Customer Reviews

Peltor 97044 Tactical 6S Active Volume Hearing Protector

5 star:		(40)
4 star:		(25)
3 star:		(15)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

I purchased model 97044 Peltor hearing protector based largely on the reviews I read here. This is quite possibly the worst hearing protection I have ever used. I wrote this unit off as a lemon or part of a bad batch. However, I was at my local shooting range this past weekend when a gentleman approached me because he noticed that I was wearing the same brand that he had. We compared notes and realized that we both had the same issues. They are as follows.

1. The battery location and replacement procedure is ill considered and lends itself to the possibility of damage to the unit when accessing the battery compartment.
2. The location and orientation of the on/off/volume knob, specifically the right side, causes the right unit to be inadvertently activated when the unit is folded for storage. Thus draining the batteries in that unit between uses. This has happened twice.
3. The function of the unit during the first use was good. All subsequent uses have seen a severe decline in quality of the electronics of the unit. My unit crackles and pops. The other gentleman's does not work at all and he feels that he gets very little protection.
4. The actually Db reduction is somewhat suspect.

That all said, a friend has one of the other, more expensive models, that he is happy with thus far. I really don't know if I'm willing to give this company more of my money in hopes that there is light ahead. I really hope this helps everyone who is considering this model.

Caveat emptor!

The "Peltor Tactical 6-s is everything I hoped for.They allow me to shoot at the range with no damaging noise, and still hear the range officer, or conversations near me.

Also I found that when using a noisy folding machine at work the sound is muted and barely audible. But I can still hear the telephone or someone speaking.

I love 'em

I am an Army MP officer stationed in Iraq. In the 3 weeks since I got these muffs I have used them on a couple of small arms ranges, in a CQB live fire exercise, and on several tactical ground and air movements. So far, they have performed as advertised. Very comfortable, fit great under the helmet, the mics work beautifully. Light weight, easy to store and carry (I usually loop them thru the strap on the non-firing shoulder of my IBA), and appear to be holding up nicely. Sturdy, user-friendly design, good protection, overall excellent value for the price. I am happy with them.

These muffs work great for shooting and other short term uses. The electronics work well, allowing you to hear conversations and other low volume sounds while blocking loud noises. The spring steel headband holds the earpieces tightly, perhaps too tightly. After wearing them for a day of working with a chain saw it felt like I had had my head in a vice. I tried them again a week later with the same resulting headache. I don't use them now for anything that requires more than about 15 minutes of continuous wear.

I bought two of the Peltor 97044 Tactical 6-S hearing protectors for myself and a friend and fellow officer. They exceeded both of our expectations and performed as well as or better than some more expensive muffs tried in the past. Thankyou for a fine product.

I purchased the 6-S ear muffs for the size, full size muffs get in my way when shooting and I don't care for ear plugs. They work as stated and fit fine but the comfort level for long term where is not so good. They mention that the pads wear out in 6 months, which I thought odd because I have muffs a lot older than 6 months that I never replaced anything on. The interior foam will wear out on these for sure, do to the fact that they make contact with your ears. This is what makes them hot and uncomfortable for long term wear (3-4 hours). Not to mention your glasses "must" have wire frames or the muff becomes useless, there is no extra room in the cup for the arms of your eye wear.

Okay, the battery experience is less than ideal, but it's not as bad as people seem to think. You should not pry out the foam padding from the ear muff. The black padded ring around the ear snaps off. Then you can easily remove the foam padding and insert the batteries.

I have the behind-the-head version of the Peltor Tactical 6-S because having the band behind your head works much better with a wide brimmed hat. Anyway, for the most part I really like these hearing protectors. They cut way down on range noise while allowing normal communication - just as promised. Comfort is also just as good as any of the other over the ear protectors that I've tried. If everything else about the product was as well thought out I'd have easily rated it 5 stars and called it a must have for the dedicated shooter.

What I don't like is the effort required to change batteries. You must first remove the delicate foam pads without tearing them, then swap the batteries and then reinstall the way too delicate foam pads - hopefully without tearing them. This is not a 60-second battery swap. There is no excuse for a design this poor. Battery doors are not a new idea.

My second criticism is more of a quibble and did not effect my rating. I'd prefer one on/off/volume knob to the two on the 6-S. Just my personal preference.

The on/off-volume nobs rub against the frame so when putting them away alot of times they will turn back on then next time you go to use them dead batteries, in one ear.

Changing the batteries/putting the battering in is awful. You have to tear the black part off it feels like you are going to rip them or break them which I am sure a few people have by grabbing the wrong part.

Instructions suck ^^^ relating to putting in the batteries, how about a decent picture or two.

Skullclamp, if you wear them for longer then about 4 hours your skin will begin to grow around them as if they are an extension of you skull they are so tight.

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Very good noise reduction, I use with guns and power tools. Its scary when you turn on a saw and all you hear is nothing but you feel the cool breeze coming off the blade.

These ear phones seem to work well, however after several hours Persperation collects and is trapped in the ear peaces resulting in static noise. I called tech support and she acknowledged that this was a problem and the recommended solution is to remove the ear cushions and let dry. The removal and reinstallation of the ear cushions is a real pain, not to mention drying parts laying around and unavailiablity of the device while drying. This probably will not be a problem for those using the Tactical 6-S for short periods, but, I tend to wear them for hours at a time and the moisure collection and condensation has been a problem on both hot and cold days.