Ear muffs (sound reduction)

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brothers
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Ear muffs (sound reduction)

Post by brothers »

I recently saw the failure of my previous weed eater/ edger and replaced it with a new and seemingly better one. It's a 2-cycle gas engine and after using it 3 or 4 times, I noticed a reduction of hearing in my previously dominant right ear. I didn't initially associate these two occurrences. When I did make the connection I decided I should get something to muffle the roar of the engine a couple of feet from my left ear. So I googled around and found a pair of muffs at The Home Depot. I bought them and am very satisfied with the results. All of the above is noteworthy only because of the many decades that have come and gone before now. How odd that I never even considered this. Yes, I'm a slow learner. Why did I never consider any of this?


Edit: Not my left ear. The one on the right.
Last edited by brothers on Sun Aug 12, 2018 9:01 am, edited 2 times in total.
Gary

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drmoss_ca
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Re: Ear muffs (sound reduction)

Post by drmoss_ca »

Anytime you get some ringing (tinnitus) after noise exposure, you have lost some hearing. Having only half my right ear working, and total deafness on the left, I have to be paranoid about preserving what's left. So ear muffs when mowing or using power tools, and either noise-cancelling headphones or a closed-cell foam earplug when driving the Miata with the roof down. (We just did a 1200km trip over the last few days, culminating in eleven hours driving yesterday, so the earplug was needed.) I can't hold a conversation with it in, but it is comfortable and effective.

Chris
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Pauldog
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Re: Ear muffs (sound reduction)

Post by Pauldog »

A lot of music clubs sell foam earplugs for cheap these days.

Some years ago, I took a hearing test and found that I had some high-pitch hearing loss in my left ear. The technician thought that it was likely from car wind noise from the days before almost all cars had A/C and to keep cool I kept the driver window open, even on the highway.
brothers
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Re: Ear muffs (sound reduction)

Post by brothers »

Rock concerts
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ShadowsDad
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Re: Ear muffs (sound reduction)

Post by ShadowsDad »

You'll get no argument from me on wearing hearing protection Gary.

Many years ago folks didn't wear hearing protection when shooting and I'm old enough to be one of them. Then I smartened up. There are times when I wear electronic muffs that cut out at high Db AND earplugs. I put the e-muffs at full volume to get the range commands through the ear plugs but when the shot occurs I have super noise cutout. It's freaky because one can hear the joints as one moves since most of the noise getting to the ears is coming through the bones.

There were places where I worked where one absolutely had to wear dual protection to be hearing safe and that was where I first learned of the technique.
Last edited by ShadowsDad on Sat Aug 18, 2018 8:11 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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jww
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Re: Ear muffs (sound reduction)

Post by jww »

Ear plugs for me. My hearing loss isn't as bad as Chris describes, but I do have hearing aids and wouldn't be able to function in the mainstream of life without them. Nice to not wear them on occasion like when I am doing odd-jobs or flitting around out in the yard. Never when I cycle. I don't wear anything in my ears when I am riding the bike -- and can't understand how people can do that. Ottawa is a commuter heavy city and most people I see on bicycles have some form of earbuds or headphones on when riding -- and it isn't just the young-uns either. I can't figure that out -- the reduced safety - even in a commuter-friendly city beggars belief for me.
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Re: Ear muffs (sound reduction)

Post by Rufus »

jww wrote: Sat Aug 18, 2018 4:38 am Ear plugs for me. My hearing loss isn't as bad as Chris describes, but I do have hearing aids and wouldn't be able to function in the mainstream of life without them. Nice to not wear them on occasion like when I am doing odd-jobs or flitting around out in the yard. Never when I cycle. I don't wear anything in my ears when I am riding the bike -- and can't understand how people can do that. Ottawa is a commuter heavy city and most people I see on bicycles have some form of earbuds or headphones on when riding -- and it isn't just the young-uns either. I can't figure that out -- the reduced safety - even in a commuter-friendly city beggars belief for me.
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brothers
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Re: Ear muffs (sound reduction)

Post by brothers »

After these few weeks of using my new muffs, I am wondering why it took me so long.
Gary

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BobY04
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Re: Ear muffs (sound reduction)

Post by BobY04 »

Might be too late for me to respond to this but you should try Big Ear and their custom fitted products. My pair of custom filtered earplugs helped my a lot dealing with my hyperacusis(noise sensitivity).
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Re: Ear muffs (sound reduction)

Post by ShadowsDad »

Rufus wrote: Sat Aug 18, 2018 1:56 pm They’re vying for Darwin Awards.
If they've already bred all they can get is an honorable mention. Darwin Awards are for folks who have removed their genes from the available gene pool.
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Kyle76
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Re: Ear muffs (sound reduction)

Post by Kyle76 »

Gas weed eaters and blowers are an abomination. They disturb the entire neighborhood and it seems there’s one going almost constantly somewhere nearby. They are also significant polluters. I’ve replaced mine - and even my lawnmower - with battery power, which has improved to the point that they have plenty of power and I can mow my entire lawn on a single charge. So much quieter and more pleasant. And, no more stressing my arm with repeated pulls on a starter cord.
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Re: Ear muffs (sound reduction)

Post by John Rose »

I always get the full weekend pass to a local annual indie music festival (Sappyfest) and always carry a set like these silicone rubber plugs on a lanyard:

Image

I squeeze one end through a top buttonhole so I can just let them drape over my shoulder between sets.
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Re: Ear muffs (sound reduction)

Post by CCoates23 »

I wear these custom earplugs from Big Ear under my cheapo earmuffs every time I mow the lawn. I also use them in the range.
brothers
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Re: Ear muffs (sound reduction)

Post by brothers »

CCoates23, welcome to SMF.
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