OTTO Engineering NoizeBarrier Micro Earplug, Black, V4-11029

I've been a professional shooter since 1986...military spec ops and both local and federal law enforcement. I now run my own shooting school where I shoot indoors and outdoors. I researched like crazy to find the best in-ear hearing protection and landed on the OTTO Engineering NoizeBarriers.Outdoors is where these shine folks, they will handle everything in that environment you can throw at them. The thing I love the most is I forget they are even in my ears; they are that comfortable! I can wear whatever hat or headgear I want, and nothing gets in the way.Indoor shooting ranges are a mixed bag though. To tell you the truth, I have two pair of high-end hearing pro that professionals wear and they struggle indoors as well at times. I didn't expect these to be able to handle indoor shooting at all, but they did just fine if it was just me and a buddy shooting or if I only had 4 or so students and I could stand about 10' behind them. But, when I had more students I had to push back about 20' or more to even be tolerable noise reduction levels. So I set these to the low amplification, threw on my over the ear muffs on top of these and BAM! Perfecto combination. With them doubled up I had very good amplification and perfect noise reduction.People comment about these not being updated over the years and they don't have some of the "bling" that other in-ear devices have...such as bluetooth connection or multiple levels of amplification. These have 2 levels...low and high. The low should be called "normal" because it amplifies to a normal hearing level and makes it seem like you aren't wearing hearing protection at all. This is where I run this pretty much all the time. High is like the high end of a good pair of hearing protection. A bit too high for me for "normal" shooting on the range; I don't need to hear every pebble move as I walk. I could see the High setting great for hunters sitting in a blind or even home protection when you are barricaded and waiting for law enforcement to arrive....you will hear everything in your home!If you shoot a lot, especially outdoors, these are an amazing investment in a quality in-ear hearing pro. The build quality, reliability, and track record of these stand out ahead of all the rest on the market for a reason....they didn't change what works for a trade-off for bling you don't need when shooting.

I shoot a LOT and over the years have tried all kinds of protection. Electronic ear muffs, electronic in the ear noise blue tooth capable- recargeable hearing protection and plain old semi soft ear plugs that live on a plastic ring that fits around my neck. They all have issues. These do not. When I bought this set I ordered a couple of sizes of the black foam moldable pieces that slip onto the tube that goes in the ear. Did not like them because my ears were sore by the end of the day, save your money. I finally woke up and used the flange type that come with these and loved them. They are comfortable and easy to use. I put these in at 8am and take them out at 8pm after a full day of shooting chucks. Besides providing solid noise cancellation they have two levels of sound amplification so that I can hear my hunting partners talk or chucks chirping in the rocks. They recharge overnight when placed back into the carrying case and that case is capable of 20 recharges. I called the company, in Indiana if I recall, to ask about the batteries if they should fail. They don't warranty those but urged me to contact them and send them in. I had the feeling that there was a wink at the other end that assured me they would fix them. These are a bit pricey but as they say, buy once - cry once.

In-ear electronic earpro is the future of noise protection, and if you have not gone to something like this, you should.First, safety. I don't care if you are running tools on a jobsite or plinking cans with your friends, being able to hear your surroundings and communicate clearly at all times enhances your safety, period, end of story. No getting blasted with loud noise accidentally when you pull your earpro to understand what someone else is saying. That's worth $500 right there, all day.Second, comfort. Been wearing mits to the range in July? You need a pair of these. No more sweaty ears. You don't need to set your rifle up around your shooting mitts anymore.Those two reasons should be enough, but beyond this the hearing amplification on the Noizebarriers is incredible. Sit still in the woods and listen - If there is game moving, you will hear it. However, goodness gracious don't ever chew food with them in on high amplification, you might never want to eat a granola bar again if you do.Battery lasts hours, and the battery in the charging case lasts multiple days of constant use.Zero complaints with my set, been using them all summer/fall, no problems, good retention, excellent hearing protection.

Pricy but worth it. Excellent performance and quality. Used as ear protection at gun range. Allows conversation while offering excellent protection. Comfortable to wear. Stays in ear very well. Allows for optimal cheek weld on buttstock unlike muff versions.