Airshield by Trend - Any opinions?

[Charles Wilson]

I work out in the garage so I get quite a bit of ventilation. However, I still use one of the industrial type resperators (rubber middle with two canisters on the side). I was considering getting a Airshield though. Any comments?

Thanks,
Chuck

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Are you very allergic?

[Mike Cutler]

Charles.

We use the Trend Airshield at work, in potentially airborne contamination(radioavtive) areas in the plant.
I can honestly say that no woodworker, in their shop, will ever come close to operating these in the enviorments we do. High heat,humidity and close confines with poor lighting, in addition to the airborne contaminants, and particulate matter from the work going on. We also use them in conjuction with a refrigerant suit to keep the folks cool.

They are generally the first respirator of choice for the simple reason that they work, and are reliable.

[Charles Wilson]

Thanks.

No Cliff, I am not allergic. Just looking for something better.

Chuck

[Jim Becker]

I own the Trend and am pleased with it.

Please note that it is not a respirator and only designed to handle nuisance dust as well as keep the shield clear from fogging. And you must still wear safety glasses under it. It's not for use when spraying finishes, either.

[Gary Herrmann]

I like it a lot when I used one.

[Phil Clark]

I am very satisfied with my Trend. If you get one, look at the thread on making your own replacement battery packs - save you a $$$.

[Cliff Rohrabacher]

Thanks.

No Cliff, I am not allergic. Just looking for something better.

Chuck


Reason I asked is I can't figure why you'd feel the need.
I've used respirators for various things but unless I saw a serious need I'd be much happier with a good air filtration system (Shop builts are usually the best). And they can be exceedingly good~!! Ya might be way far happier cleaning all the air in your shop rather than wearing an appliance on your face.

Maybe it's just me but, wearing anything on my face seems like such an imposition. I wear glasses and that's it. No face shields nothing. I'd wear a face shield if I were generating hot molten metal splatters or maybe heavy high speed sharp chips a whole lot.



But then I don't tend to work with toxic materials too often. Walnut is supposed to have some toxic characteristics but I am unimpressed with it having worked it most my life. It was the 20 some odd years of soaking up 111 trichloroethane for 12+ hours a day in Non-HVAC little machine shops in the Boston 128 loop area that gave me cancer - - not my hobby.

[Jim Becker]

Cliff, I wear mine while turning as and extra level of physical protection. The blower in the device keeps the mask from fogging and the air flow is quite comfortable. For this reason alone, I wear it a lot more than I wore my previous "traditional" full face shield.

[Steven Wilson]

Units like the trend are great for turning, sanding, or when you want some facial protection besides wearing safety glasses. I'm not a big fan of eating woodchips while turning.

[Gary Herrmann]

Definitely good for turning, but the more SWMBO sees me in my new "Darth Vader" mask, the more she expects me to wear it for everything...

[Richard Link]

Jim,

You mention that the Airshield is to avoid "nuisance dust." Does that imply that it provide no significant safety benefit from dust? Does the device protect you significantly from fine dust that might be missed by your collector? In other words, are we supposed to be wearing a respirator under the respirator for safety?

I'm thinking about getting one but only if it will serve a real respiratory safety purpose.

Rick

[Will Blick]

Just a friendly heads-up

AT the AWFS show in Vegas, Trend was showing their v2.0 airshield, much improved... i would hold off, they suggested a late fall ship date. Much longer batter life, (8hrs) better balanced, sleeker looking, much improved build quality IMO....

[Christopher Stahl]

Richard, if you're looking for a device for respiratory safety, the Trend Airshield is not what you're looking for. You need to look at something along the lines of the 3M Breathe Easy/Airstream PAPR or something more advanced like the 3M ClearVisor Adflo. These are cartridge based systems which allows you to use the cartridge that best suit your project. They can protect against vapors, gases and particulates.

I've owned the Trend Airshield, and like others said, it's a nice unit. Like Jim also said, it's not a respirator, it's just something to handle nuisance dust and can provide some level of protection from chips. The Trend lacks the NIOSH certifications. One thing the plagues some people with the Trend is the fan and battery all in the top of the helmet, slightly out from the forehead. It can be heavy and hard to work with. Not everybody is bothered by this. Price is a factor for it's popularity.

I now own both the 3M Airstream and the 3M ClearVisor Adflo. These get quite expensive, but have the certifications that you want for safety. These use a helmet or some type of mask the seals well around the face and have the ANSI Z87.1-2003 certified shield. With the right cartridges will protect you from about anything you can through at them, so you'll be able to finish wearing one of these. The blowers and cartridges are worn around the waste which makes them much more comfortable to wear. The Adflo will control the blower speed based on your breathing, and can run over 13 hours on a charge.

So, it will depend on how much you are willing to spend for safety. The Trend runs about $300, Airstream will run in the low $600s while the Adflo will go for about $850. Of course, the Airstream/Breathe Easy's are fantastic PAPRs, the Adflo Clearvisor is downright awesome and light years ahead in design. 3M purchased the Adflo's from Hornell.

My $.02

[Will Blick]

Chris, nice post. The 3m products are much more universal in their application.... you just can't beat the interchangeable filter concept.

I think the Trend Airshield was made for woodworkers looking for basic protection from dust and chips, in a simple one piece unit, at a favorable price point. Working at the lathe, or heavy sanding is probably its most obvious application. But as you mention, the protection is not as thorough as the 3m PARP, using the appropriate filter. I did not check the micron size particles that can be filtered for each, but I am sure the 3m is much superior in this regard.

I was looking for breathing / skin protection for sanding and finishing, the 3m seems like it will do BOTH very well... which makes its overall cost more competitive vs. buying two units.