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We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
If you want serious hearing protection for shooting sports in a compact folding package, choose Howard Leight Honeywell Leightning L0F; if you need everyday open-ear earbuds for running, calls and gym sessions with a phone-friendly clip design, choose NonoUV Clip.
• Howard Leight Honeywell Leightning L0F — biggest strength: Purpose-built shooting earmuff with a Noise Reduction Rating of 23, Air Flow Control technology and a foldable frame that collapses to just four inches.
• Howard Leight Honeywell Leightning L0F — biggest trade-off: It is a passive hearing protector first and foremost — there is no Bluetooth, no music and no mic, so it does one job and does not pretend otherwise.
• NonoUV Clip — biggest strength: Lightweight open-ear earbuds (3.5 g per bud) with Bluetooth 5.4, up to 40 hours total playtime and an IPX5 splash-resistant build.
• NonoUV Clip — biggest trade-off: Open-ear design means no noise isolation, so it is the wrong tool if you actually need to block loud impulse noise.
• Who each pick is for: Pick the Leightning L0F if you shoot and want your ears protected; pick the NonoUV Clip if you want to hear your music and your surroundings while you move.
The Leightning L0F is a single-purpose tool, and that is exactly why it works. Howard Leight built it around a Noise Reduction Rating of 23, which is meaningful attenuation for range time — the kind of number you want between your ears and a rifle report. The interesting engineering here is the patented Air Flow Control technology, which is designed to reduce sound across all frequencies without bulking up the earcup. That matters more than it sounds: a slim earcup is what keeps the muff from knocking into a gunstock when you shoulder a rifle, and it is why this model is marketed as "ultraslim."
The comfort story is also deliberate. The headband uses a steel wire frame for durability plus padded foam to cut down on pressure, and the ear cushions are described as super-soft with a snap-in design so you can replace them down the road instead of tossing the whole muff. The telescopic headband adjusts for fit, and the folding hinge collapses the whole thing to roughly four inches wide — genuinely packable for a range bag or a hunting pack. Weight is listed at 40 ounces in the feature copy, which is worth flagging as an odd figure for something called "ultralight"; the product details separately list item weight at 0.23 kg (about 8 ounces). Either way, treat it as a light, slim, folding protector rather than a heavy industrial muff.
Who should buy it: shooters, hunters, and anyone who spends time around firearms or other loud impulse noise and wants a compact, folding, comfortable passive protector with a real NRR. Who should skip it: anyone who wants to listen to music, take calls, or stay aware of ambient conversation while wearing hearing protection. There is no wireless connectivity here at all. If your priority is audio, this is not your product — full stop.
The NonoUV Clip is the opposite philosophy: it is an audio device that deliberately does not seal your ear canal. The open-ear, C-shaped clip design sits over the ear rather than inside it, which means you keep hearing traffic, sirens and people around you while music plays. For runners, cyclists and gym-goers, that awareness is the entire point — and it is also why the brand positions it as more comfortable than in-ear buds and better sounding than bone conduction.
On the specs, it is a modern Bluetooth 5.4 device with a 33-foot wireless range and no headphone jack, so it is phone-first. Battery life is stated as up to 6 hours per charge from the buds, with a 300 mAh charging case adding roughly 30 more hours for a 40-hour total, and the case has a digital display plus Type-C charging. Audio runs through 12 mm dynamic drivers with AI-assisted noise cancelling on the mic for calls. Each bud weighs just 3.5 g, which is a big part of the "barely there" claim, and the design is explicitly noted to play nicely with glasses and earrings.
Durability is IPX5, meaning sweat and light rain are fine — that covers gym sessions and outdoor runs, though it is not a swim rating. Controls are a mix of push-button and touch, aimed at simple play/pause, track skipping and call handling. The model number is S73, and it ships with a 12-month warranty.
Who should buy it: anyone who wants open-ear wireless earbuds for exercise, commuting or all-day wear, especially if they wear glasses and find in-ear buds uncomfortable. Who should skip it: shooters, or anyone who needs actual noise reduction. Open-ear buds let sound in by design — they do not protect your hearing from loud environments.
• Best for hearing protection → Howard Leight Honeywell Leightning L0F. An NRR of 23 is the whole reason to buy it.
• Best for music, calls and podcasts → NonoUV Clip. Bluetooth 5.4, 12 mm drivers and a noise-reducing mic.
• Best for shooting ranges and hunting → Howard Leight Honeywell Leightning L0F. The slim, foldable earcup and Air Flow Control design are built for firearms use.
• Best for running, gym and cycling → NonoUV Clip. IPX5 resistance plus open-ear awareness of traffic and surroundings.
• Best for packability → Howard Leight Honeywell Leightning L0F. It collapses to about four inches, which is a genuinely small footprint for a full muff.
• Best for long sessions away from a charger → NonoUV Clip. Up to 40 hours total with the case.
• Best for glasses wearers → NonoUV Clip. The flexible C-clip is designed to sit around frames and earrings without pinching.
• Best for a single, no-fuss job → Howard Leight Honeywell Leightning L0F. No pairing, no charging, no app — just put it on.
These two products do not compete — they solve different problems, so the honest recommendation is to buy the one that matches your actual use. If I had to pick a single winner for most buyers reading this, I would take the Howard Leight Honeywell Leightning L0F, because protecting your hearing at the range is a need with no workaround, and the folding ultraslim design makes it easy to actually carry. That said, in my opinion the NonoUV Clip is the better buy if your priority is everyday audio while staying aware of your surroundings. Decide which job you have, and the choice makes itself.
Yes — that is exactly what it is designed for. It carries a Noise Reduction Rating of 23 and uses Air Flow Control technology to reduce sound across frequencies while keeping the earcup slim enough not to interfere with a gunstock.
Do the NonoUV Clip earbuds block noise?
No. They are open-ear buds, so they sit over the ear without sealing the canal. That keeps you aware of traffic and surroundings, but it also means they offer no meaningful protection from loud environments.
The NonoUV Clip. It offers up to 6 hours per charge and roughly 40 hours total with the charging case. The Leightning L0F has no battery at all — it is a passive earmuff, so there is nothing to charge.
Specs tell you which product fits, but pricing changes, so check the current price on Amazon before you decide — the comparison page has a button for exactly that.
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