Does the overlay have a film over it? I'm getting a lot of reflection off the overlay but almost none around the edges where there is no overlay.
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Positive Airflow Facemask
- Thread starter Tony Giroux
- Start date
Well, I just got my PEKE PowerCap today, and am loving it so far. I was turning and sanding rosewood and canarywood ice cream scoop handles today for Saturday's market (both irritating woods/dust), and all I breathed was cool, clean air blowing across my face. And with my dust collector/air filitration on, I couldn't even hear it running. It's surprisingly light, and fit my fat head perfectly. I tried wearing my shooting muffs over it as I like to protect my ears too, but they were picking up an annoying hum from the fan motor, so I switched to earplugs. All in all, it's a night and day difference from my sweaty N95 mask under the safety visor. I only wish I had discovered it sooner!
Which one did you get?
https://pekesafety.com/collections/best-sellers/products/powercap-active-particulate-papr-pre-filters-p2-filters-peel-off-visor-protectors-bundle?variant=31422967709774
I got "The Bundle" just to save shipping on extra pre-filters and visor protectors I knew I would need in the near future. I ordered it by phone last Thursday, and the very nice lady I talked to gave me a small discount as a new customer, which was about equivalent to free shipping. I literally forgot I was wearing it today, a new experience for me and not the case with literally every other safety device I have ever worn. Goodbye sweaty dust masks and fogged up, ill-fitting shields!
I got "The Bundle" just to save shipping on extra pre-filters and visor protectors I knew I would need in the near future. I ordered it by phone last Thursday, and the very nice lady I talked to gave me a small discount as a new customer, which was about equivalent to free shipping. I literally forgot I was wearing it today, a new experience for me and not the case with literally every other safety device I have ever worn. Goodbye sweaty dust masks and fogged up, ill-fitting shields!
So you have the filter and fan on the headset?
Yes, and it's surprisingly light at just over a pound.
Oh, and after a couple of recommendations from other turners on Instagram on compatible hearing protection, I plan to get some IsoTunes ear-buds to go with this mask (after I rebuild my toy fund, that is!). I love the idea of muffling loud external noises and machinery while blue-toothing my tunes (especially when sanding, though I like to hear my gouges and tools interacting with the wood while actually turning).
Oh, and after a couple of recommendations from other turners on Instagram on compatible hearing protection, I plan to get some IsoTunes ear-buds to go with this mask (after I rebuild my toy fund, that is!). I love the idea of muffling loud external noises and machinery while blue-toothing my tunes (especially when sanding, though I like to hear my gouges and tools interacting with the wood while actually turning).
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I looking to get something similar soon. Just trying to decide.
I own a Sundstrom PAPR. It was about $1300, expensive for sure. At the time, I was in an extremely desperate state, as I had just learned that I was basically deathly allergic to CA fumes and dust, and had had problems from early summer 2020 through september 2020, when I bought the Sundstrom. I had tried a number of other things before, including a "full face" 3m mask with a small face shield that seals over your face, as well as some half face masks (the standard ones used for woodwork, paint, etc.) The Sundstrom, though expensive, was a "breath of fresh air", quite literally. I had serious problems with the full face mask, it constantly fogged up and was impossible to use. The half face masks did not protect my eyes, which was a problem with CA fumes and sometimes other noxious compounds.
The Sundstrom is a full head powered air pressure respirator with a belt mounted air intake and compressor. It uses two filters, with particulate prefilters. It lasts about 8 hours on a batter? At least it did, its been over four years now, I guess it doesn't last quite as long. The air is blown from vents along the lower rim of the head piece, which blows up over the shield and over your head, then out the back. The positive pressure, of course, keeps any dust from entering at the back. The airflow over the inside of the shield ensures you never have the fogging issue. It fully encases your head, basically, so it blocks out everything. If your only concern is dust...eh, its probably overkill. If your concern is more than dust...any vapors and the like, then as long as you are using the yellow filters for organic vapor filtration, it really does offer added value. Its not just a costly toy or gimmick.
If I'm doing CA stuff now, I use the PAPR. I did not used to, primarily used my half face mask with the pink and mustard filters (also organic vapor filters), but that does not protect my eyes. My eyes are having more and more trouble these days, and while I use GluBoost now, which is lower fume/low odor, it can still sting my eyes (one of the gasses released by CA curing is formaldehyde!) The full face mask of the PAPR prevents any further damage to my eyes, eliminates the sting and watering, etc. I sometimes have to use a gel stripper as well (more so when I was using a lot of poly for finishes), and that stuff is also really noxious!! The PAPR is great for that kind of stuff as well.
Oh, another factor here. Since it is a powered airflow, you get plenty of oxygen all the time. One fo the things about the 3M full/half face masks with their filters, especially the organic vapor type filters, is they restrict airflow, reduce oxygen. I've worked 6 hours or more with the half face mask, and when I finally take it off, its like I was half suffocating and every breath is incredible for a few minutes. With the PAPR you don't have to worry about getting enough air, the motor powers it through the filters for you, and you don't have to force suck in air to breathe.
The only real drawback, is it can sometimes pinch around the head. This will sometimes give me a slight headache. Its a little top heavy, so even if you get it nicely situated, the moment you tilt your head it will likely pinch again. I don't know if there is any way to avoid this problem with any kind of PAPR headset, but, it is the only real drawback I've ever encountered myself. A little annoying, but you can manage if you need to for sure.
If you want clean, fresh air and plenty of oxygen, and want to block not just dust but fumes and the like as well, then I do think something like the Sundstrom PAPR has value. Its very expensive, but, if you have breathing issues and need to make sure you are well oxygenated, I think a PAPR will certainly help. In fact, I think a half-face respirator, could very likely be more problematic than anything else, because they DO restrict airflow, and the more the filter gets clogged/used, the more that airflow will be restricted. I can't imagine that is good for COPD. A PAPR will ensure you get a continuous flow of air and oxygen.
Just as a quick update on the PEKE, I just walked in the house for a break after an early turning session (show Saturday-I couldn't sleep for all I needed to do to get ready!). Three days in and I can already tell a huge difference in my lungs and breathing after turning lots of nasty wood this week (rosewood, canarywood, african blackwood, walnut-all the baddies!). Just last week, turning and sanding woods like that even with the dust collector/air filtration wide open and dust mask on, I would have been wheezing, coughing, and blowing out dust boogers. Now I can vaguely smell them through the filters, but I'm breathing clean, cool, moving air under decent face and head protection that I barely notice (except when I bump into something with low clearance in my shop). The mild hum from the fan motor is barely noticeable even after I turn off all the machinery. No neck or spinal soreness or feeling that my head is "heavy" with it on. It's like a breath of fresh air!