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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Updated: 2026-10-02 · 6 min read · Independent comparison
• Honeywell VS120 — biggest strength: An NRR of 26 with memory foam ear cushions, so it blocks more steady noise passively, with zero electronics to fail.
• Honeywell VS120 — biggest trade-off: It is pure sound isolation. You get no amplification, no volume knob, and no way to hear speech once it's on your head.
• Floriogra Electronic Ear Protection — biggest strength: Two hi-gain microphones amplify quiet sounds up to 5X while active protection clamps loud noise below 82 dB in about 0.01 seconds.
• Floriogra Electronic Ear Protection — biggest trade-off: Lower passive rating at NRR 23, and it depends on electronics that need power and care (IPX4 rated, but still a device).
• Who each pick is for: Pick the Honeywell VS120 for workshops, lawn care, chainsaws, and long passive-blocking sessions. Pick the Floriogra for shooting ranges, hunting, and any noisy job where you still need to hear what's going on around you.
The Honeywell VS120 is a passive earmuff, and it's honest about that. There's no circuitry, no microphone, no knob — just a steel-wire headband with a padded top, precision micro adjustments, and a wide cup opening filled with memory foam. That memory foam is the detail worth pausing on: Honeywell describes it as combining denser and softer foam than previous versions to raise attenuation while cutting the squeeze on your head. In practice, that's the difference between a muff you keep on for an hour and one you rip off after ten minutes.
With an NRR of 26, this is the stronger blocker of the two on paper. The cups are molded from ABS with an internal baffle design for lighter weight, and the outer surface is oil-resistant — a real consideration if you're around machinery, lubricants, or you clean your gear often. The design is built to survive heavy-work environments, not to be babied in a case.
So who should buy it? Anyone whose noise problem is constant and doesn't require listening: woodworking, mowing, chainsaw work, shop tools, loud crowds, or simply wanting quiet. It's also the smarter pick if you don't want to think about batteries at all — there's nothing to charge, nothing to switch on, nothing to forget. Who should skip it? If your environment involves spoken instructions, game calls, or range commands, the VS120 will block those along with everything else. It isolates sound; it doesn't translate it.
The Floriogra is the opposite philosophy. It's an active hearing protector built around two hi-gain microphones that pick up the world around you and feed it back amplified — up to 5X natural volume, with low-end frequencies boosted for a more natural, accurate tone. That means you can hold a conversation, hear a hunting partner, or catch a range officer's call without lifting a cup off your ear. For shooters, that's the whole point.
The protection side is reactive. When noise crosses 82 dB, the unit reduces it below 82 dB within about 0.01 seconds, and a volume knob lets you set the ambient level you prefer. It carries an NRR of 23 dB and is certified to ANSI S3.19 and CE EN 352-1. Physically, it's built for the task: slim, low-profile cups with cutaways so a rifle stock or shotgun doesn't knock the muff off your cheek, an IPX4 rating for water, sweat, and dust, and a single tactile knob that's usable with gloves on. It folds into a compact block for a bag.
Comfort gets real attention too — wide cups, ultra-soft cushions, a telescopic padded headband, and a listed weight of 0.6 pounds. Who should buy it? Shooters, hunters, and anyone working around intermittent loud noise who still needs their ears open to the environment. Who should skip it? Anyone who wants the absolute highest passive blocking, the simplest possible device, or who won't maintain electronics. At NRR 23 it blocks less than the VS120 when switched off or when the batteries are done.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best passive noise reduction → Honeywell VS120. NRR 26 versus NRR 23, and no electronics in the way.
• Best for hearing speech while protected → Floriogra. Range commands, conversations, and game calls come through; the VS120 blocks them.
• Best for zero maintenance → Honeywell VS120. Nothing to charge, nothing to adjust beyond fit.
• Best for all-weather durability → Floriogra. The IPX4 water, sweat, and dust rating is a genuine advantage outdoors.
• Best for oily, heavy-work environments → Honeywell VS120. The oil-resistant cup surface and ABS construction are made for exactly that.
• Best for long sessions on your head → Either, for different reasons. Honeywell leans on memory foam and a light steel-wire headband; Floriogra leans on 0.6 pounds and a telescopic padded band.
• Best for travel and storage → Floriogra. It folds into a compact block; the VS120 is a fixed over-the-head design.
If I had to pick one, I'd buy the Floriogra Electronic Ear Protection — but only because my noisy situations involve people talking to me. The 5X amplification and sub-82 dB clamping solve a problem the VS120 can't: staying protected without going deaf to the world. That said, if your noise is constant and you never need to hear through it, I'd take the Honeywell VS120 without hesitation. An NRR of 26, memory foam comfort, and no batteries to think about is a combination that just works. Match the tool to the job and you'll be happy either way.
what is passive noise cancelling headphones
Passive noise reduction means the headphones block sound physically rather than electronically — through the seal and density of the ear cups and cushions, not microphones or circuitry. The Honeywell VS120 is exactly this: an NRR 26 earmuff with memory foam cushions and no electronics at all.
how do passive noise cancelling headphones work
They work by creating a barrier between your ear and the noise. A padded headband presses the cups against your head, and the foam inside absorbs and attenuates sound energy before it reaches your ear. The tighter and denser the seal, the more noise is blocked — which is why the VS120's memory foam matters as much as its NRR rating.
what does passive noise cancelling headphones mean
It means the protection is built into the materials, so there's nothing to power on and no amplification of outside sound. The Floriogra, by contrast, is active: it uses microphones and circuitry to amplify quiet sounds and reduce loud ones. Passive is simpler and more reliable; active is more flexible.
what are passive noise cancelling headphones
They're earmuffs or headphones that rely purely on physical sound isolation — cups, cushions, and headband pressure. In this comparison, the Honeywell VS120 is the passive option at NRR 26, while the Floriogra mixes active electronic protection with its own sound isolation at NRR 23. If you want to check the current price on either, use the button on this page.
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