Noise reducing headphones for hearing protection?

[Bored Borg]

On Thu, 9 Apr 2009 18:03:19 +0100, MIKE- wrote (in article ):

No, me too.

I'm basically terrified of stationary power tools.. er, I'll rephrase that with me macho head on,, I _respect_ shop tools and I don't want 'em sneaking up on me when I'm looking the other way.

It's silly little things like putting a circular saw or a router down before it's come to a dead stop that just once in a while can take someone by surprise, or the ultimate nightmare, forgetting that the table saw is running and then coming into contact with the blade.. A VERY long shot with normal precautions, and very improbable if you can hear as well as see the blade but,,,, BUT a slightly greater possibility with distracting audio masking one of the clues.

O.K. maybe I'm a paranoid wuss, but I intend to be able to point rudely at things for a good while yet. I've seen too many sawmill hands (!) called Stumpy, Lefty...

Don't start me on nightclub-level sound systems in cars...

My two groats worth.

[Leon]

These noise cancellation devices do not cut out all the noise, mostly the loud noises.

[Leon]

Better to protect your hearing and be more cautious with you power tools than to get into the habit of not making certain that it has come to a complete stop before letting go of it. There are all kinds of noises in the shop that can drown out the sound of a router or circular saw coasting down to a stop. A DC, VAC and or radio can easily cover the sound of a power tool. I learned the hard way to always keep an eye on a power tool until it comes to a dead stop.

[-MIKE-]

I'm very familiar with hearing protection of just about every kind, and the noise canceling aspect has little to do with my concerns. My wife wonders how I can hear the things she hears, when I'm wearing ear plugs. I tell her the plugs don't remove the sounds, they just make them softer. It's only when I add an audio input to the plugs that I don't hear anything from the outside world.

There are things I want to and should hear in the shop. If I'm wearing headphones that are blocking outside sound *AND* adding noise that masks that sound, I'm asking for trouble. IMHO

[-MIKE-]

Yours doesn't have a guard?

[Leon]

Ahhh the playing music in the phones at the same time part, I did not catch that the first time. You bring up a good point with playing music in the head phones. Music in the shop, in the back ground is not such a bother for me, I keep it down so that I cannot hear it when a tool is running.

[-MIKE-]

[Bored Borg]

On Wed, 8 Apr 2009 22:35:03 +0100, Leon wrote (in article ):

I picked up a pair of El Cheapo (ALDI) for sixteen squids, not eally expecting much and I'm very impressed. Switched off, they are like any reasonable quality muff. Switched on, they let conversation level sound through clearly.. The shut-off really IS instantaneous.

I took 'em along to a band rehearsal and they worked really well... I often wear ear plugs but then there's the hassle of over-attenuation of chat and direction. These certainly helped me to hear detail through the sound barrage as well as my normal plugs and the H.F drop was not really a problem in this situation - 3 Marshall hundreds, a small vocal rig and undamped drums in a room about 20' square. O.K. they're not flat enough for critical monitoring, but then I didn't expect it . I wouldn't wear 'em to do a mix, for example. I'll be taking them regularly.

Workshop use is GREAT. Very little ear-muff claustrophobia.

The pass-through circuit is mono only at this price. Not really a problem either. Comfortable for wearing, extended period and none of that wrenching 'em off to deal with shwmbo yet still stop the router from hurting.

I'm convinces, anyhow.

[Martin H. Eastburn]

Be cautious on the earbuds - they can blast the ears.

I use a small bore pistol headset. I upgraded to a big bore one for the range - even if I shoot small bore (22lr) the guy next to me is a 45 or so.

They block levels of sound not frequencies. They are fast acting and allow talking to a person or hearing light sounds.

They are battery operated so they cost a bit to run.

Mart> I have been using some earbuds for music and then some big earmuff

[Puckdropper]

-MIKE- wrote in news:grlh28$s0o$1 @reader.motzarella.org:

Me, three.

The vacuum cleaner tries to sing along, but it doesn't know the words. The worst part is it tries to sing lead!

Puckdropper

[Bored Borg]

On Thu, 9 Apr 2009 19:54:12 +0100, MIKE- wrote (in article ):

no but it has a chaperone.

Actually I'm "between" C-saws now. Last one I had was pre-owned by Fred Flintstone and was hurled into a skip before it claimed any more lives

.. and Elric's mighty saw Stormbringer drank the souls of all who dared cross its path, shrieking its mournful song...

[Ralph E Lindberg]

That''s very much how I use them too

[-MIKE-]

As long as you still have a finger or two to type these gems, you'll be fine. :-)

[Larry Jaques]

On Thu, 09 Apr 2009 05:28:59 -0700, the infamous Ralph E Lindberg scrawled the following:

I bought the Harbor Freight ANR muffs for shooting, but they work very well in the shop, too. For super muffling, I add a pair of those super spongy foam earplugs inserted backwards. They seal off my ear canal better and I can sleep with them like that without my ear hurting in the morning. That's good for a 50+dB noise reduction.

------ We're born hungry, wet, 'n naked, and it gets worse from there.