Thanks for raising an important issue. As someone who has worked in nursing homes, I’ve seen how hearing loss can be a big quality of life issue. Personally I’m a plugs on the job site plus muffs for power tools kind of guy. It’s a little belt and suspenders, but it helps if you don’t know when someone might turn on tools around you.
If you’re willing to double up, it’s worth looking into which frequencies each one is best rated for handling. That way you might be able to find a combination that complements each other, rather than having two things that do the same job and nothing filling in the gaps.
Proper fit is important for any type of ear protection. If it's uncomfortable, you know where it will wind up! And, fortunately in a home/small shop, needing fancy electronics to communicate with other workers is generally not an issue. I also agree with the "leave the piped in music off" when using machinery. Which gets me back to the peacefulness of hand tool work! Also, there is a duration and volume relationship that comes into play; even using a portable sander for a long time can become problematic (aside from just being boring and annoying). Spend some time on the 3M hearing protection website to learn more about this stuff.
I am in the same boat as Chris. (Hey, it’s a big boat, plenty of room, we can each have our space, etc.) What’s left of my hearing has to last me a while. And so I need good hearing protection. Comfortable, convenient, uncomplicated, effective. Which for me translates to exactly the same over-the-ear muffs from 3M Chris recommends. I’ve got three pairs—planer, table saw, band saw. No, actually, four. The fourth is in the bag I lug around with hand tools that sometimes is with me when I’m working somewhere not in my own shop, and there’s a need for hearing protection. Can’t beat ‘em. Yeah, some folks think they make me look like a doofus. But that’s okay, ‘cuz they’re talking behind my back where I can’t see ‘em, and with the muffs on, I can’t hear ‘em. And I don’t care anyway.
The 3M muffs get my vote. Twice. Three times on Sunday mornings when I can hear the birds in the backyard while I have my coffee.
Besides hearing loss, there is another word to fear. Tinnitus. That constant high pitched squeal that goes hand in glove with hearing loss. When I was a kid, who knew from ear defenders. As an adult, they really weren't practical to use in my trade. I only started using them in my shop at home. So, my ears ring like Quasimodo ringing the bells, and if close captioned is not available, I can't watch it. And yes, the muffs are the best.
I took over for the carpentry instructor at our high school level Career and Technical Center. He was there for 33 years. If he was more than 6' away from me and wasn't looking at me, he couldn't tell that I was talking to him. His hearing was that bad...
Have the ISOTune 'muff style' and the ISOTunes 'in ear' style.
Muffs have been fine, have had them for a couple years but one part of the plastic housing has cracked that causes them to snap off in the most violent ways imaginable.
I'm fine with the 'in eir' style, but my biggest grip is the hassle they are to put and take in out, particularly when someone asks you a question.
I have the Loop Quiet 2 for sleep and was curious about using them in the shop but I know I'd lose them pretty fast (they're black).
Will pick up one of the 3M pairs (I believe Lee Valley sells them). I also have a handful of completely plastic ones (I believe are for shooting) we purchased on the cheap at Walmart when taking the kids somewhere loud (that wasn't shooting related). I can't discern a difference in attenuation between those and the iso tune muffs, so they're my "guest" protectors.
Also, I see this a lot with grounds workers: AirPods, and Beats By DRE are not hearing protection! You're probably making the problem worse!
Howard Leight L3 ear muffs from Honeywell on Amazon...$35. 30db noise reduction. Use them for all manner of loud activities. Been too close to too many tank cannons and mortars during my 10 years in. Plus all kinds of shotguns hunting, skeet, sporting clays etc. If you need more than 30 db reduction wear some ear plugs underneath.
I turn 70 next week. I’ve been dealing with hearing loss and tinnitus for over 20 years, and have been using hearing protection for as long, tho it took some time to get religious about it.
I have multiples of the earmuff type protectors and tend to favor the 3M brand mentioned, and have 2 audio models, one the 3M AM/FM radio and the other a 3M Bluetooth enabled set. I’ve also used the foam ones now and again but don’t care for how they sit in my ears. I agree to a point about not listening to anything while using the tablesaw or chainsaw, but I’ll listen to music or a ballgame if I’m doing a noisy but boring task like cutting the grass and trimming the weeds…
I picked up a pair of their ear buds because the company is local to me, and was wildly unimpressed with them.
I was taught how to properly roll and insert hearing protection from a ridiculously young age; my dad is in occupational health. Even with the replaceable tips I never got a good fit with the in ear ISOTunes, and they're horribly fiddly to get in place.
Not a fan at all. My guess is the muffs are much easier to use, however.
I had some isotune in-ears and returned them. They fitted well but didn’t do nearly enough noise cancellation and the sound quality was terrible. If I want to listen to audio in the workshop while sanding or something, I use my a AirPod pros with active noise cancellation combined with 3m over ear muffs.
I don’t have a dog in this race, but $100 doesn’t seem like a bad value if the sound quality is decent and they have a sufficient NRR. But I’ve never used them, so I don’t know if either of those things are true.
I like my 3m muffs, and wear them while using just about any power tool besides my drill. The only thing that's really annoying about them is that I have to put them on last after eye pro and mask. So if I'm wearing all three and get a smudge on my lens, I have to take everything off to clean it, then put it all back on.
To me, that's a big point in favor of ear plugs, which don't have that big clunky band connecting them. But the muffs are certainly effective.
And while on the topic of protective equipment- have you ever tried Stoggles? I was on the fence because they are a little pricey, but the recommendation from some random internet stranger tipped the scale for me and I ordered some a couple of months ago. They are so much more comfortable than the cheap 3m glasses you can get at home depot that it kind of blew me away. And the lenses seem to be more fog resistant as well. I used to take the cheap ones off the moment I was done using the tool, but I tend to just leave my stoggles on while working because they're so comfortable. That was a really great investment as far as safety gear goes.
Great information, thanks for sharing. I will try the banded ear plugs; the little ear plugs I use are hard to keep up with and the ones with the string connecting them seams to get caught on things from time to time.
What?
Can't believe it took this long
Thanks for raising an important issue. As someone who has worked in nursing homes, I’ve seen how hearing loss can be a big quality of life issue. Personally I’m a plugs on the job site plus muffs for power tools kind of guy. It’s a little belt and suspenders, but it helps if you don’t know when someone might turn on tools around you.
If you’re willing to double up, it’s worth looking into which frequencies each one is best rated for handling. That way you might be able to find a combination that complements each other, rather than having two things that do the same job and nothing filling in the gaps.
You played in a rock band? I would never have guessed!
Proper fit is important for any type of ear protection. If it's uncomfortable, you know where it will wind up! And, fortunately in a home/small shop, needing fancy electronics to communicate with other workers is generally not an issue. I also agree with the "leave the piped in music off" when using machinery. Which gets me back to the peacefulness of hand tool work! Also, there is a duration and volume relationship that comes into play; even using a portable sander for a long time can become problematic (aside from just being boring and annoying). Spend some time on the 3M hearing protection website to learn more about this stuff.
I am in the same boat as Chris. (Hey, it’s a big boat, plenty of room, we can each have our space, etc.) What’s left of my hearing has to last me a while. And so I need good hearing protection. Comfortable, convenient, uncomplicated, effective. Which for me translates to exactly the same over-the-ear muffs from 3M Chris recommends. I’ve got three pairs—planer, table saw, band saw. No, actually, four. The fourth is in the bag I lug around with hand tools that sometimes is with me when I’m working somewhere not in my own shop, and there’s a need for hearing protection. Can’t beat ‘em. Yeah, some folks think they make me look like a doofus. But that’s okay, ‘cuz they’re talking behind my back where I can’t see ‘em, and with the muffs on, I can’t hear ‘em. And I don’t care anyway.
The 3M muffs get my vote. Twice. Three times on Sunday mornings when I can hear the birds in the backyard while I have my coffee.
Besides hearing loss, there is another word to fear. Tinnitus. That constant high pitched squeal that goes hand in glove with hearing loss. When I was a kid, who knew from ear defenders. As an adult, they really weren't practical to use in my trade. I only started using them in my shop at home. So, my ears ring like Quasimodo ringing the bells, and if close captioned is not available, I can't watch it. And yes, the muffs are the best.
I'm a big fan of the 3M muffs.
I took over for the carpentry instructor at our high school level Career and Technical Center. He was there for 33 years. If he was more than 6' away from me and wasn't looking at me, he couldn't tell that I was talking to him. His hearing was that bad...
Have the ISOTune 'muff style' and the ISOTunes 'in ear' style.
Muffs have been fine, have had them for a couple years but one part of the plastic housing has cracked that causes them to snap off in the most violent ways imaginable.
I'm fine with the 'in eir' style, but my biggest grip is the hassle they are to put and take in out, particularly when someone asks you a question.
I have the Loop Quiet 2 for sleep and was curious about using them in the shop but I know I'd lose them pretty fast (they're black).
Will pick up one of the 3M pairs (I believe Lee Valley sells them). I also have a handful of completely plastic ones (I believe are for shooting) we purchased on the cheap at Walmart when taking the kids somewhere loud (that wasn't shooting related). I can't discern a difference in attenuation between those and the iso tune muffs, so they're my "guest" protectors.
Also, I see this a lot with grounds workers: AirPods, and Beats By DRE are not hearing protection! You're probably making the problem worse!
Howard Leight L3 ear muffs from Honeywell on Amazon...$35. 30db noise reduction. Use them for all manner of loud activities. Been too close to too many tank cannons and mortars during my 10 years in. Plus all kinds of shotguns hunting, skeet, sporting clays etc. If you need more than 30 db reduction wear some ear plugs underneath.
I love reading you two.
I turn 70 next week. I’ve been dealing with hearing loss and tinnitus for over 20 years, and have been using hearing protection for as long, tho it took some time to get religious about it.
I have multiples of the earmuff type protectors and tend to favor the 3M brand mentioned, and have 2 audio models, one the 3M AM/FM radio and the other a 3M Bluetooth enabled set. I’ve also used the foam ones now and again but don’t care for how they sit in my ears. I agree to a point about not listening to anything while using the tablesaw or chainsaw, but I’ll listen to music or a ballgame if I’m doing a noisy but boring task like cutting the grass and trimming the weeds…
Whatever type you use, keep them clean. Use some sanitizing wipes. Also, if you wear a hat do the inside where it touches the head.
Too many “brand ambassadors” with ISOTunes… why should I pay $100 for a set of ear buds when Wilker_dos & her maker friends gets them for free?
I picked up a pair of their ear buds because the company is local to me, and was wildly unimpressed with them.
I was taught how to properly roll and insert hearing protection from a ridiculously young age; my dad is in occupational health. Even with the replaceable tips I never got a good fit with the in ear ISOTunes, and they're horribly fiddly to get in place.
Not a fan at all. My guess is the muffs are much easier to use, however.
I had some isotune in-ears and returned them. They fitted well but didn’t do nearly enough noise cancellation and the sound quality was terrible. If I want to listen to audio in the workshop while sanding or something, I use my a AirPod pros with active noise cancellation combined with 3m over ear muffs.
I don’t have a dog in this race, but $100 doesn’t seem like a bad value if the sound quality is decent and they have a sufficient NRR. But I’ve never used them, so I don’t know if either of those things are true.
I like my 3m muffs, and wear them while using just about any power tool besides my drill. The only thing that's really annoying about them is that I have to put them on last after eye pro and mask. So if I'm wearing all three and get a smudge on my lens, I have to take everything off to clean it, then put it all back on.
To me, that's a big point in favor of ear plugs, which don't have that big clunky band connecting them. But the muffs are certainly effective.
And while on the topic of protective equipment- have you ever tried Stoggles? I was on the fence because they are a little pricey, but the recommendation from some random internet stranger tipped the scale for me and I ordered some a couple of months ago. They are so much more comfortable than the cheap 3m glasses you can get at home depot that it kind of blew me away. And the lenses seem to be more fog resistant as well. I used to take the cheap ones off the moment I was done using the tool, but I tend to just leave my stoggles on while working because they're so comfortable. That was a really great investment as far as safety gear goes.
Great information, thanks for sharing. I will try the banded ear plugs; the little ear plugs I use are hard to keep up with and the ones with the string connecting them seams to get caught on things from time to time.
Do you know the muff-in man?
Sure do lol.