Q: Do you have ear defenders suitable for children?
A: Absolutely, we can offer the 3M Peltor Kids range of ear defenders, suitable for little ears up to 7 years old. These feature an SNR rating of 27dB, comparable to our range of ear defenders used for leisure shooting and hunting.
Q: Can I use active hearing defenders whilst wearing a hearing aid?
A: It is not recommended that you use active ear defenders whilst wearing a hearing aid, as doing so would cause a large amount of uncomfortable feedback.
Q: Do the ear defenders come in larger sizes?
A: The ear defenders come in a ‘one size fits all’, designed to stretch and adjust to differing head sizes. It is also important to note that they will need to be tight fitting around your ear to ensure a seal. To adjust the size on these, hold onto each of the ear cups and stretch out the headband before placing over your ears. Should you require any further advice on properly fitting these, please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Q: My earplugs seem to keep falling out, what am I doing wrong?
A: When donning foam up earplugs, there is a specific technique require to make sure that they sit comfortably and correctly in your ear to provide their rated SNR. We recommend looking at this handy guide from 3M on the correct fitting for these.
Q: How often do I need to replace the hygiene kits on my headset?
A: We recommend that you replace your headset’s hygiene kits once every 6 months, unless they are damaged in which case these should be replaced right away to ensure your continued comfort and protection. In some particularly use-heavy circumstances, it may be necessary to replace the hygiene kits at the end of every shift to prevent water ingress into the headset.
Q: What’s the difference between the 3M Peltor EEP-100, LEP-200 and TEP-200?
A: Principally, these ear plugs will offer the same level of hearing defence and all feature ambient listening functionality. The EEP-100, which we recommend for leisure shooting, requires the charging case to be plugged in to charge. The LEP-200, which we recommend for industrial use, ships with an additional sit of ear tips designed to handle high levels of impact/vibrational noise and the charging case can be fitted with 3 x AA Alkaline batteries so that you can charge on the go. The TEP-200 is designed to be used in tandem with an NIB mesh military comms network, so is only recommended for use with a comms system that features this in place.
Q: Will the 3M Peltor CH-3 headsets communicate to each other out of the box?
A: The CH-3 headsets are designed to connect into an existing hand held radio and have communications ability on their own. They employ the FLX2 system of modular cabling, which allows these to be connected to a large number of hand held radios, as well as ship’s intercoms and AV equipment for the film/television industry. If you aren’t sure as to the right cable for you, or require a radio system as well, please don’t hesitate to get in touch with our experts.
Q: What does ‘SNR’ mean?
A: SNR, or Signal-to-noise Ratio, is a measure in decibels (dB) indicating the amount of noise an ear defender will remove from the environment around you. For example, if a headset has an attenuation of 30dB SNR, this means that in an environment of 100dB you would hear the sound at a volume of 70dB.
Q: How does the ambient listening system work?
A: 3M Peltor’s ambient listening is an ingenious feature on their active headsets. Each of the ear cups on these headsets will have a button sized microphone which is always ‘on’, allowing you to hear what’s going on around you at a non-harmful level. Once the system detects that you are in an environment where the noise level is approaching harmful levels, these button microphones switch off, leaving you protected. HSE guidelines stipulate that 30 minutes of noise at a volume of 84dB and higher will cause you permanent hearing damage – the ambient listening system engages its protection at 82dB, ensuring you are protected before any damage can be done.
Q: What’s the difference between noise cancelling on my standard ear phones and the active protection on these headsets?
A: With commercially available earbuds and headphones, the noise cancelling comes in two forms. Firstly, the nature of having the plugs in your ears or a headset on forms a physical barrier preventing some soundwaves entering your ear canal. Secondly, many of them produce a ‘sympathetic signal’, wherein the earbuds/headphones intelligently try to create a mirror signal to the noise you are experiencing, effectively cancelling the noise out. This kind of noise cancelling is great for when you are experiencing low levels of annoying background noise, such as those experienced on the tube or whilst sat on an aeroplane. However, they are not sufficient for dealing with high levels of noise that can damage your hearing and if used in place of a proper hearing defence solution they will likely not be sufficient to protect you. With ear defenders, the high level of hearing defence is entirely physical, meaning that you will always have a high level of hearing protection regardless of whether your headphones are switched on or off. When switched on, the Ambient Listening system on 3M headsets will allow you to hear everything that’s going on around you until the point of dangerous levels of noise, at which point it will kick in and leave you defended.
Q: I need 2 Bluetooth headsets to talk to each other.
A: Unfortunately Bluetooth headsets do not pair with each other. They only pair to slave devices such a mobile phone or a laptop. For a Team Comms solution please have a look at the below. The communication is done over a built in radio using licence free frequencies giving greater distance and stability.
Q: I need ear defenders for a very high noise level environment.
A: There are many options for ear defence depending on the actual db level that reaches the ear. Ideally you will require a meter reading of theactual noise level so we can best advise which ear defence is best. As a rule of thumb the 3M Peltor Optime range is a good place to start. There are no electronics and they come in 3 different levels of protection. The Optime I headband reduces your noise levels by 27db, the Optime II reduces by 31db and the Optime III reduces by 35db. There are more intelligent ear defence available that can include an FM radio or even Bluetooth for communication. For more information please contact our experts on 01903 896630.
Q: I have a large head. Is there a specific ear defender or headset I should have?
A: All 3M Peltor ear defenders and headsets have an adjustable headband to cater for all head sizes.
Q: I am after a cameraman headset with 4 or 5 pin.
A: The Auralcom Camerman headset will be a perfect solution. Available in both 4 & 5 pin straight or curly cable. They have a rugged & reliable design plus comfortable & cooling gel ear seals. The Auralcom headset range have a heavy duty noise cancelling microphone for enhanced audibility as well as advanced speakers for clear communication. They come with a 2 year warranty as standard.
Q: I need a headset to connect to my radio.
A: The most flexible headset for connectivity is the Auralcom range of High Attenuation Comms Headsets. The one headset can connect to many different radios via an additional cable that is dedicated to your make and model of radio. They key question is what make and model radio do you have? Please call our Communication experts on 01903 896630 with this information so we can make sure you get the exact cable that you will require for connectivity.
Q: I need a headset for shooting.
A: Almost an industry standard for sports or hunt shooting is the 3M Peltor Sporttac. This model has been the premium choice for hunters for around 8 years such is its performance and reliability. If the funds allow, this is the very best choice.
Q: I am from a Police Force and need some Ear Defence.
A: As the UK Distributor for 3M Peltor we look after many UK Police Forces for Tactical & Fire Arms Training. Exclusive Tier 1 Distribution Pricing is available which is the very best in the country though this is not something we can offer online. Please email your enquiry to our PNN Specialist Paul paul@best4safety.com or call 01903 704448 for more details. Thank you.
Q: I work in an explosive ATEX environment and need a headset.
A: For communications within an ATEX environment you will need 2 components. The headsets itself and also a Push To Talk Adaptor (PTT), of course both being ATEX and explosion proof. Below is the headset. The Push To Talk (PTT) adaptor that you will require depends on the make and model of radio that you have. Please call our experts on 01903 896630 with this information so we can make sure that you get the correct ATEX PTT for connectivity.
Q: What should I wear when working with asbestos?
A: With such a potentially dangerous material we would advise contacting our sales and support team for best practice advice before committing to a particular solution.
Q: I want to use ear defence with a Powered Air Solution.
A: This is very straight forward. The 3M Versaflo PAPR solution allows ear defence to be attached when wearing the helmet style head top. All you would require is the below helmet clips then the 3M Peltor Ear Defence of your choice.
Q: I work in a loud manufacturing plant. What ear defence is best?
A: Safety is the number one priority when deploying ear defence and the correct product for you depends on your environment. If you have fire alarms without a beacon, fork lift trucks or reversing traffic, you still need to be able to hear your ambient surroundings just in case there was an emergency warning. For this you need a functionality called Active Sound or Spatial Awareness. This will allow your natural surroundings to be heard until the noise levels reach a dangerous 82db or more, then the headset shuts down immediately to protect. The below is a good starting point for ear defence with the Active Sound functionality.