In today’s article, Justin Opinion reviews eye and ear protection from WarBird Protection. Built on a family history of protecting the good guys, WarBird promises excellent vision and hearing safety gear for your range time. WarBird Protection provided the products to the author that are reviewed in this article.
I’ve been shooting a long time. I’m not admitting to being an oldster or anything, but my range days began in the late 1970s. Back then, ear protection was basically one of two types: those little foam plugs — the kind with no taper; and the ear muff. Only one or two brands of those ear muffs existed and they were heavy, made for airport tarmac employees, and would squeeze your head like a ripe melon.
And then there was the eye protection. Actually, no there wasn’t. Protecting your eyes was not even a consideration most of the time. If it was sunny and you had sunglasses on, you were ahead of the game. If you wore prescription glasses you probably kept those on. That’s not good news, because back then those glasses were probably made with real glass. I don’t know about you, but having something that can shatter just ½” from my eye while doing something that could easily impact it might not have been the great idea it seemed like.
But that was the way it was. We drank from water hoses, rode in the back of pickup trucks, and petted strange dogs. But with modern technology and sensibilities comes some nice changes, one of which is that we understand the importance of protecting our hearing and our eyesight while engaged in activities that could harm them. And it just keeps on getting better and better.
The Ears Have It
Enter WarBird Protection. Eye and Ear pro products that exceed all modern safety considerations and put the comfort and performance of the shooter first. At least that’s my take on it after spending time using their products at the range. I tested a set of WarBird Intrepid RC ear protection and a pair of Sleeper Cell eye protection together. These are just a sample of their many product offerings.
Let’s start with the ear pro — the Intrepid RC headset. I’m pretty fussy when it comes to over-the-ear hearing protection. I often wear custom inside-the-ear protectors, so when I put on the headset, I am hyper sensitive to how it feels and performs. Going back to my comments about the early technology of hearing protection for shooters, I don’t want my head to feel squeezed, or feel a hard band over my head, but I want them to fit snuggly with no sound leaks. I want them to be easy to adjust, but they need to stay put once I’m happy. Did I mention I’m fussy? If you’re not — you should be. If your mind is on the discomfort of ear pro, then it’s not focused on the gun in your hand.
The Intrepid RC is a low-profile, slim-design headset that protects your hearing with the assistance of electronics that use built-in microphones to detect incoming sound and clip out anything that is loud enough to be damaging to the ear. It is rated at NRR 23dB. In addition to blocking the dangerous noise, the Intrepid RC headset can boost other sounds — such as range commands, the sounds of nature, and conversations. This provides the pleasant and safe situation of being able to hold conversations with people at the range and clearly hear what they are saying, without risk of gunfire noise getting in. The sound blocking kicks in at a lightning-fast 2 milliseconds.
How much ambient sound you hear is up to you. Easy to access controls allow you to turn the unit on and off or raise and lower the volume without taking the headset off. The buttons are large, soft-touch construction with clear markings for their respective functions. In fact, I was able to feel the difference between “+” and “-“ with the pad of my finger while wearing it. No need to remove the headset for adjustments and risk exposure to unexpected gunfire.
The ”RC” in the name indicates that this is the rechargeable headset. The internal battery is charged via a USB port and is specified to hold a charge for up to 8 hours of use. A full charge from empty takes just an hour and a half. The unit also has an auto-off feature that will save battery life when you forget to hit the button.
There is even a “Select” button on the headset that will allow you to choose how you hear the amplified ambient noise. You can choose left-only, right-only, or both ears. And there is a 3.5mm input jack for those times when you simply must crank up the jam between stages to get your head ready.
But these impressive specs and features don’t mean much if the headset is not comfortable enough to wear. In a range environment such as competition or training class, you’ll need to wear your ear pro anytime the range is hot, which will essentially be all the time. Uncomfortable ear pro can turn that into a very long and miserable day — trust me! The WarBird Intrepid RC is as comfortable a headset as I’ve ever worn. The head strap is wide and nicely padded. The material is either genuine leather or a very sophisticated substitute. It has a breathable quality as well as a very soft-touch surface.
The ear cups are nicely sealed soft contact. The cup seals are gel with a very soft, pliable covering. I found them to be a great seal even with a cap and eye pro on. There were no noticeable sound leaks, and yet they were not tight feeling. I wore the Intrepid RC for four hours on a very warm day and did not feel any discomfort — especially impressive in the area where ear pro and eye pro meet! Some of that is a credit to the WarBird Protection eye pro I was wearing.
And the Eyes…
That eye pro was none other than the WarBird Sleeper Cell model with smoked lenses. If ear pro is a necessity for me at the range, eye pro is a necessity for me all the time. I have blue eyes, which are sensitive to sunlight, and I wear dark glasses outside nearly all the time — year-round. But not many brands of traditional sunglasses provide the proper protection to keep your eyes safe at the range. This means that I usually have to remember to switch from the glasses I wore to the range to the ones I’ll wear shooting, and back again. It can be difficult to find a pair that I like well enough for driving and everyday use, and still works for me at the range. I found the Sleeper Cell eye pro to be such a rare pair.
Let’s start off with their qualifications as legit eye pro at the range. First off, they meet ANSI Z87.1 specs for safety and impact resistance. This is the industry standard for safety glasses. Most safety glasses, however, don’t put the quality of your vision as a high priority. If you think I’m picky about ear pro, you should hear me complain if there is the slightest smudge on my shades. There are no senses more important to good shooting than vision — and wearing eye protection that degrades that vision quality can only hurt your performance.
WarBird Sleeper Cells employ high-contrast lenses that create a vivid and clear sight picture from the front sight to the target and beyond. Good clarity is crucial for high-end eyewear, and the contrast is what will help separate your target from its surroundings. And if it works for targets, it works for traffic on the highway or that frisbee that’s headed your way at the beach.
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I’m a photographer and I do sports and wildlife photography, where tracking fast-moving subjects and knowing when they are tack sharp is crucial. I’ve worn the Sleeper Cell eye pro while out shooting busy osprey and bald eagles with fantastic results.
My vision through the WarBird Protection glasses into the viewfinder was brighter and cleaner than I’m used to with my usual sunglasses. If you rely on your vision for your work or your play, you’re covered.
For range use, one of the key elements of the WarBird Sleeper Cells is the way they integrate with the ear pro. The temple pieces of many shooting glasses can do one of two things (or both): cause sound leaks by breaking the seal between the ear cup and shooter’s head; become very uncomfortable — even painful due to the pressure applied by the ear pro, driving the temple piece into the sides of the head. There’s not a single shooter I know that hasn’t experienced both of these problems. After about four continuous hours wearing both at the range, I didn’t notice either of the above issues. A huge win.
The frames are practically bullet proof — pardon the pun. Classy looking in a soft matte black finish with just the right touch of gold branding, but boy are they tough. The hinges are large and strong — built into the joint rather than a separate part used as a way to attach them. The lenses are large and covered my vision all the way out to the widest peripheral view. Essential not just at the range but for everyday use. The use of soft rubber for the nose piece and temple piece inserts keeps the Sleeper Cells in place with no slipping, even on a hot day — and they provide great comfort for long sessions.
Conclusion
I can remember when the ergonomics of eye and ear protection at the range was not a priority, if it was considered at all — but you don’t have to be so long in the tooth to appreciate the integration of these WarBird Protection products with the shooter! And with the ears priced at $119 and the eyes at $139, you have some great options at reasonable prices!
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