3d74 Hearing Protection...what do you use? [Archive] - LawnSite.com™ - Lawn Care & Landscaping Business Forum
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stephen424
04-08-2010, 08:06 PM
I have been using foam ear plugs for the longest. Just got tired of pulling them out (when someone talks to me) and then rolling it up and inserting again. Bought a pair of Stihl HP 25 today. They're okay....I just get a weird sound when I'm mowing...edging, blowing is okay.
Should I step it up to the Stihl HP 29 (29 noise reduction rating) or is this overkill.
what do you use?
topsites
04-08-2010, 08:11 PM
Foam plugs, hate those mickey mouse ears except when it's cold outside.

As for the annoyance of having to pull them out to speak to customers and folks,
just keep making sure that you think of it as such, then one day when the folks and
the customers catch on and you start running short on work, suddenly you might not
find it so annoying anymore LOL!

Hell yeah, learned that one the hard way: The customer is the MOST important person in the world.
stephen424
04-08-2010, 08:23 PM
yea yea yea. i understand the whole "customer first" concept.
but when you have 10 yards a day...and each customer wants to come outside and talk jibberish...then point out an ant mound...then point out where'd they'd like to plant some shrubs in the fall....and point out where the dog chewed their fence....etc.
you soon realize that a yard that should have taken an hour...is taking 1.5 hours with the pointless convos added on.
and instead of knocking out your normal 10 yards by 5...you find yourself working til 8p...or pushing one yard to the next day. then you find yourself working all day saturday cause you've gotten trapped in conversations by the MOST important person in the world..the customer!!
you'll soon realize how annoying pointless conversations are!!

but this thread is about earmuffs...not customers
ashgrove landscaping
04-08-2010, 08:35 PM
Peltor work tunes. complete protection and you got tunes all day. I have no idea why anyone fumbles around with foam earplugs. They fall out half the time , get super nasty, waste time and just don't work that well in general.
theheisk
04-08-2010, 09:10 PM
AO Safety Work Tunes. Very comfortable and the digital tuner is a nice feature.
Posted via Mobile Device
green horizons
04-08-2010, 09:13 PM
The Stanley brand of "work-tunes". They have 20-something noise reduction
and comfortable. They are hard to use with a hat, however. A hat is really nice on
hot summer days. I also like the AOS brand of hearing bands. Especially the blue ones
that have hinges on either side. Super comfortable with ultra noise reduction, but I can't
seem to find them anymore. It use to be that Lowes carried the band and Menards
carried the foam replacements..... Now they're nowhere to be found. Hello AOS?
betmr
04-08-2010, 09:25 PM
Sony compact Radio on my belt, ear bud speakers, & 30db ear muffs. Like ridin' in the car. And I can still hear mamma moan when I get home! I say the more db the better.
Hoy landscaping
04-08-2010, 09:28 PM
AO Safety Work Tunes. Very comfortable and the digital tuner is a nice feature.
Posted via Mobile Device

thats what i use. there great. only 50 bucks at lowes
dtford
04-08-2010, 09:33 PM
Peltor radio headphones, couldn't survive without them
R & R Yard Designs
04-08-2010, 09:39 PM
I use bigear plugs that are molded to my ears only cost 300 or so but my hearing is worth it any day. Plug in to the ipod and work for 10 hrs. Then on the bikes no wind noise at all
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STIHL GUY
04-08-2010, 09:41 PM
i use AOsafety worktunes. they work well for me
whitenack
04-09-2010, 04:40 PM
I was just getting ready to ask the same question. Glad I used the search function.

I just got done last night mowing an acre with a 17" push mower. When I was finished I decided that I needed some music the next time I did that!
Cboy7
04-09-2010, 06:37 PM
hmm I never heard of Bigears, but I looked at them , and seems like the best protection you can get
http://www.bigearinc.com/Products/catalog.aspx

I use the blue rubber insert plugs with 3 ribs on them.. they are rated better than the muffs and they are trouble free
metro36
04-09-2010, 07:27 PM
I use howard leight max corded plugs (33nrr) most of the time. I bought a box last year and liked them. I lose the ones without the cord to easily.

During fall cleanups and when I am running a snowblower in the winter I wear a pair of peltors which have like a nrr of 29 or 30.
lawnlandscape
04-09-2010, 10:59 PM
AO Safety Work Tunes. Very comfortable and the digital tuner is a nice feature.
Posted via Mobile Device

I have a pair of these and LOVE them in the winter, but HATE them in the summer. They are REALLY hot. One thing that sucks about them too, is if your using something that is pretty loud, you can not even hear the music anyway, because the sounds does not go loud enough.
vanncann
04-09-2010, 11:19 PM
E A R foam plugs for me. Never fall out and if they do it's the user doing something wrong!!!
Tmintz5
04-10-2010, 01:37 AM
I use the Peltor 30db from Grainger they work great for me, I like these a lot better and any ear plugs.
LwnmwrMan22
04-10-2010, 01:40 AM
http://www.lawnsite.com/showthread.php?t=159733&highlight=shure

Scroll to post #28 and you'll see my pics of what I use.

I use Shure headphones, although now that I think about it, I've switched to Klipsch.

Anyways, I use these with the foam earplugs, and have pics to show how.
Tinkerer
04-10-2010, 01:56 AM
Little flesh colored foam plugs I push in and can't be seen easily. They have clear plastic fishing line type strings attached so I can pull them out (I keep a lot hidden in the garage). After I leave the wife in the house I pull them out at the next red light on my way to the shop and then once at my first lawn I use radio headphones from Northerntool.com
betmr
04-10-2010, 07:14 AM
I have a pair of these and LOVE them in the winter, but HATE them in the summer. They are REALLY hot. One thing that sucks about them too, is if your using something that is pretty loud, you can not even hear the music anyway, because the sounds does not go loud enough.

That is why I use ear bud speakers, under standard ear muffs, the tunes go right into my ears, with no dead space between them. I find the sound much clearer than radio ear muffs. Plus, I don't see any radio ear muffs with a 30 db rating. The ear buds add to outside noise blocking, and the ear muffs do their normal thing. I can still hear the Engine and Machine noise enough to monitor them, and am relaxed enough to react calmly to any situation. Advantages of hearing protection are, 1) save your hearing. & 2) Loud & constant noise, cause stress & confusion, which can add to poor mental performance in reaction to problems.
lawnlandscape
04-10-2010, 08:27 AM
That is why I use ear bud speakers, under standard ear muffs, the tunes go right into my ears, with no dead space between them. I find the sound much clearer than radio ear muffs. Plus, I don't see any radio ear muffs with a 30 db rating. The ear buds add to outside noise blocking, and the ear muffs do their normal thing. I can still hear the Engine and Machine noise enough to monitor them, and am relaxed enough to react calmly to any situation. Advantages of hearing protection are, 1) save your hearing. & 2) Loud & constant noise, cause stress & confusion, which can add to poor mental performance in reaction to problems.

Sounds like a good idea. One reason I have always hated ear buds is becaus they seemed to always fall out while working and I have to put down my tools to put them back in ... over and over. BUT, if I'm wearing them under ear protection that should hold them in there! :clapping:
Cboy7
04-10-2010, 05:33 PM
I see alot of you listen to tunes or radio.

I tried it once , and I just cant seem to focus on mowing as well. I keep trying to think ahead and plan the next jobs and tell the guy what to do .. maybe I am just not as good at multi tasking.
or maybe its just ocd
betmr
04-10-2010, 05:53 PM
Sounds like a good idea. One reason I have always hated ear buds is becaus they seemed to always fall out while working and I have to put down my tools to put them back in ... over and over. BUT, if I'm wearing them under ear protection that should hold them in there! :clapping:

Just 1 pointer: if they have those tabs that go down, I reverse left & right, and put them in with the tabs up. need that clearance, in the muff.
betmr
04-10-2010, 05:55 PM
I see alot of you listen to tunes or radio.

I tried it once , and I just cant seem to focus on mowing as well. I keep trying to think ahead and plan the next jobs and tell the guy what to do .. maybe I am just not as good at multi tasking.
or maybe its just ocd

It's like driving to me, I listen to the radio, but still concentrate on the road, and the traffic around me.
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