iamspuddy Posted October 30, 2016 Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 i want to buy some active ear plugs and wanted to hear of people's experience . cens hunters seem good but very expensive , are the cheaper cens as good? or is there another brand that does the job but isn't £600 cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Exudate Posted October 30, 2016 Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 I use CENS passive, and think they're brilliant. I can still hear ambient sounds fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
figgy Posted October 30, 2016 Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 (edited) Cens have recently launched a less expensive electronic version of the inserts ProFlex Digital 1e that have a button to select pre set volumes and on off, i am looking at buying some but the batteries are putting me off. Zinc air batteries that discharge as soon as the packet is opened so you may get 200 hours or you may not depending on how well sealed the packet was. So at best just over a week even when not used so new batteries for every weekend. not a high cost for batteries but a right pain you dont need. Edited October 30, 2016 by figgy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quentyn Posted October 30, 2016 Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 Cens have recently launched a less expensive electronic version of the inserts ProFlex Digital 1e that have a button to select pre set volumes and on off, i am looking at buying some but the batteries are putting me off. Zinc air batteries that discharge as soon as the packet is opened so you may get 200 hours or you may not depending on how well sealed the packet was. So at best just over a week even when not used so new batteries for every weekend. not a high cost for batteries but a right pain you dont need. i recently got a pair of the 1e's and tried them for the 1st time today loved them - forgot i was wearing them yes not being able to turn them off is annoying but the zinc air batteries start to discharge as soon as the tab is removed anyway ( note that its not when the pack is opened by when the little tab is removed form the individual battery) . Note you can put the tab back on the battery if you need and they should last longer Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
B725 Posted October 30, 2016 Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 I have cens mino and have been very pleased with them Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HunterBen Posted October 30, 2016 Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 Try mercury hearing. Half the price of cens. Very happy with mine so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
davewh100 Posted October 30, 2016 Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 I also use cens passive very good Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Walker570 Posted October 30, 2016 Report Share Posted October 30, 2016 I have a set of Cens and yes they do help, The battery life can be a problem. My main grouse with them is the pathetic and expensive service from the company. Not friendly at all. Will use them while they work and then they go in the bin and I look for an alternative. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rimfire4969 Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 I got some Cens digital after lots of moaning about the price. I have found them very good indeed. If you want to save a few quid now maybe buy the Cens passive, you then have the moulds for your ears. You can buy the digital versions and put them in at a later date. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamspuddy Posted October 31, 2016 Author Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 i spoke to cens today , not very customer friendly to be honest , especially when buying an expensive item . i also spoke to mercury hearing . they advised their hermes version £325 and if i wasn't 100% happy you get a full refund and they will pay half of the cost of the impressions if you bought a pair . At the moment mercury seems like a good punt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buze Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 I bought a pair of UltimateEar 'active passive' ones at a fair a few months back, and they are quite disappointing really -- I ended up plugging the small membrane with bluetak as I still had ear ringing when shooting in the open, also, they were completely useless when shooting from an enclosed space (like, the typical 3 walled shooting stand). It was even worse in the covered compak stand at A.C Sporting (the cowshed). They are supposed to work by blocking sudden loud sounds via a membrane, but they fail completely when the sound reverberates. Not sure about the other brands of course, and to be fair, they were 'cheap' at £100, and I have the ear mould back so I ordered completely 'passive' ones from another brand since. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninja_fox Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 I bought the UltimateEar ones as well and ended up taking them back as I've got ringing in my ears permenently from using them while shooting. It took them three months to get them to me initially (apparently because they were at a fair they had lots of orders), I used them for one day and then took another three weeks to get them to even acknowledge that I had a complaint. I ended up going into their office to get them checked put and they admitted that the design didn't work properly as they had lots of them coming back. Their response to selling defective PPE and the risk of injuring people? 'Oh, well. thought that might happen. We'll make another pair for you.' Last time i looked on their Facebook page (a while ago) they were threatening to sue people who were leaving negative reviews on their page. They have absolutely no concept of customer service. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevewall968 Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 (edited) I've had a set of Boots moulded passive plugs in the past and they worked a treat. I then upgraded to a set of the CENS pro flex 2 digital plugs and they have been excellent. Not cheap, but they work well and don't impair external sounds at all. Battery life isn't really a big issue as they are easy to change and cost v little if bought in bulk on the Internet. I don't switch mine off and I usually get about 2-3 weeks life out of them. MM Edited October 31, 2016 by stevewall968 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
buze Posted October 31, 2016 Report Share Posted October 31, 2016 I bought the UltimateEar ones as well and ended up taking them back as I've got ringing in my ears permenently from using them while shooting. It took them three months to get them to me initially (apparently because they were at a fair they had lots of orders), I used them for one day and then took another three weeks to get them to even acknowledge that I had a complaint. I ended up going into their office to get them checked put and they admitted that the design didn't work properly as they had lots of them coming back. Their response to selling defective PPE and the risk of injuring people? 'Oh, well. thought that might happen. We'll make another pair for you.' Last time i looked on their Facebook page (a while ago) they were threatening to sue people who were leaving negative reviews on their page. They have absolutely no concept of customer service. Ack. I think I'll make sure to tell the people who organised the fair about that bit. In the meantime PLEASE do have a read there: https://www.reddit.com/r/***/comments/3l3uri/these_guys_lighting_a_mortar_shell_in_their_garage/cv3474n/ ignore the wierd URL, but people have cured their tinnitus using that trick, so well worth trying. Unfortunately it didn't work for me (mine comes from playing guitar WAY too loudly when I was young and wild ;-)) but it makes a difference for a little while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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