Need help picking the right respirator.

flatblackcapo

flatblackcapo

Joined
Mar 25, 2012
Messages
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Hi folks. I am looking for some advise on getting the right respirator. I have been looking at full face 3M 6000 series and 7800s respirators. Do any of you guys have a opinion on whether the 7800 is worth the extra 150 bucks? Are the P-100 ov/ag filters good enough for knife making ( grinding G10 and CF) also grinding Ti along with steels?I will be wearing this for long periods of time and in a hot shop. Any advice will be appreciated.
 
The main concern with respiration filtering in knifemaking is fine particulate mater. P-100 filters do a good job on that. Some things we grind give off gasses that range from being irritant to being somewhat toxic ( Micarta, G-10, CA glue). You can use organic gas filters and ones rated for formaldehyde in these cases, but for most all situations, P-100 is sufficient. Good ventilation and dust extraction will take care of most all the gassing off in those handle materials that are a problem.
 
If you have a beard, make sure you get a good seal, or else the respirator is compromised.
 
Thanks guys. Does anyone use a fullface mask? I started to wonder if it will limit my vision.
trypyr, After seeing how much the respirators recommended for guys with beards cost I shaved mine off.........and it was 107* that day:D
 
Synthesist, Thank you very much for your suggestion and the pic. I don't think that one is for me though.
I was hoping to get some feed back on if it is worth spending a 150 to 200 bucks more on a respirator. 3M 6000 v 3m 7800
Thank all of you for your time and suggestions.
Please keep them coming.
 
Shopping online is great, but for this you can go to a good industrial safety supplier and you can test various masks.

There are different sizes too.


If you wear glasses, a full mask will never seal around the temple arms.

If I wear a full mask, I find my eyes get all humid and hot misty.
However it will keep particles out of your eyes.

If you need to replace the clear lens on a full mask, you will pay for it.


The full face has much much better straps than the half mask does, you can really pull it down tight for a good seal.

The half has piddly fabric elastics that go weak


I've got both, but I use the silicone half mask.

Look at
3M Half Facepiece Respirator - 3M 7500
and North 7700
The silicone is softer and fits better
 
I use a 3m 6000 daily and will buy that again. In fact this is my 3rd. The first two lasted over two years each before dry rot got a non replaceable part. Get them off of Amazon for $100 ish. MSC Safety and the other big boys aren't cheap at all. Mine wear out so quickly because I wear it for 12 hours a day. My FIL has had his for 5 years and its still going strong.

I like the full face respirators the best because they keep all of the dust out of my eyes. They also don't fog up like safety glasses over a mask. Finally, they make it impossible to forget your safety glasses. I'm a stickler for this, but I have had to remind my employees a dozen times at least to put their glasses on. Onc3e I had to pay to have a piece of something removed from one of their eyes even though at the time he was wearing his safety glasses. I got them all full face respirators, and now that concern is a thing of the past. Vision correcting glasses and beards are a problem for them, of course.

I've never used the 7800, but unless it can make cofee, then I don't see what the upgrade is about. Does it have some aroma therapy correction system that can keep me breathing nice fresh air even after a burger with extra onions? I'd be down for that.
 
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