# Best Ear Protectors?



## Sam23 (May 2, 2018)

I was wondering what you all might think are the Best Ear Protectors?
I bought a pair of Echo ones, but I was wondering if I could do better.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

I like the 3M Peltor.


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## Neiltsubota (May 15, 2018)

All ear protection should have an Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) numberl. The higher the NRR the better noise attenuation.

The " best" ear protection is the one that is comfortable, easy to wear, and easy to clean.

What you are wearing something to protect your hearing and you don't clean it. ?...yuk...imho.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Neiltsubota said:


> What you are wearing something to protect your hearing and you don't clean it. ?...yuk...imho.


I have the Stihl ones similar to the Echo's pictured above. I have never cleaned them. I put them on, use the string trimmer, then hang them back up


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## gene_stl (Oct 29, 2017)

Any hearing protection that you actually use is good enough for most lawn care gear. This includes a wad of cotton ball stuffed into your ear. If I was doing something especially noisy or with lots of high frequencies (shrieky) I would even use foam ear plugs *and* headphone types. I have lots of them sitting around here. Mostly one of my sons use them.

I should be deaf from abusing my hearing. I attended LOTS of rock concerts back in the day. Including several Dead concerts with huge walls of Fender Twins chained together. I also got my pilots license when I was seventeen and spent a lot of time at airports. If an old turbojet 707 took off I did cover my ears. I had a share of a Cessna 182 for about four years and I remember reading a review of that model wherein the "noise level" was described as "Skull Crushing!" I had to chuckle. And I have been fooling around with small engines since I was seven or eight. I used to travel too and airliners are fairly noisy inside. I also worked in a noisy machine shop during college and if you would have donned hearing protection back then you would been laughed off the shop floor. Come to think of it we didn't really have enough eye protection either. They had a visit from OSHA and were required to install some belt covers.

Yet I recently volunteered for a research project at Washington U here where they were trying to improve the software for cochlear implants. They gave me a super hearing test. (Like listening to computer distorted speech and backwards speech while inside a functional mRI scanner to see what parts of the brain light up) The regular part of the hearing test disclosed that my hearing is almost perfectly normal. I have a slight drop in sensitivity at 3000Hertz on the left. I was amazed.

Sometimes when my younger son is helping me in the yard he offers me a hearing protector if I am using something noisy. I almost always say no.

That said on a recent trip to Harbor Fright I picked up these for a whopping $14. At that price I just could not leave them.
I had put a pair of $12 non active ones in my basket , to give to my son , since he is my right hand and always helps me with heavy lifting. Then I saw these active ones for two dollars more. Surprisingly they work VERY well. These kind of things were like $400 when they first came out.
https://www.harborfreight.com/noise-canceling-electronic-ear-muffs-92851.html


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

Green said:


> I like the 3M Peltor.


Ditto.

I have two pairs. One pair for lawn one and the other for the shooting range. I've used them almost daily for the last three years and have been very pleased.


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## Sam23 (May 2, 2018)

pennstater2005 said:


> Neiltsubota said:
> 
> 
> > What you are wearing something to protect your hearing and you don't clean it. ?...yuk...imho.
> ...


I saw the Stihl ones at my local dealer, but I bought the Echo ones instead. I wished I would have tried those on they had them on display. I guess I have a big head for the Echo ones are a little tight and do not have much room to grow. Are the Stihl's very adjustable?


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Sam23 said:


> pennstater2005 said:
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> 
> > Neiltsubota said:
> ...


They're pretty adjustable and fit my giant head! They're probably five years old so not sure if that same style is still available.


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## pennstater2005 (Jul 17, 2017)

Sam23 said:


> pennstater2005 said:
> 
> 
> > Neiltsubota said:
> ...


They're pretty adjustable and fit my giant head! They're probably five years old so not sure if that same style is still available.


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## HomerGuy (Jun 5, 2017)

For Christmas I received a set of the 3M WorkTunes. I must say that I really enjoy them for cutting the grass, string trimming, and blowing all while listening to music. In fact I usually keep them on so I can listen to music even after I finish with the power equipment.


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## diy_darryl (May 15, 2018)

I have the 3M Worktunes also. I know they are for hearing PROTECTION but I wish the volume was much higher. That defeats the purpose of hearing protection but I just want loud music with good bass vs a lawnmower or trimmer engine.


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## Colonel K0rn (Jul 4, 2017)

I can't be the only one who wears their earbuds playing music while putting on muffs to have your own personal jam going on whilst doing yard work. I have a cheap set of muffs that work great, and I get a real reduction in the annoying noise of the mower and trimmer, and enjoy Metallica at the same time.


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## Green (Dec 24, 2017)

@Colonel K0rn, Ryan Knorr recently put up a video about this. Or maybe you saw it already.


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## ForsheeMS (May 21, 2018)

I've got Skull Candy and Anker bluetooth earbuds. Both use the little silicone deals that seal pretty well in your ear to cancel out sounds. I wear them alone when I run the string trimmer and use regular ear muffs over them while mowing or running the backpack blower and listen to music at the same time. I do have some hearing damage from years of not wearing hearing protection plus tinnitus (constant ringing in my ears) so I'm doing all I can to avoid more hearing loss. IMO any ear muffs that are comfortable and fit well will reduce power equipment noise more than enough to prevent hearing damage. The key here is actually finding some you like and will wear them.

I do have a set of Peltor electronic muffs for the shooting range and really like them. They are expensive and not really practical for lawn work so they are for shooting only. It's nice to be able to hear conversations between shots.


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

Over the ear protection is too hot for me. I get foam earplugs for free at work, so guess what I use?


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

dfw_pilot said:


> Over the ear protection is too hot for me...


+1, I use foam plugs when working in the lawn.


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## Sam23 (May 2, 2018)

dfw_pilot said:


> Over the ear protection is too hot for me. I get foam earplugs for free at work, so guess what I use?


Are they hard to get out once you put them in? @dfw_pilot and @Ware


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

Negatory


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

dfw_pilot said:


> Negatory


+1


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## Sam23 (May 2, 2018)

Ware said:


> dfw_pilot said:
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> 
> > Negatory
> ...


Thanks, I ordered a 200 box count of the 3M ones under $10 dollars from Walmart. I will see how I like them. Your right dfw_pilot the headphones are hot. Thanks for the quick replies.


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## Movingshrub (Jun 12, 2017)

Movingshrub said:


> Green said:
> 
> 
> > I like the 3M Peltor.
> ...


Just to add on. I usually listen to music with earbuds so earplugs are out. I think they get uncomfortable worn long periods of time, and then the benefit I didn't expect - my 2 year old is all about wearing ear pro when ever I'm outside cause he's seen me wear ear muffs all the time. I think it would be challenging to get a little kid to ear plugs.


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## TigerinFL (Mar 29, 2018)

I am looking for someone local to create for me a custom set of ear plugs. everyone I have called is too stinking high. nothing could be better than something formed from your own ear.


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## dfw_pilot (Jan 28, 2017)

@TigerinFL, have you called around to audiologists and hearing aid places? I had one formed for my year many moons ago for a flying job. It was about $150 at a hearing aid clinic. She just squirted the molding foam in there and I got it about a week later.


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## DTC (Jun 8, 2018)

TigerinFL said:


> I am looking for someone local to create for me a custom set of ear plugs. everyone I have called is too stinking high. nothing could be better than something formed from your own ear.


I got my custom molded plugs from my shooting range for $90. She does it every now and then - it isn't a service you could walk in and get whenever. $100-150 seems about the range tho


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## TigerinFL (Mar 29, 2018)

yep the going price around here is $250 and that is a little steep I think.


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## J_nick (Jan 28, 2017)




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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

J_nick said:


>


 :lol:


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## CenlaLowell (Apr 21, 2017)

I guess I'm the only one who wears lg HBS850


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## Sinclair (Jul 25, 2017)

I also use 3M over the ear muffs.


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## Gibby (Apr 3, 2018)

CenlaLowell said:


> I guess I'm the only one who wears lg HBS850


I use the LG HBS750's. Almost time for a new pair though. Need something louder when mower is running.


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## ShaneNC (Jun 11, 2018)

I use these Howard Leight electronic muffs, which I originally purchased for shooting. With the power turned off or with a dead battery they function like normal earmuffs. Turn them on and they amplify the noise around you to where you can hear better than you can without them on, but they will automatically dampen any noises above a certain threshold. These also have the added benefit of a headphone jack so you can plug in if you have an aux cord.

https://www.amazon.com/Howard-Leigh...pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=howard+leight


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## Mightyquinn (Jan 31, 2017)

TigerinFL said:


> I am looking for someone local to create for me a custom set of ear plugs. everyone I have called is too stinking high. nothing could be better than something formed from your own ear.


If you are looking for something custom molded, these might do the trick Decibullz. I got a pair of them and they worked pretty well the only thing I didn't like was that you couldn't tell the L from the R 

I still am a HUGE fan of Surefire Sonic Defenders. They are just great all around ear protection.


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## Sam23 (May 2, 2018)

dfw_pilot said:


> Over the ear protection is too hot for me. I get foam earplugs for free at work, so guess what I use?


@dfw_pilot and @Ware I tried the ear plugs and they were fantastic. They decreased the sound and my head stayed nice and cool. They were indeed much better the the Echo Earmuffs I bought. I will definitely be using these from now on. Thank both of you for the tip.


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## Ware (Jan 28, 2017)

Sam23 said:


> dfw_pilot and Ware I tried the ear plugs and they were fantastic. They decreased the sound and my head stayed nice and cool. They were indeed much better the the Echo Earmuffs I bought. I will definitely be using these from now on. Thank both of you for the tip.


Awesome - glad to hear you like them. I buy these Howard Leight ones - 50 pair in individually wrapped packages.


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## LYKUNO (Jul 11, 2018)

I have been wearing Howard Leight (by Honeywell) Leightning L3 ear muffs for many years, They have a Noise Reduction Rating (NRR) of 30. My wife wears the same ones except in the high visibility green ones. There are hygiene kits available for these to allow the user to periodically change out the foam ear pads as well as the foam pieces inside the muffs.

After decades working in the Telecom field, my high frequency hearing is significantly diminished, so I do my best to limit exposure to noise generated by mowing, blowing, etc. I also have tinnitus in one ear, that started after helping a neighbor try to get their snow blower running (and wasn't wearing hearing protection at the time -- lesson learned!).

If you value your hearing, please wear hearing protection at all times when you are exposed to high levels of noise.


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