Hearing Protection

[Bill]

Trying to be considerate, I tried to browse old posts on my usenet server related to this topic, and I noticed that the product

Peltor H10A Professional Noise Canceling Earmuff

was used by some. It seems "healthy" to me not to have everything completely muted, and being able to hear voices at normal voices would be a plus (though I'm not sure how well this product would help satisfy either of those goals).

Is the one above a "good, safe choice"? Any other models you might recommend I consider? I suppose if I had a pair, I might start wearing them when I mow the lawn, though that idea hadn't occurred to me before.

Thank you, Bill

[Matt]

Bill,

I use the Electronic Ear Protector from Rockler - been very satisfied with it.

[J. Clarke]

They're just your basic earmuff. For the price, yeah, they're fine.

[Bob La Londe]

I prefer the old foam ear plugs over anything if I really need hearing protection. We went through hundreds of them back when I was a pressman in the local cotton gin. They work. If we needed somebody's attention right now we yelled.

[Larry Jaques]

On Fri, 27 Nov 2009 23:06:27 -0500, the infamous "J. Clarke" scrawled the following:

Models? Earmuffs? I much prefer something like, um, Kate Hudson. Scented/flavored respirator, and the ear coverings (inner thighs) are soft and self-regulating for toasty ear temperatures.

-- Some days, it's not even worth chewing through the restraints.

[Puckdropper]

"Bill" wrote in news: [e-mail]:

I won't speak to safety, but I will comfort. The foam on the H10A is soft enough to fit around my glasses without causing excessive pressure. They won't seal completely around every obstruction (my safety goggles), but if you can move it they'll still be comfortable.

I got both the H10A and H9A muffs, and use the H9A when working out in the yard. The H10A is a tad bit quieter than the H9A (I think the ratings were -26dB and -23dB.)

If you buy one pair and decide to go with something else, you'll have a decent back up pair or a pair to dedicate to something specific. Last I knew, they were both around $18 each. The plastic banded ones in the stores cost almost that much anyway, and the Peltors have a metal band that won't snap. (I got some from Lowes that snapped when I removed them once. Sure felt like I wasted all that time wearing them to have them snap next to my ears.)

These are passive muffs, meaning everything will be dampened. You'd have to get something active to be able to hear normal voices.

Puckdropper

[Leon]

I am working on getting the Ryobi Tech 4 hearing protectors. They comfortably fit my brain size. I have a set or Peltors IIRC but when I swallow or or yawn the muffs open up and the noise comes right in. Be sure and try on what ever you buy.

[Bill]

Thank you for the heads-up. I wear glasses, and I should be wearing safety goggles too. I'm intend to try the pair from Rockler's. I am actually surprised Rochler and Woodcraft do not offer more selection in hearing protection.

Bill

[C & E]

Try

have one of their active, sound cancelling muffs (no longer offered but look *exactly* like the Rocklers). THe problem is that I forget to turn them off and the batteries are shot the next time I want to use them. That's my own fault.

[Larry Jaques]

On Sat, 28 Nov 2009 18:54:06 -0500, the infamous "Bill" scrawled the following:

--Leon snipped--

Bill, I'm chea^H^H^H^Hfrugal and find that these:

work just fine in my ears with the bell flare -in- the ear, as do these: in normal shop noise. Used together, they'd make a _rock_concert_ boring from the quiet. That's a total $5 investment for the two items.

I picked up some of these for shooting and they're wonderful:

at $15, they're dirt cheap.

Normites don't need to spend an arm and a leg to get quiet in the shop.

-- Some days, it's not even worth chewing through the restraints.

[Phisherman]

I have a pair of ear muffs that seal around the ear. I use them in the shop and when using a back-pack leaf blower. I think my surface planer and router art the noisiest shop tools. I tried the spongee cylinder ear plugs--they work too, very inexpensive and may be better for some folks--buy them at your firearms dealer.

[Martin H. Eastburn]