Inaccurate battery life rating - Walkers Silencer In The Ear Plugs Pair, 3 Sizes

I purchased these ear plugs about three months ago because of their ratings and the fact that I can get a better cheek weld on my rifle stock without a set of big muffs around my head.

The sound suppression seems to be good. I don't feel that they attenuate sound as well as Walker rates them, but that could just be a misfit on the ear buds--although I have tried all of the sizes that come with the ear plugs.

The point that I take issue with is the battery life. The literature says that the battery life is 80 hours, but I find that I need to change them after 6-10 hours of use. I am careful to turn them off after each use so I am certain that the power drain is not the fault of leaving them turned on between range sessions. When the ear plugs are turned on there is an audible 'tune' that plays to tell you that they are functional but I need to change the batteries after 6-10 hours of use to be able to hear it!

So I called the toll free tech support number to see what could be done about this problem and I was told that the batteries that are used in this device start losing power as soon as the labels are removed and the positive electrode is exposed to the air??? There was no offer to rectify the problem even after I explained that dry cell batteries left in devices which are turned off should not discharge in such a short period of time.

So if you purchase this product just be aware that they do work well but the battery life is not what Walker claims that it is. Or, more likely, I got a defective set and they don't want to exchange them.