My new favorite hearing protection, the Walker's Razor XV. These are fantastic and incredibly useful for more than just shooting. These are Bluetooth capable and the manufacturer states they have a 31db sound reduction while still allowing ambient noise to be heard.
The body of it hangs around the back of your neck but it is so light you don't even notice it. The earbuds pull out and have more than enough slack to reach your ears and not tug on them when you turn your head. When your done there are buttons on each side that will automatically retract the ear buds back to the body of the unit. There are multiple sizes of ear bud tips included. They are used similar to the cheap orange ear plugs we are all familiar with, squeeze them then let them expand after they are put in your ear.
When wearing them there are three buttons on the left side that control the volume from the bluetooth as well as answer calls and change music tracks. On the right side there are two buttons that control the ambient noise volume, including blocking out any ambient noise the microphone picks up. On the inside of the unit there is the power switch, covered charging port and the buttons to retract the ear buds.
Along with the unit, it also came with a storage bag, multiple sizes of ear tips, a USB charger with wall adapter, and instructions/warranty info.
Now that we know what it is, why do I think its the best thing since sliced bread? Well, that is because it is useful for so many things. I have used these to watch video on my phone while my wife is sleeping beside me, doing yard while listening to music, making phone calls, and obviously shooting.
Music sounds fantastic, better than my wired and other Bluetooth headphones. I listen to music while doing yard work and I wore them while mowing the yard, running my weed eater, and blowing leaves. Using these I was able to listen to music at a comfortable volume and could barely hear the normally uncomfortably loud motors of my lawn tools.
While shooting they function like most other electronic hearing protection, blocking the gun shots but allowing ambient noise through. They do accomplish this very well, I think even a little better than the Howard Leight Sports I typically use. I was even able to hold a conversation with my mother on the phone while shooting an AR-15 and Glock without a problem. While shooting rifles and shotguns the Razor XV does not interfere with good cheek weld like some muffs do. Another feature that I thought was a great idea is that there is an indoor and and outdoor mode. The indoor mode cuts the sound of a gun shot for a longer time to compensate for echoing inside the range, while the outdoor mode doesn't so that you get back to hearing quicker when echo isn't a problem.
If you are in the market for new hearing protection I would strongly recommend the Walker's Razor XV. Amazon currently has them for $116.00, and I think they are worth every penny of that. The Razor XV work great as both hearing protection and as a Bluetooth headset. I really appreciate that the earbuds stay put, I tried my best and could not get them to fall out of my ears and that they put in separate volume controls for ambient noise and Bluetooth input.
