FARBIN's four-trumpet train horn kit is sold on Walmart and Amazon with "178DB" in the title, yet a buyer of one FARBIN horn reported that the box itself printed 125 dB. Here's what the kit actually includes, what that 178 dB figure can and can't mean, and how it compares with a battery train horn you carry by hand.
Who FARBIN is and what the "178 dB" kit includes
FARBIN is a marketplace brand run by Ruian Fabin Technology Co., Ltd. in Ruian, Zhejiang, China. It sells mostly through Amazon and Walmart and has no consumer storefront of its own. Its lineup ranges from single-trumpet "150 dB" snail horns to the four-trumpet kit sold as "178DB 4 Trumpet Horns Train Horn Kit."
The four-trumpet kit comes in several versions, and one version's title can show up in another version's search results, so check which one you're buying:
- Compressor-only version: four zinc-alloy trumpets (165, 230, 300 and 350 mm long) on a shared manifold, a small integrated 12V compressor, a relay harness, a push button and mounting screws. It has no tank, pressure switch, gauge, air line or printed instructions. In September 2026 it listed at $44.99 on Amazon and $59.99 on Walmart.
- Horns-only version: the black four-tube set with no compressor, around $39.99.
- Tank-fed versions: the same trumpets with a 150 PSI 12V compressor and either a 0.8-gallon (3 L) or 1.6-gallon (6 L) tank, at about $119.99 to $139.99.
Amazon's item details list a 1-year manufacturer warranty. With no brand website, any claim goes through marketplace messaging.
178 dB on the listing, 125 dB on the box
FARBIN uses different loudness figures depending on where you look. The four-trumpet kit's title says 178 dB, its description says 150 dB, and neither one gives a test distance. On the single-trumpet side, a buyer who ordered three of FARBIN's "150 dB" horns reported that the outside of the package showed 125 dB per horn. Another buyer tested with a dB meter and reported a reading nowhere near 150. These are individual owner reports, not lab tests, but they all point toward the lower number.
Here's why 178 dB doesn't hold up:
- A real locomotive horn doesn't reach it. HornBlasters measured a Nathan K5 locomotive horn at 149.4 dB at 3 feet and calls it the loudest horn it has measured. 178 dB would be almost 29 dB above that.
- 29 dB is a huge gap. The Federal Highway Administration notes that a 10 dB increase sounds roughly twice as loud. On that rule, 178 dB would sound around seven times as loud as the Nathan K5. A $45 to $140 kit with a small compressor and zinc trumpets can't do that.
- No distance means no meaning. The FHWA's construction noise handbook notes that sound from a point source drops about 6 dB each time the distance doubles. A rating with no distance can't be compared with anything.
Independent reviewers land well below the listing too. One review site estimates FARBIN's four-trumpet kit "in the 120s at 3 feet." Another estimates 130 to 138 dB for the top FARBIN model. Neither ran a hands-on test, so treat them as informed estimates. For a deeper look at how these numbers get inflated, see Is a 150 dB Train Horn Real?
What owners report after install
The kit has a 4.1-out-of-5 average from 492 Amazon ratings, pooled across all its variants. Many buyers say it's loud for the money and that it "sounds just like a train horn." The complaints follow the same pattern we covered in our cheap Amazon train horn breakdown:
- A compressor that quit after three weeks, and a solenoid that failed at two months
- At least one report of melted 12-gauge wire
- Short harness leads, bent parts and missing instructions
- On tank-fed versions, a pressure switch that failed at four months and a compressor that "doesn't reach 150 psi"
- Several owners found it quieter than they expected, and one said the factory horn was louder
One owner hired a professional to mount it on a Ford F350. That's a reminder that a $45 kit can turn into an afternoon of wiring, a relay and fuse, and a spot under the hood where road spray will reach the zinc trumpets.
FARBIN kit vs a battery train horn, side by side
A battery train horn takes a different approach. The compressor, valve and trumpets are built into one handheld unit that runs on the cordless tool battery you already own, so it needs no 12V wiring, no tank and no permanent mounting. Our Dual, Quad and Extreme tiers are rated at 130, 140 and 150 dB. Those ratings are on the same footing as any other manufacturer's rating, so we don't treat them as lab measurements either. What the battery horn changes is where the horn goes and how much work it takes to get there.
| FARBIN 4-trumpet kit | Battery train horn | |
|---|---|---|
| Advertised loudness | 178 dB (title), 150 dB (description), no test distance | 130 / 140 / 150 dB by tier |
| Power | Vehicle 12V, relay harness | Cordless tool battery |
| Air supply | Integrated compressor, or 0.8 / 1.6 gal tank | Built-in compressor |
| Install | Under-hood mounting and wiring | None, ready out of the box |
| Moves between vehicles | No | Yes: truck, boat, UTV, campsite |
| Trigger | Dash push button | Wireless remote, 160 ft standard (2,000 ft optional) |
| Price (Sept 2026) | $39.99 to $139.99 | Varies by tier; Extreme from $365 |
If you want a permanent dash-button horn and you're comfortable wiring a relay, a FARBIN tank kit is a cheap way to try it. Just expect output in the 120s to 130s, not 178. If you'd rather carry a horn from the truck to the boat to the tailgate, a battery horn skips the install entirely. The same trade-off runs through our VEVOR kit comparison, where another budget air kit carries a 150 dB label.
The battery-horn tier that matches the claim
If the 178 dB title is what caught your eye, you're shopping for the loudest tier. On our side that's the Extreme Series Train Horn for Milwaukee® 18v Battery. It has a larger, upgraded set of metal trumpets, is rated at 150 dB, runs on any Milwaukee® M18™ battery with no adapter, and comes with a wireless remote that reaches 160 ft (a long-range remote extends that to 2,000 ft).
The same Extreme build is also offered for DeWalt®, Ryobi®, Makita®, Bosch®, Ridgid®, Bauer®, Hart® and Porter-Cable® battery platforms. If your budget is closer to a FARBIN tank kit, the quad-trumpet tier is rated at 140 dB and comes in more battery fits.
For a full walk-through of tiers, batteries and remotes, start with The Complete Train Horn Buyer's Guide.
FAQ
Is the FARBIN train horn really 178 dB?
No independent test supports it. A measured Nathan K5 locomotive horn reached 149.4 dB at 3 feet, and reviewers estimate FARBIN's four-trumpet kit somewhere in the 120s to the 130s. One owner reported that FARBIN's own packaging showed 125 dB per horn on a "150 dB" single-trumpet kit.
Does the FARBIN kit come with an air tank?
Only the tank-fed versions do, with either a 0.8-gallon or a 1.6-gallon tank. The cheaper compressor-only version has no tank, gauge, pressure switch or air line.
Is FARBIN the same as the Temu "300 dB" horns?
Not the same brand, but it's the same kind of listing: inflated decibel numbers with no test distance. Our Temu and AliExpress train horn guide explains how to read them.
What warranty does FARBIN offer?
Amazon's item details list a 1-year manufacturer warranty, handled through marketplace messages because FARBIN doesn't have a consumer website.