dust mask advice

[condeesteso]

I really need to get this sorted - but I've searcvhed here and looked at various sites and find the options confusing. 3M seem the most widely used, can anyone explain the various filter types, likely filter life etc. I've been looking at the 7500 but any advice appreciated. By the way, I rarely use mdf so it's just wood particles and I already run extraction and a Jet ceiling-mounted filter but none of that stops the super-fine airbourne problem.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

you want the 3m 7500 with the round P3 filters

 

[morfa]

The 7500 is the one I have. Really nice. Quite a few different filters for it. I normally just use the P3 filter for it.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3M-2138-P3-Pa ... 3cdd79e450

 

[carlb40]

There have been a few similar threads in the last month or so with various recommendations.

I use the 7500 with these
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/251438918657? ... 1423.l2649

I chose those due to being suitable for mdf dust and i also have recently used it while using spray lacquer. I am still on my first and only filter i purchased about this time last year.

 

[condeesteso]

Thanks - re previous posts I was sure there would be some, I must learn how to search more effectively!
So the 7500 with P3 filter. How long should I realistically expect them to last, I notice Axi sell them in packs of 10 pairs (£55 approx).

 

[morfa]

They don't seem to last long, but i never know when to replace them. I replace them after 3 days of use.

 

[Grahamshed]

Sp they last 3 days or 1 year. This is the problem with all this stuff. How do you know when they are 'full'
Isn't there something about how much effort it takes to breath through them ?

 

[carlb40]

Sp they last 3 days or 1 year. This is the problem with all this stuff. How do you know when they are 'full'
Isn't there something about how much effort it takes to breath through them ?

Yes and so far i have not noticed any difference between when new and now. However while the filter may be a year old, it probably has had only a full week of use. But i don't take any protective storage solutions for it. It is just hung on my safety board where dust etc can still get on it/ in it.

 

[Grahamshed]

I kinda prefer the idea of air being fed to you like the trend etc but they look so bl@@dy daft !!

 

[Grayo]

Hi Carl,

Is this the mask you have (link below) only the filters look different to the ones in your link above.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3M-7500-Spray ... 5894671%26

Cheers

Graham

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

The received wisdom (straight from a 3M rep I spoke to about this at a show last year) is you replace the filter when breathing becomes more laboured. In other words you're trying to drag the air through a mostly blocked filter and therefore you notice it. How quickly that happens depends entirely on the dust exposure you routinely expose the mask to. He said that professionals using the mask daily should expect 1 pair of filters to last about a month. For hobby/light use it could last a long time. I use mine when I'm powersanding bowls which is a very dust intensive environment and I'm about ready to change my first filters which were installed in about October last

I also bought the 10 pair bumper box from Axy because they're not cheap so buying in bulk keeps the unit price sensible.

 

[carlb40]

Hi Carl,

Is this the mask you have (link below) only the filters look different to the ones in your link above.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/3M-7500-Spray ... 5894671%26

Cheers

Graham

The mask is the same, but those filters are specific ones for spraying etc.

While i have used mine during spraying lacquer it was only for 1 minute bursts while applying a quick succession of 2 coats every 15 minutes. If i was spraying for longer such as a large box/ item of furniture etc i would get the proper filters.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

The OP was only talking about woodwork dust that's why I specified P3 filters rather than those big boxy jobs that filter "everything known to science" that floats in the air. I used to have a 6500 with those big buses on and they weigh a ton. Feel like your face is being dragged off after half hour. I like the circular P3 filters because they weigh about the same as a cotton pad....but of course only for dust and not VOC's

 

[Grayo]

Ok thanks for the info guy's. Now about the size which one to go for. I have found the same mask without any filters and I have also found the P3 filters on their own as well it's just size now ???

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

I went or the medium and its a great fit. Again, ideally you're meant to hold the mask to your face and suck in (without the straps on) and with the filter holes blocked. If the mask seals round your face and "vacuum" stays on then its a good airtight fit. If you hear or feel air whistling through somewhere then its not because that's a path that dust will find. If you don't have a dealer near you where you can do this test then I would plump for the medium if you have an average face (whatever that is!!). If it doesn't fit...send it back for a different size. The sealing layer is a soft silicon so it has some flexibility for different faces.

Oddly....when it saw my face it spontaneously combusted and ran out the workshop??

 

[condeesteso]

Excellent, thanks all. OK Bob - I am going for a 7500 and the P3s, medium cos I'm an all-over medium kind of person. Things came to a head (sorry :roll: ) yesterday with around 400 biscuits to cut. The jointer has a dust extract but it's an odd size (nothing new) and the idea of rigging a vac to it, pratting about as I move along a long board... and the noise. So a modest investment on this mask must be well worth it. And my view on extraction and filtering is to do the obvious at source but never expect extraction to solve the dust problem. The film of fine dust resting atop the Jet particle filter is ironic proof of the airbourne hazard.

 

[Random Orbital Bob]

Excellent, thanks all. OK Bob - I am going for a 7500 and the P3s, medium cos I'm an all-over medium kind of person. Things came to a head (sorry :roll: ) yesterday with around 400 biscuits to cut. The jointer has a dust extract but it's an odd size (nothing new) and the idea of rigging a vac to it, pratting about as I move along a long board... and the noise. So a modest investment on this mask must be well worth it. And my view on extraction and filtering is to do the obvious at source but never expect extraction to solve the dust problem. The film of fine dust resting atop the Jet particle filter is ironic proof of the airbourne hazard.

Very wise sir....you wont regret it

 

[Vic Perrin]

I kinda prefer the idea of air being fed to you like the trend etc but they look so bl@@dy daft !!

Graham, my wife think I am better looking when I wear my Trend Airshield Pro :roll:

Vic

 

[Alexam]

I have one of these http://www.machinemart.co.uk/shop/produ ... respirator make you look a bit like Darth Vader, but as I wear glasses and others steam them up, these don't. Very comfortable and you dont know they are on for hours.

Alex

 

[Grayo]

Thanks for all the advice guys I have just ordered the 3M 7500 and the P3 filters.