Hearing Protection

[Tom Jones III]

My search on this forum turned up the last thread on hearing protection from 2003. I've been using $3 muffs from HD, they don't work too well and they break after a couple months so I am finally ready to get good protection.

* Does anyone have good recommendations for high quality, long lasting protection?
* What about a web site with good information about hearing protection?

From the 2003 thread, I have gleaned these web sites:
http://www.midwayusa.com/rewriteaproduct/136427
http://www.soundproofing.org/sales/ear_muffs.htm (this one lists noise reduction numbers with relatively inexpensive muffs $30-$50)

Also the 2003 thread had plenty of suggestions for Bose muffs, but no links to them or explicit mentions of noise reduction numbers.

[Larry Norton]

Hey, Tom! I've had a set of Peltors and they work well. I think I paid $20-$25 for them.


Larry

[Frank Pellow]

I like the Peltor H7 ear muffs. They are the most comfortable sound elimination ear muffs that I have owned and they do a good job. I have 3 pairs of them and they cost about $40 (Cdn) a pair whcih works out to about $30 (US) a pair.

[Lee DeRaud]

Peltors are the way to go, just hit the gun/hunting department of any decent sporting goods store.

All you need are the $20-30 passive earmuffs. Note that the more-expensive electronic muffs don't work well in a shop environment because of the way they work: they amplify exterior sound to compensate for the noise reduction of the muffs, then turn off the amplifiers when a loud noise occurs. This is great for intermittent noises like gunshots, but useless for continuous noises like power tools: when the tool is running, they will either (1) amplify the noise, which is not what you want, or (2) shut off the amplifiers all the time, effectively converting them to passive muffs.

[Ken Garlock]

Hi Tom. A couple years ago I bought two pair of ear muffs at the Dallas WW show. They are the Pletor H10A for $20 each. They have a 30 db attenuation rating. 30 db is nothing to sneeze at, it is best I have run across. I use them when running my table saw, and the jointer. They do an excellent job.

I also bought a pair with an FM radio built in for mowing the lawn. My 19 hp Scag Tiger Cub is quite loud when running. As it turned out, the radio equipped ear muffs resonated with the sound of the mower deck. While reducing the mower noise the resonance added an obnoxious hum, so I just started using the H10A muffs, and they do a wonderful job.

The company I bought mine from is Airware America

[lou sansone]

I have several peltors that run in the 40 to 60 $$ range. you have to spend a little money to get decent ones that are comfortable to wear for hours.


I would recommend the "radio" version. spending hours with these things on makes one go sort of crazy. Having some tunes to listen to while you are wearing HP is very nice.

[Maurice Ungaro]

Tom,
I have a pair of those Caldwells. They work ok, but I've had better, mostly Peltors. Whatever you get, make sure it's Db rating is over 25.

[Ray Bersch]

Tom
I'll go along with the Peltors - they are effective, inexpensive and easy to locate, most home centers and many lumber yards have them - I have mine hanging from my garage door opener (garage/shop) and they are within easy reach whenever I start a machine, including the shop vac. I would not be in the shop without them.

If you are interested in going to the top of the line, try Bose (Bose.com) - I have used their noise cancelling models in a general aviation aircraft (Cessna 210) for years. They have a new model out for general use - but Bose is always very expensive - about $300 for the general use models but that also allows hookup to music sources via a cable - so you can listen to your tunes while relaxing and reading your latest woodworking magazine.

I have also had good experience with David Clark aviation headsets(DavidClark.com). You can get mail order hearing protectors for about 30 bucks from them.

As a person who has experienced a significant hearing loss due to loud noise, I cannot stress enough the importance of using hearing protectors - fortunately on a web site you don't have to put up with asking someone to repeat themselves - but doing so in daily life is a real bummer - so start early - say what?

Ray

[Joe Mayo]

Have several sets of Peltors floating around. The ones with the radio get the most use in the shop. The can get a little uncomfortable if you are wearing eye protection as well. I wish Peltor would make a set with a radio and a face shield.

[Ray Bersch]

I wish Peltor would make a set with a radio and a face shield.

Joe,
Try David Clark - they have a "behind the head" model designed for those who wear hard hats. Again, about 30 bucks. When you go to their web site look for a "Hearing Protectors" section.

Ray

[Tom Jones III]

For hearing protection and eye protection, take a look at
http://www.peltor.se/index_safety.htm

I've found this web site with pretty low prices on peltor:
http://www.envirosafetyproducts.com/index.htm

[Don Baer]

Since I do i get various magazines with all kinds of info in them. In the June Issue of Occupational Health and Safety there are several articles regardiing hearing protection. The following link should tell you everything you need to know and then some.

http://www.stevenspublishing.com/Ste...c?OpenDocument

[Bruce Volden]

I have a pair of these and they absolutely work great. Much cheaper than the Bose and also had a better review!!http://www.protechcommunications.com/headphones.html

[Chris Barton]

I have a set of the Bose NC headphones and have used them in my shop and they work great. I have also used them while mowing my yard (I could hear birds singing instead of the drone of the mower). However, more often than not the only thing I use in my shop is a set of Advent RF rebroadcasting headphones that allow me to connect the base station to any device and listen to it from up to about 300ft away. These are full coverage headphones and do a great job of protecting my hearing and allow me to listen to TV, radio, CD, ...


Chris

[Jim Becker]

I use two different things for hearing protection in the shop. Most of the time, I use this product (although mine are blue) from AO Safety. I find them the most comfortable for "me"...regular insert-type earplugs are a problem with my ears...they don't stay in. These always fit. My only complaint is that the retailers often fail to stock the replacement plugs. Not a big deal as the whole thing is relatively inexpensive, but it makes more sense to be able to just use new pads with the existing bands.



When I want protection and the ability to hear what's on NPR, I just use my Bose QuietComfort II active headphones that I have primarily for travel. I use them when doing long sanding sessions, etc. I also use them when mowing...



If I found a need to use active headphones all the time in the shop, I'd pick a high-quality, but more durable product, such as those designed for shooters. The Bose product isn't really designed for "knocking around".