I am considering buying a Trend Airshield I currently use a Uvex sheild does the Trend offer any more impact protection?
This is important to me since I I only have one eye and would like to have better protection than I am currently using.
[OP]
Contributor
I am considering buying a Trend Airshield I currently use a Uvex sheild does the Trend offer any more impact protection?
This is important to me since I I only have one eye and would like to have better protection than I am currently using.
Member
If you are wood turning, then my experience is that anything that is powered with filtered air, is better than anything unpowered. If the powered shield also has an impact rating, then that is better again.
I myself have gradually upgraded through various face masks, then a face mask with a half face respirator and finally to a full facemask, impact rated with a powered and filtered air flow.
My choice in my country was down to two possibilities, the Trend and the JSP Powercap Active IP. The IP in the name stands for Impact, as I understand it. I turned alongside other members of my turning club who were using the Trend and the JSP Powercap Active IP.
I chose this unit because it was around the lightest unit I could find which had filtered air and also had an impact rated shield as well as an impact rated covering on the top of the head.
It also does not have any cables to a battery on the waist, which one industrial unit I looked at had.
If you are able, then a powered respirator with rated impact resistance would be my preference over anything. I tried a Uvex Bionic faceshield, while it was good, I needed to use a half face respirator and in warm weather it was a bit too hot.
One thing I have found with a powered faceshield, is that you are cooler in warm to hot weather. The airflow in my unit runs from the top down over my face, use of a chap stick or something else is also important to keep the lip skin from drying out.
Mick.
Member
The Airshield Pro which I pulled up stated...
VISOR APPROVAL Z87.1
NOT NIOSH APPROVED
If it has the + rating I assume they would state it.
Below is the difference and those with a + rating must have the + embossed during production.
AFAIK the Bionic does have the + rating. Check your shield. If it has the + and the data on the Airshied Pro is correct then you already have greater protection from impact.
Summary
Here are the basic specs.
MOST shields sold at woodworking stores are Z87.1, NOT Z87.1+
Standard: Z87.1
Withstand a 1” Steel Ball dropped from a height of 50 Inches without fracture.
That it.
High Impact: Z87.1+ Face shields must withstand these two tests.
HIGH VELOCITY Impact Test
Projectile Specs: Diameter: 1/4" steel ball - Velocity: 150 feet per second (102 mph)
HIGH MASS Impact Test
A pointed projectile is dropped from a height of 51.2" without fracture.
Projectile Specs: Length - 5"; Diameter - 1"; Wt: 1 pound, 1.6 oz
"I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity." - Edgar Allan Poe
Contributor
Mike: There has been a lot of discussion on forums about impact resistance. Like you, I only have one good eye, so I'm a bit paranoid about protecting it. I use a 3M unit, with a bump cap and a shield with a rigid frame around it. It has the + rating. However, in talking to 3M reps, they emphasize that, although an impact may not fracture it (depending on what hits it), a large piece of wood travelling very fast could well deform the shield enough to make a mess of my face. Some turners have advocated police riot masks, baseball catcher masks and other protection that is made to take hard hits. Unfortunately, I believe it is accurate that there is no plastic shield out there that is designed to withstand a strike from a moderately large chunk of wood travelling at high velocity. The key, I believe, is to do your best to turn solid wood and to stay out of the way.
Grant
Ottawa ON
Contributor
What do hockey players wear?
Contributor
If the OP is in Russia that may limit his choices.Originally Posted by Eugene Dixon
Bill D
Contributor
@Eugene: That's a good question so I looked it up. It seems that a couple of companies make shields that fit on hockey helmets and the shields are rated to stop a frozen puck hitting the shield at 200 kph. Now, if I can figure out how to attach a shield like that to my 3M bump cap with its belt-mounted air supply, I would be very happy. The hockey shields cost about $100 Cdn so it would be a pricey experiment. If anyone here knows of anyone who has tried to adapt a hockey shield to turning, I'd love to hear about it.
Grant
Ottawa ON
Contributor
Keep us posted, pleased.
Contributor
I recall a couple articles that seem relevant to this thread that Lynne Yamaguchi wrote after, or as she was, recovering from a serious injury:
It seems she has settled on a range of solutions depending on situation, up to and including a Riot Helmet & Face Shield *and* using the machine guard on her lathe. What I especially like is the research she did on what the various standards really mean allowing me to judge my own risk and protection in the specific situations I face.
Member
I am going to play devils advocate here. It will hurt like hell to get hit with something coming off the lathe no matter where it hits you. The best defense on not getting hit is practice safe turning and never stand in the line of fire. I hear folks say that often then watch them make that "quick" cut standing in the line of fire mainly because they haven't taught themselves how to turn with the less dominate hand. Teach yourself to turn with either hand and it is pretty easy to not stand in the line of fire with larger items like bowls, hollow forms and etc. When turning spindles is really one of the only things that is harder to not be in the line of fire. The reason I bring this up is if you are going to get a riot helmet for the chance event of getting hit in the head versus a Trend, 3m or other dust and face protection you are really missing the point of personal protection. There is a constant risk of lung damage due to dust and minimal risk of getting hit with a flying object if turning correctly.
The trend is a good unit however when I had one I didn't use it due to the weight that hurt my neck. I decided to sell it and get what seems to have been a proven winner the 3m airmate. If a piece does come flying off with these units and you are turning correctly then they will withstand impact. Mainly because they will have to ricochet off of the tool rest or bed of the lathe which will take the majority of the impact and slow the velocity to help the impact on your helmet. Not saying there wouldn't be risk in head injury however that is much less likely than lung issues.
Member
Hi All, I am currently looking for a air flow respirator. I can not find the 3M unit. The one I found is made by Vesaflo. I have a touch of a breathing problem and still do not want to give up my turning. Any suggestions or model numbers of the 3M would be great.
Thanks
Roy
Contributor
@Dale: I couldn't agree more. That's why I said in my post to stay out of the way. But stuff happens and if there is a better way to protect my gorgeous nose, I'm going to use it. I've watched a piece carom off a lathe bed, hit an inadequate face shield and bust a friend's nose. I don't disagree that the carom took some momentum out of that piece, but it was long way from stopped. He was not in the direct line of fire, but sometimes wood does not come at us from the direct line of fire.
As to the Airmate withstanding an impact, 3M would disagree with you. Or, at least, they would not categorically say that their shield will withstand an impact from a big chunk of wood hitting it at high speed. I use the breatheasy, which has a similar bump cap and shield to the airmate, but with the blower on my belt. 3M techs told me that it was not intended to protect me from the possible projectiles that wood turning can generate.
As I see it, the issue with all these specs and their testing is that in many instances, they test to see if the shield will fracture when hit by a projectile and if it does not, it passes. However, I've not seen (and I'm open to be proven wrong) any test that tests if the shield will deform or the frame holding it will release the shield when the shield is hit with a projectile. It does us no good to look at the intact shield on our protective device and see that is in not fractured when it has deformed or come out of the frame (if it has one) and smashed our nose.
Last edited by Grant Wilkinson; 11-29-2018 at 9:39 AM.
Grant
Ottawa ON
Contributor
There have been a number of in depth discussions on this topic at the AAW forum. A guy named Odie once said:Odie show pictures of his masks. You can search the AAW forum on "riot" or "Yamaguchi" to find the posts.
I'm the one who has, and uses, a police riot shield attached to a regular style face shield head band.......and a women's softball fielder's mask (not a catcher's mask) which I've welded extra protection onto the frontal area...I only use them when I ...foresee a problem with wood that is suspect of separating, or otherwise coming apart while turning.
The police riot shield provides a great deal of unobstructed protection, but is very heavy. The women's softball fielder's mask works pretty well, and is my usual choice between the two. My resp-o-rator works with the police riot shield, but cannot be used with the softball fielder's mask.
I just use the Bionic mask and rely on staying out of the line of fire. For me, this means doing the roughing and most of the shaping of the outside for a bowl while turning left handed.
Dave
Last edited by Dave Bunge; 11-29-2018 at 10:32 AM.
Member
Hi Roy,
I think this is the 3M unit on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/3M-Headgear-M...rds=3m+airmate
I searched for airmate because it was mentioned in an earlier post, but I think the airstream is the 3M unit that comes with a helmet and face shield, and that is what the link should take you to.
Jon
Member
Thank you Jon, That is the one I found last week.
Roy
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