Vern Evans
When I was a kid back in the 1970s and 80s and my friends and I would traipse around the woods at our hunt club hunting squirrels and birds and ultimately settling for blasting pine cones, cans and milk jugs filled with water, hearing protection was typically an afterthought. Even as we became more educated on the importance of protecting our hearing, we still only sometimes remembered it, and most often tried to feebly limit our exposure with industrial foam plugs from my dad’s tool box or a wadded-up piece of tissue or toilet paper.
Now, almost 40 years later, ok, all of 40 years later, I’m not shocked at the steady hum of tinnitus in my left ear that I attempt to drown out with soft music each night as I try to fall asleep. As I entered my 20s and then 30s, I definitely took better steps at protecting my hearing, but the damage I believe was done. The tinnitus hadn’t appeared yet, but my course into middle age and some of the health issues that come with it was likely already set.
Even as I became more protective of my hearing, it was often with static muffs that simply protected it as it should, but also kept out other sounds like an instructor’s guidance, a range officers commands or other sounds that would be good to hear. I eventually graduated to muffs that had amplification for sound which were ideal for taking classes or shooting at a public range but would shut off when sounds above a certain decibel range were detected so my hearing was secure.
I have since become a huge fan of these models as they offer the best of both worlds—hearing when you want to, protecting your ears from damaging noise when you need to. It’s surprising to see people who still use the old standard muffs or stick with the foam plugs.
I wish ShellShock Protection had been around when I was younger, as they make protecting your senses—sound, as well as sight—easier than ever with their Premium Eyes and Ears Combo. The set includes their EXO Pro Electronic Earmuff and Switch Z87+ Ballistic Glasses with easily changeable lenses, all packed in a convenient case so you can keep everything together as you move from the range to home and back again. Here’s what you get:
The EXO PRO Electronic Earmuff is top tier when it comes to ear protection and situational awareness. These earmuffs are ANSI-rated, providing 28dB SNR / 22dB NRR protection, which is more than enough to protect against the loudest pistol and rifle shots. What sets them apart is the digital compression technology that kicks in almost instantly—within 0.005 seconds—to block harmful sounds while still allowing you to hear ambient noise up to 82dB. That means you can hear range commands or someone talking next to you, without worrying about the damage caused by gunfire. The low-profile muffs are slim enough to not get in the way when sighting down a long gun such as a rifle or when swinging on a flying target with a shotgun making them great for sporting clays or sight-in sessions with your friends.
Comfort is another key feature of the EXO PROs. They come with PureSeal gel cups, which provide a better seal and make them more comfortable to wear, especially if you have glasses on. And when you’re done, the earmuffs fold down and store neatly in the included shockproof case—a $35 value on its own.
As for the Switch Ballistic Glasses, they’re designed with versatility in mind. The set comes with both clear and smoke-tinted lenses, allowing you to adjust depending on the light conditions. The FogGuard Pro coating on the lenses prevents fogging, which can be a lifesaver on hot days at the range. And with ANSI Z87+ certification, these glasses are as tough as they come, offering impact resistance against ballistic threats while remaining lightweight at under 1.5 ounces.
You can buy them separately, but the combo pack is the best value, offering professional-quality protection for both your hearing and sight. The TR90 frame of the glasses makes them durable yet light, and the glasses and earmuffs fit seamlessly together thanks to the gel cups. All of this comes packed in a shockproof case that makes transportation easy and secure.
I wore both the muffs and the glasses during three full days of tactical shotgun training with Mossberg’s 940 Pro Tactical – Thunder Ranch at the very Thunder Ranch in Oregon for which the shotgun is named. We were there in late May, and the Shellshock Protection EXO and Switch performed flawlessly. The muffs were particularly helpful as we did a number of team drills where communication with my fellow shooters was critical, so constantly sound dampening muffs, especially with gun shots in the background, would’ve made communication extremely difficult. With the EXO muffs, I could hear every word spoken, even crank the volume up on the audio to hear hard to hear commands, which can be critical should a sudden safety situation arise when shooting. At the same time, they shut down the noise of every gun shot. We were shooting mostly outside in direct sunlight so the smoke-colored lenses were eye savers shooting in the bright conditions. Transitioning into the shade of the Punisher course or working the shoot house, the clear tint lenses took but a second to switch out with the darker glass.
This combo offers everything you need to stay protected, comfortable and aware on the range or in the field, at a price that’s hard to beat. Mine live locked in my truck now, ready to go anywhere, anytime I’m out and a shooting opportunity arises. I have to protect what sight and sound I still have at my ripe age.
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