What to look for in electronic hearing protection?

[Lucky Strike]

After being frustrated with the really cheap non-electronic muff's i've got (the muff comes off the headband, can't hear people talking that well) I want to get a pair of electronic ones.

There's seems to a very large price range ($20-$400) though so I was hoping for advice on what features are "must haves". My preliminary budget is $100 but could go up depending on if a little more money gives me features that are really worth the cash.

 

[robsc]

I use Pro Ears Predator. Each ear cover has it`s own built in system with on/off control. No external wires to snag on stuff. 5 year warranty, Two 1.5 volt size N battery on each side, 200 hour battery life.
Three programable frequency ranges to hear 1. low soft sounds, 2. normal conversation, 3. for loud noise environments...aircraft engines.
These hearing protectors cut out any and all noise above 70 decibles in nanoseconds which is so fast that you don`t notice it and there`s no discernable off/on occurances. Sound below 70 decibles volume is multiplied 7 times to give clear undistorted hearing combined with protection from ear damaging noise levels. When a gun is fired, I can only hear the echo of the shot fading away. The initial bang of the firearm is silenced. I don`t hear it, however I do feel the concussion of the muzzle blast. Adjust individual volume on each side for personal comfort sound level.
Cost was $200.00 from Sportsman`s Warehouse.
Pro Ears makes the same model with upgrades that include am/fm radio reciever and plugin for digital sound recorder to record everything that you are hearing.
I use the soft sound program for hunting. I can hear leaves falling on the ground from afar. I can hear birds singing far off and turkeys in the distance. Sounds of walking /running in the woods are immediately noticed. I use the normal range program for target shooting at rifle range.

 

[Gamera]

Wow I didn't know stuff like this existed, I'll have to look into it.

 

[Lucky Strike]

robsc, do you have any issue when wearing them with them messing up your cheek weld when shooting rifles? Read some people complaining about this issue with certain models (can't remember which).

 

[ForneyRider]

Caldwell 20$ ones have held up well.

Peltor is what the oilfield guys used a lot in the turbine rooms.

 

[mudmanfloyd]

I got some from harbor-freight for about $8. They work great but do mess up cheek wield sometimes.

 

[rl2669]

I've owned a pair made by Dillon (e.g. the reloading company) for ~15 yrs now. They work great and cost about $135 I think.

Peltor makes some good ones also.

 

[WoofersInc]

I have been using the Pro Ears for the last year. I will never go back to just standard ear muffs. The ability to hear people talking, range commands, etc is worth every penny. I have the Dimension 1 set. They have one of the highest decibel reduction ratings currently going at 33. Most of the standard non electronic muffs are around 22-24 decibel reduction.