More info about the product here and here
I never heard of this and I don’t understand why. It’s an affordable solution for reducing the sound of grenades during airsoft games up to a more safe level without breaking the bank and still being able to hear most of the things around you.
I got those earplugs on IWA, Sordin gave them to me to test them out and so far, I’m happily surprised with them because they do what’s on the package. The plugs are the Sordin SmartEar Impulse. They reduce the overall sound with about 19db and a peak impulse reduction of 33db.
‘sound’, ‘noise’, ‘decibel’
Let me quickly go over ‘sound’, ‘noise’, ‘decibel’.
A decibel is a formula that factors different things and I’m not an expert in that, but the bottom line, the higher the number the louder the noise and it’s not a linear curve. It’s logarithmic which means that each x amount of increase decibels, the sound is a lot, A LOT, louder. That’s the closest and easiest to explain. Here you can find some more information about that,
So the difference between 110 and 120 is not the same as between 10 and 20.
Time
Then we also have to add in the factor of time. The louder the noise the shorter the time we can be exposed to it without permanent damage. Once your ears are done, they are done.
We protect our ears mostly for the grenades going off around us. So that time is very short. Now take in account that some grenades produce 120 or 130 db on various distances. As you can see, we can’t be exposed to that without damage to our ears.
Different solutions
So we try to find solutions and there are a few from cheap to very expensive
- Foam earplugs, one time use
- Silicone earplugs
- Headset
- Active headset/in ears
The first one, the foam earplug is not reusable, all the others you can reuse and change up after some uses.
The first 3 are what you call passive protection. It just lowers the db value with x amount of dB. They are a safe solution but you can’t hear anything around you.
The active sets, the expensive ones, also reduce that but have microphones that pick up sound and send inside of the headset so you can have situational awareness and hear people talk. The problem is that they are expensive and run on batteries.
I always thought there was nothing in that middle ground. Something that does not run on batteries, is affordable and works.
Sordin SmartEar Impulse
This is where these Sordin earplugs come in. They are passive but have an impulse filter technology that reduces peak sound pressure levels by loud bangs, aka grenades. Because in their normal state they still allow sound to pass, even though reduced, you can have conversations with people and when that loud bang occurs, it reduces that with 33db to a safer level.
They come in 2 different sizes in the package and you just put the filter in the ones that fit your ear the best. There is also a very handy container added to store your earplugs. During the last game I took them in and out of the container between missions and it was perfect to put it in my pouch and connect the ring so I don’t lose the container.
Some other interesting facts,
- They are made out of medical grade TPE, so hypoallergenic. Which I think means they cause fewer allergic reactions.
- Easy to clean and reusable
- Interesting design with the small flag to easily insert and take them out again.
Also important is the price of these, they are about 30 euro, so affordable for all players. I will actually look into the possibility of having them for sale on my events when I allow grenades in the future. That is one of the reasons I don’t allow grenades, because not everyone has expensive ear protection.
With these Sordin earplugs, you can protect yourself and still enjoy your game because those foam plugs are not fun to play with. I will do some more testing in the future but I did want to make this video to spread the word that it exists and listen to your feedback after usage.
Upcoming testing
Things that I want to test more
- More bangs in different locations
- Situational awareness on the field
- Communication use from radio or headset
- Longer time using them
I’m very excited to test more and if you have used them, let me know what your experience is. I’m always cautious about things that sound too good to be true. But after the first tests, these might actually be perfect for us.