Thread: Respirator Helmet... what is out there?

Hi there

Great idea to get a respirator helmet, it will be the best investment you could make. I assume that you will be using the respirator for industrial use. The only makes I have come accross are the vortex and the adflo. I am sure there are others available, but what quality and access to parts, filters, batteries etc.

My business has recently become a WIA authorised distributor and as such has access to WIA gear, as far as I know the vortex units are very good and the digital elite helmets are also very good.
However I have been using a speedglas adflo system for quite a while now. They are simply designed easy to use and very rugged. However the helmets are constructed pretty light and flimsy and the lens clips seem pretty plasticy, however I have not yet had a problem with this. As far as i am concerned these are also very good units, and probably an industry standard.

Both units have very similar specs, flow rate, batt life etc, however the vortex comes with all the features as standard. Vortex also has a back harness to take the load of your hips. The vortex is slighty cheaper also.
Replacement parts and lens, filters should be easily accessable for both makes.

However both units are very good and should give you years of use. I think it will come down to preference on brand.
I am not trying to sell this to you, just trying to provide a bit of assistance in helping make your choice. Im sure you couldn't go wrong if you stick to one of the well known brands.

Cheers
Mitch

My initial feeling is that the Adflo is the best bet. Being Swedish isnt necessarily a good thing, rather I am reluctant to buy anything from China, Korea etc. Almost every machine I have in the factory now is either Australian, Italian or German made - which for the time being is the best way for me to go as all Chinese/Korean machines are not suitable - from my experience they last okay (usually) however they just dont perform to the same standards.

I guess I'm not really asking which is better so much as are there any other units - and point taken, filters etc need to be readily available.

The Speedglas range have a new helmet, is the adflo available for that unit yet?

It is for industrial use - will be all day welding of Aluminium in a welding bay with extraction however still want more protection for my lungs - quite often the fumes will come up under the helmet if I am close in with a difficult position - not nice.

This is for my business, I'll be purchasing another welder next week and will put the mask on the same invoice to improve the final price.

I vent my DC outside my shed.

Step one in just before applying a rod to some work on a welding project is open up all 7 DC blast gates and turn on my DC. That way I am constantly getting fresh air coming into the shed while I'm working. Sometimes I hang a 100 mm flexy tube above my welding table to gather as many of the fumes before it spreads all over the shed.

For ally my BIL uses a big fan blowing across his work place but can understand that won't work in confined spaces and a respirator may be the way to go.

I use the speedglass everyday at my place of work (Industrial fabrication of oilfield equipment). The optics in these are far superior to any helmet I have tried, crystal clear. With regard to durability....I am extremely hard on helmets. I have broken a couple Jacobs, and a miller. Can't seem to kill this one. The lens is well protected back and front by clear lenses. The Adflo option is also very durable. A very good buy...a bit pricey, but a good investment. If buying get the stackable vapour cartridge filter, it sits on top of the dust filter, with it you can weld just about anything with little or no worries.

All done. I received delivery of the Speedglas Adflo the other day. I got the Flexview front which is great - just flip up the front section of the helmet rather then the whole thing which is great as I dont need to pull up the face seal and breath fumes to look at the job.

Also received delivery of a Cebora Double Pulse mig for alluminium. Makes light work of what I was really struggling to do with a standard mig. Lays tig like welds without even blinking.