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Ear protection???????????

matwormatwor Member Posts: 20,594
edited August 2009 in General Discussion
When buying muffs, what kind do you want? What is a good number rating to get, NNR-22, etc.?

Comments

  • RtWngExtrmstRtWngExtrmst Member Posts: 7,456
    edited November -1
    What did you say? Huuh? Can you speak up?
  • matwormatwor Member Posts: 20,594
    edited November -1
    I SAID, WHAT KINDA NOISE REDUCTION RATING IS BEST????
  • rhythm_guyrhythm_guy Member Posts: 1,512 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    The higher the number the better. My ears are bad enough already from years of rock & roll.
  • montanajoemontanajoe Forums Admins, Member, Moderator Posts: 57,892 ******
    edited November -1
    Ya know, I recently seen a audiologist refered by my employer. And yep my hearing is way bad. Told her I run a saw that is 20 feet long, has 5 blades, 1 30", 3 20", and 1 12" (can cut from 2x4 to 2x12, from 20 feet long to 11 inches long) and have been on it for like 7 years. The saw room maxed out at 160 db. Told her I also hunt and shoot. She asked what I use for ear protection. Told her in beginning was muffs on the saw but now use those soft foam inserts. She said the soft inserts are THE BEST. Couldn't believe it. I wouldve bet a GOOD pair of muffs would be better, she said NOPE. [?][?][?]
  • 1911a1-fan1911a1-fan Member Posts: 51,193 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    i try not to over think it to much, just what i can afford , but once you go electronic you'll never go back
  • PTHEIMPTHEIM Member Posts: 3,374
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Flying Clay Disk
    Depends on what you're shooting.

    sometimes plugs work, but other times muffs are better. Then there are other times when you need both.



    [}:)]Yeah, but, how many times do you get to use a 105mm Howitzer to hunt deer with??[;)][:o)]
  • Don McManusDon McManus Member Posts: 23,460 ✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    quote:Originally posted by Flying Clay Disk
    Depends on what you're shooting.

    sometimes plugs work, but other times muffs are better. Then there are other times when you need both.

    With anything larger that a .22LR, I always use both.
    Freedom and a submissive populace cannot co-exist.

    Brad Steele
  • HighballHighball Member Posts: 15,755
    edited November -1
    The problem with muffs..they don't fit every head.
    The soft foam plugs expand to fill the space..and give the highest reduction numbers.

    I get far less ringing when wearing soft plugs then the muffs..and I have the electronic, also.
  • JamesRKJamesRK Member Posts: 25,670 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I used the plugs you squeeze and put in your ear once. Once.

    I rolled it between my thumb and forefinger to compact it just like the corpsman showed me. I stuck it into my ear canal just like the corpsman showed me.

    When we secured from General Quarters it took the corpsman damn near half an hour to dig it out. I went back to the Mickey Mouse ears. I was already technically deaf before the corpsman discovered this new medical miracle anyway, so it didn't matter much.
    The road to hell is paved with COMPROMISE.
  • reloader44magreloader44mag Member Posts: 18,783 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    plugs, plus muffs ALWAYS...anyone who thinks plugs are enuf...have a loss of hearing...I know I'm living proof from the young, dumb, and full of * days....It aint badazz to be deaf....double up
  • lindalecowboylindalecowboy Member Posts: 1,909 ✭✭✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    I love the ones I got from Cabela's that have the battery operated voice enhancement... hear someone talking to you easily but shuts down when loud noise (gun discharge) occurs. Paid $29 or so for them I believe and they work great.

    If I'm going to be shooting some big stuff, I too use both, ear plugs and muffs......
  • nemesisenforcernemesisenforcer Member Posts: 10,513 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    pretty much any of the stuff out there does the job. It's a matter of comfort and preferences, just like most things in life.
  • leatherbeadleatherbead Member Posts: 138 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    Just use the EAR yellow plugs and you will be fine. A little spit on the end when you put them in doesn't hurt things at all. I can't remember when they came out, but I have used them for years, and they work. Save the muffs for when its cold.
  • minitruck83minitruck83 Member Posts: 5,369
    edited November -1
    Couple of cigarette filters.
    For some reason used seems to work better. (easier to find too)

    [;)]






    Allen
  • spasmcreekspasmcreek Member Posts: 37,724 ✭✭✭
    edited November -1
    foam plugs for tractor .. if i had them 50 years ago maybe hearing a7 tinnitus would be less....simple and works
  • n/an/a Member Posts: 168,427
    edited November -1
    I get a chuckle at the trap and skeet range seeing people trying to shoot shotguns with the big ear muff type protectors.Bang, lean over pick em up..Bang, Now they are on their nose..[:0].We wind up selling a bunch of the soft plugs every week..[:D]

    Find yourself some silencio, soft, plugs with the aluminum baffle inside..
  • Rocky4windsRocky4winds Member Posts: 760 ✭✭
    edited November -1
    For earmuffs or any hearing protectors, the higher the NRR the better, providing they are comfortable and seal the ear. The NRR, though, is a government mandated rating system- individual results may vary.

    The best earplugs are the ones you will wear. It is better to consistently wear ones that work OK rather than rarely wear ones that work really well. Which ones are most effective? It depends on what you are doing.

    If you are running shop tools or chainsaw, lawn mower, etc., then either plugs or muffs will be fine depending on what is comfortable for you. If you are shooting small caliber rifle, like .22 or less, either plugs or muffs is fine. Anything larger, you will want to use both foam plugs rolled and inserted as deep as possible with the earmuffs over the top of them. Of course, that is assuming that you are target shooting- when hunting then most people don't use any protection.

    Electronic earplugs (such as the Walker's Game Ear) and the multitude of electronic earmuffs are great, especially if you have any loss of hearing at all. They amplify just enough to overcome the hearing loss caused by the earplugs/muffs, but at a loud impact sound they shut down immediately and act as an earplug. The baffled earplugs like what the military uses work similarly, in that the baffle shuts off the impact sound to prevent the loud noises from hitting the eardrum.

    However, if you claim that you are working in 160 dBA I am going to call BS, because about 140-150 is the thresholds of physical pain. No way can you run an 8 hour shift in that much noise. Permanent deafness, even with plugs and muffs in, will be inevitable. A shotgun at ear level is about 150 dBA, a 30-06 at ear level is about 160 dBA. A .50 cal machine gun runs about 170 dBA. Also, no way OSHA would let an employer let people work in 160 dBA. Check your readings again. If it really is that loud, then you need to report your employer to OSHA, sue him, something, but refuse to work until it is corrected. If it truly is 160 dBA then I would love to see the documentation on it. I do work for three sawmills here, and even the planer room is not that loud.

    DO NOT put spit on your earplugs before you put them in your ear unless you like things like bacteria and mold inside your ear canals. I have seen that, and it is Major Yuck, not to mention what would happen if you had mold in your ear canal then used your keys to scratch inside your ears, then the mold gets into the bloodstream. Yeah, that would be pretty.

    I don't know much, but this is what I do for a living as an Audiologist.
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