3m respirator

[allen thunem]

can i hear from those of you who use a 3m powered respirator or an respirator for that matter. I want to upgrade from my trend airshield to something better.
Alos where to get the best prices

[Jim Burr]

The Trend and the 3M have the same filter system...I use the 3M at work...Trend at home. The difference is the 3M I use at work has no impact protection what so ever...it's meant for airborne containment rooms. The filter system in the Trend has the same capacity/rating as 3M.
I'd guess "something better" pertains to an issue other than filtration and perhaps something of a personal nature.

[Alan Zenreich]

In my shop, I use a 3M BreatheEasy helmet that's tethered to a room HEPA filter through a long hose.

My wife has been using a 3M BreatheEasy with particle filters, blower unit and battery on a belt pack. We also have sets of organic vapor filters for use during resin casting and some finishing operations.

I had a Trend AirShield Pro that I used for 3 years before the 3M purchases, and liked it very much.
The only reason I sold it was because I found a good buy on a 3M AirStream and liked the parts interchangeability with the BreatheEasy units.

Now my wife is partial to the 3M AirStream, especially with the compact battery that I rigged up to replace the heavier 3M battery. This makes it a one piece unit, with no cords/hoses to the belt needed.

I demonstrated my configuration in another recent thread: Compact battery for 3M AirStream or BreatheEasy respirators

[Jim Howe]

I guess it depends on what 3M unit you are talking about. I have the Air Stream, it “Combines NIOSH/MSHA Approved helmeted respirator with ANSI Approved head and eye, face protection in a single system”
Expensive, but you can usually find them used, or airwareamerica.com sometimes has reconditioned units for sale. I have heard that the Trend pro has the same filtering, but also that it doesn’t , at the least it doesn’t have the certifications.
A lot of trend pro users like what they have, and it certainly is at about half the price, but sometimes you hear of people that are not happy with them. I have never heard of a Air stream user complain about anything other than price, but what’s a lung transplant now days?

[allen thunem]

one of the issues i am having is when i use c.a. glue. the trend sucks the vapors right into the helmet, and yes i know the best way to avoid this is to take the helmet off or turn it off.
so am just gathering opinions before i make a change

[Alan Zenreich]

Aside from using a respirator with an organic vapor cartridge, one reasonable approach is to use a small fan that blows the CA vapors away from you.

[Jim Burr]

one of the issues i am having is when i use c.a. glue. the trend sucks the vapors right into the helmet, and yes i know the best way to avoid this is to take the helmet off or turn it off.
so am just gathering opinions before i make a change

Ahhh...I see Allen. VOC discharge is a problem in all sorts of stuff! 3M may make a carbon filter...not sure. I know that Trend does not. As has been mentioned, and as hard as I work at this...a fan blowing over the work is a great idea. I use a lot of paper towels in pen finishing. These off gas a lot! I have a bin in front of the window so the fan covers that to. I call our 3M rep at least 3 times a month for refills and replacement parts & general questions...I'll see if he has any definitive, factual information about VOC filtration.

[Joe Vincent 63]

I recently tried both the Airshield Pro and the 3M. Both are great helmets. I chose the 3m as it was a more comfortable fit for me. The differences according to 3m is the filtration on the Airshield pro is designated at "TP2" while the 3m is "TP3" which is HEPA. The airflow is approximately 50% greater, and it has certified head protection. As noted earlier, the price is over twice as much for the 3m. The differences in filtration are minimal, both offer at least some head protection, etc. So it truly comes down to preference / fit versus price.

Joe

[Jim Burr]

For those of you that haven't bothered but still claim to have a clue...here is the link. Read and know instead of guessing...and please...educate yourselves...this is just stupid.

http://www.osha.gov/dts/shib/respira...etin_2011.html

[Tony Shaftel]

I plan to get the 3M one of these years. I notice a battery charger is not included in the price. Is there any reason a less expensive, good quality 3rd-party charger can't be substituted?

[Dan Kralemann]

In my shop, I use a 3M BreatheEasy helmet that's tethered to a room HEPA filter through a long hose.

Alan, might you be able to post a picture of your tethered system. Thanks, Dan

[Joe Vincent 63]

As a point of reference, the information I posted was directly from 3M Technical support, directly in relation to the questions answered above as I inquired about the differences between the two helmets.

[Alan Zenreich]

Dan,

This weekend, I'll try to make a little video that shows the tethered system. Eugen Schlaak posted the details of how he did it on WoW and I used a similar setup, but tweaked it for my space.

[Alan Zenreich]

Jim,

Thanks for the link to the OSHA document.

However, it doesn't discuss the THP (Turbo Hood or Helmet Protection) ratings at all, as this a European rating.

I found another good document that explains respirator details.

It mentions THP

There are two core European Standards covering the operation and technical specifications for powered air respirators, these are prEN146 (rev)and EN12941 In brief, prEN146 (rev) describes
(a) the main components that make up the powered respiratory device: a helmet or hood, covering at lease the face (eye, nose, mouth and chin), a power operated fan (turbo unit) and one or more filters,
(b) the respirator’s operation: the fan should provide a flow of filtered ambient air to the wearer in excess of the wearer’s demand, with the exhaled air being discharged outside the respirator by exhalation valves or other outlets and
(c) the classifications of respirator: powered respirators are classified into three categories depending on the levels of protection they offer the wearer; THP1, THP2 & THP3 (TH= Turbo Hood or Helmet)

What I haven't found is any straightforward information comparing the protection of THP2 versus THP3. I did find some data in a pharmaceutical publication, but have no idea how this would translate to woodturning applications.

[Bernie Weishapl]

Allen I think any of the air powered respirators will pull in CA fumes. I use a small fan to blow the fumes away from me when using CA. I have since quit using it just for that reason and found different finishes. I have the regular Trend and now have the 3M airstream. They both did the same thing sucking up the fumes.