Hearing Protection

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maddis
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Hearing Protection

Post by maddis »

My dust collector motor is unavoidably near where I sit when I'm working at the wheel. When I build a new shop I'll isolate it, but it's not possible now.

I value my ears almost as much as my hands, so I'm thinking it would be worth investing in a good set of ear protectors. Any recommendations? I don't want to go the HF low budget route on this, but I don't think I need the Bose super-galactic noise cancelling parametric studio woodworking cranium surround system either, if such a thing existed.
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RadDavis
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by RadDavis »

Ace hardware has "Mickey Mouse Ears" for hearing protection. They're like head sets without speakers.

Rad
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d.huber
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by d.huber »

I wear a set of these:

Image

They sound great, stay out of the way, have long battery life, are incredibly comfortable, and isolate extremely well especially when you combine them with Comply TX-500 Earphone Tips. I shape right next to my shop vac and almost can't hear it because the TX-500s isolate so well.

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E.L.Cooley
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by E.L.Cooley »

There is a company called E.A.R. Inc. They have reps all over, here is a link. I use these at work. I have had some trouble with my left ear not sealing. I think it is me. My local rep remade my left ear for free until I was happy. Cost is around $50us

http://www.earinc.com/p1-nonelectronic-instamold.php



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oklahoma red
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by oklahoma red »

Get some soft foam ear plugs at Wally-World (pharmacy is where I got mine). Roll between your fingers to reduce the diameter and stick 'em in your ear canal. They'll expand and seal off quite nicely. When they get funky, toss 'em. Cheap protection.
Chas.
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Ratimus
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by Ratimus »

oklahoma red wrote:When they get funky, toss 'em. Cheap protection.
Chas.
Or if you're super-cheap (like me) you can zip them in a coat pocket and throw it in the wash. Discovered that one by accident, works great.
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maddis
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by maddis »

Thanks for the leads!

Dave, can you actually listen to music at a safe decibel level and filter out the background noise at the same time with those buds? If so, that's pretty amazing technology.
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andrew
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by andrew »

maddis wrote:Thanks for the leads!

Dave, can you actually listen to music at a safe decibel level and filter out the background noise at the same time with those buds? If so, that's pretty amazing technology.
Our work crews often wear ear buds instead of traditional hearing protection. The only issue is that you can't hear equipment malfunctions. So depending on what you're doing that could be a serious issue.

andrew
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Joe T
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by Joe T »

I have a pair of these and I love them:

http://www.surefire.com/ep3-sonic-defenders.html

They're completely passive (no electronics), but they're designed so that the louder the sound the more they muffle. I like them because I can hear things at a normal sound level, but when I turn on the power tools they keep the noise level in check.
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maddis
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by maddis »

Joe T wrote:I have a pair of these and I love them:

http://www.surefire.com/ep3-sonic-defenders.html

They're completely passive (no electronics), but they're designed so that the louder the sound the more they muffle. I like them because I can hear things at a normal sound level, but when I turn on the power tools they keep the noise level in check.
These look pretty much perfect. I noticed that they are described as "extended life" (up to 6 months depending on the use) - They're very reasonably priced but I'm curious why they would wear out or stop functioning that quickly. What's wearing down?
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Joe T
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by Joe T »

maddis wrote:...What's wearing down?
The soft micro baffles they use either break down with use, or over time... I just order two pair at a time and I'm set for a year. They're cheap enough, and you just let them soak in a little cup of water when they need cleaning.
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caskwith
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by caskwith »

I wish I could get a proper pair of ear defenders that also work with glasses. While ear plugs are fine they just aren't quite up to the task sometimes.
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W.Pastuch
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by W.Pastuch »

If you have a loud machine very close to your ears then I guess hearing protection is necessary. However, I find it absolutely impossible to work with any kind of hearing protection or earphones. When I do I keep checking if there's anyone at the door, I get frightened by small noises that I don't know the source of and it makes me very uncomfortable when I can't hear the sound of what I'm doing. It's generally very upsetting for me.
Maybe I could get used to it, but for now I prefer to enjoy the music of the motors in my shop, as long as they're not too close to my head ;)
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LittleBill
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by LittleBill »

As has been mentioned already, foam plugs will give you the highest noise reduction rating. And as also been mentioned, you can wash them and reuse them (I did for years). The efficiency will go down with washing. I wear them for various things, but I prefer muffs whenever possible. The nicest ones I have found for a good price are made by Elvex. I've got straight muffs for the shop, and electronic ones for the range.
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Sasquatch
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by Sasquatch »

"Laser Lites" brand ear plugs have the highest dB reduction I have ever experienced with foam plugs. They are decently comfy and really kill high frequency noise. I can't hear my wife if she talks to me with these in my ears.
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Charl
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by Charl »

Might be a good thing! :lol:
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d.huber
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by d.huber »

maddis wrote:Thanks for the leads!

Dave, can you actually listen to music at a safe decibel level and filter out the background noise at the same time with those buds? If so, that's pretty amazing technology.
Oh yeah. They isolate incredibly well and I keep everything around half volume. No problem hearing music and can't hear much outside of that. I'd say it's a 50 to 60 dB drop in noise when I put them in.

Andrew makes a good point about using your ears for safety though. In some applications your ears are critical for safety. When I'm shaping I'm not really worried about it. I'm only running my motor and shop vac so the risk of missing something important is fairly low.

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KurtHuhn
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by KurtHuhn »

You can use pretty much anything sold to lumbermen or sport shooters. I have a set of Howard Leight Sport Impact muffs that are really comfortable and low profile. I also use the soft foam inserts, which are actually more comfortable, but don't have the benefit of active noise cutoff. Either one will work. just fine.
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sandahlpipe
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by sandahlpipe »

I only need hearing protection when my compressor is running. For that, I use my shooting muff style ones simply because I like being able to take them off in a second if I need to do something else. The little orange ones you buy at the hardware store and roll and stuff in your ears are better protection than my muffs, but it really doesn't matter. Nothing in my shop is as loud as a handgun in an indoor range and my muffs are enough for that. I may look at buying the ones David recommended because sandblasting does get boring. I usually just turn up the music on my dock and can hear it a little over my compressor once in a while.
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socrates
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Re: Hearing Protection

Post by socrates »

I believe 85 decibels or higher require hearing protection so when you go to buy make sure the protection level is for 85 decibels sustained or higher. If you want super protection wear ear plugs with Mickey Mouse ears over.

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