Mine Safety Appliances (MSA) is one of the mightiest names in the protection industry. With no fewer than 104 years of existence in the rearview, their influence and inventory is widespread and diverse. Here at Enviro we focus on their market-leading line of hard hats and hearing protection, which is what we’ll be spotlighting today.
The most visible variety of MSA hard hat on our site is the V-Gard, which comes in six colors (blue, green, orange, red, white) and two brim styles (basic and full). All feature slots that are compatible with certain MSA accessories (we’ll get to those later). Ever since the public debut of hard hats during the construction of Hoover Dam, MSA has been refining and popularizing their hats to the point of almost complete ubiquity. The V-shape design is so iconic that many people probably don’t realize it’s associated with a particular brand. With millions upon millions of hats sold and who-knows-how-many deaths averted and accidents made less severe, the brand’s integrity is well established. The self-adjusting straps make for a comfortable fit and higher user satisfaction, while the Fas-Trac suspension is freely adjustable with a twistable ratchet knob. The result is a hat that will withstand whatever you throw at it, and is easily customizable with stickers or hi-viz striping. As for the different brims, a full brim may not look that much different from the standard variety, but it can serve as a little umbrella in rain or provide a bit more shade in the sun. For open-air environments with particularly harsh sun exposure, the Skullgard hats are also available, which are tested to handle heat up to 350 °F.
Next we have MSA hearing protection. While it’s not their most well-known product category, they still excel at providing top-notch noise muffling products that sit comfortable on the head and can therefore be worn for hours. This includes standalone headsets and earmuffs, and sets that are specifically designed to be worn with hard hats. In terms of hat-mounted sets you have three options, all identically priced but with different levels of protection on offer. That’s a nice arrangement because it prevents anyone from having to break the bank for a higher noise reduction rating. It may incur the wrath of those picky about their colors, though; the 21 dBA headset is white, the 25 dBA set is blue, and the 28 dBA is yellow. Keep in mind that those ratings are assigned based on tests in controlled environments that don’t necessarily reflect their field performance.
Finally, we have a selection of five standalone headsets. There are three products that offer the same protection levels as the hat-mounted sets (with the same color correspondence). Like the hat-mounted ones they are passive protection products, meaning they cover your ears and that’s it. MSA also has active protection headsets, which are ideal for tactical and leisure activities. The Supreme headsets can detect hazardous sounds and filter them out, while amplifying the sounds you want to hear (animal movement, human speech, communication signals, or whatever else). The Supreme Pro-X takes it up a notch with waterproof microphones on each side offering full surround sound, bringing it all home with a stylish design and comfortable fit.
MSA is a valued member of the Enviro family, and we hope you find their products as special and worthwhile as we do. Get shopping!
