I need recommendations on ear protection devices.
I have some old ear muffs, I think they get FM radio reception. I also have some basic ear plugs that I don’t like. I think they were designed for firearms use. I’m not interested in Bluetooth or other music reception – I just need noise protection for when I use my air nailer or planer.
Recommendations appreciated.
Replies
I use the cylindrical foam type ear plugs. They are cheap and work great. Some publication did a test of different types and those were among the top performers in hearing protection.
Foam plugs have the highest noise reduction rating available. I have a very hard time getting them to work on my ears, so don't use them.
Look at and compare noise reduction ratings for ear muffs if you prefer those. Some are very large, some fold up quite small while not in use. There are a LOT of choices. I'm not sure I know two woodworkers who use the same type.
I love the 3M Worktunes. I use the Bluetooth feature to listen to audio books while working. Thats my own preference.
I've had IsoTunes Pros for a year and love them. But, I just recently picked up the new IsoTunes Links, that are earmuff style. So far, i really like them, but I've only had them a couple of days, and been out onsite working... No chance to really put them through their paces. But, they definitely cut off a lot of the noise! The Bluetooth worked really well, and the music sounded really good!
Got some 3M Worktunes, like them a lot, but I know longer wear them as blue tooth mode. Why you may ask? Because in blue tooth mode they work so well I can’t hearing a machine left running - not always a good thing.
Well, for those of us mere mortals who leave a machine running jumping back and forth to another machine.
Getting caught up in the focus of a task, being able to hear the machine is a reminder to shut it off, too.
I use silicone plugs a lot like these:
https://www.amazon.com/Silicone-Plugs-Reusable-Protection-Construction/dp/B01N7LMH5K/ref=zg_bs_3413521_4?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=6PB5HCMFXZCD5P5JJD30
They staY in my ears better than the foam plugs which I gave up on.
I’ll moisten them lightly with some saliva first with my finger. Be sure to lift the ear up a bit to get them in snugly. They wash easily.
I use ear muffs too, sometimes I’ll use both plugs and muffs if I’m at something for an extended period like using the leaf blower or riding lawn mower.
Ear muffs I replace once the cover starts wearing out. For me that’s once every four or five years if not longer.
Mid 50s and already some hearing loss. Too many nights working with rock bands in my teens and 20s maybe.
Mike
The plastic around the foam ear covers on my 3M Worktunes started wearing breaking up after several years. I emailed 3M to find out how to get new pads, and they sent them to me at no charge.
I second that. These ones are some pretty good ones. I got them from amazon for a bit cheaper than the link you shared here. I ordered from here:
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087NG8KWZ .
I have several pairs of earmuff-style headphones around the shop. One close to each regularly used tool and one for the lawnmower. If they're not enough you can add foam plugs before putting them on. I use the kind used for shooting. Its serious business.
after years (many) of using muffs, I decided to try Isotunes Pro 2. They are wired in ear plugs that can play music and take phone calls. I love them so far (about 6 months use). I find their noise canceling very good and like being able to listen to music. I still use my over ear muffs when I mow the lawn and occasionally when I need one or two quick loud operations-- mostly for convenience. I am considering a pair of the new isotunes muffs for that.
Been using foam Skull Screws for years — check ‘em out on Amazon. I find the 12pk of corded ones to be a good deal.
I am a retired dentist and had custom hearing protection ear plugs made at an audiologist. They took poly vinyl siloxane impressions of the outer ear canal the made the plugs. They fit perfectly and do not hurt or shove wax into the canal. $200 CDN.
Lowe's and Home Depot have both foam plugs and the over the ear kind. You can also double up but that doesn't double your protection. The foam in the ear kind typically have the highest noise reduction. Some have a plastic cord on them making the a bit easier to remove. As to what is comfortable, I have found that can really vary from person to person. I personally like the foam in ear kind if I need them to be in place for a long time. I also have the over the ear muff kind as well. I think you just need to try them and see what works. Both are reasonably inexpensive.
Here’s my FWIW: The most widely prevalent objective measure of hearing protection is the Noise Reduction Rating (NRR)—the higher the NRR, the more noise reduction. NRR is given in decibels—e.g., an NRR of 25 gives a user wearing/placing the device(s) properly a 25 dB reduction in noise transmission to the middle ear. [Now is a good time to recall that the dB scale is logarithmic—moving from 20 dB to 30 dB is NOT a 50% increase in sound, but a 9X (900%!!) increase in sound—i.e., the 30 dB noise is 10X as loud as the 20 dB noise. So...an increase in NRR from low 20s to high 20s or 30s isn’t a small difference.
Foam plugs, used properly, are very effective at reducing noise exposure; most decent brands have a NRR of about 31-33 dB. Ear muffs are another common HPD (Hearing Protection Device), and have ratings generally mid-20s to 30 or 31 dB. Why so much variability? Depends on whom you ask. Sometimes it’s attributed to more comfortable design, allowing for more hearing of co-worker’s voices (and thus everything else), and sometimes to things that don’t make much sense at all.
Foam plugs are cheap, easy to store/transport, and cost very little. But...if used incorrectly—and incorrect use is easy—they don’t provide nearly as much protection as advertised. The plug must be carefully rolled/compressed into a tighter cylinder, then placed into the external ear canal, and there allowed to expand to fill the ear canal. Just popping ‘em into the outer ear and leaving ‘em sticking out usually isn’t very effective at all.
Ear muffs are generally easier to use—they are simply placed so that the ear cup covers the ear; the band attaching the two “ears” usually goes over the head, although some are designed to be worn on the back of the head or even behind the neck. (And some are attached to a hard hat for situations where both kinds of protection are necessary.) Wearing the muffs correctly is also a must; twisting them to a different position often opens them up around the ear, such that they lose the “seal”, and the noise protection drops quickly.
The key, then, to effective HPD use is proper technique and fit. (It’s also important to note that using devices together, e.g, as in foam plugs + ear muffs, doesn’t mean one is allowed to simply add their NRRs. By combining good ear muffs (say, NRR = 30 dB) and foam plugs (NRR = 32 dB), one only gets to a NRR of the combination of about 36-37 dB).
For comfort and ease of use, I prefer to use high-quality ear muffs. Mine are made by 3M, and have NRRs of 30-31. (I have 3 pairs. One pair is kept in my shooting bag, another in my workshop, and the third with the lawnmower. Though the lawnmower is now electric and much quieter.) Using the muffs, I can quickly remove them when the noise environment allows, have a conversation, and quickly replace them without wrestling with little gobs of misshapen foam. When I buy ear muffs, I try them on to ensure a good, comfortable fit. I don’t purchase muffs that play music, bluetooth phone calls, etc., because I don’t want the distractions.
Another note about ear plugs—some are designed more for comfort and as sleep aids and such rather than as noise exposure reduction/hearing protection. My wife, for instance, likes to use ear plugs at night. [No comments from the peanut gallery, please, about what that must mean regarding my own sleep habits! ;-) ] Hers only carry a NRR of 22. But they work for her.
A reminder—HPDs work only if one uses them. Consistently and properly. Buying them and leaving them on the shelf in the workroom doesn’t achieve much.
Well written. When I was 17ish years old, I attended the Born in the USA tour by Bruce Springsteen. It was a great concert; however, my ears were ringing the next day. It made me think that loud noises can be good. Every concert since has had hearing protection. I also wear hearing protection when I mowed my own lawn. I also wear hearing protection when I vacuum the house.
Wish I’d been half as wise as you at your age.
I’m on the far side of fifty and only started really taking hearing protection seriously in the past decade or so.
Tinnitus is really, really tiresome.
I use ISOTunes Pro 2.0 - 28 dB NRR BlueTooth headphones that I wear the entire day while in the shop. I am able to still hear a tool running. ISOTunes have a feature that limits output to about 85 dB, which is the maximum recommended for an 8 hour workday.
If I am going to do something particularly noisy, I also wear a set of 3M-Peltor over-ear headphones, rated 24 dB NRR. I can tell there is noise, and what it is, but it is very comfortable for my hearing.
With this arrangement I can leave the noise of the shop in the shop, and not have it ringing in my ears for the rest of the evening.
I find over-the-ear muffs the most effective (I often double plug with foamies underneath), but don't like the bulk. And don't want to wear them full time when in shop. I only want to wear muffs when using a machine. So, I turned to custom molded ones (connected via a string) so that, when not in use, they just hang around my neck.
I have the basic 3M muffs. They're pretty tight on the head but do the job very well.
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I wear the red ones in the shop and the blue ones around the house.
I wear glasses and haven’t yet found over-the-ear muffs that seal past the arm of the glasses, they always let sound leak in like poor weatherstripping around a door. So I wear the NR32 foam ones, orange, Lee Valley sells them.
I’ve been using Sensgard for many years and they are an excellent option when worn correctly. These have a NRR of 31, fit over glasses, and down cause my ears to sweat like muff types. Plus they fold up nicely and are very light.
https://www.amazon.com/SensGard-SG-31-Lightweight-Hearing-Protection/dp/B001IMHSP4/ref=psdc_3760941_t1_B01LYSG71R
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