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.Get more detail about
Peltor H9A Optime 98 Over-the-Head Earmuffs.
