Hearing Protection behind the head/ neck ear muffs

[dylanmitchell]

What are your favorite passive high dbr behind the head/ neck ear muffs Looking at the 3m Optime H10B and 3M™ Peltor X5B. For occasional use over earplugs is it worth getting the X5's and are there others you prefer?

I use earplugs for most noisy work but like ear muffs over earplugs for chainsaws, some of nail guns and sawing, hammering or drilling out concrete.

 

[cvairwerks]

Don't ever use the behind the heads, just over the tops, but the H10A's are my preferred non powered units. Add in Howard Leight Laser Lite foamies and it's a fairly comfortable combination.

 

[jask]

X5B all day! have had 3 pairs for at least 15 years and they are my go to. the soft top strap lets you get the position on your ears perfect so that you can wear them all day without the tops of your ears being pushed down by the weight of thew muffs or our head being viced by a top band that is too tight. I have an older set of Howard leight actives for situations were I need to hear what and who are around me or be on a radio..but the antenna and flex mic are a bit of a PITA.
my hands down favourite "light" gear right now is my new-ish ISOtunes Pro 2.0 I can wear these all day! they are everything they advertise and have great battery life. I wore them under my peltors recently during a session with a big demolition hammer and a tile floor.. listened to a podcast while I worked and could still hear my truck idle at the end of the day!!

 

[GeoRoss]

I recently bought some of the 3M Peletor Optime 95 H6B/V because the sombrero I wear doing yard work meant I couldn't use my over the head pair.

These work pretty well. I can fit ear buds in my ears comfortably and stay in place. It does take a quick look to put them on for the correct orientation. They are more than sufficient for chainsaw, mower, etc. I even started using them when doing grinding.

 

[RTM]

I have an older pair of Peltor behind the ear (tan colored) which I needed for wearing a hat while doing yard work, but the sound blocking isn't as good as my David Clark ?Airways? over the head. Didn't have many choices at the local stores back then. Might have to see if I can get the heavier duty ones at some point.

The Peltors tend to drift down a bit over time, possibly due to lots of sweat combined with activity bending to pick stuff up.

These might be the current model
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00YFTSMYI/?tag=atomicindus08-20

 

[PhantomEB]

I got a set of 95s on my hardhat pretty much 100%. Hearing impaired too so most companies recognize that fact. Gets me away from the bulky 105s.

I most of the time, show up with above and beyond ppe like my own 6500ql respirator, prescript safety glasses and they usually don’t bat an eye with me.

 

[olouttt]

Another vote for X5B

 

[boom_bap]

I really like the X4 series. I have both x5 and x4 and tend to reach for the x4 for slimness.

 

[JimH74]

I have the ones RTM mentioned and for the same reason

 

[BTL-A4]

I would advise you to get the ones that are the most comfortable, otherwise you will not wear them. That would entail you buying a few pairs and trying them out.

I personally do not like anything in my ear, so I get over-the-ear muffs. I do wear musician's ear plugs when I go to concerts, though. The ones I have are comfortable enough for a few hours.

 

[Tennessee Cattleman]

I use 3M Peltor Optime behind the head earmuffs when wearing a hat outdoors. Tried one pair of the X series, they where a little tight on my ears and one side of the muff kept popping off. Got no help from 3M on the X earmuffs, so I threw the 2 month old x muffs in the trash can.

 

[GaryM909]

3M Peltor Welding Helmet Earmuffs H505B
These are designed to fit under a welding helmet