Supplied air resporators

[Dan Chouinard]

The borrowed dust collector and air cleaner I was using in the shop was taken back by the loaner. Wondering if there is a decent, affordable supplied air resporator I can wear until I can get some money together to replace them?
I have never seen anyone using one. Anyone have experience with these?

Thanks,
Dan

[Stephen Cherry]

I've got one that I've had for many years. I bought it for spraying paints with isocyanates (nasty stuff in modern catalyzed paints). It definitely will keep the dust out, but it feels like you are working in a bubble, for the simple reason that you are working in a bubble.

It might be cheaper to bite the bullet and buy some dust collection- supplied air is not cheap.

[Kemil Pepin]

Dan, I can only speak of the unit I have, a 3M cleanstream. It is really good, the fan is in the helmet and the battery is worn on the belt. You might be able to buy a dust collector for the cost of it though, I think I paid about $600 ten or eleven years ago. I wore it a lot in the shop, also on jobsites where there is no dust collection/air cleaning.

[Karl Andersson]

Not sure if you really mean you want an air-supplied respirator (huge bucks) or not. Just trying to make sure you're looking for the right thing when you go shopping:

Supplied-air respirators use airlines supplying pure air from a compressor or tanks; normally only needed for extremely hazardous chemical sites.

Powered Air Purifying Respirators (like described above) use a fan to draw air through filters, cleaning the existing air. They can provide air to a facemask or to a helmet or hood. Look under PAPR on the web and you can find them from $300 to $1000, depending on batteries, accessories, etc.

Air-Purifying Respirators (Filter masks) are the simplest, but your lungs and heart have to be in good shape, as you suck through them all day. Can be really tough when the filters start to load up. For dusty places, full-face masks work better - they start at about $100. You can't get a really good seal with these if you have a beard or moustache that gets into the face seal area - only choice then is a hood or helmet.

For the PAPR and masks, you have to change the filters when they become full - how often depends on how dusty your shop is. They make pre-filters that will trap large dust, saving you money on replacing the more expensive inner filter.

Be careful buying used systems online - a lot of them are older models that you can't get filters or repair parts for.

Hope this was helpful
Karl

[Greg Portland]

Do you guys know of anything priced between the Trend airshield products and the 3M breathe-rite (industrial) stuff? I would love to find a product with 3M comfort & a cheaper PAPR and battery solution (dust & standard WWing finish solvent protection; not rated for all solvents). The 3M battery and PAPR unit are rated for most airborne mists & dust (with appropriate cartridges) and are thus $$$.