Decibel Defense Hearing Protection Ear Muffs

Product seemingly fine; poor access to safety instructions

I imagine the ear muffs are fine. But I am giving them only three stars as they enclosed a mini-flyer with a QER code that states “DO NOT use this product without viewing these important safety instructions”. But when I go to the link opened by the QER code, I have to register my personal info to see the claimed safety instructions. I judge this is manipulative, thus my lower rating. I tried the ear muffs on and they definitely seem to reduce noise, so this is not about the product, but I judge safety information should never be contingent on providing my personal information. Otherwise, I wish the company well.

Very noise canceling

31 years in a woodshop as a Cabinet maker and these miffs are the most quiet and comfortable yet.

The sound dampening is great but these are small and not adjustable.

The band that fits over the head is not adjustable. You can pull one ear cover down but then the other one slides up. It is not possible to adjust the total length of that headband, it just slides back and forth in the sheath. What a useless design. The regular size is fine for a small head. I am going to try the extra-large size.

0:10

Good I guess

Works gods but a bit misleading saying it’s 37 NRR when it’s actually 34. Great product but false advertising

Good noise cancellation protection

I had a hard time deciding if I wanted noise cancelling with Wi-Fi or without. I found that I could get these with better noise control than if I got Wi-Fi enabled ones and for a significantly cheaper price. I am using these for mowing and I’m very happy without the Wi-Fi because I am concentrating on what I am doing. They do an excellent job of protecting my hearing, are adjustable, and are very comfortable. Sometimes it’s better to pick the simplest choice. Fold to store in the box between uses.

Not sure about this

It is tight around my temples and at certain angles it seems protection drops dramatically. Honestly all the noise protection headphones have confusing specs and testing methods that make it hard to compare across use cases.

Not as advertised

Overall this seems like a good pair of shooter’s muffs, but the product is prominently advertised as NRR37, and the box clearly labels them as NRR34: over 9% lower than the product description text.

Work Very Well

I really like these ear protection. They really do work - I was surprised how well. I have very sensitive ears and working in my kennels really hurt with those shrill high pitched barks. Legit, it’s painful. When I put these on it was like “ahhhh, sweet relief”. Makes doing my cleaning so much more pleasant. Very comfortable to wear. Does not come with a bag or case for storage.

Purple Color Isn't Purple

They work like they should and are relatively light and comfortable to wear, however, the purple color I ordered doesn't look purple. It looks more like a dark royal or navy blue.

They fit pretty tight when I first got them, but once you slide the earmuffs down on the wires to a lower position and sit them to stretch out on the box for a couple days like others suggested, they fit a bit looser and more comfortable.

Great for lawn equipment

Got these to compare to a set from Clear Armor which I really like. They have very, very similar build with the key difference being the sheath over the top of the headband on these Decibel Defense muffs is a fabric/neoprene with a stitched nylon edge and six 1/4 inch foam blocks molded into vinyl on the underside.

The Clear armor also incorporate the six 1/4 inch foam blocks molded beneath the headband but seam-weld another layer of vinyl over the top of the headband instead of using a fabric with a stitched edge across the top of the head band.

Regarding noise attenuation, its extremely difficult to distinguish the two. Despite multiple trials and side-by-side comparisons using various pieces of gardening equipment including line-trimmer, blower, lawnmower and hedge-trimmers I could not tell them apart. Effectively, they perform absolutely identically across the real-world frequencies tested.

The comfort against my roundish large head was also identical.

The only other slight difference is that the Clear Armor are very slightly more bulbous and rounded away from the ears while the Decibel Defense are just a tiny bit more low-profile. Also, the Decibel Defense are available in a variety of different colors.

They both have nearly identical slide adjustment mechanisms and attachment points, both incorporate metal slide wire with plastic slider sleeves with pop connection holes that attach the slide mechanism to corresponding stems molded onto the outer ear cups. Their weight is 275g/9.65oz (CA) vs 273g/9.60oz (DD)--arguably identical for real-world use.

Gavin B

March 13, 2024

I love them

This is the best hearing protection I can buy at a reasonable price. They are comfortable and fast shipping. ( based on color)

Go ahead and buy the I’m quite satisfied.

You Win Some You Snooze Some.

I bought these for me and the hubs to use at Monster Jam. With them, I was well-prepared for the mega blast of engines revving and roaring. I slapped on the ear bra and was fine with the noise.

On the other hand, my husband had a real problem. With the ear clamps on, he was so comfortable that he fell fast asleep. IN THE MIDDLE OF MONSTER JAM!

They clearly work to muffle the noise, but Buyer Beware! You might miss the whole show if you choose these ear muffs.

They will break / fail at the pivot points, but I will NEVER return them!

Yes, they will break / fail at the pivot points, but I will NEVER return them! I have a pair of DD decibel defense ear muffs—love ‘em! But after a couple years of use the swivels started popping off their pivot points. At first I tried to melt the plastic. That worked for a while...until it didn’t. Then, I drilled holes, inserted #4 screws with washers, and haven’t had a problem since. See the attached photo. Highly recommend as a fix--even proactively.

Noise reduction is at a maximum with this product

I have not come across another set of hearing protection with the quality, durability, and functionality as the Decibel Defense headset. I only have 1 request, if the company offers a gel earpiece replacement set that would make these 100% bought every time. I work around aircraft and i am particular about my hearing protection however i also wear glasses and eye protection on a daily basis and the ear pieces that come with this headset doesn’t quite conform to the shape of the eyeglasses earpiece. If anyone knows where i can buy the earpiece that’s filled with gel please let me know.

Definitely not 37 decibels reduction, these are rebranded 6$ earphones

These are horrible quality earphones for the price, identical to harbor freight’s 6$ set. Definitely not 37 db reduction, my ears are ringing after working in the garage for 10 minutes. Avoid Avoid AVOID!

0:29

Fit Children Not Adults

Royal blue is not purple and not as displayed in the listing.

I bought 4 pairs. Gave them to 4 different people. 1/2 men and 1/2 women. Everyone said the same thing and that is they struggle to position the ear muffs over their ears. More specifically, they ear muffs can not be pulled down far enough to sit comfortably on the ears. In other words, the bottom of your ears are rubbing against the bottom of the muffs. It seems like they need more metal to extend the muffs down further.

Not exactly the color as seen online.

I bought the DD purple for my wife, well, I got them in and the box is purple but the color of the DDs are dark blue, no matter how you shine light on them, no matter how much light or how little light is on it, you only see a nice shade of darker blue. Well, it doesn't really matter I guess, I mean not in the grand scheme of things because its to protect your hearing but if you order purple, that is what it should be. If you look at it online it really is a great purple, its even a beautiful purple, but oh well, dark blue is ok I guess, but my wife loves purple though. Oh well, what can you do, they don't even offer a dark blue like this, they offer a very light blue which I don't really care for so this darker blue is ok. I think trying to send it back trying to get the purple as shown online would be a waste of time because the box is purple and they don't show online that they even offer this color. So, its a nice blue, if you like this color blue a lot and you like the purple if they correct the color, then order the purple and you should get one of the two colors.

Comfortable

Super Comfortable decibel reducing….I wasn’t expecting these things to be comfortable, but they are….I purchased them because of the number of decibels they claim to reduce….and also, because the reviewers made positive comments about the way they fit and operate….these things are great!!! I wear them around the house when I want things super quiet….or have a headache…they work equally as well when I run my lawn care equipment. Happy camper 🙌

Husband said these deserve a good rating

Husband got these to mow the lawn. He has a zero turn and it’s very loud. He says these definitely cut out a lot of the noise. We ordered the XL and it fit/covered his ears completely. He has a big round shaped head so I say that is a thumbs up with the size. He said that “these deserve a good rating” as he was driving off to low the lawn. He recommends the item!

Want the best, buy DD to preserve your hearing

These are now my go to protection on the farm. I have damaged hearing so all the protection I can get to preserve what is left from military service is critical. I wear these all the time while operating the zmower, backhoe, tractor, PTO Woodmax 8600 chipper or bulldozer. Chain saw use is nearly daily and these are with me all the time. Fit very well, Highly, highly recommend.

1:57

Extremely comfortable and effective hearing protection

The Decibel Defense are extremely comfortable, provides excellent hearing protection and noise cancellation. Purchased them back in early December, roughly five months of grueling daily ware. That’s about the average life expectancy for hearing protection at the airport. Been thinking about swapping them out for weeks; the ear cushions were drying out and becoming brittle. This morning they fell off and snapped at there weakest point. Personally I’d like to see “DD” redesign the pencil thin attachment point, however I would definitely recommend this product.

inflated noise reduction rating. Poorly built.

The 3M PELTOR X5A is far better. It is even bigger, but more comfortable and significantly better as for as isolation. I 've gone though many muffs and that is by far the best one. Decibel defence is poorly made and not properly insulated.

The two pictures of this decibel defence one you can see the foam is lower density so it won't block as much sound, It's a cheap foam like what you'd use in packing, the packing is poor too. it's very poorly applied. You can see how it doesn't make contact well with the ear pads huge gaps. it does have some high density white foam at least where the holes of your ears are which helps but this a poor version of 3m s offereings. Even the cheaper/smaller 3m muffs are better than these. I'd get something used by business where they can be sued if they supplied substandard safety equipment, not this china garbage poorly made with a fancy name. Also the pads themselves are very low density and stiff so it blocks less noise. The third picture is pelator x5a. It 's perfectly applied (the foam) and very high density. The fact that you can get pelator for 30-35 dollars and these were around 25 is insane. Also the fact that dd state they area 37db is totally false it's more like 15. I'd avoid this for industrial work and shooting absolutely. Get something certified without quality control issues and better built. You are only getting 32 db certified on an ear muf with current technology there is no 37 crossing broad spectrum of frequency.

I'm annoyed because of the finish issues the rest of it is just cheap. Not having the foam go all the way up is a safety issue and this can really increase the chance of people getting hearing damage and tinitus and they think they are getting something. Making false claims like this in a safety product is wrong.

Why not get something that blocks more and is more comfortable. I was looking for something that's really good for home "quiet" i haven't found anything better yet than pelator. I tried a half dozen those are the ones to get 100%. I have another pair for yard work. I also found the 3m(pelator) more comfortable. The seal is a softer foam.

Great muffs, great company, well built based in the USA!

I really liked this ear protection for its decibel rating, high visibility, comfort and ability to adjust. Unfortunately after just a year and three months they are broken. I depend on my ear protection! I have major issues running trimmers and blowers without them. The small pegs which attach the muff to the head bracket broke while I was putting them on yesterday. Contacted the company directly to see if they were defective. Seems like a great company so I’ll see how they handle my issue. I really like their mission statement and the fact that it’s an American run business. I believe that when I originally purchased them I did so because of the company values.

8/22 Update! The company sent out a new side assembly ASAP after being contacted, they responding within hours and shipped a replacement ear cup the next day that I was able to snap in....Great customer service! Will buy another pair.

2025 UPDATE! I still use my original pair purchased in 2019 and my second pair purchased in 2021! These things get tossed into the back of the truck, kicked around and used heavy in a work week. This is a high quality product and I hope they continue to “Make them like they used to” because I cannot say that much about anything I purchase these days.

Best set I’ve ever owned

Best protection I’ve ever used -well made , comfortable, and great price!

0:38

Airplane Engines

This is an amazing product! I work at the airport as a ramp agent for a major package delivery company. I walk the planes in to park, unload and then load them. Then walk them back out to the runway for them to take off. I am working around the plane engines plus the heavy equipment engines for hours. These safety ear muffs reduce the noise dramatically! I used them in conjunction with my music ear buds to cut my lawn. The lawnmower and weedwacker were quiet. My music was on a normal volume and I could hear it very clearly. The padding is so comfortable. I wear for hours at the airport and no discomfort. Go ahead and buy. You will not be disappointed.

Enjoy your hearing - These are the best on the market!

I am heard of hearing at baseline, had hearing aids since childhood and require hearing aids to function in my day to day life as an RN. My hearing is valuable and I need to conserve what I’ve got. I’m also a husband, father and homeowner. This requires me to pick up handyman skills, operate loud equipment and other odds and ends to maintain a stable house without calling for assistance every day. Picked these up last week and so far have used them lawn-mowing, weed trimming, operating a table saw and circular saw along with various drills. Coming from someone who has been wearing equipment on his ears since he was 5 years old, these are very comfortable and do a superb job with noise cancellation. I wanted the highest rated decibel cancellation I could find have not worn any equipment that has blocked out sound with as much comfort as these. For those who want cordless ear buds underneath, rest assured you can. I can just shut my hearing aids off and pop these on over it without an issue.

A Step Up in Quality

I purchased two different brands with lots of good reviews here so i could figure out which one I like better and provide a review with some perspective.

I'm keeping both, one set for shooting at the range and another set for yard work and using power tools at home.

Both the Clear Armor and the Decibel Defense ear muffs work really good. I couldn't tell the difference between them when using my lawn mower. They both significantly reduced the sound level and I feel like my ears are safe using either.

The Clear Armor ear muffs have very soft pads. Almost too soft, but they seem to work really well with glasses, keeping a tight fit. The finish on them isn't great. The headband has sharp plastic on the edges and it feels cheap. The bars that hold the muffs to the headband are not polished, which makes them a little bit rough to adjust, but not a big deal, they just done feel like a high quality part. I'm sure they will last, and as I said before, they will get the job done. The ear opening is big enough for my ears. I just needed to wiggle them around a bit. Overall, these things are a great deal for the money.

The Decibel Defense ear muffs have harder pads. They work well with safy glasses. They feel like they will last a long time without getting compressed. The headband has basically the same cushions as the Clear Armor, except these have a stitched edge, making them feel much better in the hand; higher quality. The bars that hold the muffs to the headband are polished, making them very easy to adjust as they slide with very little friction. The ear holes are about the same size as the Clear Armor, and had the same fit for me, which is acceptable. Overall the Decibel Defense ear muffs feel a little more refined, but they are also a little more expensive.

Good luck with your decision! But no matter what you do, make sure to choose something, because some protection is much better than no protection.

Sooo quite....

I'm an airboat tour guide in the everglades down in Florida and I've been looking for some good hearing protection. I sit in front of two 500ci Cadillac engines all day and the headphones I had been using just weren't cutting it. I was getting headaches and was all tense because of the noise. So I started looking, and these were some of the highest rating in decibel reduction that I've been able to find. They even a little higher than the 3M ones out there. Add to that, they are cheaper and come in a bunch of different colors. They are comfortable and work really well.

Decent Protection but Misleading Decibel Rating

Overall these are decent ear protection but I was a bit disappointed as these are actually not 37 rated but 34. I don’t know what logic DD used to get to the higher number, but the box they come in clearly notes an OSHA rating of 34 as you can see in the photo. Not at all a bad rating but I bought these simply because of the 37, which was higher than anything else I found, and so when I saw this I was disappointed and do not appreciate the misleading marketing. Feels a bit bait and switch and makes you wonder what else may be “hiding”. This lost one star in my rating.

The second star was due to quality of the foam installation within the ears of these; there were visible gaps within the muffs where you had no foam; it seemed hastily jammed in. I had to pull the foam out and reset it myself (this is easy as it’s not glued) but you shouldn’t have to do this with new ear protectors. Poor quality control.

In terms of overall quality after fixing the foam these seem on par with others I own. They are comfortable but not life changing, nor that much different from others. They are made in Tiawan but between that and China it’s not a surprise these days.

In summary these seem fine, but given the price point and combined with the misleading listing and QC issue, if I had to do over I’d choose another option, however for me they are not so bad that I’d take the time to send them back at this point.

The plastic that connects the ear pieces shattered in multiple locations.

Retired after decades in business and the US Navy I have discovered everything breaks. From a reduction in customer dissonance basis the true mark of a professional organization is how the management of a bunch reacts when a product fails. First however as a Naval Aviator I wore a hard hat in the aircraft and Mickey Mouse ears working on the flight deck for ear protection. These ear muffs are as good as the best I experienced in the Navy. I now have a ride around mower, a pressure cleaner, a backpack leaf blower, a chain saw and soon a rotor tiller and once again I have piece of mind from the quiet the replacement ear muffs bring to the party. This brings me to the second part. The plastic piece that goes over my head broke (see photos). I have a large skull so ......the stress on the muffs may have been a tad excessive. As soon as I made my situation known the CEO of the company was on email to me concerning that defective set and a replacement has arrived in the mail. Expect 4 stars to go to 5 soon if my big head doesn't overstress them. I would buy again.