Axi Powered Respirator vs Trend Air Shield

[Haggy]

I have owned the Trend Air Shield Pro for some years and am very pleased with it.  On the downside the helmet weighs in at just under 1Kg and I find it becomes uncomfortable to wear after an hour or so.  The Axi powered respirator is  two thirds the weight (680g) and appears a lot more comfortable to wear over a period of time.  Do any Woodturners have any advice on which respirator is best suited to our hobby?  I either need to purchase a new battery/ charger for the Trend Air Shield or consider changing it for the Axi .
      Any thoughts would be gratefully received.

[Mike313]

Total beginner here but I have put the Trend Air Shield on my Wish List as it has an Assigned Protection Factor of 20, and so is a better filter than the Axminster model which has an Assigned Protection Factor of 10. You can google the APF ratings to understand what they mean . . . . . .

[Redtails4]

Hi
I have trend airshield and after i had it about six months it started or appeared to get uncomfortable it was moving about on my head more so if i had been a little careless with adusting screw. in a period of quite contemplation i had the answer a thin wooly skull cap
The wooly hats without a turn up problem solved.

[Derwent Woodturning club]

Some years ago I tried a friend's Airshield but I couldn't cope with it as I felt too 'enclosed'. I don't know if that was down to the weight, the design of the face mask seals or what but I couldn't wear it.

18 months ago, I tried the Axminster/JSP respirator and it felt totally different. I now wear it whenever I am sanding or turning 'dusty' woods. So my preference is the JSP.

I appreciate we should look at what protection is provided from purely factual data, but if something doesn't feel comfortable, meaning you are less likely to put it on, then forget those differences. And it is very evident just how effective the respirator is, when you clean the filters.

[Haggy]

Thank you for your help.  I didn’t realise the Air Shield had twice the APF  of the Axi.respirator and have now researched it as you suggested Mike. I have owned the Air Shield pro for about 4 years and never went into the more technical details. 
I may well try using a beanie hat under it when using it all day John.  I do a lot of work with MDF and so will stay with the Air Shield and invest in a spare battery, althogh the improved comfort of the Axi Air Shield is tempting.

[APH]

I've had the APF since they were first sold and have found it very good. Lightweight enough to wear for prolonged periods with good battery life.
As I'm asthmatic dust can be a problem and I soon know if there's something troubling in the air, but I've had no symptoms when using it.

The spec issue is rather contentious and needs some consideration;
If you are needing breathing protection for professional use with regular long exposure to risky dust, the APF probably isn't good enough. One of the units with a waist mounted motor units with better filters and seals will be more suitable.
If you're just an occasional hobby user who would like to avoid nasty dust and don't need to conform to strict H&S rules the APF is a great option as it's cheap, comfortable, convenient and because of that will protect you more than an item of better spec that doesn't get used.

[Haggy]

Just wanted to also thank Paul B. and APH for your help.
The fact that the APF/ JSP  respirator doesn’t filter out the finer hardwood dust does concern me.  I wasn’t aware off this. To sum things up I have learnt the Trend Air Shield is not as comfortable to wear, but does a lot better job at filtering out the more finer, harmful dust particles. A pair of filters for the Trend works out to just over £5.00 cheaper.

[John Plater]

I have used both. The trend was heavy and I also found that it dried my eyes uncomfortably. The axminster is much more comfortable and does not dry my eyes. For regular use I use the axminster as is. For anything very dusty or that which I know affects me, I use a fpp3 face mask inside the axminster. I also find the recharging more straightforward. I had the spare battery for the trend but really needed two chargers. Having read the above, I will investigate putting finer filters into the axminster.
ATB John

[APH]

Having read the above, I will investigate putting finer filters into the axminster.

From what I remember of a very detailed discussion about this product when it was first released, the lower rating of the Axi/JSP product is due to poorer face fit, rather than the fineness of it's filter.

Put rather crudely, if you inhale hard some of the external air may get past the sealing system and into your lungs.

This also leads down the rabbit hole of how well these things fit, whether you fit the testings system standard size, are the seals fitting as well as designed, do you have a beard etc etc.
In turn, something that fits perfectly may be very uncomfortable to wear. If you then don't chose to wear it...

For me, slightly less than perfect protection that I routinely use is better than perfect protection I don't bother with. We all have to make our choice for our own personal situation with the best information we can find.

[Haggy]

You make a lot of sense APH and it’s good John you have found a respirator that suits.  I believe the Axi/JSP is more suited to woodturning where you are likely to wear it for long periods. The Trend Air Shield is more efficient and suited to routing etc where you use it for shorter time periods. It seems
there is no one answer.

[APH]

The Trend Air Shield is more efficient and suited to routing etc where you use it for shorter time periods.

Not really. Routing, although only often done for a short period of time, puts a lot of fine particulates into the air that remain a hazard for a very long time after the actual work is done.
A fine workshop air filter can help, but the risk stays for a long time until either there's a change of air or it's settled which may take very many hours.

It's always best to try to extract fine dust at source as efficiently as possible, then a respirator has less work to do and the overall environment is less toxic.

[Mike313]

My thinking on this is simple - most of my thinking is simple - it's the very fine dust that does the most harm to your lungs. Therefore, to me, having the most efficient respirator I can afford makes sense. If an APH10 filter takes out less of this harmful dust than an APF20 filter, then I'll buy - and WEAR - the more efficient APF20 filter. The argument that someone would have a Trend Airshield but not actually wear it due to it being slightly heavier than another model is incomprehensible to me. But to each his own.
Since I first replied to this thread, the Trend has gone from my wish-list to my inventory list - I bought it and it arrived yesterday.
Having worn it yesterday albeit just for an hour so far, it feels no heavier to me than the combination of full-face shield and the 3M half-face respirator I was using, but is amazingly comfortable from the breathing point-of-view. Fresh air over my face and no steaming up of my glasses. And the satisfaction of knowing it is the best I could afford in terms of filtration. There are powered respirators with even higher ratings but these are way more expensive and out of my league budget-wise.
And the cherry on the cake? I bought the Trend Airshield Pro from Trend Direct UK on-line for £189.60, about £40 CHEAPER than the Axminster APF10 Evolution which is shown on their site as costing £229.96.

[Motley Dog]

My thinking on this is simple - most of my thinking is simple - it's the very fine dust that does the most harm to your lungs. Therefore, to me, having the most efficient respirator I can afford makes sense. If an APH10 filter takes out less of this harmful dust than an APF20 filter, then I'll buy - and WEAR - the more efficient APF20 filter. The argument that someone would have a Trend Airshield but not actually wear it due to it being slightly heavier than another model is incomprehensible to me. But to each his own.
Since I first replied to this thread, the Trend has gone from my wish-list to my inventory list - I bought it and it arrived yesterday.
Having worn it yesterday albeit just for an hour so far, it feels no heavier to me than the combination of full-face shield and the 3M half-face respirator I was using, but is amazingly comfortable from the breathing point-of-view. Fresh air over my face and no steaming up of my glasses. And the satisfaction of knowing it is the best I could afford in terms of filtration. There are powered respirators with even higher ratings but these are way more expensive and out of my league budget-wise.
And the cherry on the cake? I bought the Trend Airshield Pro from Trend Direct UK on-line for £189.60, about £40 CHEAPER than the Axminster APF10 Evolution which is shown on their site as costing £229.96.

Couldn't agree more with you Mike. I've used the Airshield Pro everyday for several years now. Just followed your tip and bought a replacement as the original has seen better days! Current price £184.99... sorry Mike!

[Paul Hannaby]

Bear in mind that the difference between the APF10 and APF20 is not double, it is 5%.

Here's some background info https://www.awgb.co.uk/dust-protection-policy/

[Mike313]

That's true Paul, but that extra 5% (if I understand it properly) is at the most important end of the scale - the very VERY fine dust. And given that it is 5% more efficient AND quite a bit cheaper, it still makes sense to me. So far I have found it no more heavy or awkward than the full-face shield and the respirator I was using, whilst breathing is easier.
You got a very good price there Motley!