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? 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. A look into the filter The
filter unit actually contains 3 filters. Two internal filters which
are rated to the Australian standard as P2 (Equivalent to the American
N95 class) particulate filters which allow 1% of the particles below 1
micron to pass and will remove 95% particulates down to 0.3 micron.
Triton also sells an additional filter called CIGWELD. This filter
is used during welding operations. There is also a pre filter (photo
at right) which snaps onto the bottom of the assembly and should catch
all the big stuff and keep it out of the motor assembly. In that
same photo also notice the dust booted power switch and the LED indicating
that the unit is being charged.
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 last thing I want to show you before we move
on to the headgear is the flow meter. This is simply a clear plastic
tube with a captive ball and a target. (This brings back some memories
of tuning the carburetors on my MG) The way it works is that you
attach the meter to the output of the filter and if the ball is in the
target circle then all is well. If it's below the target then either
the batteries are in need of a charge or the filters need changing.
We'll spend a little more time on this later in the review.
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. All that being said, with a fully charged pack I
could get the stated life out of the filter and it worked well. Also,
if one was using the pack every day charging would be less of an issue
because you could simply plug it in when you were done for the day and
it would be ready for you in the morning. Filters: I purposely did not
spend any time testing the filters. First I'm not equipped for such
testing and secondly they are certified. During my evaluation I probably
wore the respirator for a total of about 8 hours in my dusty workshop.
Most of my time with the respirator was spent turning and sanding my turnings.
I also cut up some sheet goods. At the end of it all there was only
a little dust on the pre-filter and absolutely no visible dust on the mask
side of the filter cartridges. One thing to know about the filters
is that they are installed upside down. This is mentioned in the
instruction manual and I believe it's done to to provide a better seal
on the cartridges. 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. |