Face Mask Respirators???

[DonMirabito]

All,
OK, I give up... It seems I must have purchased several different brands of face mask respirators only to find out something bad happened to the company or whatever and I can no longer get the filter cartridges. I am looking for half-mask style p100 type masks and filters. What brand(s) have you had success with that might have replacement cartridges when you need them?

Don

[S.Joisey]

Which one have you used that are out of business, Don?

I'm still using my Lab Safety ones, but will have to switch when I am done my cartridges, as they are discontinued.

I'll likely switch to North respirators when that time comes.

[Alaskan Son]

I use 3M. Don't see them going out of business anytime soon.

[HDietrich]

3M 7500 Series Reusable Half-Facepiece

lightweight, comfortable and wont fog up your glasses

[Catspaw]

I second the 3M 7500 series. Be aware that they come in three sizes (some sellers only offer one size).

- Rich

[DonMirabito]

Thanks guys. In my stockpile of old masks I have a couple different brands. I have a couple different AOS ones that take different cartridges that I can't find anymore. I think I have one that says MBA(?) or something and I can't find cartridges for it either. I think I'll go with the 3M 7500 series masks if I can find them. Regarding the size, yeah, I know I have to spend some time trying them on for proper fit. Its good to know they come in multiple sizes. Regarding the glasses thing, yeah, that is why I wear the half-mask. I wear glasses to see and when they fog up it ticks me off.

Are there online suppliers that anyone could recommend?

Don

[joseph]

i did the 3m this last time . got on amazon and saw that one model was really impressing people .i got one myself and it is more comfy then the others i have used. google 3m and see if anyone sells them near you

[philthegreek]

Don,
You can go to any auto-body supply house and get all the available cartridges as well as the masks if you need them ASAP. Otherwise Amazon is a good choice. What are you using the respirators for? If you use them for finishing, make sure you get the properly rated cartridges for the VOC's.

Phil

[DonMirabito]

Phil,
I usually use the P100 filters as I think they are a little better. Lately I haven't been using one at all or just using one of those throw aways which never really work well. Recently, I was working in a dusty attic/chimney chase and it reminded me once again that I NEED to get one. You know when its really bad because you start coughing. I mostly use them for anything that is likely to be dusty e.g. Demo, RRP work, insulation installs, some finishing/sanding work, etc.

The half-masks I have had with the P100 filters worked great, I just needed to find replacement cartridges and couldn't find them. So, I guess I need to find a new brand that will hopefully stick around for a while.

Don

[Greg Di]

You are better off with any mask and a marginal filter that seals 100% than an ill-fitting mask with a fantastic filter.

I think I have the North Safety version. I got it from Grainger and was able to try on a bunch for the best fit.

[waldmeister]

Don: Try Grainger.com. Probably not the cheapest price but they usually carry p100 cartridges.

http://www.grainger.com/Grainger/wwg...sk&N=0&sst=All