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Thread: Alternatives to the Trend Airshield Pro

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Brenham, Tx
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    109
    Amen, JKJ
    I don't understand why folks buy electric respirators. Then they have to replace the batteries, charge them, and pay twice the price. I use the 3M full face you pictured. I think the model is 6800. It works perfectly. It way cheaper and has the same impact protection. The mask floats on your face and the seals are impact absorbing. Glasses are no problem under it. You can get P95 prefilters and you never really have to change the cartridges. It breathes easy. Cleans up with soap and water. I make my own faceshield protectors which stay on with scotch tape. I had my first one for 10 years. I just got a new one. The only thing wrong with the original was the headgear strap broke. For $120 you have all you need. I've been hit in the head twice by something off the lathe. The mask absorbed it and there was no damage to me or the mask.
    RP

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Dec 2012
    Location
    Brenham, Tx
    Posts
    109
    I forgot to mention you can get prefilters and cartridges at Lowes. I looked on eBay. There are many there.
    RP

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Somewhere in the Land of Lincoln
    Posts
    2,546
    The Trend Airshield Pro is $365 on Amazon Prime. That's only slightly more.

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Little Rock, AR
    Posts
    344
    Quote Originally Posted by Ronald Blue View Post
    The Trend Airshield Pro is $365 on Amazon Prime. That's only slightly more.


    However, the quoted price of the Axminster APF-10 includes extra supplies. The APF-10 alone (including shipping from the UK) is $300.74.

    D.
    I finally figured out how to deal with sawdust in my hair.

    I shaved my head.

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Mar 2007
    Location
    Wetter Washington
    Posts
    888
    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Case LR View Post
    The shipping is definitely not a bargain, but when you consider that it's shipping via air from the UK, it's not outrageous. I've done enough international shipping that I didn't flinch. If you look at the overall price, it's not a bad deal compared with other options. That said, I wish there were a distributor on our side of the pond.

    ..

    D.
    With the elimination of "surface" mail between the US and UK, air shipment is about the only option. It used to be that being items from Craft-Supplies UK was not too painful. But now the shipping is, painful.
    Making sawdust mostly, sometimes I get something else, but that is more by accident then design.

  6. #21
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Somewhere in the Land of Lincoln
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    2,546
    It's totally your choice. I might point out that hearing protection can be incorporated into the Trend. I like my Airshield pro just fine.

  7. #22
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Little Rock, AR
    Posts
    344
    FWIW, the Axminster has hearing protection available, too.

    D.
    I finally figured out how to deal with sawdust in my hair.

    I shaved my head.

  8. #23
    Join Date
    Sep 2006
    Location
    Pt.Colborne On. Canada
    Posts
    15
    Sorry Dan never paid attention to the link. One of the members of our turning club bought one of these. He hasn't had a chance to use it yet. Seen it on the weekend when he brought it to the meeting. Looks like a nice unit.

  9. #24
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Little Rock, AR
    Posts
    344
    Quote Originally Posted by Mike Furness View Post
    Sorry Dan never paid attention to the link. One of the members of our turning club bought one of these. He hasn't had a chance to use it yet. Seen it on the weekend when he brought it to the meeting. Looks like a nice unit.

    Did he buy it from Axminster in the UK, or did he find it somewhere else?

    D.
    I finally figured out how to deal with sawdust in my hair.

    I shaved my head.

  10. #25
    Join Date
    Mar 2010
    Location
    Somewhere in the Land of Lincoln
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    2,546
    But not incorporated into it.

  11. #26
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Little Rock, AR
    Posts
    344
    Well, this is halfway embarrassing and the whole way annoying. After all this, the Axminster APF-10 Evolution is off-the-table.

    After reading all the fine print in the quote, I had a couple of questions for Axminster. One question was never answered. The answer to the second was the deal-breaker.

    The first question is: what's the quoted delivery time for this carrier? (Seems like a reasonable answer to me). I couldn't get an answer from Axminster on this simple query.

    The second question is a little more complicated. The quote states: "Our carrier offers a DAP (Delivery At Place) service which means ALL duties and taxes, including admin fees, are payable by the receiver." That's pretty standard stuff for overseas shipments that need to clear US customs upon entry; the receiver (recipient) of the shipment is responsible for any duty or taxes charged upon entry, and most importers either have personnel at the port of entry or hire someone to represent them and get the shipment through customs. That would be the "admin fees" mentioned above. Again, pretty standard stuff.

    In the case of shipments that clearly have no duties or taxes due, there are simplified processes designed to keep things moving. Most carriers have systems in place to handle those cases, such as the Polish company I've purchased electronic parts from several times. Those parts are not subject to duty, the carrier handles everything very efficiently, and flat-rate shipping to my door is $9.95 (USD).

    The question I asked about this was: "In the case where there is clearly no duty or tax due, there is no admin fee -- correct?"

    The answer was that yes, there would still be an admin fee, though the carrier wouldn't say how much. The Axminster export specialist said the admin fee is "usually 30-40 GBP (which converts to $40-50 USD). However, since the carrier wouldn't commit to what the fee is, they could charge anything they jolly well like and I'd be obligated to pay--BEFORE the shipment is released to me, like it or not.

    Between the 42 GBP shipping charge and likely 40GBP (or more) "admin fee," the cost of getting the order ($297.16 without shipping) to my door is $102.66 OR MORE. And that's just too darn much.

    It's truly unfortunate that Axminster doesn't have a better system in place for dealing with customers from the US. I've bought a lot of things from companies in the UK and Europe, and they knew how to make the ocean between us a non-factor. I hope Axminster gets to that place eventually, because they have some nice products (like the APF-10) I'd like to consider. But not when the delivery costs are usurious.

    But with all that said, this isn't a totally sad story. My wife and I were talking about this last night and I explained the purpose of a PAPR unit and why it's a superior method for keeping sawdust out of the lungs. And she gets it. We talked about the different options still available, as well as the pros, cons and price of each option.

    And it seems I'm getting a 3M Versaflo setup for Christmas. She says she wants to keep me breathing as long as possible, and thinks I'm worth the investment.

    I suppose I should say, "Thanks, for the upgrade, Axminster."


    D.
    I finally figured out how to deal with sawdust in my hair.

    I shaved my head.

  12. #27
    Join Date
    Dec 2011
    Location
    Little Rock, AR
    Posts
    344
    Just as a note to the curious, I took delivery today on a new-in-box 3M TR-300-LIK (the "Light Industry Kit") PAPR system. I snagged it on eBay for $800 with free shipping! it's just as advertised -- new, in box, unused, no problems. After all the research I've done, I believe this is a great option--and for $800 it's hard to say no!

    Thanks!

    D.
    I finally figured out how to deal with sawdust in my hair.

    I shaved my head.

  13. Axminster APF10 and Trend Airshield Pro are NOT like for like respiratory protection.

    Quote Originally Posted by Dan Case LR View Post
    Both have definite pros and cons.

    An interesting note about filters: Trend uses a pair of mini-bag filters as the sole filtering element. Axminster's use of a more traditional filter with a prefilter is more efficient, and the pre-filter saves the more expensive main filter from dealing with larger particles. Those prefilters are fairly cheap, and can be cleaned and reused several times. That, and you're not locked into a single source for the prefilters.

    D.
    DAN - hope you don't mind me commenting. I gather you've got a Versaflo; good news, as you may inadvertently have dodged a bullet of sorts...I have read all the comments, and a key point being missed (and not immediately evident from marketing information) is the APF10 offers significantly less protection than the Airshield Pro; they are not like-for-like.

    EN12941:2008 is the harmonised European test standard for powered respirators, and rates products not by filter efficiency but by 'inward leakage'. That is because, on a complete respiratory headpiece, good filters are useless if other areas of the respirator let dust in. The ratings in that test are TH1, TH2 and TH3, and the differences are fairly huge: TH1 = 10% inward leakage, TH2 = 2%, and TH3 = 0.2%.

    The Axminster APF10 Evolution carries the lowest rating, TH1P (P denoting they are Particle filters, not vapour). When you are comparing this with the Trend, you are comparing being left exposed to 10% of airborne dust, or 2%.

    Some people think you can just swap out the filters for something better. You can't (I checked with the manufacturer when I owned one!). One issue is better filters would need more airflow, so a more powerful motor, better battery etc. But the bigger problem is you'll not improve the 'inward leakage' by upgrading the filter; in fact, you'd make it worse as the airflow would drop, so positive pressure keeping dust out drops, so inward leakage goes up even further.

    Just wanted to add that for anyone coming across this thread as I did.

  14. #29
    Join Date
    Jun 2017
    Location
    Jasper, Alabama
    Posts
    70
    For those looking for a good half mask respirator look at the North 7700 Series. Covers dust to .2 micron and also mist and hazardous flumes. I have one and really like it.

  15. #30
    Dan, if you are able to see this, I was wondering how the tr-300 worked out for you? Have you been happy with it and what are the pros and cons you have discovered? Given the much higher price do you still think it was the best way to go?

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