For anyone deciding between the two I purchased both as well and use them at an indoor range and the Walker's are way better for hearing protection. The Howard Leights don't seem to do much for make indoor gun fire quieter.
I don't know about the Sports Impact, but the Walker's Razor is a fantastic muff. I've been using it at the range for the last two months, and I've been very impressed with them. I have about four years using Caldwell muffs, but there is no comparison to the Razor. The fact that I can bump up sounds that I want to hear while keeping gunfire sound to a minimum, is the best of both worlds. The Caldwell simply muffles sound, which is okay. If you want to hear fellow shooters talking while you are at the range or hunting, then the Razor is the way to go.
My Haward leight doesn't give much protection against load gun sound. NRR of 22 is way short of 33 which is needed. I opened it up and packed it with insulation with the hope of improvement. I will soon use it at the range and if it is still inadequate, it will be replaced with two simple ear plugs for a dollar.
This is something that I've tried to test unsuccessfully. I hunt mainly field edges and ridges so I know which direction noises should be coming from. Inside tests are too loud where both ears pick up the noise just by the nature of echo, etc. My best guess is to say that they are directional because there are two microphones, but I believe each microphone is broadcast to each speaker. Not 100% certain though
I would like to say yes. However I use these primarily for hunting and I'm normally on field edges so I always know which direction a certain sound should come from. You really can pick up subtle noises but I cant remember if you can designate left vs. right. I'll try to pick them up tomorrow and do a quick test.
I tested last night, and inside of my house I was unable to determine which side the noise was coming from. It wasn't the most scientific of tests. I had my wife stand behind me and snap her fingers on one side or the other while my eyes were closed. I tried it and she tried it and we couldn't honestly say which side it was coming from. I wouldn't take that as the end-all-be-all, but to both of our ears, the sound was playing in both ears at the same time.
dialedN07 I thank you for your time and effort! I’m thinking I’ll look for some that are directional. I’m looking for some for work and I think it’s important to be able to tell where it’s coming from. Thanks again. 👍🏻
