Most powered garden tools are inherently noisy. This article takes a look at Garden Tools – Decibels levels. The aim is to try to give you a basis for understanding just how intrusive and noisy different garden machinery can be.
Decibels
Noise levels are measued in decibels. An explanation of the decibel scale is beyond this article. Take a look at this site on soundproofing for an explanation. It gets complicated very quickly. For our purposes all we need to know is that zero DB represents the quietest sound that can be heard by the human ear. It is a logarithmic scale with perceived volume doubling (or halving) with a change of 10dB.
The Health and Safety Executive define workplace sound levels above 85dB as potentially damaging to hearing.
The Noise Levels from the Garden Tools and Garden Shredders feature highly in all of our reviews. High speed rotating equipement is inherently noisy. However, in our view, manufacturers must do more to reduce the level of noise produced by most electrical tools.
Comparing Garden Tool Noise Levels
In the table below we provide a standard sort of Decibel table with examples of common noisy events.
Where we have the information – many manufacturers don’t provide decibel levels for their equipment – we have added that into the appropriate place on the table.
| Noise | Average decibels (dB) | Notes | Garden Shredder Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leaves rustling, soft music, whisper | 30 | Normal, background sounds | |
| Average home noise, refrigerator hum | 40 | ||
| Normal conversation, background music | 60 | ||
| Office noise, inside car at 60 mph | 70 | More noticeable sound. | |
| Vacuum cleaner, washing machine | 75 | ||
| Heavy traffic, noisy pub, power lawn mower | 80-85 | Bosch AXT 25TC, Turbine Cut Shredder | |
| Hand held hair dryer | 85-90 | Very noticeable sounds. Hearing protection is mandatory for people employed within areas with level of sound | Bosch AXT 25D Quiet Shredder TackLIfe PWS01A Forest Master 6HP |
| Petrol lawn mower | 90–95 | ||
| GoKart, motorcycle | 96–100 | ||
| Sporting events, premier league football crowd | 101–105 | Potentially Dangerous. Hearing loss can occur with relatively short exposure | VanHaus 3-in-1 Leaf Mulcher – estimated TackLife PWS02 rapid |
| Chainsaw, leaf blower | 106–115 | Bosch AXT 2200 Rapid Einhell GH-KS Rapid Dirty Pro Tools 2500W rapid Timberwolf 1375G Petrol Shredder – 111dB Zipper ZI-HAEK4100 – 115dB |
|
| Rock concert, sound next to fire alarms | 120–129 | ||
| Gun shot, loud fireworks | 140 |
Should you use Ear Protection
Unless you are a gardener whose work environment includes power tools, there is no compunction to use ear protection.
For our money, we think that ear defenders are not needed for the quieter range of shredders. The exception is if you are going to be using the machine for long periods.
If you plan on using impact shredders or leaf blowers you would be well advised to use decent ear protection.
Ear defenders are not designed to cut out all noise. The aim is to reduce the sound level reaching your ears to about 80dB.
