely spring for the Peltor Sport Tactical 500 + camelback gel pads for a total of $160. If Bluetooth is not useful for you, you could save $20 by dropping down to the Peltor Sport Tactical 300.
  
  Even just the $50 Peltor 100s should be a significant improvement over the Howard Leight Impact Sports or Peltor RangeGuards.

I almost ordered the HL Impact Sports the other day when they popped up here, but decided against it after reading some reviews.
Someone in the HL thread said you can combo the Peltor 100s with these gel sealing rings to get very high quality ear protection. For $92 combined (after tax for me) I figured it's worth a shot.

Just got my Peltor Sport Tactical 300 in today from Amazon. I also ordered the "Noisefighters" ear pads with glasses relief cuts and the 3M Camelback Gel Earmuff Cushions to see which ones I liked. I am going to stick with the 3M cushions because the Noisefighters need to ride too low on your ears to utilize the glasses relief cuts, preventing me from being able to get a good cheek weld on a long gun.

 

I read a lot of internet comments saying to peel the ear pads from their plastic backing. I found a great YouTube video (he speaks slowly, best to play this video at 1.75x speed) showing how to swap the stock pads for the aftermarket 3M pads without peeling any adhesive. It is worth noting that the Noisefighters didn't come with plastic backers, if using those you will have to peel your stock pads from their plastic backing to install them. I basically used the same technique in this video to install the 3M pads, but instead of using the razor knife to pop the plastic shells out, I inserted my finger into the hole of the OEM ear pad (where your ear would be during use) and pulled it from the ear muff shell. I hope this is useful to others.

Yeah and way more comfy too
3M Peltor Camelback Gel Sealing Rings HY80, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DHVXKVA/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_-4K1BbYHT84EJ

(I like the title change, thanks for taking my feedback!)

My review: I ordered three last time this was posted, received two very fast, the other was a preorder for the upcoming 3M replacement cups.

I definitely enjoy them. Like others have said, the glasses placement is kind of odd at first if you don't wear the ear pro the way Noisefighters recommend, but once you do, it makes a nice seal without glasses uncomfortably getting in the way.

While I personally prefer these with these over the Sightlines with the HL earpro (maybe my mind will be changed when the 3m ones come out!), as they create a seal on glasses very nicely even without the relief cuts, the Sightlines are still much cheaper and feels like the exact same comfortable gel material. The Sightlines are definitely worth the money, and light years ahead of the stock cups.

These things are worth their weight in freaking GOLD: https://www.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-Camelback-Sealing-HY80/dp/B00DHVXKVA/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1480027689&sr=8-6&keywords=3m+muffs

I think you'd be happier if you went with ear muffs. You can get much higher isolation, foam and pads are replaceable, and they're generally able to put up with abuse. The dt770m comes fairly close, but you might spend a lot of money to find that they're not good enough for you. A lot of people don't like the way the dt770m sounds for music, which is why I noted the audiobook use. It sounds fine for audiobooks, but I don't even try to use it for music.

If you want the ultimate passive isolation wireless headphone setup that doesn't go into your ear canal, I think I have it.

• 3M X5A ear muffs
  
• 3M Peltor HY80 sealing ring pads (so expensive!)
  
• Koss KSC75 headphones
  
• Elecom bluetooth receiver
  
  I haven't found a way to significantly improve the isolation of the ear muffs. The only way to get greater isolation is to wear in ear headphones, or to use ear plugs and crank up the volume. I actually like the latter when it's extremely noisy. The gel pads are for comfort and better sealing around eyeglasses and goggles. Keep in mind that hair can cause poor isolation due to leaks. The headphones are stuffed in without their ear loop, and I think they'll be less hassle than buds or plugs. I just literally installed them, so I won't know for sure until my next shift.
  
  The bluetooth receiver may not suit you unless like me, you work 12 hour shifts and listen to them during your commute.
  
  You may find two different ratings for the X5A. 31dB or 37dB. I also have the SilentSound ear muffs that are rated at 37dB, and they both block sound about the same. I wear the 3M ear muffs because they're less hassle to put on and take off in a production environment, and they're much more comfortable with the gel pads. The downside to the X5A is that they're very wide. People will say something about it.
  
  Let me know if you have any questions, and especially if you have some ideas on how to improve my setup.

This, plus these: 3M Peltor Camelback Gel Sealing Rings HY80, Black https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DHVXKVA/

...makes an amazing set of electronic ear pro for $110 total. They rival the MSA Sordin Pro at half the price.

The gel cups are INCREDIBLY hard to install by yourself. With a second set of hands, it's a five minute job per cup. The comfort of gel and better seal on your glasses is worth the $50 extra.

Peltor Sport Tactical 100 + 3M Peltor Camelback Gel Rings

Edit* Forgot to mention the gel rings don't "technically fit" the tactical 100's. You can make them fit by slowly separating the original foam padding from the plastic ring, then separating the gel rings from their plastic ring. Once you have both off you can just switch them and the adhesive will hold them in. Haven't had any issues with mine since I made the switch.

I love these - https://smile.amazon.com/3M-Earmuff-Protectors-Hearing-Protection/dp/B00009LI4K/ref=sr_1_4?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1510080043&sr=1-4&keywords=3m+ear+protection

custom fitted with these -
https://smile.amazon.com/3M-Peltor-Camelback-Sealing-HY80/dp/B00DHVXKVA/ref=sr_1_cc_1?s=aps&ie=UTF8&qid=1510080212&sr=1-1-catcorr&keywords=3m+ear+protection+gel+pads

The Gel pads last for years and years where as the regular ones last only a few months. Plus the gel pads are insanely more comfortable and form fitting giving you better sound protections. The pads are a bit spendy but mine are going on 5 years with no sign of slowing down. I made a custom soft nylon elastic cover to slip over the gels as the gels can get a bit sweaty.