3M PELTOR Hearing Protection Earmuffs, X4 Series Noise Protection, Construction, Manufacturing, Assembly, Sanding

I say, “Wow” because I was expecting the usual cheaper-version feel of a giant vice gripping my head. I was pleasantly surprised! I put them on and immediately felt not a vice but a pleasantly firm but not at all an uncomfortable or painful feel. I immediately felt the cups ‘sealing’ over my ears doing their job of noise suppression. Not noise elimination, mind you, but a reduction almost like the foam earplugs I wear regularly. Now that I think about it, the feel is typical of the David Clark headsets I wear flying. Firm, you know they’re there, good seal over the ears, but no vice grip feel or pain. I’d say that if you wear these in combination with foam earplugs you’ll eliminate most intense and painful noises if you’re in that environment. Granted I just tried them on a couple of times, including over a cap (no problems) and with glasses on, but I’m thinking wearing for long periods will work out — certainly better than the cheaper ones I tried that once on an airline flight I had to take off after about an hour because I was in such pain! Oh, my hat size is 7 7/8ths. Large hat size, which is usually a problem with hats and things like these earmuffs, but I’m happy with these. One more thing - the build quality seems to be nice, reflecting the higher price. I’d say give these a shot …

First, the pros. Out of several different ear muffs I have for noise cancellation, this is by far the best one. I have the Peltor X4A, which is made in Poland. It's the highest noise cancellation that is still a slim profile. Though you can get other ear muffs for 1/2 the price, this one is well worth the money in how silent everything becomes. The spec sheet lists 40 db average cancellation at 1 khz, and a bit more all the way up to 3 khz. This is great if you need one for gun ranges or other extremely loud environments. I paired it with Mac's 33 db disposal earplugs and had excellent results for an indoor gun range. This is also very comfortable to wear. Despite being a slim profile muff, there is a lot of empty space inside the muffs. This allows ear plugs to not touch the sides, giving better noise protection. These don't fold as small as the other ones I have due to the design, but that is an easy compromise. To wear them well, start with the sides up, put them on your head, and then just drag the sides down until they reach a comfortable position. The seal provided by the earpads are excellent. My one and only gripe regarding this, is that the seals are too air tight. This causes a vacuum effect similar to when you pop your ears in an airplane. This actually made the ear muffs hard to wear initially. After using it for about a week, I found the seals are slightly less tight / I'm more used to it. Finally, the plastic bands are comfortable, but are pretty tight initially. After the break in period of about a week, I found this much more comfortable. So overall, very good noise cancellation if that's what you are going for. Pretty slim to wear, and fairly comfortable. Would purchase again.

Exact fit for the milwaukee hard hat companies supply. Surprisingly cheaper than I thought and dampens the loud noises. I recommend all construction workers have this since it's easy to put on and off the muffs. I easily wear these all day at work and like how they're electrically insulated for safety.

Solid. Tight. Blocks out noise well. I have to push my earlobes into the small cup size but worth it. Very easy to sleep in.

These earmuffs are absolutely the best I've tried yet. They're the 4th pair I've tried in a very short period of time. The others were broken, cheap, or very painful to wear. They squeezed my head like a vice. These 27db 3M earmuffs are surprisingly comfortable in relation to what they are. They're slightly adjustable, and they fit great on me. I'm a petite woman, with medium-sized ears (my dad used to tell me that if you have big ears, you'll be rich and successful. But, he also told me that small splinters will travel into my heart and kill me). The oval cut-out in each earpiece fits right over my ear without pressing hard against it. There is an appropriate amount of space in there. I'm not sure about people with very large ears. It's important that your ears are completely sealed off. So if you happen to be a huge person, I might hesitate. It's also important that other things and accessories don't get in the way too much. Without the seal fitting snug around your ears, the noise protection level will be compromised. And it makes a big difference in its ability to block out extra noise. You have to wear glasses that are flat on the sides, and that lay flush against your head. Otherwise, the glasses won't fit well, and it will also allow sound to leak into the earmuffs. From what i've seen, there are really thin and lightweight plastic eye protectors that seem appropriate, for those who need them. I've been really excited and impressed by the excellent comfort and sturdiness (and neon yellow-green color). The design is impeccable, although I'm disappointed that I can't wear them around my neck like regular headphones. They're too big for that. Yet the earpieces are pretty slim in width, in comparison to other earmuffs, and I can deal with wearing these in public without feeling too self-conscious. Today, I brought the earmuffs to my doctor's office. Since they don't fold up in any way, they took up my whole medium-sized purse. I had to substitute my regular wallet for a tiny zippered pouch. I'm wondering about maybe attaching some sort of metal clip to the headpiece, so they can be worn on my hip. Just a brief idea....we'll see. Anyway, I was sooo thankful I brought the earmuffs to the doctor's waiting room. There is a ridiculously loud big-screen tv that really bothers my sensitive hearing. I've complained about it, and even the receptionists have no idea how to adjust the volume on it. There is no volume button! It's controlled some other way. So i happily put these earmuffs on my head, congratulating myself for thinking ahead.. But I immediately found that I could still hear almost every single word from the people speaking on the TV. Their voices were still too loud. In fact, in the beginning, I thought their voices were booming even louder when i put the earmuffs on. It gave the voices some tunnel effect. Yesterday, there were noisy truck sounds outside my window, early in the day. I put the earmuffs on, and they did help for the most part. But not totally. After a bit, I heard a little whine from outside my bedroom door from my pomeranian son. I was a little surprised that I was able to hear it across the room, through the door. He didn't even have to bark. So although I'd thought I found the perfect solution for blocking out most noise, it's not exactly awesome. If someone speaks in a low, quiet tone next to me, it sounds too muffled to make out. But other noises are still loud. I can hear bass sounds well. So I'm a bit disappointed. There is no way I could go to a noisy bar with a band or DJ playing, for example. I don't trust the earmuffs enough for that purpose. These 3M earmuffs ARE made of good quality. But I'm realizing that I'll definitely have to sacrifice style in order to be able to block noise more efficiently. These neon yellow-green and black earmuffs DO look kinda fly. They do. But I wish there were more colors and options available. I wish higher, more efficient noise protecting earmuffs didn't have to be so huge. Hopefully we will head in that direction in the next few years. It would drive me crazy to be anywhere near construction... even with these snug on my ears. So it's really up to you, and the level of noise protection you require. Since I have a hearing sensitivity, certain repetitive and loud noises bother and hurt me. But for you, it may just block out enough noise so that your hearing will continue to be protected. Either way, there is no doubt. These 3M Peltor X-Series earmuffs, 27db, are made with a lot of care and attention to detail. Its high quality and comfort level are unmatched. If you need lots of hearing protection, get a db34 or up. I have a more efficient pair already from this company. Works well, and I look just like Princess Leia. Except with a larger bun on each side. So does that mean guys find me sexy? Like the real character? No. No it doesn't.

I like this Peltor series a lot, and I’ve tried other hearing protection. I couldn’t choose just one, so I got them all. Neighbor’s dog constantly barks, and they’re horrible owners who leave him outside to do so during the night. I needed something comfortable enough to sleep in. As for the review: X1a: another reviewer said like a toy, and they’re absolutely right. Flimsy, thin, and a less-dense foam in the ear cups than on the x3a and above. If you’re thinking you like the slimness, instead go for the x4a. X2a: only slightly better but still bad. If you like the size, instead get the x3 to the x5a, all will work better for you due to denser foam and the presence of the “white plastic.” X3a: finally, we get to the thicker more dense foam. See the white outline around the ears on each of the 3 higher end models? That’s white “w” as in “works.” This white thing gets close to the ear on the inside to filter even more sound. The Peltor series shouldn’t come without them in my opinion. The color, red and black, are obviously awesome. X4a: Boys. I mean, boys. This is it. Extremely comfortable—you know those cheaper ones that offer higher dB rating? They get that by squeezing your face. I like my parotid salivary glands unmolested, thank you very much. It’s so comfortable I can sleep in it. For absolute comfort you have to sleep on your back. The foam is thick, it has the white thing on the ears, it’s not obnoxiously large, and the difference between this and the x5a is pretty minimal. X5a: nothing held back or left in reserve. Not as large a difference from x4a as I would’ve thought though. It gets the extra dB rating from having deeper “ear tunnels” of squishy thick small-bubble black foam. The weight is also increased to account for the deeper canals. For all: bands fit comfortably on the head. No exposed wires, I don’t do electrical work but I just don’t like the feel of the wirey ones. Adjustable, and tells you the date it was made on the earcap. Good at blocking high, shrill noises. Not as good at blocking normal noises like talking. Takes care of dog barking next door right outside my room ~10ft away at 4a. Sometimes if he’s really ornery, and places himself correctly I can hear the shadow of a bark. But 9 times out of 10 I don’t hear anything with the x4a, and either fall asleep for the night or fall asleep for 2h and awake to remove them and he’s gone to sleep so I can too. X4a wins it for me totally. And, at current $20 as of 2020, it’s an absolute steal.

These are excellent! I use them to read novels. It completely blocks all noise. My wife can watch a movie in the living room or the next room and I almost don't hear a thing. I am easily distracted and these have become essential to my reading sessions. I also have an asymmetrical giant head and the frame on these are very comfortable and adjustable. If they are comfortable for me, the will be for you.

I ordered both the 3M 24db Black/Yellow X2A and the 3M 27db Black/Chartreuse X4A earmuffs. I will refer to them as the X2A and X4A for the remainder of this review. For those of you who are trying to decide between the X2A and X4A here are a few things that may be helpful: 1. The 3db difference is probably not that significant. Both are excellent choices to protect your hearing provided your environment doesn't much exceed 100db. Probably not adequate for shooting guns without combining it with ear plugs. Remember, 1db is the smallest amount of volume change that is considered perceivable, whereas a 10db change would sound like double (+10db) or half the volume (-10db). You can still talk and listen while wearing either. 2. They are pretty much identical EXCEPT for the cup size. The X2A is noticeably thicker than the X4A, and this can be seen from the Amazon product pictures. However, the X2A also has a slightly larger ear passageway opening and a more spacious cavern on the inside of the earmuffs. The dimensions of the ear passageway opening are as follows: X2A: 1 1/2" Width by 2 1/2" Height X4A: 1 5/16" Width by 2 1/4" Height Remember that these measurements refer only to the passageway that your ear travels through, and not to the dimensions of the inner cavern your ear actually rests in (which increases in size). I do not know the dimensions of the inner cavern, just that the X2A's is larger. Simply put, the X4A gives you a good fit with enough room to not feel cramped while the X2A really lets you stretch your legs out (or ears). Both are comfortable to wear, but if you've been blessed with the big ears, you might want to consider the X2A. Overall I prefer the X2A because it does the job for less money and seems a hint more comfortable because of the additional room. My wife seems to prefer the X4A because it fits her great and is a little sleeker and thinner and she likes the bonus of the extra protection. Update: 2016.01.20 - Surprisingly, the X2A's actually weigh less than the X4A's, but not by much. The X2A weighed 7.75oz while the X4A weighed 8.25oz. Another +1 for the X2A Edit 5/25/2016: Keeping track of details is hard :D