Hearing protection for lawn mowing

I recently started a landscaping and lawn mowing side gig. It's already been 2 months since I started and my ears are now very sensitive to the sound of the mower. I'm thinking of buying custom earplugs like these from Big Ear or maybe their custom fitted earphones that also serves as hearing protection, but I believe that would cost a lot. I'm looking for something custom made because I do have some weirdly shaped ear canals.

Can you recommend something that I can wear to avoid tinnitus and other hearing complications?

 

Try the motorcycle ear plugs Davey. My family are all bikers and use the type that mould to ear shape. They're not expensive to buy.

 

Thankfully. I have now lawn, but years of professional gardening and sportsground work etc. Yes I can appreciate that some hearing damage can take place. Just my opinion on the matter.

I think it unwise to totally block out all sound. From years of experience, I have to admit, summertime and the sound of the mower, tended to add to ones day. I would prefer to maintane some secondary hearing, such as. 'Look out'.

Ear plugs/phones etc for bikers. Here I hold very strict opinions. Take a look at todays people. Even many among the older age groups, can be seen walking about with massive earphones on. WHY?

Then you see bikers also wearing earphones. We are wonderfully made, and our bodies can do all sorts of things but. Sound is a very dominant feature of our everyday life. Perhaps going back to my previous work style. I'd stop every biker/rider using earphone, and ask them what they are listening to and compare that to the sounds about them.

Just try this out. Tuck in behind such a rider. Now observe their actions. To them. They have become a subject on the screen. They are now in the virtual world. To them they are now part of a sci fi scenario. Suddenly. Blues and twos' That's no good. They can't hear you. So. A forced stop.

Oh! sorry officer. I wasn't aware you were there.

So matey be aware of this. You are being reported for driving/riding without due care and attention. Have a nice day.

 

I don't need ear protection, i'm tone deaf

 

I'm not deaf but people do tend to talk quietly these days.

Yeah I can hear reasonably well but cant pick out conversation if there is background noise/music.
Also cant hear if someone talks when they are facing the other way.

Never liked ear defenders, and they only really became the thing to do after I'd been working 20yrs, so never really took to them.
So after 50yrs of noisy machinery I think I've lost some of the high notes

 

The modern moulding earplugs don't shut out all sound Mike they just reduce it, so bikers would hear the 'blue's and two's'.

 

I use Stihl ear defenders, they last years and you can still hear around you but knock down the sound well enough to be comfortable.they conform to standards too.

most important though is vibration, it’s a quiet and yet often missed hazard and I have white finger due to this. Mowing, hedge cutting, brush cutting, every tool vibrates and that vibration slowly damages your nerves.

 

I've got 3M Peltor ear defenders which were very cheap as I found them in some woodland.

Unfortunately they weren't the high end models that permit low level sounds (such as speech) to pass through so you can hold a conversation until you start up your brushcutter, chainsaw etc. when it will immediately muffle excessive noise.