I am getting old help me choose a new DA

BuckeyeR/T

BuckeyeR/T

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I have a Dewalt DW443 and it is very loud. I visited my doctor recently and my hearing is really getting bad. I hate to choose a new DA based on quietness but I might be a good idea. Mike, I assume you have exposure to lots of the new and old DA's out there, can you or anyone recommend a relatively quite DA? please?
Thanks,
Rick
 
Not Mike, but......
Maybe some earplugs or earmuffs would be a good idea.
It may be a little late, but they might help avoid further damage.
 
Charles,
That is great advice (thank you) and I have been using them (the foam plugs) the last few times but, having 4 kids around I hate not being able to hear what is going on around me while the DA is off.
 
BuckeyeR/T said:
Charles,
That is great advice (thank you) and I have been using them (the foam plugs) the last few times but, having 4 kids around I hate not being able to hear what is going on around me while the DA is off.
Click to expand...

when ur DA is off take out those ear plugs or earmuffs, just let ur kids know if they need u for anything to come and tap on you.:xyxthumbs:
 
Wow, that is unfortunate news. I always use hearing protection with the Flex 3401, my Porter Cable, and Milwaukee rotary, plus when using the shop vac, leaf blower, or using compressed air for blowing things off. Ear plugs, ear muffs, whatever is handy and close to reach.

My Dad has significant hearing loss from working in a machine shop for a short while, during college (before OSHA, when you had to "man up" and get used to the noise). I wouldn't want to go around and miss hearing things like he has for most of his life. And he really isn't that "deaf". But throw in your typical male selective-hearing trait and it really causes problems when people think you are ignoring them (co-workers, wife, kids, etc). Of course, maybe not hearing others nagging is a blessing in disguise ;)

Being from a generation that jams in earbuds and cranks up their iPods, it bothers me to see reckless behavior. People don't realize their hearing is gone before it's too late, unfortunately. Throw in general hear loss from aging and that makes matters worse.
 
No DA or RB is quite enough to be used over a long period of time and not be so loud as to bother your hearing.

If you're hearing is going south then always wear hearing protection with any power tool.

I usually don't with DA style tools but try to remember them when buffing all day using a rotary buffer. It's easy to skip this precaution and most detailers do skip it, but noise over an extended period of time isn't good for anyone's ears, young or old.

:)
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
No DA or RB is quite enough to be used over a long period of time and not be so loud as to bother your hearing.

If you're hearing is going south then always wear hearing protection with any power tool.

I usually don't with DA style tools but try to remember them when buffing all day using a rotary buffer. It's easy to skip this precaution and most detailers do skip it, but noise over an extended period of time isn't good for anyone's ears, young or old.

:)
Click to expand...
Thanks Mike!
So no DA sticks out in your mind as more quite than another?
 
BuckeyeR/T said:
Thanks Mike!
So no DA sticks out in your mind as more quite than another?
Click to expand...

There all close enough to the same that it would be hard to say one is safe and one is not safe.

If you stay at the 4.0 speed setting or lower then they're not too loud, as soon as you bump up to the 5.0 and 6.0 speed settings the noise increases quite a bit, enough that if you're hearing is being affected then you should wear ear plugs for extended buffing sessions.

The new PC 7424XP and the Griot's Garage ROP are very nice tools, much more powerful than the first generation tools like this style. I played with the new Meguiar's G110v2 at SEMA and was impressed with the new cruise control circuit they've upgraded to as it does increase the power to the pre-load level.

I don't know if this means the new version will have more power than the XP or the GG because I haven't used the new tool for an extended time. On paper, it would seem that all the circuit is doing is maintaining the original level of power the tool has always had, I don't know if that equates to more powerful or just the ability to use the previous available power.

Does that make sense?

Again, it's best not to pass judgment until one has the opportunity for real world testing. The new Meguiar's units will not be available till sometime in January so if you want a PC style tool before then you're choices are the XP or the GG

I like both and think that if you had to buff out a 2008 Toyota Camry, you would start and finish at the same time regardless of which tool you used.

:)
 
Yup, makes sense. Thank you again for your input.
 
Ear plugs are what I use, both the foam and the soft plastic ones on a cord.
Since I do a lot of motorcycle riding, those are what I have and use, but.......
If I was buying something that would be for shop use, I think it would be muffs.
Much easier to remove and replace when the need arises.
You can buy them as cheap as $10 and the hearing aids I bought about 5 years ago that don't help with Tinnitus were close to $4K.
 
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