Noisefighters Sightlines Gel Cups review

The brains behind the Noisefighters Sightlines gel cups, Neal Brace, created the Sightlines to fix the ear-pro/eye-pro/head interface. Anyone who has worn headphones and sunglasses for any amount of time understands the pain that the pressure from the headphones/glasses causes. The team at Noisefighters created a solution by using a gel based ear cup and integrating a channel for the arms of glasses to slide into.

The Sightlines come packaged in a simple zip bag

The Sightlines were initially launched as a Kickstarter. They are currently shipping out to backers, however, the Howard Leight version is available for purchase now. They are manufacturing a variety of gel cups to fit different earpro/headphones.

Makers of high end headphones will use a mix of gel and memory foam to create cups that provide high performance and increased comfort. The gel is able to conform to the skull easily, this provides better noise isolation for the listener. The gel also provides more comfort by being soft and supple. This technology has been slowly making its way into the hearing protection market. High cost hearing protection such as the MSA Sordins or the Peltor Comtac lines have gel cup upgrades available. However, the lower cost ear pro, like the Howard Leight Impact Pros haven’t had a solution until now.

The Noisefighters Sightlines gel cups are made with silicone gel, sound deadening memory foam and covered in a UV stable resistant polyurethane. The gel stays pliable between -100 and 300 Fahrenheit. The polyurethane cover is water resistant and antifungal, this should help provide many years of service.

Shooters complain that wearing eye protection and ear protection causes discomfort. Earmuffs will squash the arms of glasses into people temples, this causes discomfort and often leads to headaches. The Sightlines fix this by providing a channel for the arms to sit in. The channel also works to deal with shooters that wear hats. The channel does force your glasses to sit at a slight angle. This felt very odd initially, however, I got used to it quickly and did not notice any adverse affects to my vision.

Installing the Noisefighters Sightlines Gel cups

Installing the gel cups is simple.

1. To remove the stock ear cups, hook a finger under and pull. The ear cups are held in place by six plastic tabs
2. To install the Sightline gel cups, press the cup until it is firmly in place under the tabs.

Done! Installation only takes a minute.

What do I think?

Comparing the Noisefighter Sightlines gel cups against the stock Howard Leight Impact Pro pads is a non-contest. The stock pads are thinner, harder, less comfortable, all around worse.

I noticed a significant improvement on noise reduction after swapping in the Noisefighters Sightlines Gel cups. To test, with the gel cups installed, I set the volume on my computer to 50 and set the volume on my speakers to a point where I could barely hear the music, but not identify any of the words. I switched back to the stock ear cups, I had to bring the computer audio down to 42 to achieve the same level of sound deadening. It’s not the most scientific method of testing but it’s all I got!

As for comfort, they are much more comfortable than the stock pads. I wore the Howard Leights with the Sightlines installed and my prescription glasses through a two hour gaming session and didn’t feel any discomfort (outside of the terrible sound quality). I will normally change into contacts to avoid the headache I get when wearing my glasses with my normal headphones. So this is a big plus.

What about the range? I often shoot at an indoor range. I double up on hearing protection to ease the concussion of AR15’s with muzzle breaks or compensators. The gel cups didn’t make it so I didn’t have to double up, but it did take a lot more of the edge off. I’ll have to try using just the gel cups when I get assigned to the pistol only range.

Should you buy the Noisefighter Sightlines?

The comfort and improvement in performance you get is worth the $40. If you’ve ever had a headache after an extended range session or a class or wished the Impact pros had just a little more performance, the Noisefighter Sightlines should be an instant purchase. I’ll be buying more for all my earpro.

You can purchase the Sightlines via http://www.noisefighters.com or help out the page and purchase through Amazon at: http://amzn.to/2teZPsE

Take a look at my video review below!

Review Disclaimer:

How the product was obtained?

Product was purchased from Noisefighters for full retail cost.

Compensation?

No Compensation was received for this article.