What shield is best with glasses

[Ron Hardy]

Since I didn't want to hijack Scotts thread I'll start something different.
I wear glasses and yesterday while turning a piece of spalted maple I had a paper mask on under a face shield. It was warm enough that I started to sweat and it was rolling off onto my glasses. What I need if there is one a face shield that can supply enough air circulation to cool and I hope to prevent or slow down the sweating process.. I see on here talk about the Trend and Triton and there is one that Bill Grumbine uses that I can't think of the name of. Are there any recommendations for this type of shield that you guys can advise me on. If I'm going to spend 200-300$ I don't want to just roll the dice and pick one. Can I have some of your opinions .
Thanks Ron

[Roger Alexander]

Hi Ron, I have a older Trend fase mask and I do like it very much. I also have to use eye glasses and this dose help me out. I'm sorry that I do not have the new one that Bill is now useing.But I'm retired and my nickles are getting down thin. So will stay happy with the older one. One thing I looked at was that it does not cover my upper body as I sweat to much now. the Trend is light and eassy to see every thing. Hope this helps you out on the Trend.

[Mike Minto]

I have the newer model of Trend airshield, the Pro. It works very well when it comes to keeping my face cool, and the perspiration down. Keep in mind that it, like other shields out there, is not approved for high-impact protection, nor is it NIOSH approved for keeping the air you are breathing clean. It does filter the air, but only to a certain level, like it's impact resistance being only fairly minimal; wearing safety glasses under it is something others here do. I like my Trend Pro quite a bit. Mike

[Harvey M. Taylor]

Trend airshield Pro here. It has been smacked pretty good a couple times with no damage. Wouldnt trade it! no sireeee. Max

[Steve Schlumpf]

Ron - I have the older Trend and wear off-the-shelf magnifiers when turning. The Trend works well and I have taken a few hits to the face mask that really woke me up but did nothing to the faceshield. I have had the Trend for a couple of years now and use it every time I turn on the lathe - or other woodworking power tools. I am thinking of upgrading to the Pro version because it has full head protection and is supposed to offer better filtration. Worth thinking about!

[Ryan Baker]

I also have the Trend Pro. It is now only slightly more expensive than the original Trend, so it is definitely worth a few extra bucks for the extra features if you are looking at the Trend line. I wasn't too impressed with the Triton product, and it moves much less air. The one Bill Grumbine is using is the 3M Airshield. That is the best of the bunch, but more than twice as much as the Trend ... and more expensive supplies to keep it running. There are a lot of threads here on all of those.

[Bernie Weishapl]

I have a Trend and wear glasses. It never fogs up and never a bother.

[Alan Zenreich]

I have the Trend Airshield Pro and it works fine with my glasses.

[John Fricke]

Sorry for the Hijack. the best price I have found for the Trend Airshield Pro is $279.90......Anybody aware of any better deals out there?

[Ryan Baker]

Sorry for the Hijack. the best price I have found for the Trend Airshield Pro is $279.90......Anybody aware of any better deals out there?

That's the best I have seen (it's what I paid).

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I have and use the Trend AirShield. It works well with my glasses. In fact, I sweat less while using it than when I'm not using it. My glasses stay dry and unfogged as a result.

[Frank Miles]

It is the best investment that I have, nothing getting in the eyes and I can breathe and I wear glasses.

[Scott Lux]

I kinda wish you had hijacked the thread. This is very interesting stuff.

[Ron Hardy]

Thanks for all the replys. It looks like I will check into the Trend. John what company has the low price that you talked about.? I have seen the price on the Trend Air pro from 200-400$ ( Sears and Woodcraft advertise it for 399.99)
Again thanks for the help
Ron

[John Fricke]

I always get in trouble for direct links but here goes. I'm sure a Mod will disconnect it if it is inappropriate to post here. $279.90

http://www.allprotools.com/Trend-AIR-PRO-AIRSHIELD-PRO-p-17824.html?gclid=CIzJ0cWukpoCFSbxDAodr2yVMQ

I have never done business with this place so if anyone orders from here please post on quality of service received.

[Ron Hardy]

I just ordered the Trend Air Pro from All Pro tools I will let you all know how things go with delivery, the price was right.
Thanks for the info John

Ron

[Ryan Baker]

I got mine from All Pro Tools and had no problems at all.

Note: My earlier post should have said 3M Airstream, not 3M Airshield. Oops.

[John Fricke]

I went ahead and ordered from allpro also. Was the best deal I could find.

[Jim Underwood]

I replaced my Triton with an Airshield Pro from Allprotools.com also. It was a good price, I had the money, and I haven't regretted it yet. However, there are pros and cons to both the Triton and Airshield. The service from Allpro was thorough and good. (They called to verify that I'd actually ordered the unit, and someone hadn't stolen my card. It did take them the allotted amount of time to ship it though.)

The Triton:
Pros: The weight of the batteries/motor/fan/filter assembly is carried on the fanny pack. The helmet and face shield are well balanced and wear well on the head. The hearing protection is part of the head assembly, but can be lifted out of the way, or totally removed. It's less expensive than the Trend or the 3M units.
Cons: The fanny pack will fumigate you if you have gas. :p The battery in the fanny pack doesn't last more than 3-4 hours. The bubble type face shield distorts the view somewhat. My biggest complaint with it is that the airflow wasn't quite what it needed to be to prevent fogging in the winter, and provide a little cooling in the summer.

The Airshield Pro:
Pros: The filtration and airflow are much better. I have not tried it in the winter, but it was good this weekend at 88 degrees. The face shield comes with a replaceable sacrificial cover in case of scratches or super glue spatter. There's no distortion to speak of with the flatter face shield. The battery lasts a full 8 hours.
Cons: The weight of everything is on your head/neck. I've not quite gotten used to that yet. Perhaps a little adjustment of the straps will help. The visor doesn't lift up like the Triton for immediate access to the itchy nose or to look over your glasses for a closer look. It's also a little pricier than the Triton. Hearing protectors (earmuff type) may be a little tricky because of the head mounted unit. With everything on your head, the unit is a lot noisier.

Some suggestions for future or present Triton owners (and the Triton manufacturer for that matter):
1) Get a battery custom made for the unit. I've been told they can make up battery packs that will last longer (more like the eight hours the Airshield lasts for).
2) Shorten the hose up to the helmet and make the fanny pack into a shoulder harness. It should help with airflow. Also make sure your big head isn't smashing the ductwork. (I never tried to correct this on mine, but I think my big head was a factor.):o

I think if Triton would remedy these 2 problems, they'd have a much better unit. There's really no excuse for their airflow to be so low - especially when the fanny pack is a separate unit- they could hot rod that unit.

(Scott if you change your mind on the Triton, it won't hurt my feelings a bit.);)

[Rich Boehlke]

I also have the Airshield Pro. It was a bit awkward at first but after a time, it got easier to use. There is noise from the fan but it isnt too loud and the unit is not as heavy as you might expect. I find the weight easy to manage.

[Ryan Baker]

When I first got the Trend Pro, the weight did bother me. At this point, I hardly notice it any more. You definitely need to tweak the adjustment straps in the top, because I found that a small adjustment there made a huge improvement in comfort after a couple hours.

One of the things about the Trend Pro (at least for me), is that the exhaust air blowing out of the mask seems to mostly exit right in front of your ears. (Maybe my glasses makes that worse, but you should be wearing safety glasses anyway.) The result is that there is a lot of air noise blowing right across your ear, making it seem a lot more noisy than it otherwise would be. I usually wear my ear muffs anyway (over my iPod earbuds), which helps the air noise issue. (I have the Trend ear muffs, but I took them off as I prefer my regular ones more comfortable. Note that if you don't use ear muffs, you can adjust the height of the helmet lower, which helps balance the weight better.)

It may not be perfect, but it sure makes an emormous difference in the amount of dust I am no longer inhaling. It's worth getting used to one of these units.

[Alan Zenreich]

As a hint, make sure that the Airshield Pro mask elastic area is not enclosing your ears. Keeping the elastic in front of your ears reduces the air noise dramatically.

[Ryan Baker]

As a hint, make sure that the Airshield Pro mask elastic area is not enclosing your ears. Keeping the elastic in front of your ears reduces the air noise dramatically.

Yes. I do that and it makes a big difference.