The Best Safety Earmuffs
If you're exposed to excessively loud environments (85 decibels or more), safety earmuffs are recommended to prevent hearing loss. If you spend a lot of time around power tools, loud yard equipment, or firearms, you should be wearing safety earmuffs, as any noise greater than 140 dB can cause permanent hearing loss. Today's safety earmuffs come in both passive and active formats. A passive earmuff uses various sound-baffling materials to keep noise from penetrating the ear canal, while active earmuffs incorporate a noise-attenuating device to filter out some sound frequencies but allow others to pass. We did the homework for you, so let us present to you this list of the best safety earmuffs.
Howard Leight Soap Dish Headphones
You've Got a Friend in Me
Howard Leight earmuffs provide a 2-in-1 service: they protect you from damaging sounds over 82 dB, and they do it while amplifying regular ambient sounds such as range commands or conversations. Features include a durable outer headband, a ventilated inner headband to minimize pressure on the head, directional stereo microphones, snap-in ear cushions, headband height adjustment, and an NRR (Noise Reduction Rating) of 22. This unit also doubles as stereo headphones and comes equipped with a 1/8-inch jack and cord for your all audio devices. An integrated volume knob adjusts the levels, and when you’re done with your earmuffs, they fold up easily for convenient storage.
Pros:
- Recessed controls
- Replaceable, snap-in ear cushions
- Includes audio cable and 2 AAA batteries
Cons:
- You may hear some static when the volume is high
- Amplifier doesn’t shut off when AUX input is on
Mpow 035 Noise Reduction Earmuffs
Headphones For Less Bones
Designed with 2 layers of professional noise dampening foam, the Mpow 035 earmuffs have high-sealing solid cups and a unique double-shell, offering a high NRR of 28 dB of noise-canceling. The adjustable headband is designed with retractable stainless steel at each end, so the earmuffs can be lowered or raised to fit all sizes. You can even choose from 6 different designer colors to fit your style.
Pros:
- Lab-tested and certified to official US standards
- Travel draw-string bag included
- Available in 2-packs
Cons:
- Very tight on the head when first breaking in the unit
- Not for all-day use
Dr. Meter Kids Noise Reduction Earmuffs
You've Got to Be Kidding
Specially designed for babies and children, Dr. Meter’s safety earmuffs are made for comfort and protection. With an adjustable, padded headband & ear pads and a low clamping force for comfort, these earmuffs won’t annoy children over prolonged periods of wear. But these aren’t just built for comfort: with an NRR of 27, Dr. Meter’s earmuffs have as much noise-canceling power as most models made for adults. The collapsible design also makes it easy for kids to store these earmuffs in their backpacks so that they can take them wherever they’re needed.
Pros:
- 360-degree rotatable ear cups
- Available in green, black, blue, and pink
- Adjusts to sizes fitting babies through tweens
Cons:
- No carrying case (even with the 2-packs)
- Thin metal on the adjustment rings
3M Peltor Earmuffs
We Tip Our Hat
3M’s Peltor is a low-profile earmuff designed to attach to your hard hat and provide protection against low-to-moderate level industrial noise. These safety headphones incorporate a newly-designed spacer and specially formulated foam liners with innovative ear cushions to help improve attenuation. The 3M Peltor earmuffs are also available in an electrically-insulated (dielectric) wire headband model that can be worn over the head instead of attached to your hard hat. The 3M hygiene kit, sold separately, offers replaceable ear cushions and foam liners to help keep your earmuffs clean and extend the unit’s life.
Pros:
- 4 adjustable positions
- A trusted brand name
- Compatible with most common hard hat designs
Cons:
- Not for the loudest industrial environments
- Does not fit well on full-brim hard hats
Act Fire Shooting Earmuffs
The Sound of Silence
When choosing a set of safety headphones for the firing range, it’s critical to keep two things In mind: your earmuffs should be thin and stay close to your head, and the internal noise-canceling hardware should have a rapid response. This is exactly what Act Fire created for their shooting earmuffs. The stereo noise-canceling chip provides a constant reduction of 23 dB, while the proprietary foam material in the cushions creates some of the highest passive noise resistance available. In fact, no glue is used in the manufacture of these earmuffs to help ensure better sealing and overall noise reduction.
Pros:
- The durable coating is made not to chip or scratch
- Can also play music
- Cleverly placed, the vertically-oriented volume knob is convenient
Cons:
- Some static and distortion at higher frequencies
- Not designed for children
Frequently Asked Questions
Are noise-canceling headphones safe?
The electronics used in noise-canceling headphones have never been shown to be harmful. Unlike cell phones, noise-canceling headphones do not emit low-level radiation, and therefore do not pose the potential hazards that have been studied concerning frequent use of a cell phone next to the ear.
Which works better: earmuffs or earplugs?
The best answer here is “both.” Passive headphones and earplugs both use a combination of materials to dampen noise and block out certain frequencies before they hit the eardrum. Earplugs work by reducing the amount of air in the ear canal so that soundwaves cannot form. Therefore, the most protection you can get is earmuffs over earplugs.
How does loud noise cause hearing loss?
Sound waves literally “hit” the delicate cells and membranes of the cochlea in the inner ear and destroy them, causing hearing loss. Long-term exposure to any sound over 70dB can cause hearing loss (a motorcycle engine is about 95 dB). Loud noise of about 120 dB can cause immediate damage to your ears, and believe it or not, 200 dB can kill a person.
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