Noise canceling ear muffs/plugs

[Kozzy]

A search of the subject didn't come up with much.  Since they price of these has come way down, I was wondering if anyone had used them in actual smithing operations.  Most are designed for shooters so that would imply they'd be adequate for smithy noise but there are other considerations--like whether they stay in place or drive you crazy in a more active environment than a shooter normally sees.

For me, it'd be much better to be able to hear the outside world between the noisy stuff--and not have to take the protection on and off to do that.

And yes, they actually have them in ear plugs now but I think that'd be a big fail: I can hardly keep regular plugs from popping out at annoying times.

So what's your opinion if you've used them while doing active work like smithing?  If you have used them, any brand recommendations or style issues to watch for?

[Daswulf]

I have Howard Leight Impact earmuffs that I take up to the forge for noisy work. They have volume control and dim the sound when it reaches a certain decibel. And if turned up amplify surrounding sounds normally. 

I like em for shooting and they worked well at the forge for me. Don't need em too often as my anvil it to too loud. 

[BIGGUNDOCTOR]

I always kept it simple, and use foam plugs that have a 32-33 NRR. If you use earmuffs they can cause pain issues with safety glasses, if you do not have the straight bayonet style earpieces. They are nice if you have to take them off and on constantly to hear things around you, but I have found that I get sweaty where they are against my head. I wear plugs all day at work, so I have gotten used to them over the years. There are people who mold custom earplugs to your ear canals. I have usually seen them at gun shows. That may help keep them from popping out. 

[SpankySmith]

Ditto on the ear plugs, the muffs I have hurt my head/ears after wearing 'em for a while, though they do a great job of cutting the noise.  I believe I've read that most people do NOT insert foam ear plugs correctly, which may cause them to pop out.  I wear mine religiously, even if I'm just mowing the lawn, and have never had a pair budge, but they do have to be inserted correctly.  You can google proper insertion, there's all kinds of info about it - I was just lucky enough to sit through a boring but useful class on proper insertion some years ago. 

[Kozzy]

3 hours ago, SpankySmith said:

Ditto on the ear plugs, the muffs I have hurt my head/ears after wearing 'em for a while, though they do a great job of cutting the noise.  I believe I've read that most people do NOT insert foam ear plugs correctly, which may cause them to pop out.  I wear mine religiously, even if I'm just mowing the lawn, and have never had a pair budge, but they do have to be inserted correctly.  You can google proper insertion, there's all kinds of info about it - I was just lucky enough to sit through a boring but useful class on proper insertion some years ago. 

Due to some ear surgery when I was a wee tyke, my left ear canal is not conducive to holding a plug well.  I can fight and fiddle and shove to embed it deeply but that's a bit of a pain...both literally and figuratively.  I could probably have custom plugs molded but wanted to check other options first.

The real issue is the need to hear outside sounds while maintaining ear protection. Plugs won't do that for me.  I might as well give the noise canceling muffs a shot..worst that can happen is ending up with something I can loan visitors to wear if needed.