Ear Protection?

[goof008]

I'd say go with the protection. I use the ear muff style, and find that I wear them more and more now. It used to be only for cutting, but now I wear them on the tractor when I mow, when I run the splitter and even sometimes when using the weed whip. And in the winter, they keep you hat on and your ears warm!

 

[Sprig]

Agree with all here, save what hearing you have, once gone, its forever. I've been using the Bilson L2f's the last while, very comfy, with plugs as well when running the 266 (its a loud puppy!). A whistle (the two-tone logger ones) are cheap and very effective attention getters, I like the vibrating phone idea too, also a good idea to get your signals straight with hubby. When I'm cutting with anyone I make sure they know not to come up to me from the rear (or tap me on the shoulder etc., like stay away), come around to the front at a safe distance and wave the arms, hm, maybe a high-power LED flashlight and shine it on the log? Whatever method you choose, stay safe and protected at all times. (edit), ditto on the splitting, alot of the stuff I've had to do lately needs a wedge and sledge and that last ringing hit is a, um, a ringer! Loss is cumulative too btw.
Look after that hearing!!
My wee 0.02$ worth for the morning before heading to the woodlot.



Serge

 

[Mkarlson]

Week or so ago I was in an weird postion placing my horizontal cut for a fall and had my head way too close to the saw.(unmodded 359) The ringing in my left ear was horrible afterwards. So I decided to listen to all you preachers out there and put some plugs in. It does help and in as much as I like the sound of nature while saw isnt running...total quiet isnt all that bad. In fact I rather enjoyed it.(Anyone else notice the voices in your head are louder while wearing plugs? Maybe its just me) Only bad thing that came from me wearing the plugs that day was I didnt notice my running saw changing its pitch when it was sucking the last few drops of fuel out of its tank. Not that the 359 is a hard starter, but I would have hated it 15 years ago while running those old Macs.


BTW, my wife is deaf in one ear also. Its normally the one pointed in my direction!

 

[buckwheat]

There was some research done a few years ago that showed that intermittent loudness, such as from an air hammer, is actually more harmful than continuously loud noise. It has to do with the ear "buffering" the sound in a self defense mechanism.

That's not to take anything away from wearing protection; rather just to emphasize that there are probably circumstances that we don't even think about where protection would be helpful.

As for enjoying the silence...Thomas Edison was deaf, and he was often quoted as saying that it helped him to concentrate better. I think of that everytime I see my kids studying with their Ipods plugged in.

 

[Adkpk]

I am def in my right ear. I used machines for years without protection. Now it's a staple in my gear. I never run machines, including electric ones, without hearing protection. As far as listening to that dude, well...

 

[STIHLSamantha]

thanks guys....appreciate what you have all said...you have all agreed with what my hubby has been telling me and warning me about wearing ear gear....we don't cut too close together...and if he ever has to let something fall he always walks over to get my attention and get me to a safe place out of the way...it's the noise from my own saw that compensates my hearing, not his....we are going to check out some helmets with the muffs and see how that goes....thanks again for all of the input...(and for proving him right....i have to live with that one!)

 

[wildbio]

I wear the foam plugs in my ears and the muffs on the outside.....can't be too careful!

 

[logbutcher]

WHAAAAATTT ???

Vote full PPE.

 

[goblin]

If you value your noggin, eyesight, and hearing while working with chainsaws, then wear the helmet with face shield and ear muffs. If not, don't. It's as simple as that.

 

[Farmerjon]

Go online or to your hunting supply outfitter and I think the device is called, "Game Ear" or something to that effect. Essentially what it does is restrict the amount of noise that enters your ear without reducing your ability to hear. The older units were really weird to wear because you could hear yourself walking in stocking feet on carpet!! Anyway, they reduce the loud noises to safe levels like the occasional gunshot when hunting yet don't reduce so you don't hear the deer or turkey walking up to your blind. This will give you the best of both worlds, the ability to communicate as well as protect your hearing.

 

[The Lorax]

Even worse than going deaf

Is that loud noises can start Tinnitus which is a very bad thing to have especially if you like peace and quiet.
I use Peltor earmuffs and make sure that they are always serviced and up to date, Like other PPE earmuffs can get worn usually the cushion that touches the head gets hard and starts to allow High Frequency noise to leak in.
I guess wearing Earplugs AND Muffs is probably a good idea for this reason.

 

[STIHLSamantha]

Go online or to your hunting supply outfitter and I think the device is called, "Game Ear" or something to that effect. Essentially what it does is restrict the amount of noise that enters your ear without reducing your ability to hear. The older units were really weird to wear because you could hear yourself walking in stocking feet on carpet!! Anyway, they reduce the loud noises to safe levels like the occasional gunshot when hunting yet don't reduce so you don't hear the deer or turkey walking up to your blind. This will give you the best of both worlds, the ability to communicate as well as protect your hearing.

those sound ideal....that is exactly what i am looking for!!! thanks!!!!

 

[1treeguy]

I came across this (old) post searching for ear buds I could use with a noisy saw. Some helpful replies, as always. I came across this graphic that I thought was interesting:

http://www.chainsawstoday.com/best-chainsaw-hearing-protection/