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In this article, I review the best radio headphones for lawn mowing:
- 3M WorkTunes headphones with bluetooth
- Honeywell Howard Leight sync headphones
- Zohan EM042 headphones
- Wulfpowerpro headphones with bluetooth
If you don’t have time to read the whole review, here is my recommendation:
I recommend the 3M WorkTunes headphones with Bluetooth. 3M is an excellent company with a reputation of making quality products and these headphones are no exception. They have all the features you’ll ever need at a very competitive price.
How to choose radio headphones for mowing
Here are the important features to look for when looking to buy headphones for lawn mowing:
Noise reduction and hearing protection
Mowing a lawn is a noisy job. You need headphones that will protect your ears and hearing from that loud noise.
Hearing protection devices are rated with a unit of measure aptly called “Noise Reduction Rating” (NRR). The rating is expressed in decibels (db) and the value refers to the amount by which the noise level is reduced.
Example: If a pair of headphones has an NRR rating of 22db, it means that by wearing those headphones, the noise level will be reduced by 22db.
The best headphones for mowing will have an NRR of at least 24 db.
Radio features
All of the headphones in this review have a radio tuner integrated into the headphones. You do not need to connect an external device in order to listen to the radio. Here are a few things to look for when comparing the radio features:
AM/FM – FM is standard in all of these headphones. AM is available in all of the headphones in this review except the “Wulfpowerpro” brand.
LCD display – Some models have an LCD display that displays the frequency.
Presets – A preset allows you to store your favorite radio stations in a memory slot. Be sure to check how many presets there are.
Wired or wireless
There are two main types of headphones – Wired and wireless. It’s important to point out that here we are describing the connection between the headphones and an optional external source of music like an MP3 player or smart phone. We are not talking about power sources. No wires are ever needed to power these headphones. All of them (wired and wireless) are battery-powered.
Some headphones are wired – ie you can connect to an MP3 player or phone using a physical cable with a 3.5mm jack. The advantage is that a wired connection will be the most stable and so it will probably give you the best sound quality. Also the headphones will be cheaper. The disadvantage is that there is a wire that might get in your way a bit.
Wireless headphones will “connect” to your MP3 player or phone via a wireless Bluetooth connection. For this to work, your MP3 player or phone must also have Bluetooth technology (most of them do). Clearly the advantage of wireless is that you’ll have no trailing wires but the downside is that sometimes the connection can drop.
Types of battery, battery life and charging
All of these headphones are battery-powered. Be sure to check the following details:
What type of battery do the headphones use?
How many batteries are needed?
Are the batteries included with the headphones?
What is the battery life?
Can you use rechargeable batteries? – If so, how do you recharge them and how long does it take?
(I give answers to all these questions for each model in the detailed reviews below.)
Comfort
There are a few features that can improve comfort. – Padding on the headband, padding and type of material that covers the ears and the weight of the headphones.
Ease of use
Headphones for cutting the grass (or operating any kind of machinery) need to be easy to use. It’s a big plus if you don’t have to take the headphones off in order to tune the radio, change stations, increase the volume etc.
You’ll probably be wearing gloves when mowing the lawn, so big
buttons that are well spaced out will be important.
The best radio headphones for mowing
3M WorkTunes headphones with bluetooth
These 3M WorkTunes headphones have an AM/FM radio tuner and antenna integrated into the headphones. If you only want to listen to the radio while protecting your hearing, these headphones are all you need.
Operating the radio
When using the radio, you can either manually scroll through all stations by turning the tuning dial or alternatively if you press it in, it will automatically scan for available stations. When you find a station you like, you can save it in memory as one of the 50 available presets. After you have saved all your presets, you can easily switch between them by turning the tuning dial when in “recall mode”. It is very simple to use and the instructions in the manual are clear.
Listen to music on your phone or MP3 player
If you also want to listen to music on your MP3 player or cell phone, you can do so either though the wireless bluetooth connection or by using the stereo audio cable (included).
Protect your hearing
These headphones also act as hearing protectors and they have an NRR rating of 24 db. They do a good job at keeping out the noise thanks to the thick foam pads that completely cover your ears and the headband that ensures they stay firmly in place. The headphones will adjust the volume of what you’re listening to by using the “Safe volume control technology” which ensures that you’re listening at a safe volume.
Batteries and power saving
The headphones are powered by 2x AA batteries which are not included. You can either use standard alkaline batteries or rechargeable AA batteries. Battery life will depend on level of usage but many users have reported battery life of 40+ hours. After 2 hours of non-activity, the headphones will automatically power off to save on the batteries.
Pros
- AM/FM radio with 50 radio presets
- Listen to music on an MP3 player or smartphone
- Very easy to use.
- Good protection for your hearing – NRR of 24db and “safe volume control technology”
- Bluetooth wireless technology.
- Stereo audio cable included if you prefer a wired connection.
- 3M is a very reputable company and brand.
- Excellent value for money.
Cons
- Batteries not included.
- The headband isn’t padded.
Honeywell – Howard Leight sync headphones
These Howard Leight headphones / protectors provide a high level of protection. – They are rated at an SNR of 29db. The built-in AM/FM radio tuner has digital tuning and 10 presets. You can also listen to music on an MP3 player or phone with the 3.5mm AUX input jack and connection cable (included). They are very comfortable to wear thanks to the padded headband. They are powered by 2x AA batteries (included) and the battery life is 111 hours. They are an excellent choice.
These headphones are the real deal. Howard Leight and Honeywell take hearing protection very seriously.
You are probably wondering why these headphones are called “Howard Leight” – Who is he? Well Howard Leight is the billionaire founder of “Howard Leight Industries”, an American company specialized in hearing protection with over 30 years experience in the prevention of occupational hearing loss. His company was sold to Honeywell several years ago and that is why these headphones are now sold under their name.
Full specs
Radio – There is digital AM/FM tuning with LCD display that can automatically search for radio stations. The 10 pre-set stations and volume memory can be personalized for each worker. The sound quality of the radio reception is excellent.
High visibility – The headphones are bright green in color and provide high visibility and contrast. The padded headband is made from reflective material to keep you visible in all conditions.
Batteries and battery life – Uses 2x AA batteries (included). The battery life is 111 hours.
Hearing protection – The patented Air Flow Control technology provides optimal attenuation across all frequencies. The SNR is 29 db.
Comfort – The headband has thick padding to prevent it rubbing on the top of the head and the reinforced forks can be adjusted to ensure a good fit. The snap-in ear cushions can be removed to clean or replace.
Listen to external music – You can listen to music on your MP3 player or phone via the 3.5mm AUX input jack and cable (included)
Pros
- AM/FM radio with digital tuning and 10 presets.
- High visibility design will keep you safe.
- Very comfortable thanks to the padded headband.
- Honeywell and Howard Leight are experts in hearing protection. This is a very reputable brand that you can trust.
- 3.5mm AUX cable is included to connect to an MP3 player or phone.
- 2x AA batteries are included.
Cons
- No bluetooth.
Zohan EM042 headphones
These Zohan headphones / ear protectors have an integrated AM/FM radio tuner with digital tuning, LCD display, auto-scanning and 20 presets. The frequencies are AM: 520 – 1710 kHz and FM: 87.5 – 108 MHZ. The headphones also come with a 3.5mm AUX input jack and cable so that you can connect them and listen to music on an MP3 player or phone.
The noise reduction rating (NRR) is 24 dB which is plenty for protecting your hearing during mowing and other yard work.
The anti-sweat ear pads will keep your ears cool and dry. Their clip-on design means you can remove them for maintenance, if necessary. The headphones can be adjusted to your head size by extending or shortening the telescopic rods and the padded headband is very comfortable to wear.
They are powered by 2x AA batteries which are not included.
Pros
- AM/FM radio with digital tuning, auto-scan and 20 presets (10 for FM and 10 for AM)
- Padded headband – Comfortable to wear for long periods of time.
- 3.5mm AUX cable is included.
- Very durable design.
Cons
- No bluetooth.
- Batteries are not included.
Wulfpowerpro headphones with bluetooth
These Wulfpowerpro headphones / ear defenders have lots of advanced features.
FM digital radio – The FM radio has digital tuning, and LCD screen, frequency scanning and presets.
Noise reduction – These headphones also act as ear defenders and have an NRR rating of 29 dB. These radio headphones are ideal for mowing the lawn, yard work, operating machinery or even shooting.
Bluetooth technology – Connect to your MP3 player, smart phone, tablet or any bluetooth-compatible device to listen to music wirelessly. You can also make hands-free calls from your phone without the need to take the headphones off.
AUX cable – If you prefer a wired connection to your devices, you can use the 3.5 mm AUX input and cable (included).
Internal SD card – The headphones have an internal, non-removable 4GB memory card on which you can store your music in MP3 format. To copy your files on to this card, you plug the headphones into your computer using the USB cable (included). Once the MP3 files are on the card, you can unplug the USB cable and listen to them directly without the need for any wires or bluetooth.
Rechargeable battery – The headphones come with an 800mAh rechargeable lithium battery. You recharge it using the USB charger cable (included.)
Pros
- Bluetooth connection – Connect wirelessly to your devices to listen to MP3 files.
- AUX cable included.
- 29 dB noise reduction.
- Hands-free calling via bluetooth.
- Rechargeable lithium battery and USB charger cable included.
- Internal SD card for storing MP3 files.
Cons
- The radio reception and sound quality isn’t very good.
- The radio does not allow you to manually tune and save stations. You press a button and it saves all available stations it finds.
- They get a bit uncomfortable on the head after a while.
Conclusion
So what are the best radio headphones for lawn mowing? I recommend the 3M WorkTunes headphones with Bluetooth. – 3M are an excellent company with a reputation of making quality products and these headphones are no exception. They have all the features you’ll ever need at a very competitive price.