 updated 3 Apr 2004 New Update 9 Jan 2005 The more I get into woodworking the more safety conscience I become.
While surfing the woodworking message boards it's hard to miss the constant
chatter about safety devices. As a novice woodturner who's first
hour on a lathe was interrupted by a flying spindle between the eyes (I
was wearing a face shield), I was very interested to see how Triton Woodworking
Systems as addressed a number of our safety concerns, dust, eye, ear and
head protection, with their new powered respirator. Thanks to Triton
Woodworking Systems for providing the respirator for review. As with all my reviews main intent is to try to provide the reader with
all the information they need to make an informed purchase. There will
be plenty of photo's, some very close up, which I hope will give you a
feel for the tool and which should preclude you from being surprised when
you open the box. Click on any picture to enlarge it. What's in the box?
A look into the filter
  
In the three pictures above you can see the assembly with all the filters
removed. The photo at left is looking straight down into the assembly.
The two yellow things are D sized NiCad batteries which are soldered in
place (five in all). The middle picture is with the pre-filter removed
and looking at the bottom of the assembly. You can see the impeller
just above the nameplate and the power switch on the left. The photo
at right is again looking through the top but this time at an angle to
expose the impeller motor. The air movement through a clean filter
assembly is 120 liters/min.
  
The respirator operates by sucking air through the pre-filter at the
bottom of the filter assembly and blowing that air at through the cartridge
filters and up into the hard hat at 130 liters per minute. The air enters
the back of the hat and is ducted over your head where it is exhausted
just at the edge of the headband. The air is directed over the inside of
the face shield.
The respirator is strictly for dust protection. Here's a quote right off the Triton web page: " Please Note: The Triton Powered Respirator is not suitable for use against gases, vapours, chemical fumes or in explosive atmospheres, for example spray painting." I have a project coming up this summer where I have to tear down some horsehair plaster walls and ceilings and the respirator (and hard hat) will be perfect for that job. Ergonomics: For me there were some issues with the respirator's fit and weight. As I mentioned earlier the ear protectors would not adjust for a comfortable fit. I either need lower ears or an adjustment in the hat to raise it up a smidge. The weight of the respirator, which is 36.5 oz according to my local post office, is not an issue at first and even after long periods of time wearing it the weight was not a factor as long as I was moving. Operations like using the table saw were fine but long periods of concentration and little movement, like while I was turning spindles for hours on end, caused my neck to get tired.
The most annoying thing about wearing the respirator was
the hose which connects the filter pack to the hat. It just was too
stiff. Because of its stiffness, the headgear was always either being
pushed down over my eyes or tilted back on my head. In my judgment
the only type of hose which would be suitable for this job would be one
designed like one of those plastic dryer hoses. A wire coil with
a very pliable material forming the hose. Send me an email if you
know where to find a 1.5" version of it.
Additionally the hose connected via a tight fit and a clamp to both
head gear and the filter assembly. Because it could not be connected/disconnected
easily this made it cumbersome to handle when donning it or taking it off. Use: While turning a piece with both eye and head protection I must admit I felt very secure wearing the respirator. Breathing the fresh air was an added bonus. There was a little distortion of my peripheral vision caused by the bubble face shield but looking straight on was fine. I had just begun turning some spindles for a cradle and things were progressing well. I had 35 of these to turn. About an hour and a half into the session my neck was getting stiff...the weight of the respirator the culprit. Standing relatively still with my head in about the same position spindle after spindle was taking it's toll. I removed the respirator and replaced it with my face shield and I immediately felt better.
Working around the rest of the shop was much better.
I was able to perform all sorts of other tasks without a problem.
Again the annoying thing was the hose pushing the hat down on my face.
I did find that it could get warm under the shroud if I was exerting myself.
The air blowing in front of my face stayed cool but I would start to perspire
around my neck and shoulders under the shroud. Over the course of
the next few turning sessions I again tried to to wear the respirator and
each time after a couple of hours I had to take it off. Maybe it's
just these old bones. I also ran into a low battery situation when
I left it for a week after using it for about 4 hours. Upon testing
the airflow prior to using the respirator, the sitting around had caused
the battery to drain and the flow was under the required lever.
I had to forego using the respirator until the next day. Safety isn't free and the Triton Powered Respirator like most safety
devices causes the user some inconveniences. Compared to a face shield
it costs more, weighs more, is hotter to wear, and causes more fatigue.
What you get in return is clean lungs, your sight, your hearing, and few
less bumps on the noggin. That's a fair trade if you ask me. |
As you can see the Triton Powered
Respirator comes in the familiar Triton orange just as the rest of their
products. The head piece includes an AS/NZS 1801 approved hard hat
with integrated AS/NZS 1270 approved ear protectors and an AS/NZS 1337
approved face shield. The head piece also includes an integrated
shroud to keep the dust out and the ducting for the filtered air.
The waist belt mounted filter unit contains two AS/NZS 1716 approved dust
filters and NiCad batteries.. The other accessories are the instruction
manual, air hose, air flow meter, and DC power transformer used for charging
the batteries. All of this comes securely packaged in a foot and
a half square box.
I
just received the hose upgrade kit from Triton USA. The kit includes a
new very flexible hose with quick connect twist fittings, a new cover for
the air filter unit and the hose itself.
The
first thing you have to do is remove the old duct. Just pull the shroud
out over the end of the connection duct to give yourself some room. Now
remove the duct which is attached with Velcro. It may come out by itself
or still attached to the front half of the duct. Mine came out in one piece
still connected to the front half, and the Velcro pulled right off the
helmet and both hook and loop were stuck to the duct. I simply pealed
it off the old and installed it on the new. 
The
new duct solves two of the problems which I discussed in the review. First
it moves the connection point away from the headband adjustment knob (Top
left) and second it has a screw thread to provide for a quick connect/disconnect
capability. 
Now
transfer the velcro to the new assembly and install the duct. With the
new duct installed, you can clearly see that it helps with the interference
problem (right). Put the shroud back on and lets move to the filter assembly.
Simply remove the old cover and replace it with the new. 
With
the new hose assembly those difficult connection fittings are replaced
with a simple twist collar. The threads are very coarse so it takes about
a full turn to connect up the hose. This is a very welcome addition when
donning the hat and then trying to connect up the hose.
Once
you have it all upgraded you just have to try this out. The new hose makes
all the difference. No longer can you even feel the hose let alone have
the hose apply pressure to the headset.