Noise Canceling Safety Earmuff PA4000 Over-the-Head Model

I use these headphones in the shop while running woodworking machines.Pros:They used to block out a decent amount of noise.Cons:Noise cancelling is worse than using it just normal. I have never noticed it block out any frequencies. It gets a lot of feedback loops that cause bass shuddering and are very annoying.Audio quality. I have had better audio quality in any set of $15 headphones I have had.Durability. I have never had any accidents with these and the foam pads are starting to come apart with normal use.Bottom line: Not worth it at all for the price. For $20-$30 these would be worth it.

Too tight on head plus where battery is there is a rattle that is annoying....Replacing battery can be quite the chore as the piece has to be screwed off and getting it back in the correct place is annoying because the sides are rubber and you have a hard time getting it in place.Occasionally I have a loud shrieking sound in my ear which is quite painful....over time that seems to have calmed down a bit, just hope it doesn't return!Prefer my Bose noise canceling headphones but, unfortunately, there is no NRR on them and after I was allowed to wear those for 6 months at work, they changed their policy. Now everything has to have a NRR and again these were the only ones I could find in an affordable price range....Wish I could wear my much more comfortable Bose! I could actually hear with those and with these I still have a hard time hearing voices.

Did a ton of research via reviews on amazon and various websites. Was aiming for a price range around $100 to $150. Decided on this pair. Whoops!So the Pros - it does what it says it does. Definitely reduces noise. Given I work in an industrial area with ridiculously loud machinery that makes constant loud noises all day, non-stop, I can attest to needing this kind of technology. However, a set of decent, basic in-ear plugs with a cheaper, $20 headphone set would probably be more than sufficient in combination.The active part is lame, based on the above statement. And, as mentioned in another review, there can be weird shrieking noises at first, particular when using the headphone jack to listen to music or what-have-you. Given the sheer volume of noise I'm already dealing with, I'm not always using that feature.In fact, if you use ear plugs inside this piece, the "active" noise cancellation seems pointless and does not add an extra reduction.Now here's the ultimate issue:NOT COMFORTABLE. This was what I was going for when doing a lot of research given I wear a set for a full 6 hours on any given day. These are way too tight. And I have a rather average side head on a 5'8, 145 pound body. I've been slowly trying to stretch the top part a bit. I'm guessing it was built this way to ensure the "cups" stay tight on the ears to reduce noise.Also, the product arrived in plastic bubble bags. No box. Was this a returned item resent out? Not sure. But given it was labeled new, this made me a bit perplexed. No scratches or anything otherwise that made me think used, though.In Summary,The reviews and research led me to believe this was the perfect set for a long work day. I was wrong. Don't make the same mistake. In theory, this would have been a good set. Next set I purchase, based on research, will probably be a David Clark set.Feel welcome to leave feedback or comments!UPDATE ONE YEAR LATER:Comfort has improved incredibly after stretching and a combination of both it, and myself, getting accustomed to our shapes.The static or shrieking noise is gone. Not sure why. Cord related, device related, headset related, who knows. But it's gone.I added one star because of these two things improving over time. Though definitely was not the case upon first purchase.The other thing to note is this headset can take a beating. Industrial daily use and it still functions both as a noise canceling device and audio device to play music or take phone calls. It's not the best at phone calls, but it does function.Adding another star to bring it up to four because of durability.All in all, would I buy again? Probably not. I think I would go with a david clark headset if I'm going to spend this kind of money again. Or just go cheap as my comments above mention with a combined audio ear noise isolating device.It's worth it if you're NOT trying to get the features of a david clark with mouth piece audio function AND also don't want to use ear pieces inside the headset itself.Note that it mostly eliminates lower frequency noises. I'd call them "heavy noises" ie: metal hitting metal (from experience). It allows people to talk to each other (you have to talk loudly, but you can talk). This is another reason I brought to four stars.Why four stars but wouldn't buy again? Because it won't suit my purposes in business/industry. It might suit YOUR purposes at the home without need of communicating with your business partners/etc. I'm impressed at the beating this thing can take though (and needed to repeat that).Hope the update helps.UPDATE THREE YEARS LATER:Still works! Definitely has some wear and tear from daily use and being beaten up quite a bit, tossed about, etc. Wear and tear caused the opening that holds the battery to get more finicky about closing properly. But can't complain as it was probably my doing from it getting smacked around quite a bit. Some of the foam that goes around the ear is starting to disintegrate a bit. However, having it's home in an industrial warehouse with it receiving quite a bit of roughness mixed in with the fact it's home is not heated/cooled very well, not sure I can blame the product itself for that. Also, that's more of a heavy-use wear item. I'm much more impressed in the electronics component that has held up, which is what makes this a different product than a standard headset.My recommendation above still stands as far as meeting my expectations and what would be a cheaper solution. However, if other products to compare and price weren't a factor, and I was to just discuss this individual product, three years later, it still works. That's a terrific sign.

Finally, I found these. I purchased two other earmuffs that did not work as I wanted. These do. I wanted noise canceling for my woodshop. These work great for that. I also wanted Bluetooth capability to play music or radio while canceling the machinery noise. I tried two ther Bluetooth noise canceling headphones. Both of those were unsatisfactory. The noise canceling also cancelled out the music. Which defeats the purpose. These ProTech headphones do not have Bluetooth capability. But I was able to buy a Bluetooth receiver for the headphone jack. Together my problem is solved. With loud machinery, I hear only the music or radio at whatever lower level I want.

An excellent device and design to give you the maximum protection for your ears and hearing. This is my second pair and would never do the work I do without them. I suggest that after every use that you make sure they are dry and wipe them with a clothe and place them into the case if you still own the case that used to come with headset. Pro Tech Technologies does not include the protective case anymore with is why I gave them only 4 stars out of 5.

Per the guy I ordered them for (who operates a mower all day) they help but make about as much difference as ear muffs you'd buy for the shooting range, but cost substantially more.

GREAT!!!

Good headphones. Broke after a while.