Helmet Mounted Ear Protection

[Husabud]

Well I just snapped off one of the muffs on my Petzl helmet. I also need a new set for the Kask I just bought used. What are your thoughts on this? I think I had 3m muffs before but cannot seem to find the same ones. The Kask has Peltors on it and they suck. I would be better off sticking cigarettebutts in my ears, which I have done before just long ago.

 

[MasterBlaster]

Muffs are too hot, down here. Plugs only.

 

[Husabud]

I can imagine. I just hate pulling them out to yell down to my groundie.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I don't have to remove them to do that.

;>)

 

[SoonerFan]

I like my hearing. I put plugs in, then put muffs over them.

 

[SkwerI]

Check on Amazon, they have tons of stuff.

 

[squisher]

There are all different types of peltor muffs. The big azz green ones offer some serious dampening.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

I like my hearing. I put plugs in, then put muffs over them.

Me, too.

I like the Silencio silicone plugs on cords. My trick is to pull the cord out of the plug, double it over (has a little stiff plastic aglet) and stuff it back in the hole. I think that the manufacturer likes it loose so that the occasional one will fall off the cord and be lost, causing the need to buy another. Things will last until you lose them. $3 a pair. Easy in, easy out, easy back in, single handedly. Doesn't matter if they get wet like foam plugs.

 

[SoonerFan]

My trick is to pull the cord out of the plug, double it over (has a little stiff plastic aglet) and stuff it back in the hole.

Gonna give this a try! I use uncorded plugs and keep the container in my pocket because the corded ones fall off. Thanks for the tip!

 

[treesmith]

I use these.....

I lost one last year when it fell from the tree. Prior to that, I hadn't lost one in over 10 years. I keep 2 pair in the truck for spares, along with a zip-lock bag full of the foam ones that Carl leaves in my truck so he always has some available. I use the orange, which are mediums. I keep one pair of the green (small) in the truck for my daughter. I had a buddy in the Guard who got me a handful of the little green cases when the military changed to something different. A case will last about 3 years before it gets to where it doesn't snap shut. They go in my pocket before I go out the door. I have them at airshows, fireworks shows, you name it...if it gets loud, they're goin' in! I even wear them while pushing the lawn mower. If I have to make a cut or two with the Skilsaw, I'll stick them in. I have sensitive ears I guess.

 

[SouthSoundTree]

Almost always have a pair around my neck. Good for me as I'm routinely doing something loud, if only for a minute. I actually handsawed a small piece of plywood this morning, as for a change I didn't have ear plugs on me, so passed on a choice of power saws.

 

[Husabud]

I looked today and the muffs I have on the Petzl are Peltors, the orange ones with 3M stamped on the side. I have plenty of in ear plugs both custom fit and generic, but I prefer the muffs on my helmet when I am climbing. Less Bs in the tree the better. My helmet rarely leaves my head during the day, so to switch between or leave the in ear type in tends to drive me nuts. Besides I can't hear shit anymore so to have something in my ear all day or even part of it brings me too close to what may happen eventually anyway.

 

[SoonerFan]

Huh? What??

 

[woodworkingboy]

One of my modded saws is particularly loud. I do like Dennis, sometimes use the plugs and the muffs, but I also stuffed some more foam into the muffs, so they are pretty adequate by themselves now.

 

[brendonv]

I've got the Peltors with the 27NRR.

I'd really like to find a set of muffs with a thing strap on top that can be worn with a helmet over them. I like to wear a helmet all day for the professional look, and it'd be nice to loose the weight of them when raking, or hand pruning, etc.

Anyone know of any?

 

[treesmith]

What is the primary advantage of muffs over plugs? I wear muffs when shooting, but by far prefer plugs when working. I can "adjust" mine for the amount for noise control I need. When climbing, I don't drive them quite to the brain, so as to be able to communicate with ground personnel. When I fire up a bigger saw, or am in close proximity to chipper/stump grinder, I give them another nudge or two. When I started out with Asplundh, we used the little springy kind of plugs that you wear hanging off the back of your neck and "sprung" into position when needed. I used to hate bumping stuff with the little plastic band. Near deafening "thump" when a limb slapped it. And the corded type was always hanging stuff and being pulled out of the ear. I settled on regular plugs and haven't looked back. It just seems to me that all that extra cargo on a helmet would cause problems.

 

[woodworkingboy]

It isn't so infrequent to get my muffs caught on stuff when getting moved through the crown on a crane ball. Damn near rips off my helmet sometimes if the operator isn't right on it or can't see. I hate that.

 

[treesmith]

Are you opposed to plugs, Jay?

 

[woodworkingboy]

No, Scott, just haven't gotten in the habit of using them. Recently I did buy some new ones after having lost the Stihl ones, probably get back to using them more now.

 

[treesmith]

I'm an ear plug junkie. I've got at least one pair in each vehicle, two pair in the shooting house, along with a set of muffs. I won't call any names, but I saw a young man once take two .357 cartridges and place them in his ears for plugs....I cautioned him not to bump his head on anything sharp.

 

[woodworkingboy]

Oh, that would be a heck of a wet willy!

 

[Husabud]

What is the primary advantage of muffs over plugs? I wear muffs when shooting, but by far prefer plugs when working. |:

As I understand it the temporal bone around the ear absorbs as much if not more vibration noise as your ear thus leading to more hearing damage. With a muff you essentially block off or at least insulate that bone from noise vibration. Muffs are hot and can be cumbersome, but I prefer the flip up and talk instead of pull it out and talk routine.

 

[treesmith]

I can definitely see the advantage of flipping it up, but I've gotten used to wearing mine "loose" while climbing when I need to communicate with those below.

 

[woodworkingboy]

I got curious once about what was inside my Stihl muffs, and after taking a look, was surprised to find nothing more that a cheapo piece of urethane foam. There are certainly more dense grades of foam, which I added. Perhaps there are better ones on the market, but there doesn't seem a lot of effort that goes into those. It appears that they could be much improved on, maybe even some material that blocks saw noise and still allows voice transmission. If you want to increase the level of sound protection, an upholstery shop should have what you need.

 

[MasterBlaster]

I hate hot ass earmuffs. Earplugs all the way, bought by the case.