View Full Version : New eyewear-friendly gelcups for Howard Leight (and other) muffs
Cool new product on Kickstarter right now that I thought I'd share, company is called Noisefighters and product is being called SightLines. Construction and materials seem similar to the Peltor gel cups, with a channel on the upper portion to alleviate the pressure points from eyewear and maintain sealing, but the best part is they're going to be available for Impact Sports and many other muffs with far less OEM or aftermarket accessory support than 3M or MSA.
ETA: having a hard time getting pictures to work...
https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net/assets/018/467/248/7a4ad496be28b50d841ab603f98991d1_original.jpg?crop=faces&w=1552&h=873&fit=crop&v=1512109377&auto=format&q=92&
https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT_J-Fz-ckWuC_ZrFA8KMlbYJR-EFjx8wsfBT-o2argEClsbX5zCg
Link: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/noisefighters/sightlines-headset-cushions-with-zero-eyewear-inte?ref=discovery
As a full-time glasses wearer and longtime user of Howard Leight muffs, I'm excited these are becoming a thing but it's worth noting that I'm not affiliated with the manufacturer in any way, and I was even denied a preproduction sample by the owner for T&E (hey it never hurts to ask right? :p ) so I have no skin in the game, just a really cool product that should hopefully eliminate the pain of wearing muffs all day with eye pro, shades or glasses.
That is an interesting solution. I've always tried to find sunglasses with the thinnest stems so the ear muffs would have the best possible seal. I wonder how many folks don't, and end up with a slight gap they aren't aware of.
My only gripe against the HLs has always been the lack of gel cups. Given how popular they are I'm really surprised nobody has offered a good set already.
Yeah, my wife and I both use Impact Sports and the muffs still make visible impressions with the legs of the eyepro in the side of her head after just a couple of hours, and her shooting glasses even have ultra-thin legs.
Side note... I posted on TOS and people are already complaining that they cost about as much as the muffs themselves. :rolleyes: Comfort must mean nothing to those dudes, and they've certainly never bought $60+ gel cups for Peltors before.
itsmcgavinson
12-09-17, 19:38
The only thing I hate about shooting is wearing my spectacles with ear pro. Man, that stuff gets real painful after a long day of blasting away.
So shortly after posting this thread I was actually contacted by the owner and he sent me a pair for T&E. I got them yesterday after I was already back from the range but I installed them last night and wore them around the house for a bit. I looked like a moron but I was excited to give these a go.
First impressions are that they are very soft and almost "liquidy" feeling like the high-end Peltor gel cups. They are flexible and highly conforming, so much so that I could immediately tell that they seal around my ears better than the old foam cups, which should result in better sound attenuation. The only thing I didn't like, at least initially, is that the eyewear channels sit higher above my ears than I thought they would... probably at least an inch higher than where my glasses typically sit on my ears. When I put my glasses in those channels, it just felt weird to me. Not uncomfortable, just weird. I am a full-time glasses wearer though, so for someone else who just wears sunglasses or eye pro whilst shooting, it may not feel so odd. I also felt like I was looking out of the top third of my prescription lenses because they were tilted downward slightly, but I will need much more time with them to see if that will be an issue or not. I was indoors, it was dark out, and I only had 15 minutes or so to play with them last night so this is very preliminary feedback. On the bright side, the new gel cups are so soft and conforming that I had absolutely no discomfort wearing my glasses on my ears where I normally do for the short period of time I had them on, and they seemed to seal up around the legs of the glasses quite well - MUCH more so than the OEM pads - so even if I don't end up using the channels, I still gained a significant amount of comfort with the SightLines.
I'm really looking forward to giving these a good workout next weekend!
Okay, I'm an idiot. I couldn't find anyplace to order the Howard L's that are apparently in stock.
Okay, I'm an idiot. I couldn't find anyplace to order the Howard L's that are apparently in stock.
You're trying to order these gel cups or the Impact Sport muffs themselves?
You're trying to order these gel cups or the Impact Sport muffs themselves?
These gel cups. My daughters already have the muffs.
These gel cups. My daughters already have the muffs.
They're only available through the Kickstarter right now, link in the original post. The campaign ends sometime later this month but says "ETA March '18". I'm not sure if that's for the Howard Leights or other models, but all the details are on Kickstarter.
NealSintercore
12-12-17, 09:12
Howdy. I wanted to throw in my two cents as the designer of these. This is the first time I've had a reviewer say the glasses sat an inch high. Appreciate the feedback. Glasses should sit about 0.25" high with these cushions when resting in the channel, and, so far, I haven't heard anybody say it felt weird. I sent a PM about this and hope we can figure out a way to solve to issue (look in mirror and see if glasses were actually sitting completely above cushions? adjust headset down?)
The Howard Leight models ship as soon as the campaign ends, and all of the rest of the models ship ETA March '18.
Just a quick update - Neal is absolutely right, I must not have had my glasses in the channels correctly when I tried them on for the very first time. The difference between where my glasses legs sit normally vs. in the SightLines channel is somewhere between a quarter to half an inch. It still feels a tiny bit strange to me, but it's not uncomfortable. My glasses are very well fitted to my face and I wear them 16+ hours a day so someone with more traditional glasses or an occasional glasses/sunglasses/safety glasses wearer probably wouldn't even notice the difference.
I had the wife snap some pictures last night to compare side-by-side. Apologies for the horrible lighting and hat hair, but as you can see, the legs do sit at a slightly inclined angle but it's hardly what I had going on before and my vision through the prescription lenses was not impaired from what I could tell indoors.
Also, notice how the pressure has been relieved from my temples when the legs are in the SightLines channels! The pressure points have been visibly relieved which should translate into much greater all-day comfort. That, to me, speaks volumes.
https://i.imgur.com/R1Wut0S.jpg?1
I haven't had a chance to get these out to the range yet since I just got them Sunday afternoon, but I am very much looking forward to it.
crosseyedshooter
12-13-17, 12:44
I’ve worn glasses for 30+ years and believe that the biggest benefit of these will be the gel material available for Howard Leight Impact Sports. The factory foam on these muffs are terrible and don’t conform to glasses while nobody is willing to make $40 gel cups for $40 ear muffs. The stock foam breaks what minimal sealing they have as soon as anything pushes upwards on the bottom of the muffs.
I also have Peltor Sport Tactical 100 and MSA Sordin both with gel cups and they seal and feel fine over glasses. Fortunately these models can use the same gel cups as their more expensive big brothers. I’m not convinced that the cut out area is really the main benefit compared to the improved material.
I’ve worn glasses for 30+ years and believe that the biggest benefit of these will be the gel material available for Howard Leight Impact Sports. The factory foam on these muffs are terrible and don’t conform to glasses while nobody is willing to make $40 gel cups for $40 ear muffs. The stock foam breaks what minimal sealing they have as soon as anything pushes upwards on the bottom of the muffs.
I also have Peltor Sport Tactical 100 and MSA Sordin both with gel cups and they seal and feel fine over glasses. Fortunately these models can use the same gel cups as their more expensive big brothers. I’m not convinced that the cut out area is really the main benefit compared to the improved material.
That's basically what I thought upon taking these out of the box, but after wearing them for just a limited amount of time both ways, I can say with confidence that the channel for eyewear to sit inside of is definitely a significant benefit to these. Just look at the top photos and you can see the dimples created from the tension of the muffs pushing the legs of my glasses into my fat head, and then in the lower photos those dimples are completely gone. Less tension = less discomfort and hotspots over time.
jschmitt08
12-13-17, 15:30
http://www.valhollgear.com. Here is another option. I have them on my impact sports...no real time behind them yet but from what I can tell it's a great improvement.
NealSintercore
12-13-17, 16:44
http://www.valhollgear.com. Here is another option. I have them on my impact sports...no real time behind them yet but from what I can tell it's a great improvement.
I agree, the Valholl Gear gel pads are a big upgrade from the stock pads.
However, I inspected their pads and they will be a bit harder and seal less well compared to my SightLines gel pads and the factory Peltor/Sordin gel pads, due to their chosen design. On SightLines and on the factory Peltor/Sordins gel pads, the depression on the front face that forms a horseshoe ring (SightLines) or oval (Peltor/Sordin) provides a significant, quite noticeable boost in softness and allows the cushion to better mold around the glasses and your face. Plus, the Valholl Gear pads don't have the recessed channel up top that I've introduced.
While I was typing this, I was notified by the Loadout Room (run by SOFREP) that Jens Hammer (former Ranger with 5 tours) had published this review of my SightLines:
Loadout Room review (https://loadoutroom.com/41420/noisefighters-sightlines-earpro-upgrade/)
"I replaced the foam cups with Sightlines about half an hour into my range day. Most of the day was spent testing optics on an unsuppressed AR with a Metallica live album blasting from my vehicle, so the noise was of adequate intensity and variation to gauge performance. The difference was impressive and immediately apparent. With the Sightlines cups installed and the electronics in the Leight ear muffs turned off, I could only hear the bass line on the music. OEM cups? Bass, treble, vocals… I could hear it all. Ambient noise was shut off with the Sightlines cups. It was only dampened with the OEM’s. Muzzle blast was far more comfortable with the Sightlines installed!
[...]
"I don’t have access to advanced decibel measuring equipment. I do have a lot of experience with ear protection. From passive muffs to electronic circuitry provided by Peltor and Bose used in my capacities as an Airborne Ranger turned civilian helicopter pilot I can say this: inexpensive Howard Leight Impact Sport muffs upgraded with Sightlines can hang with the heavyweights."
I agree, the Valholl Gear gel pads are a big upgrade from the stock pads.
However, I inspected their pads and they will be a bit harder and seal less well compared to my SightLines gel pads and the factory Peltor/Sordin gel pads, due to their chosen design. On SightLines and on the factory Peltor/Sordins gel pads, the depression on the front face that forms a horseshoe ring (SightLines) or oval (Peltor/Sordin) provides a significant, quite noticeable boost in softness and allows the cushion to better mold around the glasses and your face. Plus, the Valholl Gear pads don't have the recessed channel up top that I've introduced.
While I was typing this, I was notified by the Loadout Room (run by SOFREP) that Jens Hammer (former Ranger with 5 tours) had published this review of my SightLines:
Loadout Room review (https://loadoutroom.com/41420/noisefighters-sightlines-earpro-upgrade/)
"I replaced the foam cups with Sightlines about half an hour into my range day. Most of the day was spent testing optics on an unsuppressed AR with a Metallica live album blasting from my vehicle, so the noise was of adequate intensity and variation to gauge performance. The difference was impressive and immediately apparent. With the Sightlines cups installed and the electronics in the Leight ear muffs turned off, I could only hear the bass line on the music. OEM cups? Bass, treble, vocals… I could hear it all. Ambient noise was shut off with the Sightlines cups. It was only dampened with the OEM’s. Muzzle blast was far more comfortable with the Sightlines installed!
[...]
"I don’t have access to advanced decibel measuring equipment. I do have a lot of experience with ear protection. From passive muffs to electronic circuitry provided by Peltor and Bose used in my capacities as an Airborne Ranger turned civilian helicopter pilot I can say this: inexpensive Howard Leight Impact Sport muffs upgraded with Sightlines can hang with the heavyweights."
Awesome!!
OK, I admit to being a bit thick somtimes (part of the time, most of time, all of the time - your pick) but, as a glasses wearer, I really want a set of these and keep going to the crowdfunding site and get confused by the various options there. Can I just buy a set for my Impact Sports? If so, where?
NealSintercore
12-13-17, 21:25
OK, I admit to being a bit thick somtimes (part of the time, most of time, all of the time - your pick) but, as a glasses wearer, I really want a set of these and keep going to the crowdfunding site and get confused by the various options there. Can I just buy a set for my Impact Sports? If so, where?
Big green button -> Select "early bird" as it's still available -> enter pledge amount ($30 or more includes shipping to U.S.)
Thank you for the support.
Big green button -> Select "early bird" as it's still available -> enter pledge amount ($30 or more includes shipping to U.S.)
Thank you for the support.
Thanks for the reply. Neil. Signed up and rec'd a confirmation but still find the kickstarter instructions confusing. When it asked me to confirm my password it told me the link had expired (less than 30 seconds) and would not let me get back to it. We'll see if it works out, I guess.
I am an old fart (boot '66) and wear hearing aids. I typically take them out and increase the gain on my ImpactSports to hear range commands. Once I get them, if I do, I will be happy to compare with and with out the HAs and do a review. With a better seal, I suspect i will be able to wear the aids and decrease the gain on my muffs.
NealSintercore
12-13-17, 22:31
Thanks for the reply. Neil. Signed up and rec'd a confirmation but still find the kickstarter instructions confusing. When it asked me to confirm my password it told me the link had expired (less than 30 seconds) and would not let me get back to it. We'll see if it works out, I guess.
I am an old fart (boot '66) and wear hearing aids. I typically take them out and increase the gain on my ImpactSports to hear range commands. Once I get them, if I do, I will be happy to compare with and with out the HAs and do a review. With a better seal, I suspect i will be able to wear the aids and decrease the gain on my muffs.
Sorry to hear about the password trouble, sir. Please feel free to contact me at team@noisefighters.com and we can both continue this conversation and make sure you're totally signed up, without cluttering this thread. I'm also quite interested to get your review with hearing aids, as I've had about five other people mention the exact same thing you've written.
How sensitive to temperature is the gel? I would love to try these on a flight helmet as well if the temp sensitivity is low.
NealSintercore
12-13-17, 22:56
How sensitive to temperature is the gel? I would love to try these on a flight helmet as well if the temp sensitivity is low.
It's pure silicone gel and is one of the most temperature-stable polymers in existence. Its mechanical properties stay nearly the same between -100 and +300F. No joke.
It's also the same gel used on David Clark Company gel pads for aviation headsets, so I'm not doing anything out of the ordinary.
Lots of pilots have backed this project, including civvy heli pilots and some .mil jet pilots. Since the flight helmet pushes the glasses in even more, the upper recessed channel on SightLines will provide more relief than on a regular headset.
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