That is very true, but I think a lot of people have become oblivious to how expensive shooting has become, & especially when you have a family, & need to rely upon indoor shooting ranges.
With Walker razor, you aren't going to tell the difference from where the sound is coming from, meaning you hear amped sound in both ears. With Howard, you can tell actually tell which direction the sound is coming from.
I have both and I completely agree. For that reason alone, the HLs are much better for me, especially while hunting. If you get the gel ear pads for the HLs, they are so much more comfortable.
After 3 decades of shooting, take my head... At indoor ranges wear both plugs and muffs at the same time. If you don’t, you will damage your ears. Always go the extra mile and protect your ears and eyes, at a level that goes above and beyond.
put a new brake on my ar 15. was only wearing my walkers and i guess i didn't notice how loud it still was. ears rang for the rest of the day. i double up every time now.
Thanks for mentioning. I usually do double ears but i got the howard lights and i wasnt sure. I feel like they are not as good as my standard over ear protection
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!!!! I own both. The Walker's are one mono channel split over both ears. Zero, absolutely Zero sense of directional sound. You cannot tell left vs. right or front vs. back. The Howard Leights give you complete directional awareness. How come I am the only one who notices this????
My brother owns the walkers while I own the Howard’s. We both have a keen ear for audio and noticed the exact deal. Walkers take the cake for comfort but the audio clearly goes to the Howard’s. Total night and day difference. Kinda sad more people don’t recognize mono from stereo.
Just ordered a pair based off your review. 40 bucks for the FDE color. I broke my personal rule of never buying FDE anything and I just bought a cz p10c in FDE and now these ear pros. What have I become?!
I also have both pairs. My first pair were Walkers but have went with the Howards. With the simple fact the that wire connection runs at the side and not the top of the ear muffs. Yes, I do find the Walkers to be a more comfortable pair and more color selections. However my Walkers went out on me and lost all electronic fuctions due to the connection getting damaged from folding them up and having the wire connection getting damaged from being pressed into the headband when folded. My girlfriend still has her pair of Walkers and they do still work but she does not use them as much as I do. If I could find a pair of Walkers with the wires on the side and a comparable price I would switch back to the Walkers. Until then I'll just stick with my Howards. Of course there are better pairs out there but these 2 are probably the best affordable ones out there IMO.
In my experience the HL have a much more directional sound and the WR are much more omni sound. Which means the it is more difficult to tell the direction of sound around you so in my opinion I would pick the HL.
Having spent hours and hours wearing the Walkers Razor I absolutely love them. They are without a doubt the best electronic ear pro I have had. And I have had many. Comfort is wonderful I don't even realize that I have them on sometimes. Sound quality and clarity are top-flight. I stood behind the 25 yds. firing line and could hear the conversation of several people standing at the target line. I have recommended the Razor to several folks and have heard no complaints.
Just watched one of John's latest videos from the Warrior Poet Society Channel and John says the Howard's have better sound:) Just the opposite, which tells me the whole sound thing is subjective and sense both items are comparable with one being $10 less, everyone should start with the Walkers IMO:)
I wear ear muffs at work, when around load engines and using air tools, other people look at me funny but I don't care. I even go so far as to tell some of the folks I work around, that I wear them so as not to listen to them!!
Back in the 80's I lost over 50% of my hearing due to the fact I didn't wear hearing protection when shooting my .357 with extra hot loads! (the only good thing is I only hear 1/2 of the world's BS)
@@jimkoonce6574 I've always wondered why people look at you weird when you wear ear plugs to protect your hearing. I wear them to sporting events, at work in mechanical rooms, while riding dirt bikes, etc. Protect at all costs. I have tinnitus and some hearing damage. Protect your hearing.
My Walker's broke within a month. I call them to get them replaced and after 35 min on hold they finally answered and said I could send them back at MY OWN EXPENSE to get the replaced. Pretty crappy both in product and service.
I got the Howard Leights because everyone else was saying they were so great, I Use them but do not love them, so I will certainly have to check out the Razors Thanks for the heads up on this product.
Razers are garbage as well... I don't know how these 2 muffs get so much good ratings. Try the Peltor Tactical 100's, so much more comfortable and more compact and they actually dampen when you clap you hands unlike these two.
Walker Razor's are terrible, i've had two pairs now, the first didn't work out of the box, and the second failed after about 3 months of use. This, coupled with Terrible customer service = definitely would not recommend.
I have both Howard Leight and Walker. Walker's are omni-directional, meaning you can't tell from where the amplified sound is coming, whereas the Howard Leight are directional. I like to know where the ambient sound is coming from. Plus, replacement ear cups are available. As far as the microphone jack being uncovered, neither pair will survive immersion in water. Place a dime-sized piece of duct tape over the jack if it bothers you. Between the two, I would go for Howard leight.
Russell is spot on. I also have both and was not aware about the differences in the microphones so decided to try them out. The difference is massive. With the Walkers I could not tell where the sound of my tv was coming from with my eyes closed and spinning around. The Howard Leight would allow you to navigate in very low light and follow a specific sound. With that said the Walkers have been relegated to range use and the Howard Leight stay home. I will however be looking into hoarding the cups as the Walkers are more comfortable.
@6:05 "𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳..." After trying out my Impact Sports, my brother-in-law wanted a set. One day while at my local fun store I called and informed him they had them on sale so he asked me to pick him up a pair. I got him the pink ones 🤣
I also own both, I have the Howard and I bought the Walkers for my dad because I wanted to see which was better. The walkers were 29.99 on Amazon (black with American Flag) whereas the Howard were $32 (OD green). For my ears, the howard fits fine, but in my opinion the microphones on the howard is better, has more of a multi directional sound vs. more of a one dimensional sound you get from the Walker's. Both are great though, I think the walkers are better looking.
Ricky Lowry I have the Howards. That’s interesting about the directional sound bc I’m completely deaf in my right ear. Maybe the Walkers will allow me to actually hear from the direction of my deaf side..🤔. Thanks for pointing that out. I’m gonna have to try those out.
I only have the Walker, so I can't compare to the HL's. They are decent, but no where near enough for a day of shooting. I always have to double up, whether I'm at the outdoor or the indoor range. Outdoors, if my buddy fires his Shield next to me, that thing just makes my ears ring even with the muffs on if I'm not doubled up. I go shooting fairly regularly and always have ear pro, but I don't always have soft plugs to double up with and now I have a permanent ring. On their own, the Walkers simply are not enough!!!!!!!!! What's my point? FOAM SUCKS! Whatever you do, get something with gel cups or replace the foam with gel. The better seal makes a huge difference and the gel cups are leaps and bounds more comfortable.
Just bought the Howard Leight to use at an outdoor range for my CCL qual and not sure I like them. The cups don't really form a seal around my ears especially at the bottom and slightly behind my ears. I've adjusted several times but couldn't get a tight enough seal and some sound seems to sneak in. Kind of disappointed. Too late to return them now...
I considered the Walkers but found the company to be totally useless. I had a simple question. I sent them an email via their messaging page on their web site. More than a week later; no response. I then tried their phone line. It was going to be a long wait so I elected to use their callback feature. A day later; no callback. I then went to their Facebook page and posted how frustrated I was with them. Finally, they contacted me via Facebook messenger asking me what my question was. I sent it to them. No response. I tried the phone again. No response. If it's this hard to get them to respond so as to make a sale, what nightmares would I have if I bought their product and needed support? No thanks. There are plenty of other deserving businesses out there. I can't imagine them being around in a few years. Pitiful.
I disagree I have both and the Howard Leigh’s sports and walker razors slim and I have a better sound and you can hear the left and right sides better on the Howard Leigh’s sport. The walkers have more of a tunnel sound and you can’t tell witch side the sound is coming from also the Howard will auto shut off after 4 hours. That’s why I purchased 2 sets of the Howard Leigh’s sports.... great product !!!!
The Walker's are really comfortable, I wear them for 2-3 hours every week and they don't bother me at all, even with prescription eyeglass frames they go over. But definitely use foam plugs underneath for indoor ranges, just not enough with all the high powered rifles.
I guess everyone has their own opinions.. I have owned Howard muffs for a couple years with no complaints.. recently saw walkers on sale fir the purple, so I got them..I do t really care about the color.. I got different results from the reviewer.. the Howard’s are lighter and more comfortable to me.. the walkers are tighter and just fit differently.. the real difference for me was ambient sound.. the Howard are definitely stereo, and the walkers are not.. the walkers almost sound muffled when walking around the house turning door knobs and such.. the Howard’s are very clear.. IDK, maybe something is wrong with my walkers, but I like Howard’s much better.. get both and make your own decision
The first electronic ear muffs that I bought were the Howard Leight. I recently bought the Walker Razors Patriot edition because a friend told me that they were better than the HL, and I got them for $29.99. After a visit to an indoor range, I have to say that I definitely prefer the HL. Like it was mentioned in this review, the ambient noise is more perceivable with the Razors. I even noticed that when someone was shooting, although the sound was definitely reduced, I could still hear it thru the speakers. Kind of as if it was being blocked but at the same time it was being picked by the microphones as a sound that should’ve been amplified (kind of what it does with voices if that makes sense). With the HL, the microphones are “disabled/muted” when a high DB sound is detected, and for me the overall sound quality is clearer and better. Just my humble opinion. Have anyone else experienced something similar?
I'm confused...you don't want to lose the sound of gunfire, because that is less situational awareness. The audio cutting out completely is not a good thing.
I much prefer the Howard Leight’s. I’ve been duck hunting with them for 5 years. They allow me to hear myself call and protect my hearing from shotgun blast. The razors are fine but not as “accurate” in the replication of sound as the HL.
Know this is an old comment, but from the description of the two products, I own both but haven't gotten to take the Walkers on a range trip, is that the HL will turn off when the sound level is passed while the Walkers will just lower the sound. While a lot of the people in the comments are saying they don't want to hear the gunshots lowered, people who might be doing something where they will have a lot of gun fire would prefer the Walkers because they can't have the head set spend half of its use time "off".
The Howard Leight Impact Sports din't fit well, they seem to let noice in from the bottom. Also they are still loud in indoor ranges and for rifle shooting not usable, only for pistol and light used. I have some cheap Macks that I got on Turners for Black Friday and they are way better for 1/4 of the price. Only function that I really like is the speaker does amplify the sound excellent other than that they suck for what they were made for.
I honestly just want them for the style . And like most people say to do, I will be using plugs underneath. That or even my Samsung earbuds for music .
Mono sound on the Walkers would be a major deal breaker as that could potentially be very dangerous when hunting or at the range since it's much harder to detect which direction sound is coming from. I'm very surprised many reviewers don't mention it. The Walkers headband spring also have a much higher clamping force making it uncomfortable for people with wider heads. I would take the Howard Leight any day over the Walker Razor.
Nonsense you've been playing too much COD. You don't need directional hearing with them, as you can remove them if you hear approaching danger. These are for hunting, not clearing an urban epic center in Afghanistan.
@@himmeluberdeutschland401 stop being ignorant, if you're hunting and your partner speaks behind u, u wouldn't be able to tell if they're on your left or right, it's very dangerous.
Also with the walkers razor you can turn them into walkie talkies on the range which is super cool. You can keep your ear pro on and still be able to communicate even when down range with people back at the firing line etc, AND the walkers you can get the patriot series and get the 2 American flag Velcro latches and put them on the side which is super cool to an old US ARMY infantry Iraqi combat veteran like myself.
Bought a pair of razors and instantly sent them back to Optics Planet. The white noise and feedback was so bad I could barely hear anything. The new HL tacticals have an improved headband and the audio quality shames the razors. Bad pair? Maybe.
RUN HLB It's noticeable on my pairs, but I wouldn't call it bad by any means. I'd say the mic performs better than it should at the current price point. You possibly got a bad pair. I'm not really an "audio guy" though, so I may not have the most discriminating tastes lol
the razors i got are mono even though it has 2 mics, this means no sense of direction thus suck big time while my 15 dol Chinese knockoffs work 10x better and are stereo
Hello friend ! Is it work with engine noise ?? I work in a diesel power station , so there is a high noise there , I’m asking if the walker earmuffs work with this type of noise ? Plz.. answer
Sir, you are absolutelly mislead by the marketing. The "electronic ear protection muffs" in fact protect you much less than other normal muffs or ear plugs. The "electronic" part just disconect the mic when the external sound is higher than around 85 db. But this not means that when the mic is disconected, the muffs will full protect you. If you read carefully specs of any of this devices, there is none protecting you more than 23 db. when the mic disconnect you from external noises. This is a very low protection, and there are "traditional" devices or ear plugs which can protect you around 32-34 db., which is 10 times more protective than 23 db. of the "electronic" muff. (logarithmic scale of sounds).
I just bought the Walker and was not impressed. At an indoor range they did little to suppress the noise coming from the lanes on either side of me. These things are dangerously ineffective IMO.
These were literally the 2 i was debating on when i got my first gun but i ended up going with the walkers cus i found a color i wanted on sale. Glad i did, they are a solid set of protection. I was using just earplugs i get at work but it wasnt enough at our local indoor range so now i do both and its still comfortable with the walkers over my 3m plugs
Interesting that most of the video comparisons I’ve watched are done by red blooded Americans. Walkers China, Leightsc USA. If they’re so close makes the decision pretty easy to me
I have the Howard's there wind noise reduction is great. No problems carrying on a conversation while tearing around on a side by side chasing hogs. And your able to pick out the direction of sounds. Only complaint is with the ear cups while wearing eye protection that has thick frames over the ears, but I have that issue with any over the ear protection no fault of the howards
How does the noise compression work with both headphones? I have HL and my cousin has an old pair of walkers and I've noticed that with the HL it doesn't just mute all sound it only lowers it till it reaches that safe hearing level so you can still hear what's happening just at a safe level.
I finally tried active earpro in May, '19 and bought both of these from retailers. The Walker was right at $60 and the HLs were just below $50 at another store. THe HL was my first experience with electronic muffs, and I couldn't pick out the cutoff. I wasn't deafened by shots at the range, so they must have been working. Even with the power off, I wasn't satisfied with the sound reduction, so I returned them. I am extremely pleased with the Walkers, though. They reduce shot noise really well, and the sound quality through the mics is really nice. KEEPER!!
I have a few of each and agree with you on all your points. I picked up a couple pair of Razors about 4 months ago at my local Sam's club (I don't remember the price). The Walkers just fit better and seal nicer with glasses. The bottoms of the HL's do tend to unseal easier from your face when shooting (letting in sound). Great review! Thanks!
The mono sound on the Walkers makes it impossible to identify where people are coming from which can get you killed. I own both, was shooting in the woods one time with the Howard Leights when a random group of people came through, I was able to tell where they were coming from due to the stereo sound. In my opinion this should be a non-negotiable deal breaker
I've had both as well and would pick the Walker Razors all day. The Howards started to get hard and therefore not sealing around my ears and were almost painful to wear. Comfort is key! Especially if you're wearing them all day.
Comfort is important for all day use. The difference of a dB in the NRR is unimportant. In research the I have published on both passive and electronic hearing protection devices, the NRR will have a small variation that pretty well makes any difference less than 3 dB not statistically significant. Comments on this video discussed the use of safety eyewear with the earmuffs, the leak introduced by wearing safety glasses will reduce the NRR and impulse peak insertion loss significantly, 8 to 15 dB. The discussion of the time constant (0.02 seconds) for the response of the muffs is not quite correct. Gunshot transient events take place in the space of 5 to 20 microseconds ( ambient noise level to peak sound pressure). The time constant I believe is referring to how long the active circuitry is turned off. Older Peltor models had nearly a 0.25 second cutoff period. That duration is quite noticeable and can affect the ability to hear instructions in an intermittent noisy environment. Overall, I enjoyed the video. If you are going to wear a ball cap when shooting, you need to be certain that it doesn’t disrupt the seal with the head. Lastly, double protection is recommended whenever one fires more than a few shots. NIOSH recommended that in their 2009 Alert for controlling lead and noise exposure at indoor firing ranges.
I have a set of the Howard hearing protection. I have had it for about 4-5 years. Original batteries and still functioning properly. I got mine on Amazon and only paid 29.99 for the pair. I just checked Amazon again for the same hearing protection, and the price is still under 30.00. Not too concerned about the padding along the top, since I always wear a ball cap. Guess I have a weird shaped head and ears as I have no problems with the fit and protection needed. They are a bit larger than say the standard hearing protection that is provided at a gun range if you have to use theirs. This is by no means a put down regarding the Walker Razor. I just have never tried them. Best wishes to all the gun owners out there, stay safe at all times. Oh I did by way of your video find out what that plug was for. Lost the speaker or microphone cable. Apparently not a really needed item, and listening to music while shooting would not be of interest to me. Oh, I was in the military for 20 years, so I gravitated towards the OD green set.
What about auto shut off and battery life?Of all the reviews I've watched they have all failed to mention Howard leight has 350 hours battery life and Walkers have 40 hours battery life.Also Howard Leight has Auto shut-off after 4 hours...Walker does not. in my opinion that's well worth the extra ten bucks.... I didnt know this when I bought my Walker Razors
They are cheap enough to just buy both and make up your own mind... Because it's always a good investment to have more than one... Redundancy is key... Especially when you take new people shooting, because no one ever has their own gear...
The Walkers are superior in comfort all day, but man the sound quality is just horrendous. Like someone talking into a tin cup 20 yards away. The Howards are 10000000 times better if you want to be able to hear conversation as shooting is going on.
If it doesn't fit under my ACH, it doesn't exist. Being able to port into my radio is a plus. I primarily leave the headset on but external volume turned all the way down. That way I can hear radio traffic but, not the range. The sound of, people's voices at the range isn't important to me and, the noise damping feature is kind of, a gimmick because I have noticed it doesn't really work as advertised. I can turn the external volume up between strings of, fire and, down when everything goes hot. If I remember. It's more important for, me to hear the radio or, nothing while the range is live.
I was just looking at both of these this evening at Academy Sports, was wondering which would work better for me, now I know. I think I will get the Walker Razor. Thanks for answering a question that I did not ask yet!
Very good video in all aspects. You have helped me narrow the field as to which hearing protector would be best for me. You make a good public speaker. Keep up the informative videos.
so far the razors are 3 for 3 in the Defective category... Which sucks because theyre more comfortable. Got a set from Amazon today at 1:30. By 2 they were on their way back because they didnt work at all.
Hello friend ! Is it work with engine noise ?? I work in a diesel power station , so there is a high noise there , I’m asking if the walker earmuffs work with this type of noise ? Plz.. answer
![[UA] NAVI проти G2 Esports | Blast Premier Fall Final](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/QWlIm4FGESQ/mqdefault.jpg)
The most expensive ear pro is much cheaper than the least expensive hearing aid. Protect your hearing.
@Yamaha Venture exactly
idk, theres some weird ass ear pro for like $500 now.
That is very true, but I think a lot of people have become oblivious to how expensive shooting has become, & especially when you have a family, & need to rely upon indoor shooting ranges.
With Walker razor, you aren't going to tell the difference from where the sound is coming from, meaning you hear amped sound in both ears. With Howard, you can tell actually tell which direction the sound is coming from.
that seems rather important
I have both and I completely agree. For that reason alone, the HLs are much better for me, especially while hunting. If you get the gel ear pads for the HLs, they are so much more comfortable.
Thanks for your insight. I never thought about that. Also the razors were very uncomfortable and the HLs i thought were more comfortable
The more expensive digital walkers are directional
But those were $100 to the $60 of the crappy analog ones that are not directional at all
you can actually see fighters in other countries wearing the Howard Leights
After 3 decades of shooting, take my head... At indoor ranges wear both plugs and muffs at the same time. If you don’t, you will damage your ears. Always go the extra mile and protect your ears and eyes, at a level that goes above and beyond.
I do just the same
Same here, electronic ears are still loud at indoor ranges, I use foam earplugs with my Howard Leights.
put a new brake on my ar 15. was only wearing my walkers and i guess i didn't notice how loud it still was. ears rang for the rest of the day. i double up every time now.
Thanks for mentioning. I usually do double ears but i got the howard lights and i wasnt sure. I feel like they are not as good as my standard over ear protection
I use both indoors and out.
For the Howard’s you can get gel ear cups and it makes them more comfortable.
A pricey option though. I did put them on one pair of the Leight's (I have 3 pair) Magical comfort.
for $40 extra
Another Millennial II where do I pick up these products ? Thank You 👍
@@brandon1023 ZOHAN EP01 Gel ear pads only cost $40. and these are awesafe!
Walkers have that option as well.
I feel like I'm taking crazy pills!!!! I own both. The Walker's are one mono channel split over both ears. Zero, absolutely Zero sense of directional sound. You cannot tell left vs. right or front vs. back. The Howard Leights give you complete directional awareness. How come I am the only one who notices this????
My brother owns the walkers while I own the Howard’s. We both have a keen ear for audio and noticed the exact deal. Walkers take the cake for comfort but the audio clearly goes to the Howard’s. Total night and day difference. Kinda sad more people don’t recognize mono from stereo.
Finally! Thank you RENZ!!!!!!!
Razor is what's needed on your chin, my friend!!
Walker is mono sound, no direction where it comes from. Howard, stereo and more natural like.
Just ordered a pair based off your review. 40 bucks for the FDE color. I broke my personal rule of never buying FDE anything and I just bought a cz p10c in FDE and now these ear pros. What have I become?!
FDE is the way mannnn
agreed
Mrgunsngear Channel no
@@karensmith4037 shut up Karen
I also have both pairs. My first pair were Walkers but have went with the Howards. With the simple fact the that wire connection runs at the side and not the top of the ear muffs. Yes, I do find the Walkers to be a more comfortable pair and more color selections. However my Walkers went out on me and lost all electronic fuctions due to the connection getting damaged from folding them up and having the wire connection getting damaged from being pressed into the headband when folded. My girlfriend still has her pair of Walkers and they do still work but she does not use them as much as I do. If I could find a pair of Walkers with the wires on the side and a comparable price I would switch back to the Walkers. Until then I'll just stick with my Howards. Of course there are better pairs out there but these 2 are probably the best affordable ones out there IMO.
Lol this video title is literally exactly what I wanted to find thank you so much I’ve been trying to choose all day which one to buy
Great review. I actually happened to buy a pair of Walkers before watching the video and glad I made a good choice
In my experience the HL have a much more directional sound and the WR are much more omni sound. Which means the it is more difficult to tell the direction of sound around you so in my opinion I would pick the HL.
Yeah, that's what I was hoping he would talk about in the video (seems a lot more important than most the stuff he talked about).
Having spent hours and hours wearing the Walkers Razor I absolutely love them. They are without a doubt the best electronic ear pro I have had. And I have had many. Comfort is wonderful I don't even realize that I have them on sometimes. Sound quality and clarity are top-flight. I stood behind the 25 yds. firing line and could hear the conversation of several people standing at the target line. I have recommended the Razor to several folks and have heard no complaints.
Just watched one of John's latest videos from the Warrior Poet Society Channel and John says the Howard's have better sound:) Just the opposite, which tells me the whole sound thing is subjective and sense both items are comparable with one being $10 less, everyone should start with the Walkers IMO:)
GREAT VIDEO! ~ I was about to buy the Howard Leight and you changed my mind to the Walker's Razor. . .
Can't emphasis this enough protect your hearing. You'll thank yourself in the future!
What?
@@johnniewasr5740
I said WEAR HEARING PROTECTION WHEN SHOOTING
I wear ear muffs at work, when around load engines and using air tools, other people look at me funny but I don't care. I even go so far as to tell some of the folks I work around, that I wear them so as not to listen to them!!
Back in the 80's I lost over 50% of my hearing due to the fact I didn't wear hearing protection when shooting my .357 with extra hot loads! (the only good thing is I only hear 1/2 of the world's BS)
@@jimkoonce6574 I've always wondered why people look at you weird when you wear ear plugs to protect your hearing. I wear them to sporting events, at work in mechanical rooms, while riding dirt bikes, etc. Protect at all costs. I have tinnitus and some hearing damage. Protect your hearing.
My Walker's broke within a month. I call them to get them replaced and after 35 min on hold they finally answered and said I could send them back at MY OWN EXPENSE to get the replaced. Pretty crappy both in product and service.
I got the Howard Leights because everyone else was saying they were so great, I Use them but do not love them, so I will certainly have to check out the Razors Thanks for the heads up on this product.
Razers are garbage as well... I don't know how these 2 muffs get so much good ratings. Try the Peltor Tactical 100's, so much more comfortable and more compact and they actually dampen when you clap you hands unlike these two.
I have both and love the walkers waaaaayyyy better
Walker Razor's are terrible, i've had two pairs now, the first didn't work out of the box, and the second failed after about 3 months of use. This, coupled with Terrible customer service = definitely would not recommend.
Can you do a review on the Walker's Razor Walkie Talkies?
This guy just promoting walkers most likely being paid by them.
I have both Howard Leight and Walker. Walker's are omni-directional, meaning you can't tell from where the amplified sound is coming, whereas the Howard Leight are directional. I like to know where the ambient sound is coming from. Plus, replacement ear cups are available. As far as the microphone jack being uncovered, neither pair will survive immersion in water. Place a dime-sized piece of duct tape over the jack if it bothers you. Between the two, I would go for Howard leight.
Russell is spot on.
I also have both and was not aware about the differences in the microphones so decided to try them out.
The difference is massive. With the Walkers I could not tell where the sound of my tv was coming from with my eyes closed and spinning around. The Howard Leight would allow you to navigate in very low light and follow a specific sound.
With that said the Walkers have been relegated to range use and the Howard Leight stay home.
I will however be looking into hoarding the cups as the Walkers are more comfortable.
@6:05 "𝘐𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶'𝘳𝘦 𝘴𝘩𝘰𝘱𝘱𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘸𝘪𝘧𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘣𝘳𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳, 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳..."
After trying out my Impact Sports, my brother-in-law wanted a set. One day while at my local fun store I called and informed him they had them on sale so he asked me to pick him up a pair. I got him the pink ones 🤣
The local fun store huh lmao
I feel the Howard light picks up on floor creek's further away then any other headset I've owned
Check it out
I also own both, I have the Howard and I bought the Walkers for my dad because I wanted to see which was better. The walkers were 29.99 on Amazon (black with American Flag) whereas the Howard were $32 (OD green). For my ears, the howard fits fine, but in my opinion the microphones on the howard is better, has more of a multi directional sound vs. more of a one dimensional sound you get from the Walker's. Both are great though, I think the walkers are better looking.
Ricky Lowry I have the Howards. That’s interesting about the directional sound bc I’m completely deaf in my right ear. Maybe the Walkers will allow me to actually hear from the direction of my deaf side..🤔. Thanks for pointing that out. I’m gonna have to try those out.
Yeah give them a shot! The mics on your left side might be able to pick up from the right side and help you out a little
Peltor Tactical 100 is better in my experience from the 3
Howard Leight Is obviously the superior headset !!!
they will leave your ears ringing they suck they don't block out sound i had a pair and glad i sold them
I only have the Walker, so I can't compare to the HL's. They are decent, but no where near enough for a day of shooting. I always have to double up, whether I'm at the outdoor or the indoor range. Outdoors, if my buddy fires his Shield next to me, that thing just makes my ears ring even with the muffs on if I'm not doubled up. I go shooting fairly regularly and always have ear pro, but I don't always have soft plugs to double up with and now I have a permanent ring. On their own, the Walkers simply are not enough!!!!!!!!!
What's my point? FOAM SUCKS! Whatever you do, get something with gel cups or replace the foam with gel. The better seal makes a huge difference and the gel cups are leaps and bounds more comfortable.
O please get your hands on a set of 3M and compare them with the howards and the other ones.
Good review. Concise, to the point; useful info without a bunch of fluff. Well done.
Just bought the Howard Leight to use at an outdoor range for my CCL qual and not sure I like them. The cups don't really form a seal around my ears especially at the bottom and slightly behind my ears. I've adjusted several times but couldn't get a tight enough seal and some sound seems to sneak in. Kind of disappointed. Too late to return them now...
I considered the Walkers but found the company to be totally useless. I had a simple question. I sent them an email via their messaging page on their web site. More than a week later; no response. I then tried their phone line. It was going to be a long wait so I elected to use their callback feature. A day later; no callback. I then went to their Facebook page and posted how frustrated I was with them. Finally, they contacted me via Facebook messenger asking me what my question was. I sent it to them. No response. I tried the phone again. No response.
If it's this hard to get them to respond so as to make a sale, what nightmares would I have if I bought their product and needed support? No thanks. There are plenty of other deserving businesses out there. I can't imagine them being around in a few years. Pitiful.
The razors lose for 1 main reason to me. The microphones play mono sound. I want to know where sounds are coming from.
I can't stand the mono sound, why even bother having two microphones if it's just going to be mono?
It is actually critical to be able to hear and know where sounds come from. So glad I bought the Impact a few days ago.
Good analysis TDC. My wife has the Howard Leights, and I have to hide my Razors from her or she’ll run down my batteries.
I disagree I have both and the Howard Leigh’s sports and walker razors slim and I have a better sound and you can hear the left and right sides better on the Howard Leigh’s sport. The walkers have more of a tunnel sound and you can’t tell witch side the sound is coming from also the Howard will auto shut off after 4 hours. That’s why I purchased 2 sets of the Howard Leigh’s sports.... great product !!!!
The Walker's are really comfortable, I wear them for 2-3 hours every week and they don't bother me at all, even with prescription eyeglass frames they go over. But definitely use foam plugs underneath for indoor ranges, just not enough with all the high powered rifles.
Those people with high power riffles must be training for extreme hunting . 😳
What about volume? Is walker loud enough with plugs to hear others like the Howard?
I guess everyone has their own opinions.. I have owned Howard muffs for a couple years with no complaints.. recently saw walkers on sale fir the purple, so I got them..I do t really care about the color.. I got different results from the reviewer.. the Howard’s are lighter and more comfortable to me.. the walkers are tighter and just fit differently.. the real difference for me was ambient sound.. the Howard are definitely stereo, and the walkers are not.. the walkers almost sound muffled when walking around the house turning door knobs and such.. the Howard’s are very clear.. IDK, maybe something is wrong with my walkers, but I like Howard’s much better.. get both and make your own decision
The first electronic ear muffs that I bought were the Howard Leight. I recently bought the Walker Razors Patriot edition because a friend told me that they were better than the HL, and I got them for $29.99. After a visit to an indoor range, I have to say that I definitely prefer the HL. Like it was mentioned in this review, the ambient noise is more perceivable with the Razors. I even noticed that when someone was shooting, although the sound was definitely reduced, I could still hear it thru the speakers. Kind of as if it was being blocked but at the same time it was being picked by the microphones as a sound that should’ve been amplified (kind of what it does with voices if that makes sense). With the HL, the microphones are “disabled/muted” when a high DB sound is detected, and for me the overall sound quality is clearer and better. Just my humble opinion. Have anyone else experienced something similar?
I'm confused...you don't want to lose the sound of gunfire, because that is less situational awareness. The audio cutting out completely is not a good thing.
I much prefer the Howard Leight’s. I’ve been duck hunting with them for 5 years. They allow me to hear myself call and protect my hearing from shotgun blast. The razors are fine but not as “accurate” in the replication of sound as the HL.
@@hellcatdave1 You can already hear the sound of the shot through the earmuffs.
You do NOT need it to amplify the delayed sound, it's not necessary.
Know this is an old comment, but from the description of the two products, I own both but haven't gotten to take the Walkers on a range trip, is that the HL will turn off when the sound level is passed while the Walkers will just lower the sound. While a lot of the people in the comments are saying they don't want to hear the gunshots lowered, people who might be doing something where they will have a lot of gun fire would prefer the Walkers because they can't have the head set spend half of its use time "off".
Great thorough review! I've been wanting to upgrade to active hearing protection.
The Howard Leight Impact Sports din't fit well, they seem to let noice in from the bottom. Also they are still loud in indoor ranges and for rifle shooting not usable, only for pistol and light used. I have some cheap Macks that I got on Turners for Black Friday and they are way better for 1/4 of the price. Only function that I really like is the speaker does amplify the sound excellent other than that they suck for what they were made for.
I honestly just want them for the style . And like most people say to do, I will be using plugs underneath. That or even my Samsung earbuds for music .
Do the walker razrs fit under a helmet? Unfortunately, I still wear the ACH/MICH 2000 without rails. Thanks.
This is exactly what I was looking for.
Mono sound on the Walkers would be a major deal breaker as that could potentially be very dangerous when hunting or at the range since it's much harder to detect which direction sound is coming from. I'm very surprised many reviewers don't mention it. The Walkers headband spring also have a much higher clamping force making it uncomfortable for people with wider heads. I would take the Howard Leight any day over the Walker Razor.
Nonsense you've been playing too much COD. You don't need directional hearing with them, as you can remove them if you hear approaching danger. These are for hunting, not clearing an urban epic center in Afghanistan.
@@himmeluberdeutschland401 stop being ignorant, if you're hunting and your partner speaks behind u, u wouldn't be able to tell if they're on your left or right, it's very dangerous.
I paid $40 for my Howards on Amazon over a year ago and they’re $40 at my local Rural King.
Also with the walkers razor you can turn them into walkie talkies on the range which is super cool. You can keep your ear pro on and still be able to communicate even when down range with people back at the firing line etc, AND the walkers you can get the patriot series and get the 2 American flag Velcro latches and put them on the side which is super cool to an old US ARMY infantry Iraqi combat veteran like myself.
I know this is an old video but the Walkers don’t differentiate between sound direction while the Howard’s do
Bought a pair of razors and instantly sent them back to Optics Planet. The white noise and feedback was so bad I could barely hear anything. The new HL tacticals have an improved headband and the audio quality shames the razors. Bad pair? Maybe.
RUN HLB
It's noticeable on my pairs, but I wouldn't call it bad by any means. I'd say the mic performs better than it should at the current price point. You possibly got a bad pair. I'm not really an "audio guy" though, so I may not have the most discriminating tastes lol
get the gel ear cups for the razors. it costs just as much as the muffs itself, but worth every penny imo.
the razors i got are mono even though it has 2 mics, this means no sense of direction thus suck big time while my 15 dol Chinese knockoffs work 10x better and are stereo
Hello friend !
Is it work with engine noise ?? I work in a diesel power station , so there is a high noise there , I’m asking if the walker earmuffs work with this type of noise ? Plz.. answer
Sir, you are absolutelly mislead by the marketing. The "electronic ear protection muffs" in fact protect you much less than other normal muffs or ear plugs. The "electronic" part just disconect the mic when the external sound is higher than around 85 db. But this not means that when the mic is disconected, the muffs will full protect you. If you read carefully specs of any of this devices, there is none protecting you more than 23 db. when the mic disconnect you from external noises. This is a very low protection, and there are "traditional" devices or ear plugs which can protect you around 32-34 db., which is 10 times more protective than 23 db. of the "electronic" muff. (logarithmic scale of sounds).
Curious how they both do with stocks. Do they rub up or interfere?
I just bought the Walker and was not impressed. At an indoor range they did little to suppress the noise coming from the lanes on either side of me. These things are dangerously ineffective IMO.
These were literally the 2 i was debating on when i got my first gun but i ended up going with the walkers cus i found a color i wanted on sale. Glad i did, they are a solid set of protection. I was using just earplugs i get at work but it wasnt enough at our local indoor range so now i do both and its still comfortable with the walkers over my 3m plugs
How much did walker pay you for this
Interesting that most of the video comparisons I’ve watched are done by red blooded Americans. Walkers China, Leightsc USA. If they’re so close makes the decision pretty easy to me
Were these going for 32$ before rona? I swear they have jumped might have been a deal when I was looking at them a few months ago
The popular sain at the moment is " do to covid" that's every business answer to everything.
I have the Howard's there wind noise reduction is great. No problems carrying on a conversation while tearing around on a side by side chasing hogs. And your able to pick out the direction of sounds. Only complaint is with the ear cups while wearing eye protection that has thick frames over the ears, but I have that issue with any over the ear protection no fault of the howards
HL Auto-Off after 4 hours, Walker no Auto-Off.
How does the noise compression work with both headphones? I have HL and my cousin has an old pair of walkers and I've noticed that with the HL it doesn't just mute all sound it only lowers it till it reaches that safe hearing level so you can still hear what's happening just at a safe level.
I finally tried active earpro in May, '19 and bought both of these from retailers. The Walker was right at $60 and the HLs were just below $50 at another store. THe HL was my first experience with electronic muffs, and I couldn't pick out the cutoff. I wasn't deafened by shots at the range, so they must have been working. Even with the power off, I wasn't satisfied with the sound reduction, so I returned them.
I am extremely pleased with the Walkers, though. They reduce shot noise really well, and the sound quality through the mics is really nice. KEEPER!!
Definitely better ambient sound with the HL. Razors sound mono and tinny.
Great review. As a sound engineer, that extra dB, better audio quality & the fact that it completely covers the ears really matter to me. Thank you!
Change the title to "Why the Walker Razors kick the shit out of the Howard Leight Sports".
I was very disappointed with the Howard Leights, indoors.
Howard Leights will leave your ears ringing they suck at blocking noise. they look good but they don't block out noise
Always double up when indoors...use foam in-ear and an over the ear set.
I have a few of each and agree with you on all your points. I picked up a couple pair of Razors about 4 months ago at my local Sam's club (I don't remember the price). The Walkers just fit better and seal nicer with glasses. The bottoms of the HL's do tend to unseal easier from your face when shooting (letting in sound). Great review! Thanks!
I got 2 as well i got it on sale at sams club for 24.99
Are you sure on who has the mono sound??
I think he got it mixed up
Good review, I just changed my order at Brownell's!
I got my walkers on aliexpress for 13 bux and they are the real mccoy.
What? No whining like a baby about California or about anyone with an education?
I have 3 walkers and definitely recommend them
The mono sound on the Walkers makes it impossible to identify where people are coming from which can get you killed.
I own both, was shooting in the woods one time with the Howard Leights when a random group of people came through, I was able to tell where they were coming from due to the stereo sound. In my opinion this should be a non-negotiable deal breaker
@Jaime D get off my lawn
What's the tactical monthly subscription box that gives a walker razor?
I've had both as well and would pick the Walker Razors all day. The Howards started to get hard and therefore not sealing around my ears and were almost painful to wear. Comfort is key! Especially if you're wearing them all day.
my walker ear muffs has static noise when its on.. is that normal cause i dont like it
Which muffs have a NRR of 28? My instructor told us to get tgat NRR. So far I gave not found that level. Thanks
Ive never seen any ear pro with that high a rating.... normal is 22 to 24. If you shoot indoors I recommend using both in-ear (foam) and ear muffs
i want ear protection and be able to turn down voices am I able to do this with these
Comfort is important for all day use. The difference of a dB in the NRR is unimportant. In research the I have published on both passive and electronic hearing protection devices, the NRR will have a small variation that pretty well makes any difference less than 3 dB not statistically significant. Comments on this video discussed the use of safety eyewear with the earmuffs, the leak introduced by wearing safety glasses will reduce the NRR and impulse peak insertion loss significantly, 8 to 15 dB. The discussion of the time constant (0.02 seconds) for the response of the muffs is not quite correct. Gunshot transient events take place in the space of 5 to 20 microseconds ( ambient noise level to peak sound pressure). The time constant I believe is referring to how long the active circuitry is turned off. Older Peltor models had nearly a 0.25 second cutoff period. That duration is quite noticeable and can affect the ability to hear instructions in an intermittent noisy environment. Overall, I enjoyed the video. If you are going to wear a ball cap when shooting, you need to be certain that it doesn’t disrupt the seal with the head. Lastly, double protection is recommended whenever one fires more than a few shots. NIOSH recommended that in their 2009 Alert for controlling lead and noise exposure at indoor firing ranges.
I just bought some Howard Leight's for $32.96 on Amazon
I have a set of the Howard hearing protection. I have had it for about 4-5 years. Original batteries and still functioning properly. I got mine on Amazon and only paid 29.99 for the pair. I just checked Amazon again for the same hearing protection, and the price is still under 30.00. Not too concerned about the padding along the top, since I always wear a ball cap. Guess I have a weird shaped head and ears as I have no problems with the fit and protection needed. They are a bit larger than say the standard hearing protection that is provided at a gun range if you have to use theirs. This is by no means a put down regarding the Walker Razor. I just have never tried them. Best wishes to all the gun owners out there, stay safe at all times. Oh I did by way of your video find out what that plug was for. Lost the speaker or microphone cable. Apparently not a really needed item, and listening to music while shooting would not be of interest to me. Oh, I was in the military for 20 years, so I gravitated towards the OD green set.
What about auto shut off and battery life?Of all the reviews I've watched they have all failed to mention Howard leight has 350 hours battery life and Walkers have 40 hours battery life.Also Howard Leight has Auto shut-off after 4 hours...Walker does not. in my opinion that's well worth the extra ten bucks.... I didnt know this when I bought my Walker Razors
My walker razors have a really cheap audio jack cover doesn't ever stay on everything else is great.
is it true you can hear better than your regular ears if you wear one of these?
They are cheap enough to just buy both and make up your own mind... Because it's always a good investment to have more than one... Redundancy is key... Especially when you take new people shooting, because no one ever has their own gear...
Sounds like the Walkers are better for cheaper
The Walkers are superior in comfort all day, but man the sound quality is just horrendous. Like someone talking into a tin cup 20 yards away. The Howards are 10000000 times better if you want to be able to hear conversation as shooting is going on.
If it doesn't fit under my ACH, it doesn't exist. Being able to port into my radio is a plus. I primarily leave the headset on but external volume turned all the way down. That way I can hear radio traffic but, not the range. The sound of, people's voices at the range isn't important to me and, the noise damping feature is kind of, a gimmick because I have noticed it doesn't really work as advertised. I can turn the external volume up between strings of, fire and, down when everything goes hot. If I remember. It's more important for, me to hear the radio or, nothing while the range is live.
What do you think he spent his walker check on?
How can I spot a fake walkers earmuffs?
IHear that the walkers have problems with wind. If you put felt over the mikes like the Howard's it might fix that problem.
I was just looking at both of these this evening at Academy Sports, was wondering which would work better for me, now I know. I think I will get the Walker Razor. Thanks for answering a question that I did not ask yet!
Any low profile headsets that fit over a bumbcap? Trying to find something my guys can wear to work but everything is too short
Very good video in all aspects. You have helped me narrow the field as to which hearing protector would be best for me. You make a good public speaker. Keep up the informative videos.
22 or 23 dB not enough to protect your ears, especially with Impulsive Firearms noise !
so far the razors are 3 for 3 in the Defective category... Which sucks because theyre more comfortable. Got a set from Amazon today at 1:30. By 2 they were on their way back because they didnt work at all.
Hey, maybe next time put a Poll up so people can vote on which one they prefer?
Hello friend !
Is it work with engine noise ?? I work in a diesel power station , so there is a high noise there , I’m asking if the walker earmuffs work with this type of noise ? Plz.. answer