Warning about the SureFire earpro

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killertom

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Hi All,

I apologize in advance for going into a bit of a rant, but I must vent my anger over what happened to me today at the shooting range.

I started looking some time ago for an alternative to simple earplugs. I mostly shoot rifles and normal earmuffs are too bulky so I have been using earplugs, but those are a pain to remove and place back in when having a conversation, etc. So I found the SureFire earpro which is a line of ergonomic earplugs that offer a very high NRR and they have a little stopper at the end that you can open when talking with someone and close when you are shooting without removing the earplugs. I started using a set of earpro ep7-s which uses a memory foam insert for the part that's going into your ear canal. Well, today at the range when I wanted to remove the right earplug, the foam insert separated from the stem and became lodged in my ear. Also, because it has a hole in the middle to allow communication devices to be attached to the earplug, the insert lodged in my ear focused every sound and directed it right into my ear. Even pistol shots taken 50 yards away from me were painful. I promptly packed up and left, and removed the insert at home with a set of needle nose tweezers.

Now I have permanent hearing loss in my right ear, accompanied with heavy tinnitus that is most likely going to stay with me for the rest of my life, all because of SureFire not making a reliable product. I can't even begin to describe how I feel about loosing some of my hearing. If I was located in the US I would probably bring a lawsuit against SureFire because of the hearing damage I suffered but since I'm in Europe, I'll just have to learn to live with it I guess. One lesson I learned though; I will never-ever purchase anything from this company again and I will tell everyone I know to stay clear.

Thanks for reading this and I apologize for the length. If you happen to use SureFire earplugs, please take this as a heads up to be extra careful.

Regards,

Tom
 
I am sorry to read of your difficulties, but ...

I think that in that circumstance I would simply place my right fingertip over my right ear channel and wait for the line to go cold before quickly packing up and leaving.

Actually, I would have grabbed the spare set of Mickey Mouse Ears out of my range bag and popped them on. I never go to such a place without some hearing- & sight-protection redundancy ... I even keep a set in my truck, JIC.

EDIT: Thanks for the product warning ... I do not much like earplugs, but if I did I think that after reading your report I would probably choose another product.
 
I'm confused. You broke your earpro, and stayed at the range? And you self diagnosed your injuries? And came here to rant?
 
Just to clarify the situation regarding your remarks.

I was in the process of leaving as I finished my shooting for the day. The line was cold so I wanted to remove the earplugs. That was the point when the foam insert detached from the stem and became lodged in my ear canal. I left as quickly as I could, but shooting resumed before I could pack all my things. Further, as I was making my way to the car I had to pass by the pistol range aand as the foam earpiece actually amplified all sounds, that was a painful experience as well.

Regarding self diagnosis, I have noticeably decreased hearing in my right ear and quite strong tinnitus. I don't think I need a doctor's diploma to figure out the situation.

And lastly, ranting. Yes, I did want to vent my anger as I stated in my original post. But I also wanted to let people know about a potential issue with the quality of a product.
 
I think it is a little early to self diagnose yourself with life time tinnitus. I am sorry to hear what happened to you.
 
I was in the process of leaving as I finished my shooting for the day. The line was cold so I wanted to remove the earplugs. That was the point when the foam insert detached from the stem and became lodged in my ear canal. I left as quickly as I could, but shooting resumed before I could pack all my things. Further, as I was making my way to the car I had to pass by the pistol range aand as the foam earpiece actually amplified all sounds, that was a painful experience as well.
Click to expand...

So ... your plan was to remove your hearing protection prior to leaving the line? ... knowing that you would have to walk by the pistol range on the way to your car? :eek:

Wow. Didn't really think that one thru too well, didja? ;)

I hope that you learned at least one lesson with this (leave hearing protection in-place until you are well clear of the NOISE area) and also that the hearing damage that you are experiencing is temporary.
 
I have those and they work fine. YOU are the one that removed them before leaving the firing line. Instructions tell you to replace those tips regularly, and mine came with extras. I started using them under my muffs as I notice (with the range muffs ranges provide) if I move my head just right, the seal breaks a little once in a while.

Russellc
 
I never said I did everything perfectly, however I fail to see how my removing the earplugs ahead of time changes the fact that the foam insert became lodged in my ear canal and I could only remove it with tweezers once I got home. The piece that remained in my ear focused sounds into my ear so powerfully that pistol shots taken roughly 50 yards from me were painful. So even if I tried removing the plugs at a later point I would have experienced the very same thing.
 
GBExpat said:
No, you would not have suffered the "hearing damage" that you reported in your initial post.

It would have been a much simpler "the POS came apart leaving part of it lodged in my ear" complaint.

See? :)
Click to expand...
No, not really. I mean thanks for your replies so far, but, do you keep your hearing protection on all the way until you're in your car and out of the shooting range? Because in this instance, sounds were amplified so much that it was painful for me to be in the parking area even. I completely agree that what happened was partially my fault at least while in the shooting area. But after that, once I was in the vicinity of my car I would have removed the earplugs already anyway. And that is the where the real issue comes in with the foam piece, that normally I have no issue with handgun shots at about 30 yards or more from me without muffs or plugs, but once broken, this thing amplified everything right into the ear.
 
The line was cold so I wanted to remove the earplugs. That was the point when the foam insert detached from the stem and became lodged in my ear canal. I left as quickly as I could, but shooting resumed before I could pack all my things.
Click to expand...
No, not really. I mean thanks for your replies so far, but, do you keep your hearing protection on all the way until you're in your car and out of the shooting range?
Click to expand...
I keep my hearing protection on until I am clear of the NOISE area ... if that is in the car, so be it. I certainly do not remove my hearing protection at, or near, the firing line.

If I had such a piece stuck in my ear (and no muffs available) I would have kept a fingertip over that ear until I was sure that I was in a safe area.

If I had moved to a place that, under normal conditions, seemed decibel-level safe and suddenly found that that ear was surprisingly sensitive to noise, I would have immediately covered it with a fingertip again until I was in the car (with the windows up).

I sure hope that the tinnitus ends up being temporary, Tom. <fingers crossed!>
 
Thank you :)! It does feel a little bit better today but it definitely is still there. If it doesn't subside more I hope I'll just get used to it with time. Had a little tinnitus already to begin with anyway, so it's not new, only got stronger.
 
I bet (hope) it will get a lot better. I fired an AR15 with my muffs half on once and thought I was deaf in my left ear. Turns out, It got much better over the following days.

Also..I keep my hearing protection on until Im almost out of the parking lot..Waaaay clear of the noise.
 
Me too, at outdoor ranges. I take them off at the register when I pay at indoor ranges. Yeah, they should not have fallen apart in the first place...that's NOT your fault at all. Hope it gets better. Years and years ago I was dove hunting and someone let go with a 12 gauge I was standing beside, not behind. It rang my bell a good one, and the bone behind my ear even felt sore. It got better just fine with time. Then in the 70's lord knows what damage I did at various rock concerts. Surprised I can hear at all! THAT was my fault!

Russellc
 
I'm not the least bit proud of this fact, but have been exposed to muzzle blasts on more occasions than I care to think about. It has taken a toll, I'm sure, but the damage is nowhere near the severity I feared it may be on a few occasions. I've went from barely having any hearing at all in an ear to it being "almost" normal in a day or two's time. I'm not discounting hearing damage at all, and realize I have likely suffered some degree of it myself, but its not usually as bad as one first fears, or at least hasnt been in my experience.
 
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