View Full Version : Question about Surefire ear pro products?
vietboy1st
10-16-10, 11:50
i am looking to buy a ear plugs protection from Surefire. Which one is the good one and which can protect your hearing from firing ar and machine gun in door ? Also Might use this when i enlist into the army guard too. Surefire has a few models i don't know which one is the best to buy..:confused: So if you own one, please give me some idea..
Thank you
I have been using Surefire's EP3 Sonic Defenders for the past couple of years and they work great for me both indoors and outdoors. As far as machineguns are concerned though, I have ony been able to use them in machinegun shoots on outdoor ranges so I can't speak for indoor machinegun use. Outdoors, I have used them while firing most machineguns used in the Marine Corps with no problem. As for indoor pistol and rifle shooting they do a more than adequate job IMO, and I have no trouble hearing when somebody is talking to me, or being aware of other noises around me for the most part. Here's a link to the their official page in case you have not already seen it. They explain the technology quite well there:
http://www.surefire.com/EarProProducts
vietboy1st
10-16-10, 15:04
i don't even know what size i am. i guess i will start with small i will go with ep4. I will see.. thank you sir.
I think the EP3 medium are designed to fit the average person.
i don't even know what size i am. i guess i will start with small i will go with ep4. I will see.. thank you sir.
I think the EP3 medium are designed to fit the average person.
Stan is right. The Mediums are for average sized ear canals. As Smalls are for smaller than average ear canals and Larges are for larger than average ear canals. When I got my first pair I was paranoid that I might need the Large ones but I got the medium ones instead to try them out and they fit perfectly. Unless you know for a fact that you have small ear canals I think you would be better off getting the medium ones. However that's just my opinion.
You could always just measure your Helix Bowl...
vietboy1st
10-16-10, 17:56
i don't know. i think i might order small because i am not a big tall guy i am 5'6 :laugh:.. I will check surefire for size chart. :)
Order the mediums. They will work.
Go with the EP4's (as they offer the most protection).
C4
I use my EP3s indoors while shooting my HK45. And whatever anyone else shoots. I bought Mediums.
vietboy1st
10-16-10, 22:52
video about sirefire ear pro shotshow
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p3_EIncQJeU
i am making my mind i am going for Ep3 medium. :)
Army Chief
10-17-10, 06:47
i don't know. i think i might order small because i am not a big tall guy i am 5'6 ...
Honestly, this has very little to do with your stature, and everything to do with the dimensions of your ears -- and the correlation is by no means exact. Iknow very large men who use small earplugs, and I tend to use the large size, despite the fact that I am by no means a big dude.
Definitely start with mediums. I'm not 100% certain, but get the sense that the size differences are really less about the ear canal itself, and more about the bowl portion of the outer ear, since this is what the balance of the plug will conform to for best fit.
AC
I have been using the EP3 mediums for about a year now and have been very pleased with them. They are very comfortable and the noise reduction is enough but not too much. It takes the edge off but I can still hear what I need to hear. However, indoors there have been times I will put muffs on as well depending on what I (or others) am shooting. Outdoors, no problems.
I have been using the EP3 mediums and they work well for me both outdoors and indoors. Most of the time if indoors I will aslso use muffs with them.
You could always just measure your Helix Bowl...
This. There are instructions on Surefire's website.
http://www.surefire.com/pdfs/EP3_sizingchart.pdf
I've used my EP4s indoors, outdoors, and under overhead baffles with a variety of guns. They provide protection, but I prefer my standard headsets.
Stan is right. The Mediums are for average sized ear canals. As Smalls are for smaller than average ear canals and Larges are for larger than average ear canals. When I got my first pair I was paranoid that I might need the Large ones but I got the medium ones instead to try them out and they fit perfectly. Unless you know for a fact that you have small ear canals I think you would be better off getting the medium ones. However that's just my opinion.
I meant that size was dependant on the size of your ear's helix bowl. I'm not sure why I said ear canal. I must have had a brain fart:confused:. I apologize for that.
I have, and used, both the EP-3 and EP-4.
The EP-4 have a higher dB rating but my ears ring a little when using them with 223 outdoors (they ring more with the EP-3)
Both inserted properly with plugs fastened.
I've ended up going back to my 33dB Flents.
I have the EP3 and EP4, both in medium.
For me the extra baffle on the EP4 prevents adequate insertion into my ear canal so I use the EP3. I also removed the plug as I found I didn't need it. I should add that I don't shoot my AR indoors.
vietboy1st
10-24-10, 20:46
hmm.. i think i will get one ep3 and ep4 then. Surefire ran out of ep3. I ordered it with surefire battery both cost $43 dollars plus silly tax which they don't even ship from where i live. so i ended up cancelled everything. I can purchase a brand new box surefire for $24 instead paying $29 included shipping and silly tax...
I have the ep4's in medium and they work great outdoors for everything from handgun to shotgun. They might not be quite enough for a busy indoor range though.
I have been using the EP3 Sonic Defenders in a medium size for quite awhile now and love them. I prefer using Sonic Defenders over other standard type of over the head hearing protectors. I have had a couple of shooters near my table at the shooting range who were shooting Barrett .50 calibers and it did not bother me at all. The concussion I felt was worse. I know some shooters who utilize the Sonic Defenders plus an over the head type of hearing protection at the same time while at the shooting range to get double the hearing protection. I should be doing that as well to better protect my hearing. At times I guess we take our hearing for granted and don't realize that once we lose our hearing it is gone forever. :(
I have been looking for some type of ear pro that would be suitable for clearing buildings at work. I would like to avoid discharging my patrol rifle indoors without ear pro but I would also like to hear the bad guys. My electronic ear muffs are too large to lug around. Would the EP3 work in this situation?
vietboy1st
10-26-10, 09:45
I have been looking for some type of ear pro that would be suitable for clearing buildings at work. I would like to avoid discharging my patrol rifle indoors without ear pro but I would also like to hear the bad guys. My electronic ear muffs are too large to lug around. Would the EP3 work in this situation?
sir, you can just go to your local gun vendors, they might have them for sale. Or you can order it direct from surefire website or other websites, ep3 cost like $12.95 a piair and ep4 is like $14.90 a pair.:D Test it out and have a review.
Surefire ran out of ep3 at the moment
I have been looking for some type of ear pro that would be suitable for clearing buildings at work. I would like to avoid discharging my patrol rifle indoors without ear pro but I would also like to hear the bad guys. My electronic ear muffs are too large to lug around. Would the EP3 work in this situation?
As you've implied, it is all a balancing act. Muffs are too big for must dynamic situations, unless they integrate as commo gear with a properly cut helmet. That is an elegant but expensive solution.
Your other options are plugs, or no plugs and hoping for the auditory exclusion phenomenon to occur, which I would not personally rely on.
So the most cost-effective solution is probably plugs. These Surefire ones are about as good as it gets currently, because they are easier/quicker to put in, in comparison to regular plugs, and because you have better hearing of conversation/footsteps/etc.
If these are going to be exclusively for work/operational situations and not for range work, I'd suggest you cut off the little plugs that can give you extra protection but sacrifice your situational awareness. These are cheap enough that keeping a set specifically for this purpose won't break your wallet. I see little advantage, however, to not putting the plugs in for extra protection if you are just practicing at the range.
As far as whether to go with EP3 or EP4, as you can read in the thread, that's a personal fit issue. I'd suggest trying out the EP3s. I've had a set for the past few years, and they've served me well.
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