[dragunovsks]

Well, I thought about that but before I took the hearing test, a doctor looked into my ears and I wasn't given a special number. There were several guys who got those special numbers who had to have thiers cleaned out. I was told by a SGT. (not a doc.) to go to a doctor and see what he says to do. I plan on doing that cause I have insurance through my company.

[RL357Mag]

I bought a $40 pair of Clarke ear muffs in the 1980's because they were top notch back then. I used to fly and Clarke also made headsets for pilots so I figured they had to be good. I am now almost completely deaf in one ear. I'm sure my service had a lot to do with it since hearing loss is cumulative. I recently spent $10 on a pair of Howard Leight ear muffs through CDNN sports. They provide 29dB noise reduction and they work great. If I had it to do all over again I would have used plugs in conjunction with muffs. Stay away from Ipods and MP3 players with earphones. I probably did more damage to my hearing when I bought the first Sony Walkman!

[northernsydney]

Hearing protection means wearing both earmuffs and ear plugs at the same time. With ZEMs, neither earplugs nor earmuffs can wear at the same time, so it is not possible for ZEMs to be part of a dual hearing protection system. Hearing protection recommended for noise levels at or above 105 dBA, about the noise level of a table saw. The dual protective effect will be most noticeable against noises in the lower and middle frequencies.