Customer Reviews

AO Safety/3M Tekk 90534 WorkTunes AM/FM Hearing Protector

5 star:		(18)
4 star:		(13)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I was pleasantly surprised for several reasons. These appear to be pretty well made. They say "Made in Sweden", whereas everything else these days comes from China. The only weak point I could spot was the battery compartment cover, which has a flimsy folded plastic hinge which will someday be replaced with a strip of duct tape, I'm sure. Reception is pretty good and consistent for stations with a strong enough signal. My favorite college radio station is spotty with regard to clear reception. They are comfortable even just as hearing protectors and seem to reduce noise more than they're rating suggests. We've only been using these for a few weeks, but between me and my shop partner they are a popular item. Now we don't have to blast the radio to hear the music or news above the shop noise, or one peson can listen to music while the other hears the news. I recommend these radio headphones.

This set of earmuffs/radio is meant for use in construction or other activites where you would use loud equipment, but pairing the radio with high-quality noise-reduction lends them well to another purpose: wireless, noise-cancelling headphones. Normally, people planning on buying a GOOD pair of noise-cancelling headphones to use with their mp3 player should expect to pay $100 or more. Those who want a wireless set are looking at something at least twice as expensive.

But consider coupling these earmuffs with a cheap FM transmitter (the kind used to broadcast a signal from your mp3 or CD player to your car's FM radio). Together, you have a set of well-made wireless headphones, which means no tangles and, more importantly, no broken wires. (I don't know about you, but I'm always ruining headphones because I'm too rough on the wires.)

But how is the noise-reduction? On the surface, it seems like these wouldn't measure up to the more high-tech "active-reduction" headphones on the market. For example, the specs for Sony's MDR-NC50 (about $100) brags about noise reduction of 14dB, with active noise reduction. These 'muffs, on the other hand, offer 22dB noise reduction without the high technology. Superior functioning for this product is expected, since they're made for guys (and gals) who use jackhammers all day. Why Sony, Bose, or any of the others haven't partnered with the companies that build these things is beyond me.

Drawbacks: 1) the headphones look silly. They're big. You've seen these things on your shop-teachers' heads.

2) The FM transmitter solution only works in places with some empty space on the FM dial. In big cities, it can be difficult to find a quiet spot in the spectrum.

3) In order to get that 22dB noise-reduction, these things clamp on TIGHT. Though the foam pads are of high quality, the tight grip might cause discomfort to some.

Final verdict: superior noice-cancelling effect on this product surpasses other, more high-tech, more EXPENSIVE solutions. Heavy-duty design means no worries about durability, but don't expect miracles if you live in a city. And don't expect to look too cool in the campus library or at the local coffee shop with that antenna coming out of your head. P.S. if you only plan on using these things for the radio, without the FM transmitter, they're golden!

All during the first year of use (3 hrs./wk.) the music would mysteriously cut off. The company, AO Safety, was no help-they never returned e-mails. So in frustration I pried them apart and with a multi-tester found that the switch-a cheap little pressed together thing, was bad. I'm no electronic wizard, but have taken apart and fixed many things, and I gotta tell you, these things are cheaply made and flimsy. I wish I could recommend a better brand, but I've never had any others. I guess you get what you pay for. They were so cool when yhey worked, though, and I'll probably spend more here at Amazon on a better brand.

I manage a professional custom woodworking shop and we have 3 of these head phones, one for each sanding station. The sanding room is in the middle of the shop surrounded by concrete walls and on the bottom floor of the shop yet the radio stations still come in strong. They are in use nearly 12 hours a day and have made sanding a whole lot more enjoyable for those who do it. They do limit how much you can hear when people are talking to you so they are not allowed in our actual shop where we need to be able to hear one another but when working alone they are great.

This is a well built product, but the treble roll-off of the radio is severe and makes for very muffled listening for those of us who already have some high frequency hearing loss. Otherwise, the noise protection is quite good and the radio is sensitive in both AM and FM ranges. Tuning is a bit ackward and it could use digital tuning, or at least a rough frequency indicator on the tuning knob.

I have owned numerous pairs of Peltor WorkTunes 25's and this is not the same model. I noticed after receiving them that they had minor diferences than those that I have purchased elsewhere. I have talked to Peltor and they informed me that this is not the normal WorkTune 25-the normal model is Peltor #HRX79A GU. I am tired of large stores having manufacturers make cheap knock offs to make more profit!!

The Peltor WorkTunes work well as hearing protection, but the radio function is pretty marginal. The tuning knob gives you no idea what frequency you are on and the tiniest movement of the little knob will hurtle you right past 2 or 3 stations. It is difficult to accurately tune into a station. When you do find the station by listening long enough for "station identification", the reception isn't particularly good. I would suggest saving a few bucks and forgetting the "Tunes" or spending more and getting decent radio.

Great ear protection. When you want to hear some tunes they play very well. Would recommend them to anyone.

I have owned the peltor work tunes for a couple of years now and they work excellent. FM radio comes in really well and holds stations with no problem. AM is clear for the most part but the stations do tend to fade in and out with a lot of movement. Especially when I am mowing my yard. The headset is very comfortable and I have worn them for up to 3 hours at a time without any discomfort. I highly recommend them for the price.

Well made, comfortable and attractive. Good protection from outside noise. The sound quality is disappointingly poor. FM broadcast voice sounds muffled and hard to understand. The sensitivity to pick up all but the strongest FM stations is lacking. Returned as unsatisfactory.