AXIL GS Extreme In Ear Protection | Review 

I came to your channel after the P&S show. You do a really good job with the quality of production, audio, and a well planned out format. Thanks for doing a good job.

Axil actually recommends that when at an indoor range, to double up with muffs on top of the earbuds due to the higher dB level of indoor ranges.

I recently purchased the Axil 2.0 and had to use double ear protection at an indoor range. The functionality was lackluster and had to continuously had to adjust the Axil 2.0 as the foam inside the ear continued to slip out of my ear. I appreciate your honest insight and evaluation of the product. I am considering returning the product. Thank you again

Thanks for the review. I've been getting promo emails from Axil for a while now and recently giving some thought to ordering. I have the same issues at my indoor range especially during lessons/classes. I normally wear plugs in addition to my electronic earmuffs when I'm by myself, but normally just the muffs when I'm with my instructor. During those, it's much louder without the extra layer but I still have difficulty hearing her any time shots are being fired. Now I'm thinking these may be worth a try.

Awesome! I use the Decibullz ear pro under my Howard leight muffs. Great combo. Another great video 👊

Love my Axil's, was using them extensively in shooting class today, it was an outdoor pistol class, so it's a limited testing scenario, but they worked great, good hearing protection and I could hear the instructor all the way clearly. you do have to push them in occasionally, they'd get loose eventually, but with that in mind they work great.

I really appreciate your review as I suspect they were more of a hassle then I'd like. I don't like indoor range settings at all unless I'm just testing a new gun before purchasing it. Thanks again.

Proper ear protection is so important. Plus you need to test it to make sure it's positioned properly before you start shooting. I was an occasional shooter. Then when I decided to get serious and get my LTC and start carrying, I had an incident on an indoor range that damaged my hearing. I was wearing the Howard Leight sport shooting over ear protection. I had used this several times before without issue. But on day, after firing just a couple shots, my left ear started ringing. It cleared up pretty quickly. I readjusted the earmuffs and had no more issues. Or so I thought. When I left the range and removed the head phones I realized the hearing in my left ear was garbled. I saw ENT pretty quickly and it got a little better. But the bottom line is this pushed me over the edge into needing hearing aids. The only thing I can think of is that the headphones weren't seated on my head exactly the way they needed to be. I have since upgraded to the Howard Leight Impact Pro High Noise reduction. I am fortunate that the hearing loss I have is easily correctible. But now in ear hearing protection is not an option (unless I don't want to hear anything at all while I'm shooting). And I have to wear bulkier, tighter over the ear protection. Hearing loss from shooting is no joke. It can happen quickly, and is usually permanent.

Thanks for the unbiased review. Hearing protection is critical. Ask me how I know. I wear hearing aids (no thanks, Uncle Sam and Vietnam), yet I still have difficulty understanding voices at a certain frequency range. I wear muffs indoors and outdoors, except when shooting trap. Then I use SoundGear Platinum custom molded electronic in-ear protection to replace my hearing aids. However, I can't use them indoors, they just don't provide enough protection. For indoor range work and all outdoor shooting other than trap, I rely on MSA Sordin Supreme Pro X with gel-seals. (The Sordins attenuate the loud sounds, rather than clip them, as many other electronic muffs do, so hearing range commands is more effective.) Still, I need to pull my cap above the ear cups and wear eye protection with really thin metal bows (Smith Aegis ARC Echo) to provide maximum seal with minimum discomfort.

Thank you for covering these.

I just impulse bought these and I'm hoping I enjoy them, this review made me feel like I will.

Double plugging is the way to go for better ear protection.

Thanks so much for the information on these. New to CC, so loving all your videos. It's a fun binge. I'm wondering if you've ever tried the Crossbreed Reckoning or any of the Ultimate Holsters holsters. Would love to hear your thoughts. The Enigma is sounding like a great option as well. Thanks again!

Awesome... Awesome... Awesome VIDEO!!! Thank you for the review! You sold me enough for me to buy a pair and give em a try! I have super sensitive ears as well and am HATING my earmuffs! Best Regards & Semper Fi !

Great review/ info. My primary reason for my purchase is high risk situations which could require engaging a threat instantly. They are perfect for that application. I am fairly paranoid about my hearing so I always plug and muff at the range - in or out doors.

Hi good video. I agree the low battery warning(s) should be several and not just before they die. One plus you may have missed (if you don't shoot rifle) is being able to get a proper cheek weld without messing up the seal of pretty much all "can" type muffs. Subbed.

Excellent review 👏 very informative

And you are correct on indoor! I have AXIL earbuds (might have been the Ghost Strike) and, after about 45 minutes I would begin to get a headache in a covered range. The muffs worl fine.

Thanks for this review

Thanks for the review, I've been curious on these from the 20 million targeted ad's I've got for them. lol

I bought the AXIL GS essentials a few years ago when they were about $180. I believe these are the newer version of the same plugs I bought (mine didn't have bluetooth). The pair I bought lasted somewhere between 6-9 months before the battery wouldn't hold a charge anymore. The warranty was only 90 days at the time so I was basically told to buy a new pair. Very disappointing that all the cheapo electronic ears I owned outlived this $180 pair by years. I've since bought some sordins with gel pads which have amazing audio quality and comfort and wish I just went straight there and skipped the AXIL $180 paperweights.

i like surefire ep 4 - $15 (opened) and wear them under electronic ear pro - works like a charm

Thank you! Ads have been popping up all over my FB and YT pages, so I was really glad to see that you reviewed them. After watching your review, I'll pass. I still have excellent hearing at 68, and find that plain silicon plugs with Walker's Razors active earpro do great indoors and even with plugs alone outdoors, I can still hear speech and commands easily. Of course, muffs can be a bit of a hassle when firing ARs and other straight-line rifles. For eye-pro, I found safety glasses at Lowes that were made specifically to go under earmuffs, with soft, flexible ear pieces. FYI 😎

Any update on the Axil ear pro? Are you still using them? How are they holding up?

can you get directional sound cues from them, are there microphones in both right and left sides and what was battery life for you with just the assisted hearing-4 or 18 hours? I like it when I can crank up my earmuffs and have super hearing, do these magnify sounds well? Thanks for your review!

One more point: If the battery dies in electronic earpro, the actual hearing protection does not change. The microphone that helps you hear normal sounds and speech just quits working.

I agree. I have these ear pro, and for me, they arenit adequately protection for shooting indoors.

I have an older version of the Axil Ear Buds and they are not enough protection on their own for my indoor range. The Bluetooth function is great for running the live-fire Mantix X drills at the range, though.

Cool video thanks.

Great channel!

As someone who wears glasses, I found it far more comfortable to wear goggles over muffs. No additional pressure under my ears and the strap from the goggles hugs the muffs a little tighter to my head for a better seal. The downside is that you look kind of dorky, but I didn't get into shooting to look cool, so. Seen a bunch of ads for these over the Thanksgiving holiday and was hoping they'd be a suitable replacement for my TEP-100s that don't seem to provide active protection anymore (still amplify, but not attenuate). Sad to see that's not the case.

I just purchased the 2.0 versions as they were on sale for for 129.99...... my cons, no off button. once theyre on from being charged theyre on. The on off button for the hearing pro does not turn off the head phones. Theyre on until they die. Pretty silly if you have switch on the unit that could be utilized. Second con. The maximum ear protection do not fit well. As the foam needs to be compressed before being inserted into your ear, the ptoblem is the foam regains shape so fast, that you can NOT get them into your ear before they regain their original shape. So to me the maximum foam size are unusable probably for most ears, because of this. Like regular foam ear protection you can shape them, slowly insert them into the ear canal, hold them as they form the seal. And you're good to go. I tried with max protect foam, then went to the medium foam, smallest size and was able to get them in by pushing until i could hear the noise reduction before turning on the hearing protection. Once in, i used them by themselves at an indoor range. during my session They functioned well as advertised. There's a delay as the noise suppression kicks in, with each shot, but they worked 11 lanes were full with shooters. It cuts off the spikes of treble, doesnt catch everything. But l felt comfortable. I experiened no issues with the medium foam small tipped ones coming out of the ear once the wires are wrapped around the side of your ear. I did have this isdue with the max protect foam. Because they're too big to just push in, like you can with the medium sized one. So if feel like they're coming out pause and push them back in. My only concern would be if someone is right next to you with a shotgun or loud AR. But otherwise, the noise suppression functioned well. Are they worth the money? 199.99 direct from them? No. 129.99 cabelas, maybe? If you understand what you're getting before you buy them. Its nice to not have bulky headphones and listen to music while you train l guess. But The audio quality for the headphones if you use them for music is horrible. obviously thats not why you buy them. But they do try to emphasize this in the marketing which is deceiving. You're definitely not getting apple air pod audio quality. More like 8.99 gas station quality audio headphones. They work as intended, the enhanced audio for communications is clear and works well. but the foam is to quick to reform in my opinion, before you can pinch them into a shape to get them into your ear canal. That to me is the deal breaker.

I was looking at these for myself. Good review. It's been two years, and maybe they have fixed the deformed plugs? Seems when they coat the foam it may have heated them or something. My buddy showed me that reaching over my head with my opposing hand and pulling up on the top of my ear opens up the ear canal and the plugs slide right in without having to jam them in there on a time limit (foam expanding). 😅

I use SureFire EP4 . and then put electronic ear muffs over them. I personally wouldn't risk it. Double up everywhere there are guns. Get Eye pro that are designed to be flat by the Ear buff area like the ESS Suppressor. Also Get Gel Cups and/or the Noisefighters SightLines Next-Gen Gel Ear Pads

I’m looking into the 2.0 version. I think they came out around the time of your review. Are these the 2.0 version? Do you still like them? Thank you!

You could also try retrofitting a bluetooth headset with a noise cancelling ear foam tips. I have a set of headset and replaced the foam tips with a triple flange earfoam tips from amazon. They work just as well for a fraction of the cost of these bluetooth ear pros.

I know this is an older video but I just happen to be looking for some hearing protection ear buds as my walker silencers have stopped charging

Good luck with it. I had one, it had extreme static and the company agreed and replaced it with another one…, and it had issues too. I sent it back, very disappointing.

My foam plugs also came deformed and was actually missing one of my silicone plugs. Also found there wasn't a small enough foam one for my ears. That battery dying crap is a real issue but I purchased mine in a 2 for 1 sale (1 for me and my wife), but after my first run in with the near immediate dying, I ended up keeping both, so when on the range and one dies, I swap 'em out. A warning, like 1/2hr before they die would be nice. So far, mine stays on when running, even with the slightly too large plugs. Clipped 'em to the back of the neck line of my t-shirt. They could lighten it by removing the bluetooth feature, as I'll NEVER use it on the range and there are better bluetooth options at a better price for bluetooth uses. My expectations may have been a bit high for these but expected it to be better than my electronic over the ear. Can't say that they are bad.. but my electronic over ear Walkers are still a bit better. Honestly didn't try doubling up on them yet. The only pro for me on it, is that it doesn't press on my ear, causing the pain that the over ear muffs give me

Glad you had better luck than I did. I double up with custom made non-electronic plugs at some matches that are indoors or if I am acting as RO. I could never get the AXILs to seal and stay in. As you mentioned, some of their quality control is suspect. Ended up with Walker 2.0s for range days and matches. I still wear electronic muffs quite a bit.

I had a really bad experience with them in wind. Also if other electronics are near by I get a really bad buzzing sound.

Assuming youre just normal foam plugs, you could try using an ear plug made for musicians or to listen to music that tries not to change the sound and muffle the high end. They dont reduce quite as much as a foamie but theyre pretty good and adding over ears should be more than sufficient. I’m only saying this for people who double up and want to hear someone talking. Not to just wear these without ear muffs.

How is the sound quality on those?

I just ordered these for myself and my wife. The reviews I have seen are so negative that I was really worried I wasted my money. The double-plugging idea is actually really helpful. You might want to be careful not to amplify sounds too much, though.

I know the battery’s are rechargeable, but are they also replaceable?

How can you run an ar/ak using a sling around your neck interfering with the cord from ear pro

I'm wondering if the battery dies if the default is max protection, or does it need battery to block sound..

2:24 you are mentioning that the "foam" tips are deformed when you are showing the silicon tips. then you wonder (aloud) whether that deformity will affect protection. the problem with all that is the silicon tips are for non-protection listening through bluetooth. i thought it clearly stated that but i could be wrong.

Is this the v1.0 or v.2.0 version?

Just get a custom made in ear electronic protection. Decibullz are pretty good and cheap.

The Axil 2.0 really don’t get great reviews. I use Howard leight pro indoors and plugs.

Did you get the 2.0

can you talk about dry firing 101 and drawing from the holster? I see you have to move your hips out of the way when drawing from the holster? a video on these topics would be greatly appreciated

If the battery dies, the ear pro doesn't stop..... You just don't get the active audio passthrough.

😊😊

Thanks but you need to test indoors or its not valid that you are confident about indoor protection results. Overall a great review.

I want to try ear buds myself but I don't like the cord idea.

Strange Question, but how are they in an airplane? Would they block out most of the "roar" yet still allow me to chose chicken or beef? And watch movies ?

Wish I could agree with you.

I ordered a set, but I have not received them yet. But I think your review is probably as honest as possible

Charge them fully before using no mod needed

Maybe try to roll the foam tips in your fingers before you put them in and you should be able to get them in without cranking them in.

even if they die they still offer the same protection as an ear plug. you just lose all sounds

👍👍👍👍👍

Thank you ,, you saved me the aggravation of buying them and returning them. Reckon that’s why anybody that a trainer use over the ear ..

I tried a pair the other night in an indoor range. They were absolutely worthless. I also tried all of the foam tips to no avail. They are nothing more than Bluetooth headphones with disposable plugs as tips. Do not waste your money.

They're not good indoors; tested indoors and swapped out after two shots

I do not see you massaging the memory foam plugs to a thin cilinder before you insert them. You are missing a crucial step.

I have them a week a go and is not what they company say . Like you said, the plugs are deformed, and when I tested indoors, I have to stop my class to get the regular protection. They should do better. I will try to get my $ back. They suck.

It seems you are making a big deal out of the the late warning on battery level. First, battery dying does not reduce the hearing protection of these plugs at all; they just stop amplifying the ambient sounds and playing BT media. Therefore, dead battery should not cause you to have to end your range time for the day; rather, it should serve as an impetus to charge the unit before the next time you want to use it. Second, you say that this is a problem with the battery life, when in fact the GS extreme has excellent battery life. I find that I get even more than AXIL's estimate of 25 hours w/ sound enhancement and 8 to 9 hours with BT. The early warning for battery life is knowing whether you have charged it up since the last time you used it for more than a few hours. Charge your unit after each day's use and you will never need a warning to tell you you're about to lose power, because you will never be about to lose power.

The way i look at it in a EDC standpoint that you might have to defend yourself, these would probably help a lot, since you wont have full size muffs in your pocket, going to the store with wodded up paper towels stuffed in your ear would be better than nothing.

If your ears are that sensitive, you might be OK with regular foam plugs. Electronic is nice, but regular foam plugs do a much better job protecting hearing than these do.

Personally I don't think this is a very solid review. Such the lack of comparison to other similar in-ear protection, therefore what is the standard or baseline to your review? You also dinged this product, on what is user error. There is a proper and improper to wear ear plugs. You can't expect a product to do its job right if they are even used correctly. Simply shoving ear plugs into your ear is not the proper application method. (Hint the ear canal most be opened up as much as possible and the foam compressed as much as possible upon insertion into the ear; then the foam must be allowed time to expand and form seal to your ear.) Also seems to lack understanding of the ear protection operation. First, the slight deformation in the plugs as seen in the video is a none issue unless they fail to expand and seal in your ears. Second, their are two types of ways electronic ear protection works, either shutting off the speaker or compressing it. The shut off style is cheaper as they simply turn of the speaker in your ear above a certain decibel. Compressing style works more like an auto volume control, decreasing the volume of the speak as the decibel level climbs. This means you'll still hear noise. Finally the location of the microphones will dictate how effective the plugs are when used with earmuffs. If the microphones are not covered by the earmuffs, than and it's a compression style plug, the earmuffs aren't doing as much as they could.

For $100+ these sound like a terrible investment..

These are good for listening to music and that’s about it.

Don't trust them for magnums and big bore outdoors either. Even with a great seal they don't have the response time in the circuitry to fully protect.

EVERYONE is supposed to double up on ear protection indoors, not just some people, regardless of method.

defeat the purpose if you have to double up.

They sound rubbish lol

Soooo these are pointless to buy since you still need to put on ear muffs. Got it 🙄

As an instructor , I DO NOT RECOMMEND THIS PRODUCT.