Element Comtac II Replica

[ex]

Element Brand Comtac II Replica "Saber Model".

We have all seen pictures of Navy Seals, Green Beret's and Rangers running their high speed gear and wishing we could afford to buy it all up. But reality being what it is most of us can't afford it. That said, in recent years Chinese "knock offs" have become very popular with airsofters trying to replicate the "look" of elite troops. Quality control has always been an issue with most replicas regardless of what it is, from Eotech holo sights, metal bodies and so on. We have all been burnt but we also go into it knowing that these issues might just present themselves sooner or later. Now on to the Review.

Real Comtac II's picture for reference only.

What's in da box?
My first thoughts after tearing the protective plastic off the box was that the box that the headset are packaged in is pretty weak to say the least. I know it's a replica..but come on Element the cardboard was so thin and week it could probably pass through my printer no problem. Ok...moving on, the headset itself appeared to be in fine shape and no exterior damage was present. It was packed in two separate plastic bags one for the head set and down lead and one for the PTT and Connector. I have seen a few reviews of these and they all stated there were instructions, unfortunately my box did not have any. Oh well no big deal..it's a head set right

Headset:
Upon inspection I was very pleasantly surprised at the build quality. The plastic body of the ear cups is quite well molded with a hard and quite durable plastic but the vinyl "gasket" used to seal your ears is very thin and of dubious quality. The wiring seems to be of a higher quality than I have seen on some other headsets lately and looks quite durable. The metal used for the head band is very strong and will resist bending and breaking very well. The Faux leather wrapped around the head band is quite thin and will probably tear sooner rather than later. The boom mic is attached to the ear cup via a plastic clip. I would take care at this point as it may well be a weak area in the design and could possibly snap off if caught on clothing or something else. The boom mic is plugged into the rear of the left ear cups two pin socket. Unfortunately there is no socket on the right ear cup (as on the real one) for lefty shooters. This will make it hard for left hand shooters to convert theirs. With a little electrical know how it might be possible to lengthen the wire and move the boom mic over to the right ear. Each ear cup also has an multi-directional mic covered with microphone covers. Also each side has a battery well for 1 AA battery covered by a rubber and plastic form fitting cap to keep the elements out. On/off and volume buttons are located on the left ear piece and are covered by a rubber membrane.

PTT and Connector:
The PTT is connected to the headsets down lead via a 5 prong connector with screw on lock. This particular arrangement is a nice addition so that the PTT and radio can remain on your gear when the headset is not in use or not required. It feels quite robust and durable in the hand. The connector in this particular case is a Motorola Saber model. I am not sure if it is genuine Motorola or not but the finnish matches my radios. The connector is attatched to the wire coil and a heat shrink and zip tie combination finnishes it off. My examples heat shrink was not "heat shrunk". If left as is water could get down into the connector and fry the circuit board within. So I applied heat and done all fixed.



Performance:

Operation of the unit is quite simple. On/Off operations is achieved by simply depressing both buttons simultaneously beneath the left battery well. The headset starts out at Zero(0) volume. Push the forward button until the desired volume is reached, decrease the volume by pushing the rear button. I was quite surprised by the amount of ambient sound the headset picked up. I could easily hear a conversation in another room without any real difficulty. That said, the higher you put the volume a rather annoying hiss develops in the background. Annoying but after awhile you barely notice it. Radio transmissions both receiving and and sending came in 5x5. The real Comtacs are designed to be worn under the MICH helmet and these are no different. They fit just fine under my ACH MICH and were quite comfortable.

Conclusion:
All in all this headset is really not a bad deal. It does what it needs to do for airsoft. It's comfortable and it does not leave you deaf. The build quality is above the normal "clone" standard and should stand up to airsofters. If your looking for a set of Comtac's but dont want or need the protection the real deal offers then this is a great compromise. It looks the part without making your wallet weep. This headset offers NO Sound protection what so ever. Do not attempt to use these for anything other than airsoft or playing Army man in your bedroom.

Headset purchased through Huang
Price: $145 Cdn including shipping

[Karma_]

Thanks for the great review, I've been contemplating getting these but I'm left handed so I wasn't sure how that would work. Nice work bringing that up.

[ujiro]

Yeah, was looking at these, glad someone did a review.

I like the beard, btw.

[ex]

Originally Posted by ujiro

I like the beard, btw.

hahaha....it's a work in progress.

[bobotea]

Thanks great review! i was just looking into getting a Peltor Comtac II but this looks quite promising.

[FOX_111]

No sound protection at all?

If the unit sound emplification is OFF, does it muffle the ambiant sounds?
There is no sound cutoff for loud noises? That mean, if you wear them to a game, with sound emplification set high, and someone trow a big grenate (air bang stile) in the room, you are now deaf?

For 5$ less, you get real peltors minus the comm systeme.

[ex]

Originally Posted by FOX_111

No sound protection at all?

If the unit sound emplification is OFF, does it muffle the ambiant sounds?
There is no sound cutoff for loud noises? That mean, if you wear them to a game, with sound emplification set high, and someone trow a big grenate (air bang stile) in the room, you are now deaf?

For 5$ less, you get real peltors minus the comm systeme.

If the sound amplifier is off then sound is muffled..nothing more..there is no significant blockage of sound. If the sound amplifier is on at it's loudest setting you basically have "normal" hearing. Sure you can go and get yourself a real set for a few bucks more...but if you want to add comms...add another 300-400 dollars EASY. I have priced it out and this is what it costs. This set is a replica comm set that's it. It's for Airsoft only...so NO it does not offer significant sound protection. That said again when amplification is turned up a loud noise will not affect you any more than if you were not wearing them. It's a toy and should be treated as such.

EDIT:
These headsets are not marketed towards anyone wanting ear protection and there fore should not be compared to them in that regard. It is an unfair comparison.

[CDN_Stalker]

Originally Posted by ex-royal

hahaha....it's a work in progress.

I thought that looked like you. Funny you wear your helmet to bed, I've only ever had new airsoft guns beside me in bed when alone. You rock buddy, the new extreme of dedication/addiction! I hope Jackie doesn't mind that you sleep with it on though. Lol

[Brit ter]

I have had mine for almost a week now , and am very impressed with the quality of the headset , it works just as well as my sound enhanced Brit. issued peltor ear defenders !

[ex]

UPDATE:

The rather flimsy Ear seal can be replaced with REAL Peltor parts. Simply remove the element ear seal by pulling it straight out and popping in Peltor replacement pieces. Done. Replacement ear seals will run you about $15 USD.

[Wilson]

Nice review. My leftie-shooter is going to be pissed, though.

[Karma_]

For the lefties out there, I just got mine today and played around with them. I didn't really have any issues except for when I had my helmet on and even then, not a big deal. Just bend the mic up and then curve it down to your mouth. I don't see it being any different if the mic was on the right side. I have an M4 with an ACOG so I had to rest my cheek on the stock.

[MikeRomeo]

Do they need to be plugged in to the radio to be turned on?