Respirator - Trend Airshield Pro or something else

[Jelly]

Serious dust protection like these options is very rare in industry, because it's widely identified as both better for health and cheaper to either collect or not produce hazardous amounts of dust to start with,

I don't think anyone would disagree with the ideal of extracting the dust at source, but "industrial" solutions can't easily be applied to many small or home workshops.

I can see your point, and to some extent it came to mind whilst I was writing, but... If you're not thinking of reducing or removing dust sources because you dismiss it as impractical or costly then you're missing out on lots of opportunities to be creative and get something that serves your needs.
Moreover, the kind of dust you most want to remove is the kind that's easily got at with a domestic or shop vac, the extraction that works best on fine dust is the cheapest type, its just a case of getting the airflow to where the dust is generated and keeping the nozzles out of the way.

I'm not saying don't use RPE, just saying "would that £250-£400 be better deployed on something lower down the hierarchy of controls, so I don't need this".

Getting back to the OP's question has anyone any particular experience or recommendations between the affordable personal positive pressure solutions ?

I've tried the Powercap on and found it comfortable and quiet, but I'd like to know how it compares to the Airshield for practicality.

Just a thought, you can actually get a belt mounted system for a reasonable price to compete with the Trend and JSP/Axi products... I personally find the belt mounted systems a lot more comfortable to wear than the all in one headtops, I had a look just to get a cost comparison (believing them to be rather more expensive in general and discovered the following:

For the system illustrated here:

• Scott Tornado £171.25
• Scott Protector T2 Full Hood £41.88
• Scott P3 FP10 40MM Screw Filter 2 × £4.37
  • Total £221.87

Prices from ProtecDirect, pleasantly surprised me as I expected the price to be more concetrated in the £700-£1000 region (which the top end 3M units are).

 

[lurker]

Agree with much of what jelly says.
My main dust extraction is 2 modified dysons (belt from the brush removed) that came off a skip

I assume from some phrases you use you are a h& s pro jelly.?

 

[CHJ]

Being just a hobby, I can choose when not to go in the shop if it's too cold, (although I do have heating if necessary) I bite the heat loss bullet and dump as much of the very fine dust outside as possible with chip extractors and 9" expelair. just collect the larger dust and shavings with coarse bags to maximise airflow rates. One of the benefits of a rural location, little chance of dust and noise being a problem for neighbours.

To reduce cooling effect on days like this morning, I can open a window behind the work area that allows replacement air to flow past the lathe without stripping too much warm air from the shed.

For the machines in the garage the collector bag/filter is run outside on a 3mtr. length of hose, If it's raining so what, the fine dust just gets contained better.

 

[wallace]

I used two 3M dustmasters for a few years so I had a fully charged one at the ready. I had it fed into one of their hard hats with a visor and elastic shroud. You could tell when it was running low because the air flow would decrease resulting in a fall in pressure causing dust to get in. Now I don't really bother about collecting dust at source unless it would interfere like on the spindle moulder. I just put my sundstrom on as soon as I go in the workshop.
The batterys in the 3M dustmasters are dead I priced up to replace the cells and it was silly money. If some one would like one to maybe have a go at jerry rigging a power supply there welcome to one. I think I've got some new filters as well.

 

[Jelly]

CHJ - That seems like quite a logical system to me, the whole air-movement/air-temperature thing does get to be a bit of a pain, though you even seem to have found a way to alleviate the worst of that.

Am I right in thinking you're using a compressor-fed system when you're turning rather than a powered one? Do you find it convenient?

Agree with much of what jelly says.
My main dust extraction is 2 modified dysons (belt from the brush removed) that came off a skip

I assume from some phrases you use you are a h& s pro jelly.?

Not exactly, as part of my job (Chemist) I provide technical advice and support for hazardous waste treatment sites, and with one of my former employers designed a vapour filtration system for specialist decontamination work in the Oil and Gas industry... As a result I've had to gain a decent awareness of safety issues and work with the HSEQ/[insert your organisation's arrangement of of Health, Safety, Environment and Quality] people closely.

 

[CHJ]

.....Am I right in thinking you're using a compressor-fed system when you're turning rather than a powered one? Do you find it convenient?
...

I'm still using the 3M unit I bought in 2009. very slight fall off in battery working life but still enough for a days turning. Should not be a problem to replace and as long as fan bearings stay good it should do me.

viewtopic.php?t=30384

Despite the amount of dust that gets dumped outside it's quite surprising how much gets caught up on the pre-filter at times
.
why-i-bother-to-wear-a-dust-mask-t32059.html

 

[MCB]

.....Am I right in thinking you're using a compressor-fed system when you're turning rather than a powered one? Do you find it convenient?
...

I'm still using the 3M unit I bought in 2009. very slight fall off in battery working life but still enough for a days turning. Should not be a problem to replace and as long as fan bearings stay good it should do me.

viewtopic.php?t=30384

Unfortunately these links no longer work

3M appear to manufacture a large range of respirators and it would be helpful to know which current models have replaced the ones mentioned.

It seems that a belt mounted power supply pushing air into the helmet is likely to be more comfortable.

The TRITON respirator was like that.

Can anybody advise if battery packs and filters are available for the Triton, please?

MC Black

 

[yetloh]

I still have, and occasionally use, one of the old long discontinued Record intregrally powered helmets. It works well although filters are now unobtainable. I have several left so can keep it going for quite a bit longer yet. I did have to buy a new battery pack at one point and winced at the price - £84 if I remember rightly. IThis caused me to take the old one apart when I discovered it contained three sub-C Nicad cells which I could replace for about £2 with the aid of a soldering iron. I wonder if this might be a solution for some of the other helmets mentioned on this thread.

The reason I rarely use the helmet is that I have a fully ducted cyclone extraction sysatem whicch is excellent for both chips and dust, so I only rarely have a serious dust problem. The cyclone system was expensive but as others have said, you only get one pair of lungs. It's a matter of priorities - I get by using my bandsaw for ripping when a table saw would be much quicker but my lungs are more important to me than a bit of saved time.

Jim

 

[gidon]

This is a tricky subject. I have all sorts of masks including the Trend original Airshield.

But what I use now is a Sundstrom mask with a P3 filter (and organic A2 filters when spraying lacquer).

You don't really notice the breathing resistance when you're using it and the level of filtration is higher than most powered respirators IIRC.

Plus no batteries and they hardly weigh anything. And it's easy to ear ear defenders and safety specs with them.

 

[yetloh]

Gidon,

My main reason for buying a battery respirator in the first place was the problem of misting up glasses with masks. Do you know how the Sundstrom performs in this respect?

Jim

 

[wallace]

I agree about the sundstrom, much better protection and you get used to wearing it. Just make sure you get correct size. I was given a small and found it horrible after a while then I got the proper size and its much better. The only time they steam up glasses is when they don't fit properly or I have found that when they get old the diaphragms for the exhale don't open as they should and you break the mask seal around your face

 

[gidon]

Gidon,

My main reason for buying a battery respirator in the first place was the problem of misting up glasses with masks. Do you know how the Sundstrom performs in this respect?

Jim

The vents on the Sundstrom face downwards so no they won't steam up - as long as the fit is good around the nose. The mask comes with a test disc to check the seal. I like Sundstrom as a company - I've emailed their tech support to check the filters I was using were correct and they came straight back to me after checking the MSDSs.

What's nice about the mask - is for general woodworking you can just use the P3 filter which is small and light. But the filters stack up - so if you're going to do spraying say - you simply add an A2 filter (check what you're spraying) - and you're sorted .

Cheers

Gidon

 

[yetloh]

Thanks Mark and Gidon, I'll give one a try.

Jim

 

[MCB]

Does anybody know, please, if replacement FILTERS for the Triton respirator are available in the UNITED KINGDOM?

I've acquired a Triton respirator second-hand; the battery seems very tired, since it doesn't lift the little ball in the test thingy, but I don't want to waste time and money on building a battery-pack if it's NOT possible to get filters.

I appreciate the Triton respirator was manufactured in the antipodes - importing filters is unlikely to be practicable, I suspect.

Very many thanks for your help

MC

 

[CHJ]

Think the original Triton unit went by the wayside several years ago, I think for none compliance reasons regarding some specs, battery life of 3 hrs. I think.

I know it was already not available in 2009 when I got my current 3M unit (which itself has since been superseded).

 

[MCB]

Think the original Triton unit went by the wayside several years ago, I think for none compliance reasons regarding some specs, battery life of 3 hrs. I think.

I know it was already not available in 2009 when I got my current 3M unit (which itself has since been superseded).

I'm confident that I can build a battery pack at least better than the original (higher capacity cells, etc) since I used to teach electronics.

But before I spend a long time searching for filters that fit, I wondered if anybody else had tried.

I tried on the Axminster respirator earlier in the week but would rather avoid spending £200 if I can avoid doing so.

I also need to try it wearing my safety spectacles - I only had my “everyday” specs with me when I visited Axminster.

Very many thanks

MC

 

[brianhabby]

I have been using a Trend Airshield for a number of years and find it is very successful when wearing glasses (i.e. no steaming up). I also have an Airace which is also very good.

On the subject of filters, yes they are expensive and as I have one of the older Airshields, the filters are not so readily available. So I wash and re-use them.

regards

Brian

 

[CHJ]

....On the subject of filters, yes they are expensive and as I have one of the older Airshields, the filters are not so readily available. So I wash and re-use them.

Brian

Just be aware that the original Trend mask with the wide brow filters relied on static attraction as part of their specification THP2 clearance.
Spares had a life on the packaging and a warning to store in dry conditions.

 

[nicguthrie]

Just another wee +1 to the mention of the JSP Powercap IP.

I tried the Trend Airshield and found that with most of it's weight concentrated at the front, it gave me a sore and cramped neck after a short time, given that while I'm working, I'm normally looking downward, a bad position for the neck while it's supporting weight.

The JSP solution has the battery at the back of the cap, and also weighs a considerable amount less. I've found it very comfortable, very effective, and you can get simple paper inserts that go in front of the air filters, to take the worst of the bulk dust, and prolong the life of your main filters. The battery lasts a good few hours, though I've no idea how many it'll actually go for - as I tend to use the unit in bursts of an hour or two, with several days between, and just charge it when it sounds like it's getting a little slower.

I'd advise getting the plastic "screen protector" type film to go over the face plate on it as well, as it's a lot cheaper to replace than the visor, if you do have an accident that causes a scratch.

Love the unit myself, it may be less snazzy than some of the top end full respirator solutions, but it's damn near perfect for me, and no hoses or belt attachments. If it's light enough for my damaged and faulty neck, it'd be light enough for anyone!

Nic.

 

[sploo]

Lots of good replies here, so just adding my $0.02.

I cut way too much MDF in my "yewf", without any protection, and now I get quite bad flu-like symptoms if I get too much exposure to dust (especially MDF).

I've been using the Airshield pro for quite a few years, and despite the weight and slightly unwieldy nature (especially if you're moving around and leaning forward) I couldn't recommend it highly enough. The full face nature means no steaming up of glasses, as well as giving some eye protection. I've noticed that even with a good half-face canister mask I still get some allergy symptoms as I'm assuming it's attacking the eyes - not a problem with the full face solution.

The add-on ear defenders are ok rather than great, and the low battery alarm is a pain (it can kick in ages before the battery goes, and then it takes a long time for the battery to drain - whilst still squealing - before a recharge). I'd love a button to temporarily turn it off so you can finish working without being deafened.

My battery is original and I still get several hours out of it, though if I had the time I'd sort out a lithium ion pack (and appropriate charger) for it, in order to shave off a few grams.

In short - I wish I'd bought one years before, and probably thus done a lot less damage to my lungs.