I've owned these earmuffs for several weeks now, and I can say without reservation that they're the best I've used. The only other muffs I own are very cheap imported ones, but I've tried several others including the heavier-duty Peltor model. My primary use is with power tools in my wood shop. I think these H9A earmuffs strike a great balance of great sound deadening on one hand, and relatively light weight and low profile on the other. They do an excellent job of blocking annoying/painful noise levels, while still allowing me to hear a LITTLE bit of ambient noise (i.e. I can still tell if a power tool motor is doing something strange). I'd say they block noise at least as well as the better plugs I've used.
These muffs seal around my ears much better than my cheapo muffs, almost to the point of popping my ears if I yank them straight out too suddenly. However, this is due to the sealing action of soft, flexible pad, and not that the head band squeezes too tightly. The plastic on the outside of the ear cup is thick and durable (I sort of knocked these earmuffs off a high shelf onto a concrete floor, and they weren't cracked or damaged in any way), but they're not as heavy or obtrusive as the bigger Peltor muffs (which stick out farther from your head).
The padded top band is also a nice improvement over the hard plastic of the cheap "industrial" muffs I own.
I typically wear my earmuffs over safety glasses and a dust mask, neither of which affects the fit of these muffs. I would expect the arms of the glasses to interfere with the fit, but they still seal very well. I can force the muffs to lift up a bit if I turn my head and flex my neck just so, and at that point I notice a slight increase in transmitted noise. However, the presence of safety glasses does not cause this - the muffs remain comfortably sealed around my ears. Peltor H9A Optime 98 Over-the-Head Earmuffs
I've only had these for a short time but love the way they fit. They seem really nice, fit snugly and seem to provide good protection from sound. I am an adult female but have a smaller head and they are just right for me but as others have mentioned- IF YOU HAVE A BIGGER HEAD THESE WILL ALMOST CERTAINLY BE TO SMALL.
I bought these to use while mowing the lawn, and they work great in that regard. You can even wear earbuds underneath them and listen to your MP3 player, which makes lawn mowing almost fun. On their own, these earmuffs are perfectly comfortable. Fair warning, though; wearing earbuds under these kind of hurts--these earmuffs are super snug, so they push the cord into your cheeks/jaw some--but to me it is worth it. I'm sure they make noise-cancelling muffs/headphones w/ a built-in audio jack, but I'm also sure those aren't this cheap, so I am very happy w/ my purchase and would definitely recommend these.
These earmuffs work very well for outdoors shooting, especially at their price. I've used the cheap ones from big box stores, these are definitely a step above those. Fairly comfortable even after 3+ hours shooting outdoors. Might want to double up with earplugs if shooting indoors (as with any earmuffs).
I have a 5 year old on the autism spectrum that is really sensitive to noise. Whenever he's going to be around loud noises that set him off, like fireworks or PA systems, we'd been putting earmuffs on him. These are sooooo much better! They block out much more noise but don't block speech, are very comfortable, and unlike some other ear protection they adjust small enough for a child's head. We will be sending him to school with these for sure! - Aspergers - Hearing Protection - Aspergers Syndrome - Peltor'
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