SAVIOR “Apollo” Electronic Earmuffs. These days I take EarPro very seriously. I will not shoot without them. Orange Plugs don’t do it for me. I need more. I had for the last 16 years been using the Howard Leight “Impact Sports”. Which has been okay. But my last pair went belly up for unknown reasons. The I.S. are rated for a passive Noise Reduction Rating of 22 decibels. So, better than cotton balls in the ears, but not that stellar if you are at an Indoor Range. Outdoors, it’s not that bad. Foamies under them are the way to go Indoors.
Being well familiar with those, I wanted something just a bit better. Imagine my surprise when I found these from SAVIOR. Ten bucks cheaper, but offering a 24 NRR. Worth trying, because if you want better, your spending a LOT more. Like the I.S. headset, these electronics operate very similarly, running off a pair of AAA cells, and a single dial switch with positive On/Off clicks, and beeps when going On and Off. This reduces your “I left the Muffs on” battery failures.
The Apollos are not quite as low profile as the I.S. Muffs, but still very good compared to others out there… And the Steel Wire band sure beats the hell out of the plastic I’ve used before to dismally poor results. I like the little Patch things on each side… One a Flag, and the other a Blank so you can write your initials on it with a Sharpie. Thoughtful. Because if you’ve ever been to the range where EVERYONE was wearing Impact Sports…having something that is identified as belonging to you is a big bonus. As far as earmuffs go the 24 decibels versus 22 decibels is a difference you notice… Not a huge gigantic difference but enough that you can forgo orange foamies underneath rather comfortably.
With the electronics switched on the electronic signal amplification for voices and other noises is very good and manages to not annoy you with increased ambient noises. If anything this electronic system is on par with the Howards, but I can’t really say if it’s a huge improvement. But overall compared to the Howards I do think this is a nice upgrade. And considering that this is 10 bucks less than the Howard lights at least at the store I bought these from… These could possibly one day become my recommendation.
We’re going to have to see how they perform in the long run. The Howard lights are known to be rather solid little units that you can get for about 45 bucks pretty much anywhere… And my last set lasted me a very long time so well worth the money. Hopefully these will be the same. If you’re not familiar with the brand they are well known for making other shooting accessories namely bags… But they have a very good reputation.
Hopefully, the brand will not sell themselves short by putting their name on a subpar product which I don’t think anybody has really seen that happen yet, so I am optimistic.
UPDATE: Having now done a Range Day with the Apollos, I am most pleased with them. For Low Cost Electronic Ear Muffs, these are easily my favorite now. Longevity is yet to be seen.