Any suggestions for respirators

[me]

I'm looking to get a half mask organic vapor respirator. Knowing how I am I am sure that I will not use it as often as I should if the thing is either too uncomfortable or too hard to put on and take off. If you Google "comfortable respirator" every company claims theirs is the most comfortable respirator on the market.

I see where 3M makes one that is somehow designed to be removed without taking off a hard hat. That really appeals to me. One that you could just drop down around your neck to talk to someone or get a little fresh air would be even better, but that is probably the realm of dust masks and not something a respirator could ever do. From what I can tell no one claims this unit is comfortable, just easy to remove from the side. The fact that it removes from the side, probably means it is not too easy and quick to get back on.

To me the idea of comfortable probably boils down to the thing doesn't heat up so fast that my face feels like it is on fire in 5 minutes. For the record, I have no facial hair or any other issues that would prevent a standard system from fitting correctly.

TIA

[Sonny]

An option (the lighter side):

When all else fails, try your favorite lady's a bra. When one side fails, just spin it to the next breather cup.

Problematic isses, with various other types of masks? All those other concerns won't be an issue with something else on your mind.

Conversation/subject matter won't be an issue, either. Your vocabulary might even expand, a bit.

Sonny

[FrozenNorth]

Wouldn't a c bra or a d bra work better? :-)

[nailshooter41]

None of them are comfortable over a period of time. The snug fitting masks are hot, and build up a lot of moisture in the mask even on cold days.

I would buy a mask from a vendor which would allow me to return the unit should it be unsatisfactory, namely HD or Lowes.

They have a nice 3M mask there, as well as an AO safety. For me the

3M edges out the AO mask as it fits my head better. YMMV.

MAKE SURE you buy a mask that has filters that you can easily replace. I have bought masks that you have to order filters online to replace, and it is a pain. The 3M masks have the correct charcoal filter replacements at our local HD as well as the Sherwin Williams stores.

Remember that you will need to replace the filters on the mask every

90 days after opening the sealed package. Do not be concerned about how much you did or didn't use the mask. The activated charcoal no longer works effectively after that time. When that happens, you might as well be wearing a dust mask.

Replace the prefilters (prefilters are highly recommended) as needed. If I am spraying inside a house in a tented room, I can usually get a kitchen and the baths out of a prefilter on a house. If I am spraying in open air, they seem to last forever.

Lastly, regardless of the make, the mask should be easy to clean inside. Sweat, dirt, a running nose, dirt, etc., all make the inside of your mask about as sanitary as your armpit. It should be easy to clean and keep clean.

Robert

[DGDevin]

I got one of these from Hell Depot a couple of years back and then they stopped selling them so I had to hunt down a safety supply company that had replacement filters. But now Woodcraft has them, and I've stockpiled spare filters.

It's easy to clean, easy to change filters, and I've had no trouble getting it to seal on my face. "Comfortable"--well, you know, it's never bothered me enough that I've removed it when I should have been wearing it. You can drop the mask down so it hangs from the lower strap when you don't need it but you'd have to remove your hardhat to do that (or at least remove it to put the top strap on your head when you need the mask again).

[notbob]

My suggestion would be an MSA mask. I had one for years and it served me well in many situations. I think this is the model, as I remember the alum reinforcement across the front and the thin round screw-in cartridges:

for comfort, what can I say? Any respriator is a drag. OTOH, this one was comforable enough that I used it while operationg a gunite rig to keep out cement/sand dust, wearing it all day long in CA Summer temps, often reaching 100+. This while humping 100lb bags of cement, clambering around a 15' high rig, and jumping between two trucks and a Bobcat. Hot and heavey work, but I never got silicosis, the reason I wore the mask. I recall it passed enough air that I could still breath without difficulty when I became a slightly winded, as I often did on that job. If I had to buy another respirator, this is the one I'd buy.

BTW, I seem to recall it originally came with organic chemical filters, but you can check on that.

nb

[Stuart]

Ooo, what big fat lips you must have :-)

[J. Clarke]

If you want comfort a hood type air supplied respirator is the way to go, but they aren't cheap.

[Sonny]

Damn typo ruined my joke. Was supposed to have ersaed that "a".

Sonny

[Martin H. Eastburn]

[Andrew Barss]

Look up "Medical and Safety Supply" in the yellow pages (or online equivalent) for your city. These guys know their stuff, and will let you try on units to properly fit and size them. They will also carry a full line of cartridges, prefilters, etc.

-- Andy Barss

[e-mail] wrote: : I'm looking to get a half mask organic vapor respirator. Knowing how I : am I am sure that I will not use it as often as I should if the thing : is either too uncomfortable or too hard to put on and take off. If : you Google "comfortable respirator" every company claims theirs is the : most comfortable respirator on the market.

: I see where 3M makes one that is somehow designed to be removed : without taking off a hard hat. That really appeals to me. One that : you could just drop down around your neck to talk to someone or get a : little fresh air would be even better, but that is probably the realm : of dust masks and not something a respirator could ever do. From what : I can tell no one claims this unit is comfortable, just easy to remove : from the side. The fact that it removes from the side, probably means : it is not too easy and quick to get back on.

: To me the idea of comfortable probably boils down to the thing doesn't : heat up so fast that my face feels like it is on fire in 5 minutes. : For the record, I have no facial hair or any other issues that would : prevent a standard system from fitting correctly.

: TIA

[Robert Bonomi]

Actually, the smallest size works like *magic*.

Per the well-known incantation;



a-bra cad a-bra

`

[J. Clarke]

Just make sure you have a Barbie in the circuit and a Pershing missile.