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Cough-Quieting Devices - Page 1, 2, 3, 4
Silencer
The Silencer bills itself as "the original cough muffler." Now, if that's not confusing, I don't know what is! Here's how I remember: the one named "Silencer" is built like a muffler... and vice versa.
Function
The Silencer is actually designed a lot like an engine muffler, in that it employs a series of baffles to silence the cough. It does a great job of silencing coughs, though there's an audible sound of blowing as the expelled air rushes out the far end, making the Silencer a tad noisier than the Cough Muffler. Since the expelled air is directed away from the user, germs keep on truckin', but the downside is a slightly increased noise level, which may or may not make a difference in the woods.
Ease of use
The Silencer has a smaller mouthpiece than the Cough Muffler. I was told that the reason for this is that the mouth naturally constricts when one coughs. Be that as it may, I found the smaller orifice to be a disadvantage when I experienced very heavy coughing, and on more violent coughs they would either leak air around the mouthpiece at my lips or cause too much backpressure for me, or both. By "backpressure" I mean what I experience when trying to blow up a stubborn balloon, you know that nasty feeling at the back of your jaw, below your ears? So there's a higher likelihood of air leakage around the mouthpiece because of this, in my experience.
The Silencer.
Cleaning
To clean the Silencer, simply screw off the end cap, dispose of the two cotton balls, clean, dry, and reassemble the plastic pieces, adding new cotton balls. Cleaning is one area in which the Silencer is clearly ahead of the Muffler, as there's no washing out of filter material, or waiting for it to dry. The baffled portion comes apart into halves for easy cleaning.
Above, the Silencer partially disassembled. Below, fully disassembled for cleaning. Note the two halves of the baffled portion below,and the round end cap in both pics, which holds the "guts" firmly in place (no rattling) when assembled.
(All photos by Russ Chastain, world rights reserved)
Convenience
The Silencer is a bit more compact and lighter than the Cough Muffler, so it's somewhat easier to tote in the woods. A removable cord is included for wearing it around your neck, if you so desire, and it will fit into deep pockets without much trouble.
Next page - Cough-Quieting Devices - Cough Muffler vs. Silencer
-Russ Chastain
