Honeywell has released an awesome product with the Howard Leight Sync Wireless Earmuffs. These muffs are going to not only protect your ears from industrial deafness, but also make you more productive, and all without missing a phone call.
The Sync Wireless Earmuffs connect to a phone wirelessly, so there’s no annoying cables to worry about. You’re able to have your tunes playing – these headphones sound great – if you like, but the biggest benefit is being able to take phone calls, all with a click of a button on the headphones themselves. The boom microphone allows clear speech with the other end of the call with ease. You might initially think it’s kind of a budget, gimmicky-type product, but make no mistake: these are a well put together product that will stop a very real problem for tradies later in life: industrial deafness. It’s a big issue.
TEST 1: SETTING UP, COMFORT AND MUSIC
Before first use the on board Lithium Ion battery will need a charge. A full charge will give around 16 hours of use, so as long as it’s charged every couple of days or so you’ll stay wired for sound and safety. Once charged, a simple press of a button and Bluetooth pairing with a phone will have you connected. It’s that easy.
Streaming tunes had a really decent sound and it meant I could listen to my own music without disturbing the rest of site (who listened to top 40, and that’s not really my sound). With controls on the side of the ’muffs you’re also able to change between songs so there’s no need to grab the phone. The metal frame is nice and robust and the padded head strap and ear cushions are extremely comfortable. I was able to wear them for many hours without any of the headaches or pain some earmuffs can cause when worn for long periods.\
TEST 2: NOISE REDUCTION AND NOISE CANCELLING
All in all the connectivity is great, but there’s no point in having ear protection if it doesn’t work. Not only are the earmuffs comfortable and sync really well, but they have a high passive-noise attenuation SLc80 of 31dB, protecting your delicate ears from all the big bangs, sharp noises and high-pitched screeches onsite.
The problem once we’ve cut out all the outside noise is then our phones ring and we miss the call due to wearing earmuffs. Either clients can’t reach us or we can’t call our workers onsite because they can’t hear. That excuse has now gone. We fired up the circular saw and made a heap of noise and tested talking on the phone while still cutting. I was seriously thinking they wouldn’t be able to hear what I was saying, thinking the microphone would pick up too much of the saw’s noise. But we had an effortless conversation and both ends of the call could hear with crystal clarity. The adjustable boom microphone with windsock positioned well in front of the mouth made sure the other party could hear very clearly without all the background noise. I was able to keep cutting without stopping for any phone call. It was very impressive.
THE VERDICT
Epic. That about sums it up.
These are extremely comfortable earmuffs which can be worn all day long. Noise cancelling is great and will protect your ears. Playing music is great, but the big winner is the ability to deal with phone calls clearly while you continue to work. It’s perfect for the boss to keep his business running while on the tools, and perfect for the boss to buy them for the crew so they can contact them easier while they’re also being more productive and not stopping for phone calls (if only they could swipe right for their Tinder matches without seeing.)
I can also see them being perfect for any business owner who works from home and has kids or a partner that distracts them from doing the paperwork or to take calls. They’ll have to call you on your phone to come out for dinner.
Silence is golden.
For more information visit: www.honeywellsafety.com