Replies

1. 
   cracker | Feb 10, 2003 06:28pm | #1

   I've been using my liquid filled shooters ear muffs,they're very comfortable.

2. 
   Kell | Feb 10, 2003 06:42pm | #2

   I use the soft cup, muffs.  They have a 20 db reduction rating and are very comfortable.  For long time wear, over 20 minutes, they are a little "sweaty" especially in the summer time.  I'm willing to put up with it to save my hearing.  I love music and couldn't bear the thought of not being able to hear all of it!

   Kell

3. 
   jgaiennie | Feb 10, 2003 06:43pm | #3

   If you play tunes directly in your ear, you're almost sure to do as much damage in a short while than your tools will do in a long while.

4. 
   Sprucegum | Feb 10, 2003 09:26pm | #4

   If your earplugs are bothering you perhaps they don't fit properly ; shop around til you find some just right for you. Once you get a good fit and get acustomed to them you will want to wear them all the time.

   I can hear the radio quite well and still be protected from the high pitched harmful sounds- be they machines, music, or wives :o)

   It's not what you chew, it's how you chew it
5. 
   EdHarrison | Feb 10, 2003 10:59pm | #5

   I use the band style ear plugs from MSA Safety works. They are soft rubber, washable, and mounted on a plastic clip that you can wear around your neck like a necklace. Then you just put them in your ears whenever you are about to turn a machine on.

   I spent 20 yrs. flying helos in the Navy and have some high frequency hearing loss and mild tinnitus. The real damage was probably done when I worked for a while on the deck of an aircraft carrier as a safety officer. I can't describe how loud it can be. When you're wearing two layers of hearing protection ("foamies " and ear muffs) and a plane is in afterburner 75 feet away, your inner ears "itch." - that's when the real damage is being done. Nothing in the shop compares to that. Ed

6. 
   billyg83440 | Feb 10, 2003 11:41pm | #6

   I mostly use earmuffs. Leave a set by each machine I'm using and put them and the safety glasses on and off when using/not using the machine.

   If you prefer ear plugs, I much prefer the rubber ones. The ones that are tapered and have increasingly larger disks. You insert the narrow end in, and push in to seal the sound better. I used to leave these in all day when working. They're a bit uncomfortable long term if left all the way in. But, you can easily pull them out a little when not needed, so you can hear better, and push them back in tight when you need them. If used this way, they aren't much of an anoyance.

   If you're using the little foam cylinders. Those things suck. They take a lot of time to insert, you can't adjust them once they're in, and they're uncomfortable. I've tried many types. These are the worst.

   Funny thing, my most comfortable and effective muffs, the ones the kids fight over, aren't the expensive ones. They're some I got from Harbor Frieght for $4 ea..

7. 
   TomMGTC | Feb 11, 2003 01:05am | #7

   The peltor worktunes are very nice. I got a set for my dad for christmas and am going to get some for myself as well. 25 db noise reduction and a good sounding radio with good reception all in one package. 

   Tom
8. 
   RW | Feb 11, 2003 02:34am | #8

   My favs gotta be the necklace kind with the contoured soft squishy foam on the ends. You don't notice them after the first 30 seconds. Got the first pair from Hilti with a tool I bought. Now I get them at a Fire Equip & Safety shop in town.

   My sentiments to the aircraft carrier guy. Having a tomcat hit burners thirty feet away has to be a significant emotional experience the first couple of times.

   " Clothes make the man. Naked people have litte or no influence in society" - Mark Twain

9. 
   Hempstalk | Feb 11, 2003 02:35am | #9

      I've been using a pair of custom fit plugs I had made about 7 years ago.  Still in good condition other than a few small bite marks left by the dog.  They take a mold of your ear cannal and make a plug to fit exactly.  Their very comfortable.  I wear mine for hours on end and you basically forget their even in.  I went with a vented pair that reduces damaging noise yet let you hear someone talking to you.  I can't stand having to take hearing protection off everytime someone says something to you.  No one can sneak up on you either and scare the crap out of you while your working.   Cost me 75 cdn.

10. 
    rkkelly36 | Feb 11, 2003 03:25am | #10

    I use a set i got a few years ago when i joined a skeet-shooting league in Atlanta. Was in a local gun shop and saw someone getting a set made. They injected some goop--kind of like liquid silly putty--into my ears, and a few minutes and $30 bucks later, i had a set of very comfortable, custom-made earplugs. Have used them for shooting and woodworking ever since and love them. After a while, i forget i have them in. They're even different colors so i can separate them easier. They come with a string to connect them, but it bothered me when i was shooting, so i took it off. If you live near Altanta or another city with a good gunshop, it's certainly worth a look.

    Peace,

    kevin