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Positive Pressure Respirater

Harry Robinette

Harry Robinette

Joined
Sep 10, 2010
Messages
148
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Location
Stow,Ohio
Has anyone seen,used,heard of or anything else about this company or it's equipment. There not NIOSH certified and they have no reviews and say they been in business for 19 years. The reason for the questions is it's a complete Turbine Air Respirator for under $400.00. There called Breath Cool II and there on E-Bay. They have a full mask,1/2 mask and hood type all come with a Turbine,25'hose,mask or hood and a 1 year warranty.
I'm thinking about buying one but just seams to good to be true. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
 
I remember seeing something about them once before or maybe it was someone else with a similar set-up. I would avoid them like the plague. Just reading their website set off alarm bells in my head. Here is a couple of his FAQs:

  • Does the system comply with NIOSH requirements for airflow?

    Yes, all of our products exceed the NIOSH airflow requirements. NIOSH requires 4 cfm (cubic feet/minute) for a tight fitting facepiece, and 6 cfm for a loose fitting hood.

  • Why is there no NIOSH approval for this system?

    The NIOSH approval process is optional, and no competitors in this price range have such approval. NIOSH approval requires detailed documentation and testing that we have yet to pursue.
Claiming that it meets NIOSH requirements if it hasn't even been submitted for approval is enough for me to run away from him as fast as possible. It hasn't been submitted because he knows that it would not meet approval. There is a lot more to approval than just air flow. That might be the only part of the whole set of requirements that his unit has a chance of meeting. Besides, the amount of air flow stated is inadequate for good ventilation in hot weather in my estimation. If you read further on his website, it sounds like he has 19 years in the "paint business" without being clear about what that means. I read it as creating a misleading impression that he has sold his supplied air Breathe-Cool for 19 years.

I think that if you are looking for a deal that is too good to be true, it appears that you have found it.
 
There is a video available on their site.

Harry, if you buy one of these units, be sure to give us your review.

I wouldn't buy one for the simple reason that you drag a hose around in your shop that attaches to the motor unit. This would be too inconvenient to use in my shop.

ooc
 
Harry, A number of turners have modified their helmets to accept outside air. Turners that were car painters say outside air keeps you alive. I really have no idea how much air my Airstream helmet provides. But I need to much movement for a hose. But those that have them gear up hose lenght for what they do. To me if the helmet is comfortable and you can handle a hose and he gives you a year? And he was a painter? OK, email John Mydock and ask him to check this out. Say Kelly Dunn put you up to asking. Give him easy info to check it out or he will say screw you. He was a professional painter of cars etc for his basic lifetime of work. He is the one who talked to us about powered air. He is now a full time turner though retired from everything else. Trust what he says. mydockstudio@gmail.com
 
He has a couple different helmets, but does not say much about them such as what kind of helmet and if the faceshield is an ANSI Z87 approved unit. I would also want to know if the helmet is sealed or open around the faceshield as that would have an effect on cooling and on the possibility of breathing some dust. Unfortunately, sealing to minimize dust works against cooling because it restricts the amount of air flow somewhat. My 3M Airstream has an air flow of 10 CFM which is great most of the time, but during the summer, it gets too hot when the temperature is around 100° F. Another turner in my club had a Triton which had an air flow of around 4 to 6 CFM and he said that it was impossible to use in hot weather and it would fog up. Some turners have used supplied air systems and used overhead tracks to keep the hose off the floor. There have been discussions on this forum in the past about modifying an old C-PAP or Bi-PAP machine to provide fresh air and wearing the mask beneath a regular faceshield. One thing that is nice about those machines is that the hose is very lightweight and flexible. Since it is a medical device that requires a titration study to determine the proper pressures for the user, I would guess that it is foolish to just pick up a unit on flea bay because there could be risks related to increased inner ear pressure.
 
I wouldn't be afraid of them at all. I first made a system when I was in business. I used a small squirrel cage fan, feeding from my shop office, into a 2" pvc pipe. I modified a half mask to accept a CPAP connector hose that was connected to my waist, then a flex hose to the wall and the 2" pipe. Worked great in the spray booth, always a positive pressure on the mask around my mouth and nose, couldn't smell any of the finish.
Then used a hobby type mask that was provided to Woodworkers Journal where I worked next. That company is no longer in business, but the same system except they used a turbine air supply. Again, worked perfectly in the paint booth.
You can also get air compressor supplied systems, but you need more filtering in the air hose because of what the vanes in the compressor can send downstream.
Will you be wearing this while you do all your turning, or just while sanding? You won't need the extreme impact resistance if the lathe is running slowly and you are just sanding. Then a half mask will work fine. Like I said, looks good to me, but if money is an issue, they aren't that hard to make. You can get a 125 cfm remanufactured, 2 stage vacuum cleaner motor head, for less than $100. Noise will be the rough part. As far as that goes, you could experiment with a really clean shop vac, with the filter removed to see if you like it. Pick up a 25' roll of sump pump hose at the box store for less than $20. Probably way too much flow with a shop vac though.
 
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I just got a 3M Breathe Easy on eBay for a good price, with everything. But while looking I realized you can get a Breathe Easy style PAPR with filters for about $100-150 and then you can get a new style M105 for less than $200. You put a new Li battery pack for $50. The 3m systems are so modular its great. Plus they have parts for 20+ year old stuff. So for $300-400 you can put together a very nice PAPR. I think this is the way to go if you can't find a complete system. Cheaper than a Trend and better, I think.
 
No Bill
White helmet, full set up. New filters, overlays. He just posted 2 more. If you search they pop up.I also found new shields for a great price. That seller has several as well.
Im headed back to work in few days. Going to check and see if our regional FEMA guys have any stuff laying around. You never know.
 
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