By Dale Golla

 

People do not realize how important yet fragile our human senses are. Sight, smell, sound, touch and taste are incredibly important in being able to experience the world as it truely is, and it is up to the individual to be able to protect and keep their senses healthy for an extended life. You may be able to see, hear and taste good now, but it only may be a few years or decade more until you have thick rimmed glasses, hearing aids in your ears and putting hot sauce on everything you eat just so you taste something. Some of these senses already have products that help preserve and keep them from “extreme” conditions that can cause damage and worse performance in life. Some common products are sunglasses for seeing, jackets to keep us safe from the cold, mouth hygiene/beverages to help keep our taste in check. What about our hearing? Luckily, Otis Technology has everyone covered with their EarShield line of products that protect your hearing from dangerously loud sound/noise. Take a deep dive into the earshield line and see if any of these products are something you might need!

 

Starting with the Earshield line from Otis Technology will be the commonplace premium foam ear plugs. These are quite common and definitely the most affordable with an MSRP of $16.49. They are really easy to use. All you do is simply take one out of the container, squish the foam earplug between your fingers so it fits much better in your ear canal, and let it expand until it fills your entire ear canal. They fit comfortably in your ear and provide a great NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) of up to 33dB. Each container holds up to fifty pairs (100 in total) so one container can last you quite a while. After being used, they can be thrown away or kept again for later use, although it is recommended that they get thrown away after several uses or as soon as dirt or wax build up on it. These are great for anything loud at any place. Carry them with you anywhere like the shooting range, concert, air-show, or anyplace with really loud sound.

Moving now to a more dedicated set of hearing protection, this one and the rest being more centered around shooting range hearing protection. Allow me to introduce the Scout S-31 Lightweight Hearing Protection.  The first thing you may notice is the low profile and the fact that it fits on the head like a pair of headphones, but fits in the ears like earbuds. This provides not only the most secure fit so it doesn’t fall off, but also creates a stronger barrier for your ears. To put on, simply adjust the size to max and fix over your head and adjust. You should also slightly move the headphones forward and backward while on your head to really secure the earbuds in your ears. The Scout is perfect when using long rifles with stocks. The low profile of the Scout allows you to rest the side of your head on your shoulder without causing interference between the headphones, stock and your shoulder. The Scout is easy to carry as well with its folding is headphones with an NNR of 31dB, providing a nice damping to loud sounds. The MSRP for the Scout S-31 is $22.49.

The next product is actual headphones in the Ranger RP-26 Passive Earmuffs. Providing hearing protection up to 26 NNR, what this headphone sacrifices with NNR, it makes up for with comfort and a very sleek design. The RP-26 Passive Earmuffs are perfect for those who don’t want the earbud feel, but instead that all-encompassing feeling you get on your head. The first things you will notice is the design. Finished with a matte black paint job and smooth curves to break up the rigidity of older looking headphones, The RP-26 is the earmuffs have you looking the best on the range. Aside from style, these earmuffs excel in wearability for long periods of time. The padded earmuffs create a good seal around the skin that does its job and feels nice to wear. Worried the ear muffs will get worn out like all other headphones? No worries, because the Ranger RP-26 and the rest of the line comes with replaceable ear pads. Simply click out the old ones and click in the new ones for a brand-new feel. Is your head too big? I bet it’s not for Earshield, since all Earshield products come with adjustable size, ensuring that people of all head sizes can protect their hearing! With an MSRP of $24.99 and no batteries included, this may be the perfect hearing protection for you.

However, Earshield has even MORE products. Taking a step up from the Ranger RP-26, we move to the higher end Ranger RE-23 Electronic Pro Earmuffs. The Electronic Pro earmuffs are very similar in design and function to the Passive earmuffs with a few additional features. The biggest difference between the two is the electronic earmuffs now come with 5 times the sound amplification! Located on the right-side, you can find a microphone and dial knob. This dial allows the user to turn on the microphone to better hear the environmental surrounding while wearing the headphones. This provides shooters/users to keep their headphones on while still being able to hear shooting sounds in their surroundings. The microphone contains an audio gate, not allowing the really loud sounds to be amplified. The Ranger RE-23 does come with a little lower NNR of just 23dB, but, the electronic earmuffs come with upgraded ear pads, now being a gel material instead of pad. Again, this provides a tighter seal around the skin and more optimal comfort for long wearing durations. The MSRP for this Earshield design is $69.99. I should also mention that this takes 2 AAA batteries with batteries not included.

Finally, the Earshield line of hearing protection, is the Ranger RB-22 Bluetooth Electronic Earmuffs. With close to the same specs as the Electronic Pro Earmuffs, these RB-22’s come with the benefit of Bluetooth. Connect any device compatible with Bluetooth to the earmuffs and begin listening to your favorite podcast/music while protecting your hearing! Along with the sound amplification, you can turn the volume of your Bluetooth volume with a simple dial nob right next to the sound amplification dial knob. The RB-22 also has an added button on one of the muffs. This is the Bluetooth pairing button. Simply hold the button until you see the RB-22 device name pop up in your Bluetooth options and connect. The Ranger RB-22 comes with a slightly lower NNR of 22dB. These headphones are a good blend of decent hearing protection mixed with modern day perks. If interested, these headphones MSRP is going to be $79.99.

 

The Earshield line of hearing protection is a great way to invest in your ears for the long run and protect against loud noises like shooting, concerts, air-shows, etc. They cover the cost  from the simple and effective while being at an affordable price while also showing off with the technological perk-filled headphones for those who are really dedicated to their crafts/hobbies. I truly believe there is a product for everyone in the Earshield line even if you don’t realize it. Be prepared for those loud noises with the simple and easy to carry Earplug container, or welcome the loud noise with open ears behind the RE-23’s and their ultra comfortable ear gel pads. If you are at all interested in learning more about the Earshield line, then give their website a visit at www.Otistec.com. Or if you would like to talk to a sales representative then send Kenda Campbell an email at kcampbell@otistec.com. If you prefer to call, then give them a call at 800-684-7486. And don’t forget to let them know you saw the product from ST Magazine!