Switched from a basic respirator to a 3M 7500 series for a big pour last week

We were doing a long run of aluminum castings for a truck part order, and the old one just got soaked with sweat after an hour. The new one has a silicone seal and better valves, so I could actually breathe easy the whole eight hour shift. Anyone else find a piece of gear that made a hot day in the bay way more bearable?

3 comments

3 Comments

wren6521mo ago

I used to think all respirators were the same, but a good seal makes a crazy difference.

finley7771mo ago

Yeah, the fit test is a game changer.

susan_ward7d ago

When I did my first quantitative fit test with a PortaCount, the difference between a 95 and a 200+ fit factor was night and day. Started getting headaches and coughing fits after shifts with a cheap N95 that barely passed. Turns out I was getting a lot of dust through the nose bridge gap. Took me two hours of trying different brands to find one that actually sealed against my face shape. Now I won't touch a respirator unless it hits at least a 100 on the particle count test.