Great... but...

I agree that using any device that plays entertainment while blocking outside sounds could be a hazard in a group setting. I like my Worktunes and Blockades lots, but wouldn’t wear them if interaction with others is necessary.

I regularily have a similar conversation at the bicycle shop with road cyclists who ride with iPods and earbuds in traffic…

-- - Please help keep Lumberjocks an enjoyable escape by refusing to participate in political discussions. Simply spit out the bait and ignore the thread...

I had a guy wear his iPod ear buds under a pair of regular ear muffs. He was in the shop by himself so it wasn’t a real problem, but I’ll think about this if he wears them again if there’s a larger group in the shop.

Thanks for the review.

-- "At its best, life is completely unpredictable." - Christopher Walken

Um. Excuse me, but … what’d you say??

-- -- Neil

I tend to agree with his position.

I wear ear plugs and have the shop stereo on. Working this way, I notice that I can still hear the equipment enough to tell if something is going wrong.

I wore my brother’s WorkTunes to try them out. I felt totally blocked out from the shop equipment. I rely on the sound of the equipment to tell me what’s going on.

You may think that my earplugs may not be working if I can hear so much but this is not true. They work quite sufficiently but I get enough of certain sounds that allows me to sense my work.

For instance, I can hear just enough of the wood going over the jointer to know if it is tearing out and I need to switch feed direction.

I thought that they would be a pretty good idea, but after wearing them for about 30 minutes I did not feel that they were for me.

I will admit that they work really good.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

Interesting. I was going to put them (or another brand) on my Xmas list. It sounds (no pun intended) like I should get the “plain” muffs instead.

-- Dave, Colonie, NY

Thanks for the info

-- Jim from Heirloom Woodshop Southern Oregon

Standard earplugs will reduce the sound level 20 to 25 dB depending on the type and how well you put them in your ears. They still allow the same spectrum of frequency’s to reach your eardrums just at a more acceptable sound level. The earmuffs are usually rated higher at 30 to 35 and sometimes higher for specialty models like for shooting or in airplanes. They cover the entire ear and have less of a variable when applied. You combine that higher sound reduction with the music and you really are in an acoustic vacuum. I have a set of the Peltor work tunes and I only use them when I am cutting the lawn and my wife still complains that she cant get my attention when I am using them. I would never use them in the shop..I agree with Todd…I still need to hear what the machines are doing….I want to hear what kind of load I am putting on the motors or if it’s making a funny noise when I push that piece of wood through. I spent over 10 years of my life working for bands and doing live sound in very high decibel environments and I used to wear plugs whenever I could, and when I was mixing live sound I would alternate between wearing headphones and not. You have to protect your ears, but dont cut yourself off frome the world.

-- David, South Windsor, CT "I love the smell of sawdust in the morning"

Have to agree with Todd and Brad, I have to hear those “sounds that allow me to sense my work” and those sounds that are the early warning signs of disaster. Personally I get lost in the work and the hum of the shop. I used to have tunes playing but I don’t even do that now. Not pushing that, just my preference. Ear plugs are often used. They work well enough for almost all my home shop noises (including most shouts from my wife). I use muffs for prolonged loud jobs like planing.

In an industrial (multi worker) environment they “sound” like a disaster waiting to happen.

On a high note, they are a great option for mowing and that 3 hour ride on Southwest.

-- Berg, Central NH & Gulfport, FL - "It's raining...what a beautiful day to puddle jump" 3y/o Devlyn

Brad_Nailor – Thanks for the additional info. That is helpful in understanding why they work.

-- Todd A. Clippinger, Montana, http://amcraftsman.com

I have a different model that also lets through sound from the outside (but clips at 85 db and reduce repetitive sound). its probably the best thing that happened to me. i can still hear “problems” while listening to radio. can even hear conversations over shop noise.

-- The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but I have promises to keep...