REVIEW: 3M - Peltor COMTAC III™ ARC

Normally, it is quite clear: first the Comtacs and then the helmet on top. In practice, this is not always practical, because the helmet doesn't always like something underneath it, it feels tight, you have to take off two things... Ops-Core has created a solution with its ARC Rails. For these, 3M - Peltor offers a special adapter or the COMTAC III^™ARC, which can be mounted directly to the rails and thus the helmet.

This is what the whole thing looks like as a single piece: the Comtac at the bottom, a special mount at the top, which goes directly to the Ops-Core ARC Rails. These can be on a MICH helmet or on a FAST helmet (like in the topmost picture).

The ARCs in pair and the two ear cups from the Comtacs.

Here you can see how the mount attaches to the rails and how strong the brackets are bent to press the ear cups to the ears.

The other perspective: ARC and Comtacs from the inside.

And here the mount and the brackets alone. For those who want to retrofit: the set is also available separately - for $130.

CONCLUSION: Super practical, but with a hefty price tag, the COMTAC III ARC come along. The advantage is the disadvantage: they can be mounted on the ARC Rails from Ops-Core and there is no headband running through the helmet. But that also means they can only be mounted there. If you want to go to the shooting range without a helmet, you have to remount your headset each time. These Comtacs fit nicely on the helmet with ARC Rail, but they sit there all alone, because when they are on top, there is no space left for a light or a camera (see also carrier image at the very top). The clear advantage: you can adjust them so that the ear cups do not rest on the ears, but are two centimeters away and you have normal hearing.

The COMTAC III^™ARC by 3M - Peltor is available for around $700.