10 Best Hearing Protection for Lawn Mowing
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Mowing the lawn can be a loud job, and it is easy to underestimate how much ear protection you will want to use. Even if you feel comfortable with the noise level your tools are making, it can still be causing harm to your ears, and dampening the sound can make it much easier to focus on following a proper mowing technique that leaves your garden looking neat and tidy. Some of them can even have other useful features that might improve your mowing experience, such as the ability to play white noise or stream music from another device, as well as others that make speech clearer while reducing the background noise.
View the Best Hearing Protection for Lawn Mowing, Below.
- Walker’s Razor Slim Electronic Muff
- Peltor Sport Tactical 100 Electronic Hearing Protector
- Mpow 035 Noise Reduction Safety Ear Muffs
- 3M WorkTunes Connect Hearing Protector
- Howard Leight Impact Sport Earmuff
- DECIBEL DEFENSE Professional Safety Ear Muffs
- 3M H10A Peltor Optime 105 Over the Head Earmuff
- Mpow Foam Earplugs
- ClearArmor 141001 Shooters Hearing Protection
- Husqvarna 531300089 Professional Headband Hearing Protectors
1. Walker’s Razor Slim Electronic Muff
This electronic ear muff pair uses a very slim, easy-to-wear design that boasts rubberized ear cups and a soft headband padding for maximum comfort and noise reduction. The noise reduction rating (NRR) of 23dB is achieved through two AAA batteries, which powers two Omni-directional microphones that can pick up speech while dampening the sound of your mowing gear.
This protection activates automatically within 0.02 seconds of you going over 89dB, so you don't need to toggle it yourself. Thanks to the 3.5mm audio jack, you can even plug in your own devices to play music, and can adjust the volume yourself with a raised, ridged volume knob.
These earmuffs are comfortable, easy to wear, and provide an excellent level of hearing protection, making them perfect for almost any job that involves loud noises. Since they activate on their own, you can use them as a hands-free option for mowing complex areas of your lawn.
Check Price on Amazon ➞VIEW ON WALKER'S ➞
2. Peltor Sport Tactical 100 Electronic Hearing Protector
This electronic hearing protection has an adjustable headband that you can use to improve the fit, letting you get as much comfort as possible out of the design. The special recessed microphones are able to pick up speech and other important sounds while also avoiding wind noise and block out ambient noise to help you focus on mowing.
Thanks to the two-hour shut-off system, they will turn off automatically if you forget to switch them off, saving battery while still giving you enough protection to mow large areas in one session. The noise reduction rating of 22dB provides a decent level of sound dampening without blocking it out entirely.
A good set of noise-reducing headphones should be able to deal with wind and other background noises, and this pair can do that extremely well, only letting through the sounds that you need to hear and reducing all ambient noise.
Check Price on Amazon ➞3. Mpow 035 Noise Reduction Safety Ear Muffs
This noise-reducing hearing protection uses two layers of foam to create a properly-fitting, well-sealed double shell that reduces noise levels by up to 34dB while still letting you keep track of what is going on around you. Not only that, but they are designed to be as comfortable and portable as possible, letting you use them alongside your mower while you are at work, or even while you are on public transport and just want to tune out loud sounds.
The headband can be altered to change the pressure adjustment levels on different head sizes, making them a much better fit for people with larger heads or who wear other types of headgear below their hearing protection.
These ear muffs are ideal for keeping your ears safe and reducing background noise levels without making you feel uncomfortable, especially if you are wearing other protective gear alongside them.
Check Price on Amazon ➞4. 3M WorkTunes Connect Hearing Protector
The clear voice system on these headphones make them great hearing protectors for people who still need to listen out for speech, and they can also stream audio via Bluetooth to help you drown out the sound of your mower while you listen to music or podcasts.
The added ear protection from the comfortable design is backed up with high-quality 40mm speakers and a rechargeable lithium battery, making it a very reliable option for people who spend a lot of time mowing and doing other loud jobs or chores. Even better, the design has simplified buttons that make them easy to operate without having to remove them from your ears.
Being able to stream audio while blocking out the outside world is always useful, and in this case, it is made better by the excellent comfort and simple, easy-to-use design of these hearing protectors.
Check Price on Amazon ➞5. Howard Leight Impact Sport Earmuff
These earmuffs were originally designed for shooting, but their ability to reduce noise levels to prevent hearing loss makes them useful for mowing, construction, and dozens of other loud jobs. They automatically track the current noise level and shut off their audio amplification tools when they pick up a sound above 82 decibels, offering noise protection only when it is relevant.
When things are quiet, they act like regular work ear muffs, amplifying voices, and dampening background noise to make everything much easier to hear. The built-in AUX and 3.5mm inputs let you plug in your favorite device and start playing music, letting them double as headphones.
These earmuffs are the perfect type of hearing protection for people who use loud tools like a lawnmower often, reducing the volume of nearby sounds without cutting off voices entirely.
Check Price on Amazon ➞6. DECIBEL DEFENSE Professional Safety Ear Muffs
These ear protection ear buffs can provide up to 37 decibels of protection, helping you avoid ear damage and keeping you comfortable for longer. The lightweight design and soft headband make it much easier to wear them for long periods of time, such as using a mower or fixing something with DIY tools.
The simple construction means that Decibel Defense hasn't included any complex options: you simply put them on, and they begin working. Since they were originally designed for shooting, the same level of hearing damage prevention applies, keeping both your ear canal and the skin underneath the cups safe from irritation and harm.
Sometimes simplicity is all you need, and these ear muffs don't rely on any over-the-top features to keep you safe and comfortable while you are dealing with loud equipment or background noises.
Check Price on Amazon ➞7. 3M H10A Peltor Optime 105 Over the Head Earmuff
These over-the-head, streamlined earmuffs are built for comfort and utility, using a twin-cup design to provide maximum hearing protection while still having a fairly flexible padded headband that can adjust to your head shape.
The NRR rating of 30 decibels means that they offer better sound dampening than many other ear muff models, and the stainless steel used as an internal frame ensures that they won't warp or bend over time, allowing them to stay comfortable and well-fitting without making them weaker as a result. Not only that, but the cushions are filled with a liquid and foam mixture that seals off noises extremely well, making it hard for sound to slip in.
These earmuffs are soft, durable, and very easy to use, making them an excellent choice for anybody who wants to stay safe and happy while they are using their lawn mower or taking on jobs that require a lot of noisy tools.
Check Price on Amazon ➞8. Mpow Foam Earplugs
The high NRR rating of these earplugs - around 34dB - makes them incredibly useful for short-notice tasks, letting you quickly and easily plug them into your ears to get instant hearing protectors. They are made of foam, letting them easily adjust to your ear canal even if it is a sensitive area.
They are designed for maximum breathability and comfort to keep them suitable for almost all situations. You can even use them while sleeping to handle loud background noises, and they come in tubs of 60 pairs to ensure that you always have more earplugs ready to go.
These earplugs are an ideal choice for somebody who needs reliable hearing protectors on standby at all times, ether for complicated tasks at work or just mowing the lawn at home.
Check Price on Amazon ➞9. ClearArmor 141001 Shooters Hearing Protection
These earmuffs use a special folding headband that is padded for maximum comfort, helping you stay safe and protected while also folding down for easy transport and storage. As hearing protectors, they use high-quality materials and great ear cup designs that help you tune out background noise, dampening all loud sounds without putting pressure on your head.
There isn't any special feature that is based around tricky technology – it is simply good materials and a great design that come together as a single product, removing the need for electric power or a constant supply of batteries to give you proper protection for much longer than other earmuffs.
As hearing protection, these earmuffs are perfect for preventing hearing loss and reducing the volume of each noise around you, whether it is a loud mower or simply the ambient noise of rain and wind.
Check Price on Amazon ➞10. Husqvarna 531300089 Professional Headband Hearing Protectors
These hearing protection earmuffs are lightweight and well-padded, offering great comfort and protection while still being effective at preventing hearing loss and reducing the volume of nearby sounds. The simple construction makes them perfect for a wide range of different situations, letting you wear them while you are using your own lawn mower outdoors, taking on difficult jobs at work, or DIYing something in your home.
Since the earmuffs are so straightforward in terms of design, they can work on almost any head shape and size, and don't need much adjustment to fit properly.
These ear muffs don't do anything extreme, offering proper hearing protection without being too difficult to use in day-to-day situations. This means that they are one of the best options for people who like to do their chores, like mowing the lawn in peace.
Check Price on Amazon ➞Hearing Protection for Lawn Mowing Buyer’s Guide
Buying hearing protection for yourself is tricky since there are so many different types. Thankfully, even the most basic option can prevent hearing loss and damage if you get the basic features right. Finding the best hearing protection for lawn mowing isn’t that difficult if you know what to look for.
Ear Muffs vs. Ear Plugs
Earplugs are small objects that fit in your ear canal, whereas earmuffs (or headphones) cover your entire ear. These serve the same purpose, but they work differently. For a start, earmuffs are generally more comfortable to wear for first-time users, since you aren’t sticking anything in your ear, which makes them a lot more familiar. They also have the best level of overall ear protection, since many of them are designed to be physically durable in a way that can stop harmful impacts or other issues.
As a downside, they often rely on a single design, so you might not be able to fit them under (or over) your helmet if you are on a major worksite. They can also sometimes be too small or high-pressure for certain people, and if they are electric or have wiring in them, you can’t simply DIY them back together at a larger size.
Ear plugs are much more mobile since they are basically just little blockers that sit in your ear. They are the best option for using in casual settings, like sleeping or trying to work with loud construction nearby. However, they are very limited in scope, since they can’t really boast anything special like headphones can.
You won’t really be able to hear your own music, filter in voices while blocking out ambient noise, or even adjust them very much: they are a very static, all-or-nothing solution. This can still make them the best choice in some situations, but they have a lot of limits.
Noise Reduction Rating
It can be tempting to go for the highest noise reduction rating available, but you don’t always need to. Unless you are in very specific situations, you can often afford to lose a few dB in exchange for better comfort, more features or compatibility with Bluetooth or USB audio players. If you are not careful, a higher noise reduction rating could even make it harder to hear noises you want to hear, like speech or emergency alarms. There is always a chance that you will get too much of a good thing, and NRR is no exception.
On the other hand, if you want the best possible protection, then getting the highest NRR you can find is always the right way to go. More NRR means less noise in general, and a few dB can sometimes be the difference between faintly hearing traffic nearby compared to not hearing them at all. It really comes down to your personal preferences, as well as the situations you expect to use your new hearing protection in. Some people need NRR more than other features, whereas other people can happily go for a lower NRR in exchange for something else.
You might be able to find certain wired ear muffs that offer a controllable volume option, which helps you adjust how much audio the attached omnidirectional microphones are picking up. These are great if they are something you are willing to use since they can help you tailor the amount of noise to your preferences and adjust it on the fly depending on what you are trying to do.
Can Lawn Mowers Damage Hearing?
Lawn mowers are actually quite a common source of hearing damage, one that gets overlooked very often. In fact, some people even develop hearing loss earlier than normal in their life simply because they started mowing their lawn without any kind of protection: the more lawn you’ve got to mow, the more damage it can do since you will be exposed to the mower noise for longer.
It might seem silly, but look at it this way: some lawnmowers can produce noise up to 90dB, which is the same as a Boeing 737 one mile away, more than a freight train passing by, and less than a jet taking off from only about 300 meters away.
If you are mowing lawns often, you should definitely get some kind of hearing protection. Even if it is just basic ear muffs, it can make a massive difference in the course of your life, especially as you get older.
What is the Highest NRR Rating for Earmuffs?
While it varies between brands, most earmuffs will struggle to reach an NRR higher than around 34dB. There can be exceptions, but remember that sometimes a few decibels are taken off that value as a “safety net” – the true limit might be higher, but it gets reduced down just in case there are fluctuations.
It also depends on what features they offer – if some ear muffs let you connect to radio stations or stream audio, the NRR could technically be higher, but only because you are drowning out the background noise with other types of noise.
How many Decibels does a lawn Mower Make?
Most lawn mowers produce around 90dB of noise while they are being used, although some will be higher (and some, lower) depending on how they are made. 90 is a good place to start since it is just below sounds that can be direct causes of hearing loss, like aircraft engines and chainsaws.
What is Noise Reduction Rating?
Noise reduction rating (NRR) is the value, in decibels, that the ear plugs or ear muffs are able to reduce a noise’s volume by. The best types of hearing protection will have an NRR of at least 25, perhaps even 30. While NRR isn’t always exact, it is generally the best way to tell how effective the protection will be for you, and finding the best hearing protection for lawn mowing will definitely require some NRR comparisons.
Expert Tip
You can sometimes use ear plugs and ear muffs together, as long as they don’t put too much pressure on your ears. This gives you far more noise reduction, which can be useful for really loud sounds that are only going to last a short while. If it is a long-term problem, don’t do this if you can help it: they might damage your ears in the long run.
Did you know?
Some ear muffs come with built-in radios that work just like a normal portable radio, playing audio directly into your ears. These aren’t as common but can work well for people who don’t like Bluetooth devices or want to cut out the need for a second device.