7 Best Headphones for Mowing the Lawn (2024 Buyer’s Guide)

How to choose the right headphones for yard work

Yard work is a noisy business. If you do not want to ruin the sound quality or your hearing early (or maybe you want to tune out the world), then a quality set of headphones is essential. Yet, with so many different makes and models out there, picking out the best set of headphones for mowing can be overwhelming.

How do you choose a pair of headphones that will cut out the surrounding noise while holding up to the wear and tear – and possibly keep you entertained as well? Below are a few key points to look for.

Comfort

If you have a big yard or are big on working outdoors, you are going to be at it for a while. It takes on average two hours to mow a ¼ acre plot if done right. Since grass loves to grow during the hot months, you will also be dealing with the bright sun and the hot, humid weather.

If you are going to do yard work for long periods of time, you can’t ignore comfort. It is important to have the best headphones that are cushioned and lightweight.

Do you wear a ball cap, sunglasses, or safety glasses (see headsets for glasses wearers here) while mowing? Look for headphones that offer openings in the headband and ones that adjust so your glasses are not smashed into the side of your skull.

If you can’t stand the heat on your head, you can consider earbuds. Earbuds also need to be lightweight, especially if they are the style that hooks over your ear. Those that double as earplugs should be of a soft material fit for the size of the opening in your ear.

If the earbuds have a cord to go around your neck, you’ll want to check that the cord is also made of comfortable material and that there is some way to keep it out of your way while you work. There is nothing worse than a cord chafing on your already sweaty, sun-burned neck!

If you want to know if wearing headphones can cause hair loss, read this article.

Durability

When you are out there working half the day, a cheap, flimsy pair of everyday headphones isn’t going to last you very long. Not when you’re weed-eating with your lawn mower and something goes flying to your head at the speed of a bullet!

Look for the best headphones specifically designed for working. When I find a pair of bluetooth headphones I like, I want them to last through whatever I put them through.

I wind up storing my headphones for mowing near my tools, which usually means they are left in my unheated tool shed and are exposed to varying temperatures and humidity levels. I’ve had cheap plastic ear pads covered with cracks and split in less than one winter! Trust me when I say that is no fun to wear!

After owning a pair of ear headphones that had a radio antenna snap on me, I tend to avoid those and look for the best bluetooth headphones or those with built-in antennas.

Personally, I avoid ear pads for work, but I also do not mind my head getting a little warm with over ear headphones. I also tend to destroy earbuds, which are a bit more fragile – mostly, I wind up snagging or ripping the cords in some bizarre way.

If you are an earbuds person, look specifically at the design of the cords. Is it made of good, durable material that can withstand twisting, tangling, and accidental yanking when lawn mowing? Is the cord reinforced at the earbud? Does it come with clips to keep the cord out of the way?

Silicone or braided fiber cords often perform best when it comes to durability. When looking at the earbud itself, I recommend styles that incorporate plastic and steel or aluminum.

Materials

The materials the headset or earbuds are made of go hand in hand with their durability and reliability. Better brands use fiberglass, steel, or rigid plastics in their design. Braided cords help resist coiling and twisting.

The materials also determine how comfortable they are. I personally enjoy the cooling effects of gel earpads. If the over ear headphones you want do not have gel pads (or some other type of padding you prefer), it is possible with some brands to get replacements.

Cushioned headbands are a huge plus if you plan on wearing your headset for just about everything outdoors or work-related. You might pay more for headsets whose headbands consist of fiberglass or metal, but they will last you far longer. Many over ear headphones conform to the unique shape of your head with enough use.

If you want a headset that has an AM/FM radio in it, take a close look at the material encasing the antenna, if it has one. Ideally, look for a stiff, shorter antenna. Longer ones covered with corrugated plastic run the risk of snapping off long before the headset has hit the end of its lifespan.

As for earbuds, I advise not going too chintzy on the material quality. Silicone earbuds sit snug in the ear and are less likely to slip out while braided cords are less likely to snag and tear.

Honestly, I would recommend getting earbuds specifically made for working at noisy jobs. They offer active noise canceling and superior comfort materials, and a good pair comes with a hard case for safe storage.

Battery Life

It is not likely you have a long enough cord to keep your headphones charged in while lawn mowing. If you are anything like me and you frequently forget to put your headphones on the charger after mowing the lawn, good battery life is essential!

Even if you don’t wear them for more than an hour at a time, look for a battery life of around 7-8 hours at least. You can find several ear headphones that will last longer than that if you need them. In my personal experience, the premium headphones only need to be charged perhaps once a week.

The good news is, as technology progresses, the battery life for wireless devices has greatly improved – including models that still use classic batteries. Some headsets out there will run 100+ hours on a couple of AA batteries!

Entertainment Features

What kind of entertainment features do you want to come with your headphones? I prefer listening to the ballgame on classic AM/FM radio, so that’s really all I need in a pair of over ear headphones.

But if you want more options, bluetooth headphones are becoming more popular in modern ear protection. There are quite a few earbuds out there equipped with it, too.

Some models offer bluetooth connection to more than one device, switching easily from one to the other, so you can take phone calls if you need to. Personally, mowing the lawn is my zen time but if you need that option in your life, it is there!

While a lot of headphones and earbuds have a 3.5mm jack for plugging into the playlist on your phone or MP3 player, bluetooth does have the advantage of greater range and zero cords. The disadvantage is that bluetooth headphones tend to eat up more battery life, whereas radio-only seem to last virtually forever on one set of AAs.

Style

Unless you are planning on going on a hot date at a busy lumber mill, honestly, there’s not a whole lot of importance to style when it comes to over ear headphones. They do tend to look a bit odd, wearing them in public.

How you choose your headphone style really boils down to how visible you need or want to be. If you tend to work late into the evening or use headphones for on-the-job tasks, a bright color will help you stay safe (and make the headphones easier to find when you put them down for a break).

If you really want some style – say you don’t want to have to remove your headgear for a quick lunch break or beer run – you’ll have better luck with a sleek pair of earbuds. After all, simplicity is divine.

Microphone

Believe it or not, work headphones and earbuds are coming out with built-in microphones (compare gaming headsets and headphones and mic here). Yes, they are active noise canceling, so whoever is listening to you speak will hear your melodious voice and not the roar of mower blades.

This means you and all of your buddies can listen to the game, AND talk about it at halftime, AND mow all your lawns at the same time! Thanks to bone conduction technology (a.k.a. witchcraft), the built-in mic picks up the vibrations rattling around inside your skull, and not the ones rattling you from outside.

One major advantage to a mic (which usually uses bluetooth to connect) is that if there is some kind of an emergency, you can take the call immediately – or call for help if the emergency is you!

Noise Cancellation

Noise cancellation is the most important factor in headphones used for lawn mowing – or working any kind of noisy job, really. If you disagree, try thinking about how hard it will be to hear the score if you can’t hear.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sets some pretty strict standards when it comes to active noise canceling headphones. It’s a good bet that if the headphones are OSHA compliant, they are certainly what you are looking for. A proper set of noise canceling headphones or earbuds will help you focus on your job while enjoying whatever playlist, podcast, phone call, or ballgame you are listening to.

Control Accessibility

Where your controls for volume, power, and media are on the lawn mowing headphones could make or break the deal for you. Consider how you are going to use the headphones and what you prefer when it comes to placement.

For example, if you wear gloves most of the time, you might find on-ear controls that are small and placed close together difficult to manipulate. A single or larger push-button control might be a better option.

If you do not mind a cord – say you like earbuds better – wheel controls on the cord will make it easy for you to quickly access the controls. This is a feature I feel is often overlooked until after the purchase is made, which is downright frustrating.

When it comes to earbuds, there are sometimes sensors on them instead of physical buttons. Do a double-check of what kind of controls they have and that they will fit with your work style – it will make living with your headphones that much more enjoyable.

Headphones vs. Earbuds

Maybe you are not certain if you’d prefer headphones or earbuds while you’re mowing the lawn. How are earbuds different from headphones?

To help you decide, here is a short list comparing the differences between the two:

Headphones:

• Over-ear and on-ear to help provide superior noise reduction
• Extra padding for greater comfort and stability
• Heavier to wear on the go
• More styles and colors to choose from

Earbuds:

• In-ear; blocks the noise where it enters
• Small and lightweight
• Many come with a charging case
• Easier to lose
• Very simplistic – wear them anywhere without getting funny looks

What is NRR?

While looking at headphones or earbuds to purchase for yard work, you may have noticed the term “NRR” along with a number listed in the product’s description. What does that mean?

In a nutshell, NRR stands for “Noise Reduction Rating” and is the unit of measurement that is used in determining the effectiveness of products that are made for hearing protection.

Headphones are classified by the potential to reduce noise, which is put into decibels or dB. These devices are tested and then approved by the American National Standards (ANSI) in accordance with OSHA.

The number after “NRR” stands for how many decibels of sound the product blocks out. The higher the number, the better the noise reduction.

The OSHA (put in place by the government to regulate safety protocol within hazardous industries) requires noise-reducing headgear to meet a minimum NRR for many noisy jobs such as construction, lumber yards, machine shops, military bases, and outdoor work at airports.

If you see that a pair of headphones or earbuds are proven to meet OSHA requirements, it is a safe bet that you are getting a product that will protect your hearing during the loudest of yard jobs.