respirators and such

[hughie]

What is the collective wisdom on this respirator:-

Trend AIR/PRO Airshield Pro Rechargeable Battery Powered Respirator

If you own or have used one of these I would appreciate your thoughts, Pros and Cons.

[tonzeyd]

Hi Hughie,

I haven't used that one before, but have used an unpowered full face shield and found the face shield too bulky and resorted back to a half face with safety glasses/googles.

I'd imagine you'll have a similar experience with the Air shield pro especially given the battery being located on top.

However I'd imagine it depends on what you're using it for? eg i see alot of turners using similar masks and can see how these a would suit such an activity.

[Dalboy]

I brought a respirator not so long back and went through looking at which was the better of two that I decided to narrow it down to.

One was the Trend one you are looking at and the other from a company here in the UK called Axminster tools who sell one with their name on it but is in fact a JSP Powercap.
Being on many forums and a few searches of those many comment that the trend can get a bit heavy after long periods of use and as turners give you a pain in the neck but it was OK for short spells of use, also some said that it was quite noisy.

So in the end after many bits of reading from those that use either one of these I went for the Powercap. I have worn it for quite long periods with no discomfort also found that the noise was acceptable. The battery states that it is good for 8 hours not that I have pushed this to the limit but have used it over a period of two days and at the end of that noticed it getting slower but then that works out at over the 8 hours they state so that was me pushing it a bit.
I brought the overlays for the visor so that they got the scratches rather than the main one. Also it has a good safety rating for impact resistance. Something else I purchased was the outer filters which take the coarser particles out before the main filter.

I am writing this as a happy user of the respirator

To be honest I wish I had brought one ages ago instead of putting up with a full face mask with a separate respirator.






And not wanting to give anyone nightmares look away now.


416691

[woolclasser]

dave drescher at south east qld woodworking sells the jsp powercap. at half the weight of the other brands it is a lot more comfortable and easier to use. i have had mine for eighteen months and love it.
cheers
jim

[tony_A]

Hughie
Check how good the filters are on that respirator. Some of the cheaper units wont stop the fine dust that Bob regularly warns us about. I ended up buying a Protector T power, $ ouch. I wanted hearing, face and fine dust protection in the one unit which doesn't leave you with many options.
It works and I can come in at the end of 6 hrs on the lathe, turning and sanding, without any blocked or sinuses/airways. My snoring intensity has dropped many many decibels since I started using the respirator.
I would prefer not to wear if but its way better to wear than any unpowered respirator I have used either, half or full face. I can get a stiff neck at times but that may be partly poor posture. Wouldn't want anything heavier on my head for extended periods.

Tony

[dai sensei]

I have one and love it. In QLD is it perfect as it feels like having an air conditioned helmet. It is relatively lightweight and stays put.

If you buy, make sure you get 2 batteries, if you are doing a lot of turning in one day you'll need them.

[powderpost]

Hughie, I had a trend respirator for a couple of weeks and couldnt get rid of it quick enough. It was heavy and uncomfortable. I use a 3M Dustmaster and find it very comfortable, with a steady flow of air, and, the battery will last more than eight hours. Putting it on and off can be a bit bothersome. I back up to a bench and rest the power unit on the bench, job done. I have never used the JSP powercap, but don't really like the battery unit on my head.

Jim

[plt43]

Hi Hughie,
Just tossing in my two cents - I purchased the JSP Powercap IP (that's Impact Protection version) after tiring of sneezing out redgum dust. I had tried on (but not used) the Trend cap and felt it to be a bit heavy for extended use.
The JSP is light, quiet and gives good clean airflow across the face. Battery lasts through three mornings of turning - good enough for me. Can't comment on the strength of the impact protection as I've yet to cop a hit in the face.
I understand Jim's concern about having the battery on your head, but it really is light and on the back of the cap so it balances the faceshield.
My only gripe is that the foam face gasket that fits around the chin does not appreciate my personal habit of only shaving occasionally. I guess it's also encouraging proper personal grooming....
cheers
phil

[Mobyturns]

Hughie, I haven't tried the new version but have two of the earlier model, one a Purelite the other a Trend but both identical. To solve the weight issue; the not long enough run time; long recharge time; and the ridiculuous cost of a spare battery & charger I made up auxiliary packs using 3xAA cases, some decent NiCADs (now NiMh), some plugs, and a spiral power lead. Works really well.

I found the earlier versions to be very comfortable to wear; accommodated a beard; cool in our tropical Townsville summers; did not fog up and were easy to flip up etc. Cost of pre and main filters, the head bands, visor replacements, and the face seal gasket were quite reasonable. I see the face seal gasket material has been changed on the new version.

[dai sensei]

H...I made up auxiliary packs using 3xAA cases, some decent NiCADs (now NiMh), some plugs, and a spiral power lead. Works really well...

I am interested in this, is there any documentation available Mobytuns?

[Richard Hodsdon]

I/we (wife and I) each have a Trend airshield. It is light enough and wearable . We tend to turn with a faceshiels and a Dust-be-gone masks. and Sand with the trends. I had the bunch who repack batteries for cordless tools make up a couple of spare battery packs to which I attached the connectors. Now get 8 hrs use per full charge. You just need to get the right size connector. I cut them off old transformer/chargers that come with all these rechargeable tools/telephones etc.

[Mobyturns]

I am interested in this, is there any documentation available Mobytuns?

Neil I thought I posted photos on the forum a while back.

Its a pretty simple project. Just go to Jaycar or similar with the Trend respirator to match and purchase the "DC Power Female Line Connector" and "DC Power Male Line Connector" used on the existing battery pack to helmet; find a cheap 12v DC cigarette lighter accessory with a spiral lead; then modify a "4 x AA Switched Battery Enclosure" to take only 3 x AAA Batteries or better still locate a "3 x AA Switched Battery Enclosure" then use your preferred rechargeable batteries and chargers. Then a bit of time with a soldering iron saves big $$$$ on the quoted Trend prices for spares batteries and chargers.

OR I'm sure a replacement battery pack of similar voltage / capacity could be sourced through Battery World then modified.

Will post photos later, got to do an airport drop off right now.

[dai sensei]

Neil I thought I posted photos on the forum a while back.

I thought it was a thread by you but didn't find anything. Then I searched for post on someone else's thread and found it here http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/fitting-airshield-197895#post1892468. Also found my post saying mine was a PureLite :D, both pretty much the same, but the battery packs don't have the same battery pack connector. I was planning on looking into making some sort of actual direct power supply rather than a battery pack but never got around to doing it (as usual LOL)

[Ilya]

I use Trend Airshield, and quite happy with it. Clean fresh air, glasses do not fog. I can see that the weight can become a problem if you turn 5-8 hours, but for me this has not been an issue so far. This thread has some useful info: http://www.woodworkforums.com/f11/battery-repack-replacement-trend-airshield-pro-199245

First thing I did at the same time as buying the Trend, I bought a better charger, so that the batteries are not overcharged when I leave them charging overnight - Tenergy 2.4v - 7.2v NiMh / NiCd Universal Smart Charger 01006 | eBay (http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Tenergy-2-4v-7-2v-NiMh-NiCd-Universal-Smart-Charger-01006-/271394173662)

One thing that worries me a little is the strength of the actual shield. It feels much thinner and weaker than my Armadilo non-powered face shield.

[BobL]

Maybe you guys should look at this post.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f67/dust-masks-215860