I received some safety gear – FSL Patriot Electronic Earmuffs – free from the company to provide feedback on their use. While they are great for the shooting range, they are also perfect for use when working on the project truck.
Every time we start to make real progress on Munchkin’s truck, we seem to have things happen that put it on hold or back in slow mode. After my injury, the progress slowed downed considerably. Once Munchkin and Daddy both started back up with school, well, progress was virtually non-existent. There isn’t a lot of time for large projects, so they continue on with little things here and there as time allows.
One of the larger projects that can be done a little at a time and doesn’t require huge sums of money is rust removal and prepping the truck for body work and paint. Whenever you’re working with paint and rust removal, it’s important to make sure that you’re using the proper safety gear.
Paint stripper – even the more eco-friendly stuff – is caustic. I forgot to get a regular paint brush and tried using foam brushes to apply the paint stripper only to have the paint stripper eat right through the foam brushes. It was rather amusing, but it did drive home the importance of making sure we were wearing safety gloves and a mask for the fumes.
Once the paint was basically off, it was time to put the safety mask back on as well as the mechanix gloves. Since Munchkin was going to be sanding and grinding with power tools and the process can get very loud, she put on the earmuffs to protect her ears. She says she doesn’t want to have hearing issues like Daddy. **grin**
The FSL Patriot Electronic Earmuff (affiliate link) provide great ear protection while still allowing you to hear what is going on around you. The electronic earmuffs use AA batteries which makes battery replacement easy because we always have them on hand. They have good volume control with an easy to use knob. The foam on the microphone is a bit thin, so you do get a little wind noise when the volume is up. The earmuffs fit comfortably over the ears and padded headband adjust easily to the head. The earmuffs are fixed, so the headband must be on top. The one big negative is they don’t collapse like some earmuffs, so they take up more space in storage.
Daddy likes the electronic earmuffs as it allows him to hear better while protecting his hearing. He said they worked nicely while grinding the surfaces. He was goofy and walked around with them on – testing out how well he could hear things with them on. He gave them two thumbs up except for the wind noise that he experienced at times.
Having safety gear while working on the project truck is important. Having proper ear protection is critical to preserve the already decreased hearing that D has and to keep Munchkin’s hearing at a solid level.
