# ear protection



## gj13us (Apr 19, 2016)

I want to get good ear protection (and didn't want to hijack Greyhoundguy's thread). 

The little spongy orange or green nibs are just not working for me. Too much hassle. 
Saw these in another thread: 



difalkner said:


> Howard Leight QB2 - got ours at Amazon
> View attachment 351666
> 
> 
> David


How long to they last? Meaning, the rubber tips. I was thinking of getting ear muffs. 
What do you guys recommend? Any recommended brands? dB levels? 

Home Depot has a couple models from 3M for ~$25.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I don't care for ear plugs. I'm prone to ear infections and the plugs seem to give me problems. I use ear muffs like you use to shoot a gun.


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## GuitarPhotographer (Jun 26, 2015)

I use the same Howard Leight hearing protectors to shoot and to work in the shop. In the shop, I turn off the microphone, since I'm working alone most of the time I don't need to hear voices. They provide 30 dBA of noise reduction and cost ~$50. A steal compared to $4K for hearing aids ;-)


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## bargoon (Apr 20, 2016)

As Steve said, I like the ear muff style.


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## sbrader (Aug 27, 2015)

I, too, use my shooting headset in my shop. It works well and I already own it!

Sent from my SM-G920V using Tapatalk


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## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

I blame my hearing problems and the need for hearing aids because of being around nail guns for 35 years. The early nail guns were extremely loud. Yet I know some ears are more sensitive than others. Most home shop equipment is not as loud in decibels as a weed eater, a motorized hedge trimmer or a chainsaw. We tend to hold these motorized tools close to our ears. 
Ear protection is just smart. Anything you use will be better nothing.


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## Jim Frye (Aug 24, 2016)

I have a set of Peltor 29 dB muffs. work well. .


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## difalkner (Nov 27, 2011)

gj13us said:


> How long to they last? Meaning, the rubber tips. I was thinking of getting ear muffs.
> What do you guys recommend? Any recommended brands? dB levels?
> 
> Home Depot has a couple models from 3M for ~$25.


I probably use them longer than they are intended but I get 6 months easy out of them. I keep rotating them and trying to clean them but once they start getting hard or too dirty to clean I put new tips on.

The ear muffs I use are 35 dB reduction and I couple that with the sponge type when I use the planer. Otherwise I just use the Howard Leight and they're always hanging around my neck when I'm in the shop so they're quick and easy to put on and take off.

David


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## Jig_saw (May 17, 2015)

I use my aviation headsets from my piloting days when working with power saws and sanders for longer than 1 minute. They are old, but provide excellent noise protection:


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## WeebyWoodWorker (Jun 11, 2017)

Generally though I use the yellow harbor freight earmuffs they block the sound of gunshots decently as well as most power tools. I did want to get the ones that have a built in radio though.


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## Tool Agnostic (Aug 13, 2017)

I use the $3.99 Harbor Freight earmuffs. I am touchy about hearing protection, so I use them whenever I work with power tools. Despite their low cost, they work fine for hearing protection. We have two of them (one for spouse/guest). The plastic liner that goes around the ears can get a little sweaty if you wear them for a long time when it is warm outside. I don't normally leave them on unless a power tool is running.

We have had them for years, and they show little signs of wear. I can't tell them apart, so I use each one only half the time.


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## Bob Willing (Jul 4, 2008)

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00BQLJCWE/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o07_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
These are not the lowest cost but they really deden the sound. You can not hear the phone ring. I use them while running my planer.


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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

I'm still using my gunshot 'muffs from target shooting days.

However, I'm convinced that those things have a "resonant" frequency.
While they were good for high impact sound, sustained sound from power tools was very loud.
So I found some thin foam rubber and cut little sheets to stack and pack the muffs right full.

Now, I am cut off from the world. Not such a bad thing, some days, yes?
I can carve all day with a mallet and gouges and never be bothered by the repetition pounding. 
The miter saw and TS just make hissing sounds.
Just me = I find I can pay best attention to the work when I'm not distracted by the howling noise.

I need a flashing light for the doorbell.
I need a flashing light for the phone to ring.


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## Ron_J (Sep 22, 2014)

Shooting earmuffs for me as well. (although not as often as I should) Mainly when using the planer.


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

I use the silicone earplugs with the stem from National Guard surplus. I also used the Howard-Leight foam earplugs that had a NRR of 33. Highest I found for for foam earplugs.


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## gj13us (Apr 19, 2016)

Seeing lots of posts about the Howard-Leight. I think I'll start with those and see how it goes. $7 isn't too much to spend on an experiment.


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## DIYTim (Sep 11, 2018)

Steve Neul said:


> I don't care for ear plugs. I'm prone to ear infections and the plugs seem to give me problems. I use ear muffs like you use to shoot a gun.


Ear muffs all the way.


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## mjadams61 (Jan 1, 2016)

I use the same academy sports ear muff specials I use for shooting and in my shop. trying to saved what hearing I got left from all them Ozzie and AC/DC concerts and crank em up automotive stero contest I particapted in when I was younger


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## NoThankyou (Mar 21, 2018)

Ear Muffs, a very sore subject with me.

I wear a set of Ear Muffs, Peltor 105. I don't know what the NRR is but it is up there. IIRC they were around $30 at HD. You really want the muff variety because it stops the bone conduction also. 

I spent far too many hours in computer machine rooms over 40+ years or so. The computer fan noise is particularly destructive. My hearing is almost normal to about 1800 Hz and then drops off -65db at 2800 Hz. I can hear Darth Vader rather well but most women I have difficulty understanding. My BTE hearing aids are a chore to use with ear muffs but I struggle. The ITE models don't have the amplification nor the ability to tune as well to my hearing loss. 

If you are considering hearing aids, check out Costco. Most of the models that they carry are about the best. Cost is less than $2K a pair.

I was taking a woodworking class at the community college. (Cerritos) The first day of class I asked for the floor and said, "Ear muffs are about $30. Hearing aids are about $2000." The response was little more than a yawn. A couple of weeks later Harbor Freight had a sale on ear muffs. Using a coupon I bought ten sets using the coupon. The total cost was less than $40. NRR was about 25 or 26. I put them in a box with a "Free" sign. The sign also said, if you take one you must wear the ear muff in the shop. The class room was used for 8 or 10 classes a week. It was over 3 weeks before all the ear muffs were taken. Not one student in my class took an ear muff. 

My class was a mixture of old pharts like myself and young kids needing an elective. Most of the old guys had some sort of ear protection while the kids had none. Ah the invincibility of youth.

The ear muff are 3M, Optime, Peltor. Model 105 is rated at -29db or -30db and $30 today from AOSafety. If you search further you'll probably find them cheaper.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

NoThankyou said:


> Ear Muffs, a very sore subject with me.
> 
> I wear a set of Ear Muffs, Peltor 105. I don't know what the NRR is but it is up there. IIRC they were around $30 at HD. You really want the muff variety because it stops the bone conduction also.
> 
> ...


Perhaps I have the same problem. I have a real hard time hearing my wife anymore. I don't know if it's a hearing problem or I've learned to tune her out. :vs_laugh:


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## Pineknot_86 (Feb 19, 2016)

Steve, it is selective hearing. All married men suffer from it.


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## gj13us (Apr 19, 2016)

A woman interrupts her husband while he's reading the newspaper, "You haven't heard a word I've said, have you?" 

The husband thinks, 'What an odd way to start a conversation.'


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## gj13us (Apr 19, 2016)

I ended up with the orange foam ear plugs. I have a devil of a time getting them in place, but once they're in they block out everything.


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## NoThankyou (Mar 21, 2018)

Joking I asked my HA professional if she could tune my aids to make SWMBO voice inaudible. She just glared at me. LOL!

From elsewhere. 

A couple that had been married for 70 years was asked how is it that they remained married for so long. She answered, "We don't hear each other."


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## Gramoy (Jan 10, 2020)

I used to use my shooting ear muffs (never liked the plugs, they make my ears itch) I bought a set of BOHM (brand) noise canceling headsets for flying.. they work quite well.. I also bluetooth 'em to my phone. I can turn on the tunes if I want, but one feature i(the wife loves) is when the wife wants me she calls my cell phone.. If I'm wearing them I get the call. If not I rarely know my phone rings as it is usually in my coat hung up somewhere else in the shop. My wife dislikes "trekking" out to my shed especially when it is cold..


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