The point of the bell is to prevent you from startling an unsuspecting bear or mountain lion, which often will put them on the (aggressive) defensive. Not good if you come around a bend and find yourself 10 feet from a bear that was previously minding it's own business.
> The flaw with bear bells is their sound means little to a bear. “They just don’t make enough noise and they don’t make a bear aware that you’re human. A little tinkling noise doesn’t necessarily tell a bear that there’s a person nearby.”
> To prevent a negative encounter with a bear, Stuart-Smith recommends:
> Making noise when travelling on a trail
This advice contradicts itself. Bells make noise, and are louder and carry further than a human voice at normal conversation levels. I've never heard a serious hiker/backpacker warn against a bell... and the bear spray this guy recommends using only works when the bear is within 10-15 feet of you, and hopefully not startled into an attack. Bears can run a lot faster than you, and can climb a lot better than you. It's really best to avoid that situation entirely.
The advice of singing loudly, or yelling your name is unrealistic. Nobody that's hiking in backcountry will be able to sustain that for long, it's exhausting, particularly on all-day or multi-day hikes.
I do agree, the small bear bells often sold at REI are not the best though, the cowbell type OP mentioned is far superior.
Rarely do bears and other wild animals go out of their way to interact with humans... the bell just lets them know something is coming so they aren't startled by your sudden presence.