Ear Protection

[AirgunSavant]

I purchased a few pairs of ear muffs for mowing ( zero turns)
Both reduce the noise but they bring on this crazy vibration sound that is worse than the noise itself.
Its so bad it drives you nuts.
So I went and got these.........
https://smile.amazon.com/gp/product/B000RMFGGY/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I was surprised how much better they are and I don't get that crazy vibration. Anyone else notice this with ear muffs?
The disposable ones take a minute or two to get the right fit but when you do they are really quiet and don't allow
other noise to come forth.

 

[The motor guy]

Only if they are worn out or don't fit correctly.

 

[fenixguy]

I like the foam plugs better too. The muffs are heavy, hot, and uncomfortable usually. I only use them if I'm going to be taking them off and on a lot (shooting).

I buy the largest pack I can find at Dollar Tree, Dollar General, or Walmart. I also will never travel without them if I'm sleeping in a hotel.

 

[i_hate_autofraud]

Heck, at the range I use ear plugs & ear muffs - I got enough ringing in the ears already! lol

 

[901Memphis]

Yeah we use the green Howard Leight earplugs at work, I like them.

 

[aquariuscsm]

When I need to use hearing protection I use those Winchester shooting "headphones".

 

[Danno]

My neighbour who is in health and safety showed me the way to insert ear plugs. Reach over your head with the opposite hand, pull up the top of your ear with your hand, insert plug with other hand.

 

[Lolvoguy]

Originally Posted By: Danno
My neighbour who is in health and safety showed me the way to insert ear plugs. Reach over your head with the opposite hand, pull up the top of your ear with your hand, insert plug with other hand.


Agreed. I use this technique before putting my helmet on when riding. Makes a huge difference v.s. simply compressing the foam, and inserting.

The latter of the two methods I use when on road trips and I want to fall asleep as a passenger....not when I'm driving tho, that'd be dangerous.

 

[Errtt]

Of all the different muffs & plugs I've gone through, seems my standard is
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B008MCTQYY?psc=1

Muffs bother me. Too soft of plugs just don't feel right after a few hours (seems counter).

 

[The motor guy]

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Yeah we use the green Howard Leight earplugs at work, I like them.


I used those too, but have to put them in backwards so they're tight enough. Apparantly I ordered the wrong ones for people with small ear canals.

 

[Smokescreen]

Originally Posted By: i_hate_autofraud


Heck, at the range I use ear plugs & ear muffs - I got enough ringing in the ears already! lol


Me too...27db muffs and 32db plugs...It is pretty sweet to feel the concuss of the gunpowder and still be 100% comfortable with the little pop.

 

[blupupher]

I agree on the earmuffs. They don't work well and make my ears sweat.

The 3M E.A.R plugs are some of the best I have used. Super easy to put in (you just push them in, no need to compress first). They have a corded version also. They are expensive though.
They are not comfortable to sleep with though, but for yard work, shooting or things that are just loud (Kids wear them at the monster truck show).

These are what I am using now. Cheap, work great and are very comfortable, even when sleeping.

 

[Linctex]

Originally Posted By: Danno
My neighbour who is in health and safety showed me the way to insert ear plugs. Reach over your head with the opposite hand, pull up the top of your ear with your hand, insert plug with other hand.


Only necessary for some people's ears.

I can roll the foam ear plug down to "lollipop stick size" and shove them in so far they are painful... then pull them just a tiny bit - just right! Cancels ALL noise. Pulls all the earwax out with them as well.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

I've never had a problem with either ear plugs or muffs. Personally I prefer muffs when I'm working around engines-I use ear plugs when I sleep.

 

[Garak]

I like to use both when shooting, or at least when shooting a lot. On the farm, I always used the foam ones. Ear muffs are a lot of expense and extra complexity without any clear benefit over a few pennies of foam.

 

[Silk]

Ear plugs on the bike and mowing the lawns, ear muffs at work because they are on and off all the time.

 

[opus1]

I use the foam ones when I'm in the train station downtown. It gets very noisy on the platforms. Ear muffs won't fit as nicely in my briefcase.

 

[jeepman3071]

I've been using a set of these for years. Comfortable with no annoying buzzing, durable, and much quieter than my previous cheap pair from home depot.
Peltor head phones - Amazon


I use them for mowing, chain sawing, etc. I can't stand the foam ear plugs. They don't work for me, always falling out, or not fitting correctly. Maybe my ears are too small? These are easy to put on and take off as well.

 

[Schmoe]

One thing you got to check for is the frequency they work at. Those foam ear plugs work great at the higher frequencies. I've worn them everytime I played in live gigs. Drowns out the really high frequencies like guitar feedback and cymbals, but let you comfortably hear the vocals and rhythm guitar and keyboards....but I still got ringing in the ears.

 

[Triton_330]

Should have gotten either these:

https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Earplugs-ETY-Plugs-Protection-Standard/dp/B00R1WKRC6

or these:

https://www.amazon.com/Etymotic-Research-High-Fidelity-Earplugs-White/dp/B0015WNZ9K?th=1

I use a pair of the latter whilst mowing using my dad's Cub Cadet 7205 out to our property. As long as you get a nice snug fit, they work excellently, and they lower sound decibels but don't necessarily "muffle" such that you can still hear things clearly, just at a lower sound.