# Axminster APF 10 Evolution Powered Respirator



## Rhossydd (17 Feb 2016)

Axminster APF 10 Evolution Powered Respirator 

I bought one of these at the start of the year and thought people might like to know a little more about it. The pictures, details and prices are all at:
http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ap ... tor-101809

I didn't want anything with leads or separate battery packs that could catch on other kit in my small workshop, which ruled out the 3M Versaflow. I found the Trend airstream a bit heavy and unbalanced, also Axminster's demo model had the reported fault with the head adjuster being broken, so not a good omen for long term reliability. The JSP Powercap fitted nicely, but seemed expensive until Axminster released their own specified model of it at a lower price than the JSP was selling for anywhere.

The initial surprise is the box it's supplied in. Think of something like a 2.5L emulsion paint pot from B&Q with a press on/off lid, but very much bigger and deeper. It's not the easiest thing to open and close, but it is functional and will contain the helmet, charger and spares without trouble.

The next surprise is how small it looks out of the box. The Trend Airshield and the 3M Versaflow are both substantially bigger. The APF10's visor looks narrow and deep, compared to the flatter, broader other two. Secondly the cap is simply a bump cap with a cloth cover and doesn't have the bulk or shiny plastic of the other two.

Unusually the battery doesn't need charging before use. The instructions suggest using the battery flatten it, then charging for a full sixteen hours. So in practice you can get on with using it straight out of the box which is a nice change for rechargeable kit.
Whilst the battery pack can be charged in place, it unclips easily to charge in a more convenient fashion.
The charger also appears to be 'smart', so indicates when the battery pack is fully charged. Hopefully preventing any possibility of over charging.

As standard it comes with an impact resistant visor, an extra option with other suppliers of the JSP Power cap. Replacements are £29, so using a disposable overlay makes a lot of sense as they work out at just £1.69 each. Unlike the self adhesive screen protectors on phones and tablets, the overlays are held on with two bits of double sided adhesive on each edge. At first this seemed a potentially bad feature, but so far it hasn't fallen off or got dust behind it and won't suffer with air bubbles. It also looks like they'll be easy and quick to change.

The first lesson is to switch it on before trying it on. If you don't, you'll find the visor may mist up almost immediately, especially if it's cold.
Size adjustment is a small buckle on the back of the cap and is easily adjusted to a comfortable fit and hasn't slipped in a month's usage.
It doesn't take much practice to find an easy way to put it on, getting your face through the face seal is easy enough and there's plenty of room for glasses. The face seal fits over beards nicely too.
Once on, the deep U shape of the visor starts to make sense as there's no obstructions in your peripheral vision.
Next you may notice the noise from the fan, it's a light background hum. Once any machinery like a lathe or grinder is running, you won't hear it.
I find the whole kit fits securely, is well balanced and doesn't seem at all heavy to wear. I've not been aware of any tendency for it to tip forward or sideways when moving around, peering into hollow turnings or looking for something in the pile of shaving on the floor.
So far it seems the claimed 8 hours between charges is quite achievable too. 

In use I soon forget it's on. The flow of air down my face isn't a problem unless it's very cold. If this makes your nose run you discover that you can't just tilt it up like a conventional face shield to blow your nose. At that point I've given up for the day as being too cold to work.
What has stuck me is just how much easier my breathing has been (I suffer mildly from asthma), even with what I'd thought of as benign jobs like roughing English air dried woods where dust isn't much of an issue, I'm finding breathing easier with less tendency to cough or clear my throat. Even when grinding tools life is more comfortable.
You don't realise what hazards these tasks produce, even using extraction at source as well, until you don't suffer the subtler side effects.

It isn't perfect though.

Using ear defenders with the helmet isn't a very satisfactory experience.
My Peltor set have too small a headband and as a result are firmly in contact with the rigid cap hence conduct and amplify the sound of the filter fan. Another cheaper pair allow the head band to be positioned horizontally behind the head, which is better for transmitted fan noise, but are less secure on the head and hence don't provide such good isolation.
As the cap is available as a spare part and I don't need head protection, it may be possible to hack a spare cap to allow a good set of defenders to fit well. I'll see what sort of problem it becomes with further use.

In theory the standard of isolation from dust isn't as high as it's competitors, but that's mainly down to possibility of reverse 'dirty' air entry around and through the face seal if you take a sudden and deep breath in. If you're not in the habit of taking in big gasps, that won't be such a problem. However because it's comfortable and easy to wear you're more likely to use it, win some, lose some.

The build and quality of materials overall isn't that great, but you are buying the cheapest way into this sort of respiratory protection. I wouldn't expect some of the parts like the air filter covers to survive that well if it fell onto, say, a concrete floor. A lot of the bits are listed as spares, so it may be that in the long term repairability may be good though.

Final word
I'm happy I bought it and now use it every time I start turning. I will also use it when routing and some other machining tasks too.


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## CHJ (17 Feb 2016)

Certainly better than nothing, fully agree with your limitations/cautions comments, much the same as I reached when reviewing the old Powercap IP.

The fancy Box looks good until you start using it and it fills with the dust shed from the cap.
You might get some heat discomfort in hot weather as the design does not flow air around the scull cap, at least it didn't with the PowercapIP.

I find visor protectors of that pattern are fine, I'm still using a stash I had for my old Trend on my current mask, in fact a whole new world appeared yesterday when I gave my mask a birthday, just make sure you pull them down tight when fixing second side to prevent dust getting behind.

Would have bought one of the powercapIP versions myself some years ago to replace my old Trend for use in the less arduous areas if it had been priced more in keeping with its baseball cap primary construction.


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## Rhossydd (17 Feb 2016)

CHJ":2458vae2 said:


> The fancy Box looks good


Your words, not mine. I think it's dreadful, but functional. I'd guess anything nicer would add to the price significantly.


> You might get some heat discomfort in hot weather


That would be a first in my workshop, even in the height of summer it seems like a chiller cabinet.


> if it had been priced more in keeping with its baseball cap primary construction.


Now it's under £200 with a decent visor, I think the price is acceptable, if not a bargain.

Personally I don't like paying serious money for anything using rechargeable technology as they rarely seems to have the working life of other tools. So I'm looking at it as a disposable with, hopefully, ten years life.


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## Robbo3 (17 Feb 2016)

Thanks for your review. Always good to read other people's opinions especialy on matters of safety.

Being a cheapskate I fitted a 100mm hose adaptor to the roof of my visor via a length of lightweight (tumble drier) convoluted hose from a 4" extractor fan mounted in reverse in the shed wall - an idea I once saw in a magazine. I use it mainly for sanding rather than turning, the majority of which is wet wood.

Not only does the visor not mist up but it's lovely & cooling in the hot weather as well as making sure no dust gets anywhere near my face. I thought that the hose might be too restrictive on movement but that has proved not to be the case. Of course it's a bit chilly in winter.


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## Dave Brookes (17 Feb 2016)

It looks a fairly good product but the lead for the in-car charger wouldn't be long enough to allow me to charge it and turn at the same whilst driving! :lol: 

Dave


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## Random Orbital Bob (10 Apr 2016)

Rhossydd":2uvt9rnw said:


> Axminster APF 10 Evolution Powered Respirator
> 
> I bought one of these at the start of the year and thought people might like to know a little more about it. The pictures, details and prices are all at:
> http://www.axminster.co.uk/axminster-ap ... tor-101809
> ...


You mention about the "smart" battery charger....does it stop charging when full? Also what is the charge time and I presume the battery is lith ion ie can be charged from half empty with no detrimental effect?

Thanks for the review, it's useful.


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## Gerard Scanlan (10 Apr 2016)

Thanks for posting such a detailed review.


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## Rhossydd (10 Apr 2016)

Random Orbital Bob":23rtbv9n said:


> ...does it stop charging when full?


Yes, red/green LED shows when the pack is charged.
A full charge is quoted as taking 8 hours


> I presume the battery is lith ion ie can be charged from half empty with no detrimental effect?


Yes, it's Lith Ion, so has the usual benefits. Just don't expect it to work again if you leave it completely flat for a year.


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## finneyb (10 Apr 2016)

Thanks for the detailed review
Try ear plugs if defenders not compatible with the cap.

Brian


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## Inspector (10 Apr 2016)

I was wondering what the wearable weight is? It just says "lightweight" on the site and that might be fine for those with strong healthy necks, for my gimpy old one it may be too much.

Pete


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## Rhossydd (10 Apr 2016)

Inspector":1ek5p0a4 said:


> I was wondering what the wearable weight is?


680gms
As a comparison, their standard visor is 280gms.


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## Rhossydd (10 Apr 2016)

finneyb":2ip46vof said:


> Try ear plugs if defenders not compatible with the cap.


Horrible things, I won't use them except in emergencies.


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## Arvacon (11 Nov 2016)

Recently I was searching about a good dust mask to solve the problem with the disposables, as they always feel uncomfortable for long use. I also have short full beard, so this is an issue for the semi full face masks like 3M 7500.
I was looking at the cloth type ones, like comfy, dust bee gone, but the first has 1 micron filtration performance and the second one just 3 microns, so this can't protect you enough.

Afterwards I saw that RZ dust masks on amazon, they seems to protect at 0.1 microns, which seems perfect for woodworking dust, but a lot of users complaining about the fit of this mask and they say it is not that much comfortable at all, because of the low back strap and the nose clip.

Finally I was looking at this Axminster's power respirator, as it seems the ideal mask for everyday use at workshop, but as I was doing my research about it, I read somewhere that the filters don't hold the very fine dust at all. They say that this mask is not capable to take hepa filters, because this would need a bigger motor for stronger suction, so that's why you will not find any other type of filters at JSP and Axminster for this mask. 

It would be nice to know if the above conclusion is not true and that filters of this mask can catch 0.1 to 0.5 microns dust particles. Can someone find any info about what kind of filters are they, because if these keeps just 3-5 microns, then this is useless, as the most dangerous particles for our health are the ones up to 3 microns.


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## CHJ (11 Nov 2016)

As far as percentage of fine particles that get past the filters is concerned, just as important is the ability of the mask fit to prevent inward leakage of shop air past the face seals.

You will see if you look at more sophisticated systems such as the 3M Versaflow that although the Filter pack is rated at P3 it only meets PH3 with certain hoods that provide better enclosure of the face and head, it is the hoods that are the most effective at meeting higher specs as they prevent less unfiltered air getting to you.

No point in having a HEPA filter if you can breath in a percentage of shop air around the sides of your face seals.


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## timber (11 Nov 2016)

CHJ":uyv1r50b said:


> As far as percentage of fine particles that get past the filters is concerned, just as important is the ability of the mask fit to prevent inward leakage of shop air past the face seals.
> 
> You will see if you look at more sophisticated systems such as the 3M Versaflow that although the Filter pack is rated at P3 it only meets PH3 with certain hoods that provide better enclosure of the face and head, it is the hoods that are the most effective at meeting higher specs as they prevent less unfiltered air getting to you.
> 
> No point in having a HEPA filter if you can breath in a percentage of shop air around the sides of your face seals.



I have the Axminster APF 10 Evolution Powered Respirator and find it quite good except that it collects a lot of static dust on the visor,it makes it impossible to see measuring scales accurately. Also I can only charge the battery when in the charger cradle and not by just removing the motor cord plug and replacing it with the charger plug.
I have written to Axminster re: the static dust and am waiting a reply.
All in all worth the money
Timber


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## AJB Temple (11 Nov 2016)

I have the APF10 too. In my case I can unplug the battery lead and plug the charger in without having to remove the battery if I want, and quite often do this as a top up during the working day. 

I think all plastic visors will attract static dust and I agree with Timber mine does too. I keep a soft brush to hand and when necessary brush the dust off. I also run the vacuum over the cap (which I find all day comfortable) and the filters each time I use it (I have a shop vac permanently handy). 

Being asthmatic I would not be without this mask now. I even use when sitting on the tractor mowing the grass, or when spraying weedkiller etc. Well worth the money. I find a charge easily lasts all day. 

IME the storgae box does not accumulate dust at all if you give the mask a quick vacuum before putting it away.


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## CHJ (11 Nov 2016)

Although the hood is good for general wood workshop use and at a reasonably affordable price it is still only an upgraded version of the original Powercap IP varients of 8-10 years ago with better battery etc.

Its spec. is FFP2 respiratory protection to EN12941:1988 TH1P * so caution should be used if emptying dust collectors or cleaning fine filter dust or where the concentration of very fine dust as in machine sanding where extraction may not be the best and in higher concentration than when working with a Saw, Thicknesser etc.

*Filters: EN 12941:1998 Powered filtering device with helmet / hood 
TH - turbo hood 1, 2 or 3 - inward leakage class (10%, 2% or 0.2%) 
P - for use against particles + S or SL - use against solids only or solids and liquids


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## Inspector (11 Nov 2016)

About the dust on the face shield. Try wiping it with the dryer cloths from your laundry room. They have antistatic stuff in them that keep the synthetics from clinging together. Ask your wife where the room is in the house. :wink: 

Pete


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## Random Orbital Bob (11 Nov 2016)

I cant get that posh 3M one out of my head now!!


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## Duncan A (11 Nov 2016)

AJB Temple":1he8omtu said:


> I think all plastic visors will attract static dust and I agree with Timber mine does too. I keep a soft brush to hand and when necessary brush the dust off. I also run the vacuum over the cap (which I find all day comfortable) and the filters each time I use it (I have a shop vac permanently handy).



The trouble is that wiping the visor with a brush or cloth generates a static charge. If you have an air compressor, a very quick and effective way to remove dust is to blow it off with compressed air.


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## mpcpba (14 Nov 2016)

I use mine all the time whe doing any turning or sanding. I wear glasses and find that any other face mask system means that they steam up. The air flow system with this means that this is not the case any more. It offers an easy solution to eye and breathing protection in one go.

I find it easy and comfortable enough to use. The visor with a tear off protector on it does reduce the quality of your vision somewhat but not so much as to be a problem. Dust does get attracted to the outside of screen somewhat so an occasional vacuum to clear it during a long session works well. 

I use earplugs when working as I have a large bag of them bought for use on my Harley. I don't have a problem with head band type ear defenders going over the bump cap but can see how others might. Axminster should perhaps offer an option for clip on ear defenders too?

Even when doing small amounts of modest dust creating work the filters show the evidence of what you otherwise would have breathed in. I see this as the minimum that all hobbyist workshop users should use regardless of how good their dust extraction system seems!


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