This Father’s Day, we pay special tribute to the adventure dads out there. The dads who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty and carry out some home repairs. The dads who chance learning how to surf, even with reconstructed knees. For the Macgyver in all our lives, these are the best Father’s Day gifts in 2021.
For the dad who’s good with his hands (and always asks you to turn the TV up)
ISOtunes Link Bluetooth Ear Muffs
$184.99
If you’ve got a dad who loves using the ride on lawnmower while blasting tunes from his portable CD player, it could be time to protect his ears. A good set of Bluetooth ear muffs allow you to listen to music on your phone without compromising your hearing health, keeping you out in the backyard for longer (and frankly, out of your kids and partner’s hair!)
The ISOtunes Link is the most popular consumer Bluetooth ear muff protection available. They are expected to dampen about 24dB of sound when properly worn, enough to bring your lawnmower or any backyard power tools to within safe hearing parameters. They have a safe listening limit, preventing sounds to be played beyond the hearing health benchmark of 85dB, ensuring you’re not replacing the harmful noise from the mower with more harmful noise from your phone.
They come with comfortable ear cups, suitable for all head shapes and sizes, with an IPX4 rating for sweat and water resistance. They work with Siri and Google Voice and run for up to 14 hours on a single charge.
For the dad who hangs 10
SurfEars 3.0 Ear Plugs for Surfing
$64.99
If your dad is still using blu tack in his ears every time he goes out for a surf, book him a ticket to the 21st century with the SurfEars 3.0.
Constructed from a specially designed acoustic mesh, the SurfEars 3.0 prevents water, bacteria and dirt from entering the ear while still allowing you to hear and remain aware of your surroundings. It will not stop your dad from having a chat with the young grommets who happen to share his set.
An ultra-customisable set of surfing plugs, the SurfEars include six separate sizing components for each ear, allowing you to mix and match and find a set that most effectively and comfortably blocks out water and dirt.
The plug includes a strong leash designed to minimise the chance of losing your plugs in the swell. It’s got a smooth and comfortable sealing gel on both sides, with colour coded sides to help avoid confusion when you’re out there. If dad’s teaching his kids to surf, they don’t have to be left behind, the SurfEars Junior is available here.
For the dad who loves the feeling of wind in his (steadily thinning) hair.
Earjobs™ MOTOMATE® Motorcycling Ear Plugs
$31.99
Ear plugs are an underrated element of a motorcyclist’s kit. They’re what protect your ears from harmful wind and engine noise, but should still have filters that allow you to remain safe and aware of your surroundings. New for 2021, and debuted for Father’s Day, the Earjobs™ MOTOMATE® is our exciting new foray into the world of motorcycling hearing protection, with a strong and comfortable plug dads will love.
Built with strong, 27 SNR filters — the MOTOMATE® is expected to block out about 27 decibels of noise, with specially designed filters to retain awareness while still suppressing the wind. Building on the size and comfort for the beloved Earjobs MUSICMATE PRO, the MOTOMATE® has an ergonomically designed tip and base, suitable for 99% of ear shapes. It creates an air-and-sound-tight seal that’s comfortable and secure: no more mid-ride adjustments. Better still, the ultra slim body design mean these will fit comfortably under even the narrowest helmets.
While we know our dads don’t like to complain about this sort of thing, they also are made with hypoallergenic silicone tips. Great to minimise discomfort, particularly for sensitive ears and for long term wear.
In addition, because the filters are so strong, the MOTOMATE® is a great hearing protection accessory for other loud work. They’re good for the lawnmower, for power tools, or even for jamming in the garage. They come with an aluminium carry so are easily portable and can be wiped clean with a damp cloth.
For the dad who’s still struggling to work his phone and needs to keep things simple
$49.99
There are some dads who think Bluetooth is what happens when you suck on too many lollies. That doesn’t mean they don’t like listening to tunes (and need to protect their hearing in the backyard!) To keep things as simple as possible, the Plugfones Guardian Plus is a good old fashioned music ear phone with the same level of protection as their most expensive industrial units. With a built-in microphone and controls on the neck, you can take calls easily and comfortably wherever you are.
A few key features set the Plugfones apart from an ordinary set of ear phones. A double reinforced jack and sweat resistant cord make these a hardy set appropriate for work in the garden or around the house. The tips — both silicone and foam — are made with industrial level hearing protection (NRR 29dB for Foam and NRR 27dB for Silicone). In contrast to active noise cancelling devices, these passive protecting tips are reliable and consistent in their protection when worn — no more worrying about battery level. At only 14 grams they’re one of the lightest hearing accessories we’ve stocked, great for a dad who won’t stop complaining about how heavy ear muffs are.
Like most industrial grade hearing protection, the Guardian Plus is a great multi-use set of hearing protection. You can use them in the backyard, while working on site, at the shooting range, or just wherever you would use an ordinary set of ear phones. Because the hearing protection does such a strong job of isolating external noise, you can listen to music at a lower volume without even realising — keeping your ears fresh and healthy for years to come.
For the dad who patiently suffers through the rest of his family’s snores:
Crescendo Sleep 25 Reusable Sleeping Ear Plugs
$32.99
Snores. Rattling windows. Your neighbour’s illegal lockdown party. All of these contribute to a poor night’s sleep, with significant flow on effects for your health and focus. This Father’s Day, confront that problem at the source with the Crescendo 25 reusable sleep plugs, one of the strongest and most comfortable sleep devices on the market.
Crescendo’s brand is super popular with Choice Magazine and it’s easy to see why. The strong acoustic filters block about 24dB of noise across all levels — to put it in context, that’s appropriate even for wear at concerts, meaning the Crescendo is a high powered sleep device that does well with even the loudest of snores. Not only is the Crescendo a great snore blocker, but it’s also appropriate for day-time sleeping, great for shift workers or napping through lockdown. It’ll do a good job of smothering traffic noise or your kid’s Xbox.
One of the biggest hurdles to getting an individual to try ear plugs is a fear of that blocked ear feeling. The Crescendo is designed with a special acoustic filter that blocks sound, while still allowing air to enter the ear. This ventilation reduces clogged or stuffy feeling, making the Crescendo super comfortable for all night wear. Soft tips and a flexible body improve comfort and fit.
For men particularly, a lot of sleep plugs are ill fitting due to the smaller sized tips. The Crescendo comes with both Medium and Large tips included, giving you the flexibility to find the appropriate sized set for your ears. Remember: 99% of the blocking provided by an ear plug comes from an airtight seal. The strongest plug in the world won’t help if it doesn’t fit — but the Crescendo’s flexible sizing bypasses this problem for the majority of ears.