I use good quality foams in the garage, cutting the lawn etc. I have a set of molded in plugs that I use in really noisy places. I need to have the "vents" changed so I can hear the students when touring machine rooms.
I had performed an overhaul on a 1200 hp chiller right next to its twin brother that was running throughout the process. Low load = Lots of noise. It was amazing how doubling up on hearing protection doesn't seem to make it any quieter, just changes the way the noise is picked up by your ear.
My hearing sucks too. I don't want it to deteriorate more due to neglect.

I've been flying Boeing jets since 1996, and I use foam ear plugs. In the cockpit, I put a pair of foam ear plugs in and then use the company-supplied Telex 750 headsets. With the ear plugs in, I have to turn the volume up all the way in order to hear, but I think this combination is superior to the Bose ANC headsets that my colleagues use, and these are free as compared to $900 that they spend. On a regular basis when one of my colleagues doesn't understand the air traffic controller I look up from the 928 International catalog that I am reading to tell him what the controller said and what his $900 headset didn't tell him. I really don't have a problem with those overpriced $900 headsets. Really....

[did I mention that those silly headsets cost them 900 friggin bucks?]

As to earplugs, not all are the same. The "rough" yellow foam cylindrical ear plugs don't work as well as the "soft" orange ear plugs that are pointed at one end and flared out at the other. The "rough" plugs occasionally irritate the skin inside my ear, and I've had sores develop on occasion from these. The soft ones never do this.

Also....the yellow foam plugs are coated at one end, and that end is supposed to go into the ear. But....when you look at the ends of the plug....you can't tell which end is "coated" and which end is not!

Hearing loss is a BIG DEAL. My hearing is fine, despite the years of exposure to LOUD aircraft turbine engines. I wear ear plugs when I cut my grass these days. The Tecumseh engine on my lawnmower can hurt my hearing just like the Pratt & Whitney engines on the airplane that I fly for a living. Hearing loss is cumulative. That means that it simply adds up over the years, and there is nothing you can do about it. If we lived 200 years, we would all be deaf at the end, since our ears are designed for 90 years of use tops.

Moral of the story: PROTECT your ears!

N!

I'm well aware, I've been in the front row many a time.

Best piece of advice to prevent hearing loss: Never, ever, ever, ever man an M2 without plugs. My ears are ringing just thinking about it........

Foam ones generally provide the best dB reduction. The key is proper insertion in the ear canal. Best way to insert is to roll them and then pull your ear lobe back, for example with your right ear by pulling the ear lobe back with your right hand and inserting with your left hand. Hold it in for a few seconds to allow it to expand. For really loud noises, you can double down and use plugs and muffs. I used to do a lot of hearing conservation training when I was a consultant.

for foam inserts, it also helps me to drop the jaw and do the yawn motion. it helps elongate and straighten the ear canal. i've always used foam inserts, for watching races, shooting, using the grinder, the circular saw on metal.

Been around wood shops since my teens (summer jobs, slave to my bicycle racing equip) then my own from about the age of 22 to now. Later 10-15 years has been around construction sites. Never use hearing protection until 3-4 years ago. I notice that I too can't hear in crowded resturants, so I started to use the big ear muffs when I am around my shop or the job site. I have been hands off of a lot of the fabrication and installation. I run outside or away when ever possible at the construction job sites until they are done cutting

I often think if I will need hearing aide like the old folks? I heard that sound is horrible from the hearing aide.

Jeff

Guy at work lost his hearing due to working on the flight line as well. He got the VA to pay for hearing aids and plugs.....took awhile as everything thru the VA does, but worth it.

I absoutely insist that my kids wear foam plugs AND earmuffs around machinery (lawn mowers, chainsaws, etc.). Please take my advice. Hearing loss is devastating. Vision loss separates you from things; hearing loss separates you from people. Severe hearing loss will dramatically change your life in a negative way. Music? Phht. Haven't turned on my stereo in years. Telephone? Don't use it anymore. TV, movies, restaurants, concerts-waste of time. Bars and babes? Don't do either anymore. Haven't heard a bird in years. Hearing loss will wreck your life. I am fortunate I come from a family of survivors-no pity parties in my life. But I can say this, if you have any trouble with adversity, frustration, loneliness, or emotional problems of any sort-hearing loss will affect you in your sleep, while awake, alone, in groups, indoors, outdoors, at rest, during exertion, walking, driving, playing, or working. Hearing aids help a lot of people-but NOT all. N! is absolutely correct-except that hearing loss is not a big deal-it is ENORMOUS.

Amazing isn't it! I raced karts for years without earplugs :rolleyes: Then I started wearing them and was amazed at how much more I could hear... like other karts on my butt!!!

Foam plug while riding on the motorcycle, really cuts down on wind noise. Ear muffs when firing weapons.