Thread: Powered face respirators

should be interesting . if ever a product was overpriced it was these . but spose the cost of new lungs is high too?

Unless a full face respirator is worn all the time they are relatively ineffective in keep the finest dust out of your lungs. Remember when making dust the air around you becomes saturated with fine dust and the finer it is the more dangerous it is and the longer it stays in the air (hours) after you finish any dust making activities. It is far better to invest in a high quality DE that can completely remove the dust from your shed while it is being made or as soon as possible there after, and a $20 face shield. The exxy face shield can be added after this for a final full belt an braces.

Thanks BobL if I find the right respirator I will wear it all the time in the shed. I do have dust collection etc, but I find the dust masks and cartridge respirators cumbersome or not work for me.
Found another full face respirator here JT4C Jupiter? Grinding/Painting Shield Systems | Protector Alsafe . Anyone tried it?

Or the Adflo with clearvisor 3M Adflo - Powered air purifying respirator .

Apart from cost - these are pretty hefty in the $$ department. Anyone work with them or tried them?

Lyle, there is a new dust mask (not powered) that is lightweight and more along the lines of a medical mask but designed for woodwork. Something lightweight like that used in conjunction with another method of filtration or air exchange (external dust collector, fans etc) would work pretty well. The problem with worn apparatus is the weight and discomfort, especially in summer. Ideally a mask is light and unobtrusive.

The masks are called Dust-bee-gone and are imported by Microclene. Carroll's also sell them.

Thanks Groggy.
Currently using a dustbgone, but still fog up my glasses and it gets wet with sweat and moisture when breathing. It is effective though as you can see the dust accumulate on the outside.
The weight and balance of the powered respirators will be an issue but I feel that if I can get one that I feel comfortable with I'll use it constantly.
One of the big factors that safety equipment is not used is operator comfort, if it isn't then it won't be used.
Ease of use is another. If it is cumbersome to get on/off, gets in the way then again it won't be used. That is one of the reasons I don't like the Triton.
As you say it has to be light and unobtrusive, and a biggie - has to work as you want it to. Otherwise it becomes another piece of kit gathering dust (no pun) in the corner.
I am waiting for more info on the JT4C Jupitor to see how it'll go.
Trend airshield is another one if they can get it approved for sale in Australia.

hi again , have tried the -totobobo - dust mask and got one on totobobo.com . takes a little adjusting. but is the best thing i have used to date ! including dust be gone, triton ,willson ,and many other masks . its a cheap alternitive to a powered mask , you need to wear eye protection , but did not fog my glasses as most do . hope this is helpfull ,cheers

the trend mask is around $550 from timbecon on web, cheaper than most , cheers Bob

Originally Posted by bobsreturn2003

the trend mask is around $550 from timbecon on web, cheaper than most , cheers Bob

I think that is the old model.
The new Airshield Pro has the air intakes at the side.
Carbatec sell the Purelite which seems to be the same as the Airshield Pro and Trend Timbers have another brand, but at over $800, I didn't bother to investigate it.
I think they are all overpriced in Australia - the Trend is selling for 180 pounds in the UK which is only about $400.

I have investigated a lot of brands now. MSA 3M Protector etc.
All are bloody expensive in Australia (if they have them in stock!).

Looks like the overseas purchase via the internet is the way to go, especially with the $AU at a good level.
I'm pretty sure it will be a Trend due to the simplicity of use. No hosees to connect, just put it on press the switch and away you go.
Weight might be an issue but if it is better distributed that a half face respirator then it should be OK.

Thanks for the replies and suggestions.
Lyle.

Well the dilema continues.
Trend will not sell via internet. Apparently they are having troubles getting them approved "electrically" for sale in Oz. JPM International are the TREND distributors and they won't even bother to get them in until after they are approved (I can understand that) but even then they won't get one in on its own but want to get an order of some size.
Then they won't sell to individuals but only to their retailers.
So I am snookered for the Trend.
Spoke to TIMBECON who have them on their website and no they don't stock them, same story as above.

Other options (MSA 3M etc) are just way too dear. Lungs are hard to replace but I just can't justify the more than $1200 for the respirator and over $50 for the filters.

So have settled for a dustmaster from TIMBECON.
Amazing price difference between them and my local Carbatec (Brisbane). $50 cheaper than the base unit from Carbatec including postage and extra filter and prefilters. Go figure???

Anyway it is not my preferred option but I am hopeful it will do the job and I become used to it.

Lyle.

I have recently purchased a powered respirator on US ebay.

Cost was less than Au $160. delivered.

The link is
Neoterik Permissible Powered RESPIRATOR Mask Filter Sys - eBay Protective Gear, Safety Security, Industrial Supply MRO, Business Industrial. (end time 29-Oct-09 18:15:27 AEDST)

Mine is definately brand new. It cams with a dead 9v battery and no charger.
I just connected mine to a 0-32v DC supply on 9V and all good.

I placed it away from the dusty environment and connected a length of grey water hose that I have suspended in a coil from the ceiling.

I just plug the hood hose into the grey water hose, flick on the dc power supply on a shelf above my lathe, within a few seconds and fresh air and eye protection.

This was a great alternative to other more expensive systems, and as they are made for military etc they are great quality.

Just thought I'd share my thoughts with anyone else with dodgy lungs (cough:hack) ...lol..

Nice alternative. Sadly I have already bought the dustmaster from Timbecon.
Should arrive shortly.
Time will tell whether this is what I keep, or go to some other type that may appear on the horizon.
Wanted something to wear around the shed all the time doing woodwork and not be connected to hoses etc.
Safety gear must be comfortable, reliable, easy to use etc, AND it must work. Othewrwise it'll not be used and end up in a cupboard or corner of the shed or thrown away in disgust.

Thanks for the inputs.

Well got the dustmaster this week. Charged up a couple of batteries for it and tried it out. Immediate impression was that it had a bee stuck inside, buzzing like crazy.
I thought there must be something caught inside. So took out filter, o-ring and fan cover to see. Nothing there. So started it up without anything over the fan, noise still there so it must be the motor. I have an e-mail to Timbecon asking if the noise is normal or not.
Put it all back together and tried it out on the face.
Fit is good and a good seal is made. Rides high on the nose and it is hard to put on glasses. That is a problem, especially since I asked Timbecon about that and took their advice that "lots of people use them with glasses". So to make it useable with glasses you need to push it down to an awkward position (at least I do anyway).
The fan and air it pushes is good and doesn't fog up the glasses so far, so that is a plus. Air flow is adequate in the low speed and more than sufficient in high speed.
It is easy to put on and take off, so ease of use is OK. Fan switch is a two position center off type and is reasonable easy to use.
I'll use it this weekend in a good long session and see how it goes. I can't test the filtration efficiency, supposedly down to 4 microns, so will have to rely on the supplied filter cartridge to do the job.
So far it has two strikes against it. Use with glasses, noise.

More to follow.

Well I gave the powered dustmaster respirator a good work out over the weekend.

In general a piece of safety equipment needs to have, ease of use, be comfortable for the period of expected use, easily put on and taken off. Most of all it has to work.

I used the dustmaster in my shed over the weekend. About 4 hours each day doing a variety of jobs, sawing, routing and sanding. Typically on Aust Red Cedar. Normally I'd have a nose full of dust at the end of each day even after wearing my normal dust masks (dustbgone etc), due to having them not seal as well as they should. So the soft seal was certainly doing its' job.
The dustmaster does definitely work. This is evidenced by the amount of dust collected by the prefilter and filter and more importantly the total lack of dust in the nose!!! The two speed operation never needed to go to high speed as the air flow was adequate for the work I was doing.

Was it easy to use? Definitely yes. I set up a dust proof box just inside the shed door and as I came in and out just reach into the box and slip it on. Once the straps are adjusted for a good fit/seal, it's just a matter of putting on the head band and then connecting the neck strap. Removal is the reverse process.

Was it comfortable? Not really. For a person wearing glasses it was difficult to find a position that did not push the bridge of the glasses hard into the nose. But nothing really so discomforting that I had to take it off. At the end of a few hours (lunchtime) it was a minor sore spot. At the end of the day it was a noticeable sore spot. But I think with constant use it'd be just like getting used to a new pair of glasses.

I was concerned with the noise when I first got it. It originally had a buzzing sound which I couldn't find where it was coming from. During use I couldn't hear the buzz and this may have been the normal noise in the quiet of the house. During use I had to stop work and listen for the fan. So noise for me is no issue at all.

I haven't had the need to change the fileter or prefilter yet. But if you use any type of tool you will be able to change them. It is not rocket science.
I haven't needed to clean it yet either but a damp cloth should do the trick as the facepiece is a soft clear rubber/plastic.

Overall I'd give it an 8 out of 10. Mainly due to the pressure of the nosepiece on my glasses causing discomfort after a few hours of use.

I'll definitely keep using it until a better alternative comes along.

Hope this helps anyone trying to decide on dust safety.