Let’s face it: Dads are hard to buy for. A dad needs to be certain that the gift he’s receiving is high quality, easy to use, and above all else: useful. Whether you have a surfing dad, a gardening dad, a motorcycling dad, or a dad who likes to sleep in, Earjobs has you covered. In this guide, we’ll outline a variety of useful and practical Father’s Day gifts, certain to become part of your dad’s utility belt. We’ll arrange this guide by hobby and price point, to give you the best chance of finding the right fit. We’ll be covering: shooting, surfing, motorcycling, music hearing protection, as well as bluetooth earplugs, sleeping masks, and multi-use reusable earplugs.
Electronic Shooting Earmuffs - The Earjobs Wingmate
($69.99)
If your dad likes to shoot, make sure he’s protecting his hearing at the range. A lot of shooters have a pair of ordinary analogue earplugs: they block the sound out, but nothing else. The next step up is a pair of electronic shooting earmuffs. They work by dampening and blocking unsafe noises over 82dB (like gunfire) while selectively amplifying conversation and quieter noise by 2 - 3 times. This lets you remain aware of your surroundings and talk while still protecting your hearing. They have a soft and comfortable PVC headband, a 3.5 mm input jack, and dual knobs allowing you to customise the volume in either ear. If you’ve got the kind of dad who likes to shoot first and ask questions later, the Earjobs Wingmate is a great choice.
Surfing Earplugs - SurfEars 3.0
($64.99)
For lifelong surfers, extended exposure to the cold wind and water can result in chronic ear infections or growths that can affect hearing and result in pain and discomfort. The new 3.0 edition of the popular SurfEars range works to block out cold air, water, dirt, and bacteria while still enabling you to hear through its acoustic mesh. Totally customisable, it comes with multiple sized frames and eartips to ensure you have the right fit, as well as a lanyard to keep the pairs safely attached and around your ears in even the toughest surf. Tell your dad to ditch the blutack and join the rest of us in the 21st century, and if he’s starting to give your kids lessons they should check out SurfEars Junior.
Bluetooth Earplugs with Hearing Protection - ISOTunes Free
($195.95)
Summer days, the sound of a lawnmower competing with a radio: it’s a familiar setting, but ruinous for your hearing. The days of simply drowning out loud power tools with a louder sound system have to be over, if you want to keep listening into the future. So give your dad an upgrade this summer with a pair of bluetooth earplugs that can play music while also protecting your ears. Our pick is the ISOTunes Free. They’re rated to block out on average about 22 decibels of noise, allowing you to listen to music at a lower, clearer volume while out and about in the garden or garage. They’ll play for around 7 hours on a single charge, with an additional 14 hours of charge packed in the case, and also offer background noise cancelling for when you’re in a call.
For a bluetooth solution with a cord to keep the earbuds together, try the ISOtunes PRO 2.0. It has a larger battery than the Free, offering up to 16 hours of battery on a single charge, while also offering IP67 level of dust, water, and sweat proofing, for those particularly active dads.
Sleep-In Dads - The Dozy 3D Sleep Mask
($29.99)
Okay, bear with us here. A lot of Dads would baulk at the offer of a sleep mask. They like to think of themselves as a bit hardier than that. Capable of sleeping in even the roughest of circumstances. But if your dad’s a shift worker who sleeps during the day, or if he has trouble with the light leaking into the bedroom, or even if he just likes a sleep in, he should consider a sleep mask. The Dozy is a new 3D sleep mask, it works by cupping lightly with padded seals around the eyes, creating complete darkness without any of the scratchy irritation associated with flimsy airline sleeping masks. Better yet, it’s fully adjustable: you can adjust the placement of the eye cups to ensure it fits to the unique shape of your face. Pamper Dad this Father’s Day, he’ll thank you!
Pub Rock Dads - Alpine MusicSafe Pro
($48.99)
The tragic irony is that all the best musicians end up deaf, because they didn’t take good enough care of their ears during rehearsal, while performing, or even while listening at concerts. The MusicSafe Pro is a great one-size-fits-all solution for any musically inclined Dad: it’s appropriate for use when they’re playing or listening to music at a loud volume, with high-fidelity acoustic filters at different strengths to ensure the right degree of protection for each situation. Like all of Alpine, the tips are made of a ThermoShape material, which uses the heat of the body to contour to the unique size of the ear, ensuring a comfortable and airtight fit. The MusicSafe Pro are the gold standard for hearing protection and the prevention of tinnitus in a music context, though if you’re looking for a simpler solution consider the Earjobs MusicMate.
Dads on Two Wheels - Alpine MotoSafe Pro
($48.99)
Hear me out, we aren’t trying to muffle out your engine, just protect your ears. The best motorcycle earplugs will still give your dad the pleasing sound of his engine, in a safe way that keeps him on the road for longer. Alpine’s motorcycling counterpart to the MusicSafe, the MotoSafe Pro is equally customisable, with ‘heavy’ and ‘medium’ attenuation filters to give different degrees of protection depending on the circumstance. For former fans of the Alpine MotoSafe Tour and MotoSafe Race, the Pro includes all the filters and functionalities of both sets in a single pack, making this the most cost-effective solution for motorcycle hobbyists and professional riders. It comes with a free trial of Alpine’s cleaning spray, to make sure your reusable plugs stay clean and ready for service whenever you need them.
The Dad of All Trades - Flare Isolate2 Earplugs
($59.95)
Some dads do a bit of everything: they’re as at home on a motorcycle as they are in a mosh pit as they are on the tools, and for them you want something flexible and multi-functional. This is where the new Flare Isolate2 comes in. Unlike ordinary earplugs, it’s designed with a metal core (this time, “aerospace aluminium”) designed to block out the widest range of frequencies. Flare’s products are unique in their metal core design, making them the most effective earplug range for bassy lower frequency noises. With an SNR of 32, they’re expected to block around 32 decibels of noise, making them among the strongest hearing protection available in an earplug. You’re still able to appreciate the noise, just at a lower, safer volume. Coming in five different colours, you can style your dad like never before.