Farrier
Well-known member
Anyone using earmuff's with bluetooth? I've been using my apple ear pods under regular earmuffs but it's not the most comfortable thing in the world. Don't want to spend big money. Maybe $100 or less. What you got?
Hearing protection ear muffs w/ bluetooth wanted
- Thread starter Farrier
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Honest Bob
Well-known member
cvairwerks
Well-known member
I'll look and see what got approved for us at work when I get in tonight. When we're running engines, it's plugs and muffs within a certain distance from the aircraft.
This.
Between the wifi reach to my phone and the Bluetooth reach to these I can cover my entire lot.
engineer2
Well-known member
Mine stay connected OK, but haven't tried them with my new iPhone 13 yet.
Probably 20 ft range in the real world. Maybe 30 ft line-of sight.
Probably 20 ft range in the real world. Maybe 30 ft line-of sight.
dr_clyde
Well-known member
I use the 3M worktunes on the lawn mower, they work great. I just have my phone in my pocket, never really tested the range.
I put my phone on the deck rail and walk over 100' away and it stays connected. I start to have issues at that distance if I get out of sight.
Closer, I can walk around the house or have a few trees blocking me with no issues.
coldh2o
Well-known member
Ditto here, great setup and really long battery life. I probably get at least 20 hours out of a charge.
Roobaix
Well-known member
I have the 3M as well. They work great, although the fidelity is terrible if you care about that sort of thing.
cvairwerks
Well-known member
These are the BT ones that were approved for us at work. NRR is 26 dB.
www.pyramexsafety.com
Pyramex | Leading Provider of Personal Protective Equipment
You know the job. We know the protection. Pyramex is a family-owned leading provider of high-quality personal protective equipment (PPE) such as eyewear, headgear, hearing, work wear, and gloves. We promise our customers the best products, service, and, most importantly, an attitude of making...
www.pyramexsafety.com
My wife says they are clearer than just the speakerphone as well.
They're super clear. I was sitting on the tractor last winter feeding a bonfire and took a call, evidently you could hear the fire crackling on the other end.
One of my customers uses his in video chats in the office. Amazingly effective, though ridiculous looking.
10-4 When I was in the USAF they required this plug and muffs setup. I'm not a techie guy at all but having Bluetooth built into the hearing protection would have been a grand improvement over the hand signals and arm movement method.
Still under $100!!These are the BT ones that were approved for us at work. NRR is 26 dB.
Pyramex | Leading Provider of Personal Protective Equipment
You know the job. We know the protection. Pyramex is a family-owned leading provider of high-quality personal protective equipment (PPE) such as eyewear, headgear, hearing, work wear, and gloves. We promise our customers the best products, service, and, most importantly, an attitude of making...
Radio Flyer
Well-known member
I also have the work tunes. I have nothing to compare them with, but they seem a little heavy for extended use, and my ears get sweaty.
I have been using the same pair of 3M worktunes for 2 years, and have never needed to look any further. They are an uncommonly good product at a good price. I work in a very noisy environment all day and with the worktunes I don't even notice. They have a microphone in them and people can hear me better using the worktunes than they can when I'm using the regular microphone in my Samsung Note9. The battery lasts just over two whole work days and I listen to audio books all day while I work. I also wear them for shooting, and they work as well as any shooting muffs I've owned.
It is true they get a little heavy and mildly uncomfortable after a few hours, and they get sweaty almost instantly if it's hot out, but I don't think that can be avoided. I don't think it's possible to get this level of protection from an earbud-style device.
Someone said they have bad fidelity; I'm not an audiophile so I'm not really qualified to disagree, but I do anyway. The audio quality sounds as good as any other headphones to my untrained ear.
It is true they get a little heavy and mildly uncomfortable after a few hours, and they get sweaty almost instantly if it's hot out, but I don't think that can be avoided. I don't think it's possible to get this level of protection from an earbud-style device.
Someone said they have bad fidelity; I'm not an audiophile so I'm not really qualified to disagree, but I do anyway. The audio quality sounds as good as any other headphones to my untrained ear.
BillK
Well-known member
Just curious for you guys that use these things with music ? Can you still hear equipment running if it makes an unusual noise ? Other sounds ? If someone yells at you from 10 ft away will you hear them ? I wear hearing protection almost all day long here at my shop but have never felt comfortable with music at the same time. Even though its muffled I can still hear if one of my machines starts doing something stupid. If I am in the back of the shop and somebody comes in up front I can still hear the door. Is this possible with music playing ? Just sounds totally unsafe to me.
This is subjective, as some people's equipment is louder than others, some people listen to music louder than others, some have better hearing than others, etc. But I will try to answer.
Let's say you're riding a lawnmower. It's already almost impossible to hear someone shouting at you without hearing protection. Put on the earmuffs with no music, you won't hear them. With music on, forget about it. Though you'll be able to hear if your engine explodes or if you run over a pile of hammers.
Let's say you're working in a machine shop. The environment is already "noisy" but not so noisy that hearing protection would be required by osha. You choose to wear these muffs with no music. You will probably hear someone at the other end of the shop shouting your name. With music on at a low level, you may or may not hear them. With music at high level, probably won't hear them. Wearing these with music on, at any level, will probably interfere with your ability to detect problems like tool chatter early enough to fix them before they become a problem.
Let's say you're a mechanic, listening for minor nuances in the sound of a running engine. Take the things off your head, you won't hear any of that with the muffs on, music or not.
I work around 100HP roots blowers that **** plastic pellets out of railcars. Imagine a supercharger the size of an entire big block engine, used as a yuge shopvac. They are really loud. I can hear when one is acting up, music or not.
Agree on the fidelity when no noise is around but they are tuned to sound good with noise around.
I love mine, battery life is excellent too.
cvairwerks
Well-known member
We use the 3M Optime 105's at work. There are a couple of other brands that have Bluetooth that have been approved, but one has to buy them outside of the company. The 3M X-5's have a slightly higher NRR of 31 dB over the 30 dB of the 105's. Most of the ones that have bluetooth have NRR's of 26 or less, so be aware of that. The environment that you use them in, may be of the level that you need more protection. In our case, when we do engine runs, we are required to use NRR 30 or better earplugs with the 105's or our David Clark comm headsets.
isb cornbinder
Well-known member
I have two BOSE ear-muff sets. I have one in the bedroom and use Bluetooth from a SAMSUNG tablet. The other is in my office space and it connects wirelessly to my computer. While Bose was expensive, the cost does not bother me because Bose noise cancelling works perfectly always.
DemoFly
Well-known member
I have isotunes pro. I like them more than muffs because of sweat.
I got them on sale, but a lot of youtubers have a 10% code like bladesofgrass, etc.
I got them on sale, but a lot of youtubers have a 10% code like bladesofgrass, etc.
WWheeler
Well-known member
I gave away my Bluetooth 3M Worktunes. They worked ok, but they were huge on my head - looked huge - felt huge, and they just felt cumbersome.
Then I got a pair of Walker's Razor Comm BT muffs and it wasn't even close. The Walker's are much slimmer on my head and they add electronic noise cancellation and keep the bluetooth sound level down just enough that you can hear voices and lower decibel sounds but the louder sounds are what get muffled. The 3Ms just don't work like that. The Walker's also have a small microphone for if/when I get a call I can talk though the headset.
I also prefer that the Walker's use 2AA batteries, which I always have rechargeable Eneloops at the ready, whereas the 3Ms needed to be put on a charger and it happened a couple times that they died on me right in the middle of mowing the yard. When that happens with my Walker Razors I'm back in business in less than 2 minutes.
EDIT: The Walkers bit the dust in less than one summer's use. No longer would recommend.
I thought they were great for the first few months then they started getting increasingly more buggy, dropping the BT connection to the phone in my pocket and the music would intermittently fade lower and outside sounds would get amplified, still clipping the loudest noises but was very annoying to have my table saw or mower become louder than the music all of a sudden.
I'm out of good options now. I might wind up going back to the Worktunes, even though I'm not a fan of them. Most of all I don't like that I have to keep them charged up instead of using batteries. There's no indicator telling me how much charge is left, and when they die they needs hours to recharge again. I'd MUCH rather use a bluetooth hearing protection that I can just swap out my rechargeable batteries when they get low.
Then I got a pair of Walker's Razor Comm BT muffs and it wasn't even close. The Walker's are much slimmer on my head and they add electronic noise cancellation and keep the bluetooth sound level down just enough that you can hear voices and lower decibel sounds but the louder sounds are what get muffled. The 3Ms just don't work like that. The Walker's also have a small microphone for if/when I get a call I can talk though the headset.
I also prefer that the Walker's use 2AA batteries, which I always have rechargeable Eneloops at the ready, whereas the 3Ms needed to be put on a charger and it happened a couple times that they died on me right in the middle of mowing the yard. When that happens with my Walker Razors I'm back in business in less than 2 minutes.
EDIT: The Walkers bit the dust in less than one summer's use. No longer would recommend.
I thought they were great for the first few months then they started getting increasingly more buggy, dropping the BT connection to the phone in my pocket and the music would intermittently fade lower and outside sounds would get amplified, still clipping the loudest noises but was very annoying to have my table saw or mower become louder than the music all of a sudden.
I'm out of good options now. I might wind up going back to the Worktunes, even though I'm not a fan of them. Most of all I don't like that I have to keep them charged up instead of using batteries. There's no indicator telling me how much charge is left, and when they die they needs hours to recharge again. I'd MUCH rather use a bluetooth hearing protection that I can just swap out my rechargeable batteries when they get low.
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scooby074
Well-known member
Worktunes. AM/FM and BT. Plus phone controls.
Jbullfrog
ALLIANCE MEMBER
I have had the 3M Work Tunes radio muffs for years. I recently got the new radio muffs with Bluetooth, so I can get calls while working. They are great and the rechargeable battery pack lasts more then a day of use. It recharges in a few hours from a USB port as well. I farm and use them on open station tractors, the skid loader, and while using the grain vac to load grain. They work ok for phone calls, what you are listening to stops and their is a voice prompt for incoming calls. My wife says I sound a bit muffled when talking on the phone with them.
Chrome Vanadium Cody
Well-known member
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- Jul 25, 2021
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Are 3M Work Tunes still the way to go? I'm in the market for a new pair, mine just stopped working after 1.5 years which based on online reviews is par for the course. If there's another brand that works just as well but has better longevity I'd love to get that, otherwise I'll get another pair of Work Tunes
Mine are going on either 4 or 5yrs.
I don't use them daily, but gets a lot of use running equipment year round, plus a backup pair for shooting. Electronics still work and more importantly the earcup is still soft/resilient so it conforms perfect each time.
My Howard leight shooting muffs are hard/deformed and probably need to be tossed as they don't seal well.
Chrome Vanadium Cody
Well-known member
- Joined
- Jul 25, 2021
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- 663
That’s good to hear. I’m guessing it’s a hit or miss problem, I saw a lot of reviews where they failed after a year but many where they lasted longer too. On mine the bluetooth stopped working which was one of the two main failures I saw in reviews along with the charging port failing. I work in a shop with a lot of metal swarf which doesn’t help.
So far I’m thinking of trying the Pyramex posted upthread. They are rated 26 DB NRR vs. 24 for the 3m so worst case Ontario the hearing protection is a little better. They cost $75, I think I paid $50 for my Work Tunes.
Tractorsellr
Well-known member
3M work tunes are great, but my 3 pairs, the batteries run down if I dont take them out when done. Another problem is ear pieces tend to deteriorate after a few years, easy fix is use the cheap ear muffs from harbor freight to replace them.
the intimidator
Well-known member
ISOtunes rock and are osha approved!! I’ve had two pair of ear bud style for going on two years now! Still work good as the day i bought them! They have a few different style of ear muff type as well highly recommended compared to the old 3m style radio muffs i had!!!
cvairwerks
Well-known member
PC: Check with Howard Leight and new ear cushions are probably available at reasonable cost. [email protected]
RTM
Well-known member
Here is a non-muff style, meeting ANSI specs NTT is only 21 tho.
decibullz.com
SAFE + SOUND Custom Molded Bluetooth Wireless Earplug Headphones
Experience superior sound with Decibullz Safe + Sound Wireless Earphones, featuring a 22dB NRR and custom moldable Thermofit earpieces for a perfect fit. Enjoy over 15 hours of high-definition audio and crystal-clear calls with advanced noise suppression. Ideal for music, podcasts, movies, and...
decibullz.com