Face shield: Bionix vs CSUSA bubble shield - a review PLUS a bonus

[Bob Bergstrom]

The reviewer state that he has a relatively small head. I have a fairly large head and have found the some visors too short to protect the neck. I own a Bionic and have bounced a piece of hard maple off the lens. Knocked the lens out of the frame but didn't scratch or dent my pretty face. It seems to be a bend but don't break type of system.

[Geoff Whaling]

Eric,

Great thread. To add to your database and very good review –

Face Shields will minimize injury, however preventing injury is your task.

"Armadillo" Face Shield.

I have worn an "Armadillo" brand face shield for well over a decade. "Certified to AS/NZS 1337.1:2010 – High impact protection, hot solids and splash resistance" available from "Protector Alsafe" in Australia at around $40 AUD approx $30 US. The Armadillo’s target market is the industrial workplace and has a polycarbonate visor. It has very good visibility, very low visual distortion, excellent brow protection, good scratch resistance, is comfortable in use and permits wearing conventional ear protection. The headband is robust and of a standard equivalent to most quality safety helmets. I can’t comment on fogging as I live in the tropics. It does occasionally suffer from static attraction when turning dry woods, though this is easily overcome. My rating – currently the best face shield option for turners in the Australian market and my first choice for all turning tasks (not sanding).

GDW Armadillo SMC.jpgGDW Airshield SMC.jpg
Trend / Purelite “Airshield”
I have worn an “Airshield,” on my second in fact, for longer than the Armadillo, not as robust protection due to the visor material but combines impact and respiratory protection in a very practical product. Visual clarity is good though some replacement visors are of dubious origin. Expensive but it is my first preference when sanding.

Safety spectacles, I wear a range of Uvex “Pheos” and “Pheos Guard” style products, in clear, tinted, and sunglasses and wear them all the time on my motorcycle. I also require prescription spectacles for some tasks but I am yet to find the “perfect solution” when I must wear them.

Some useful info I complied in my article research,

Our Australian Standards AS1337.1 2010 have ratings for Low, Medium, High and Extra High Impact Resistance. It is important to wear appropriate personal protective equipment rated to the hazards for your projects, to have a range of options and to wear them all the time you are near operating machinery.

Small spindle work & bowls under 6” or 150 mm may seem low risk but they can still do significant eye damage.

University research re minimizing eye injuries in the Australian motor vehicle industry highly recommended that workers wear face shields and safety spectacles in combination.

Most turners don't realize that the impact testing standards of ANSI Z87.1, ANSI Z87+, CSA - Z94.3, AS/NZS 1337.1:2010, CE EN166 etc do not offer the impact protection levels required to prevent injury from the types of hazards that cause very concerning injuries and the deaths of wood turners. Ballistic or Riot Helmets are an expensive option that may offer higher levels of protection however a severe impact is quite likely to cause other injuries (neck, back etc). The turners who have shared their injury experiences with me have all reported some level of injury but in the cases requiring emergency treatment their medical staff all have basically the same response "the face shield saved you from far more serious injury."

One very important factor Canadian & US turners should consider is how the materials used in the face shield construction will perform in extremely cold temperatures.

Polycarbonate (Lexan® etc) - Strong lightweight material for impact resistance, can be coated for scratch resistance, offers chemical splash protection, holds up well in extremely cold temperatures, may have inbuilt UV radiation protection. It is a thermoplastic, which means that it can be formed by heating, melting or injection into a mold.

Trivex – lightweight, more impact resistant than CR39 plastic, less impact resistant than polycarbonate also has UV radiation absorption properties.

Hard Resin or Plastic (CR39) – lighter than glass, resistant to solvents and pitting, can be coated and tinted, less chromatic aberration than polycarbonate. A thermosetting plastic meaning it cannot be molded or bent when heated.

Propionate – better impact protection than acetate, offering chemical splash protection, lower price point than both acetate and polycarbonate.

Acetate - provides the best clarity of all the visor materials and tends to be more scratch resistant. It also offers chemical splash resistance and may be rated impact protection.

PETG - offers chemical splash protection and may provide impact protection, the most economical option for face shield choices.

[Fitzhugh Freeman]

This is fantastic information all around. Is like to ask if any of the shields are in even the slightest way a bother in terms of off center weight front to back. A neck injury means if you notice it I probably can't tolerate it. I only have the super cheap HF shield, think it must be a (big) step down since I can't imagine it offers the sense of protection described... but I didn't expect to get into turning when I got it. Now I'm looking at a proper one thanks to these posts.

[Dave Fritz]

What about covers on any face shield to keep them from being coated? http://www.safetyproductsoutlet.com/...age-of-10.html
Dave Fritz

[Dale Bonertz]

I have neck issues from the old football years. I cannot wear the trend air shield. In a short time my neck aches terribly. Mine look good hanging on the wall unused for that reason until I sold it. My bionic I can wear for hours and not notice neck pain. I use a unpowered respirator when sanding and that works quite well. 3m and others make them just make sure you get one fitted properly and use the correct filters.

[Geoff Whaling]

Is like to ask if any of the shields are in even the slightest way a bother in terms of off center weight front to back. A neck injury means if you notice it I probably can't tolerate it.

The current Airshields would probably aggravate your pre-existing injury as the new versions are 1 kg or a little over 2 lbs. With the older models that I have the battery/s could be easily relocated - note the spiral power lead running over my left shoulder. I'm not sure of the weight of the Armadillo perhaps a few hundred grams or 0.5 lb. Balancing the risk from hazards creating a new injury vs aggravating an existing injury is always a value judgement with a balanced approach to risk.

What about covers on any face shield to keep them from being coated? http://www.safetyproductsoutlet.com/...age-of-10.html
Dave Fritz

If you green turn maybe they are well worth it. Fitting face shield covers to face shields with compound curve profiles is difficult. Any face shield with a simple curved visor component and no chin frame is unlikely to meet high impact protection standards.

I found the covers for the Airshield annoying with visual acuity & distortion issues. The replacement visors for the Armadillo are reasonably priced so not worth the mucking about with covers really. One thing to keep in mind is that the harness component of a face shield with a high impact rating is like that of a safety helmet and plays a significant part in distributing force from an impact. Most manufacturers and safety specialists recommend replacing safety helmets at least every 3 to 5 years to avoid problems through helmet or harness material deterioration. The same would be recommended for face shields worn for high impact protection. So you should be replacing them regularly and after a significant hit anyway.

[hu lowery]

Uvex Bionic is listed as Z87.1 or Z87.1+ on various websites under the same model number S8500 or S8510 for anti-fog. Impact on my shield cracked at one of the attachment points. True that this isn't a penetration that will damage your face. Flexing to take the energy out of the strike is probably a good thing in many cases. It does probably mean paying for a new replacement lens more often, which I have yet to do. I don't doubt the testing I just have decided I would like a more robust face shield.

I bought the S8510 about a year ago. I looked all over it and checked all the packaging. There was nowhere that it claimed the "+" rating at the time. Mine has survived one pretty solid bark hit. Moderate RPM, six hundred or so, about a four to six ounce piece of bark hit it squarely enough that the bark fell at my feet. I was standing well into the safe zone at the time at roughly a forty-five degree angle to where I was cutting. I had tested the bark before starting turning and verified it felt very tight. It was tight but not firmly attached everywhere!

Good faceshield but not for more than fairly light impacts. Even the best face shields aren't going to protect from more than moderate impacts. The mounting harness is designed to fail under a certain load which actually increases protection. Ultimately, what the shield and harness is attached to isn't that strong and if a pound or two of wood makes a direct impact major injury is likely. The smallish piece of bark that hit me was enough to ring my bell a bit.

Hu

[Geoff Whaling]

Hu is correct the harness or “retention system” on a face shield is designed to perform like a "suspension system" which will absorb some impacts but ultimately fail under severe loading. Interestingly in the AS1337.1 “personal eye protection” there is little mention of the construction and design requirements for the "harness / retention system” component. AS/NZS 1801:1997. "Occupational protective helmets" specifies those details.

The standards impact testing requirements do not mandate testing to the maximum impact levels likely to occur at a wood lathe. Quality face shields rated as “High Impact” or “Extra High Impact” will protect turners from the very common impacts likely to cause eye damage and mitigate damage from larger flying objects.

[Fitzhugh Freeman]

Thank you Dale and Geoff for that information. It's hard enough not being able to look down. I have to be realistic, is it isn't comfortable or will hang on my wall like yours did. I haven't looked into provisions for clean air enough either time for me to do some reading.