Triton Power Respirator - Mini Review

OK, I've been wanting to get a powered respirator for some time, even with the cyclone going, I still get dust, especially when sanding.


This is from the Triton website, this pic is an old one, as it still has the rigid hose.


A little more info on the unit.

Now some bad pics of me and the unit
(sorry, no other models were available in the Dungeon at 2 AM ).


In action


I am a spaceman!


The battery is out of the way around back, I did have it more to the side, but my shop is narrow in spots, (or I'm wide, or a combo of the two) and I hit the battery on the corner of the bench etc, so I moved it around the back of me.


The switch is on the bottom of the battery unit, and I can get at it with one finger easy.

Now to take the unit off, I first.........


Pop off the hearing protectors, they pop out, so they are out of the way as you take the helmet off.


Undo the drawstring at you neck.........


... and disconnect the hose, then you just take the unit off........


....... or maybe I should put it back on....?

I found it easy to wear, and comfortable, the fan really does move a lot of air. In my shop it is cool now, so steaming up the visor, I thought, might be a problem, but even if I coughed, the visor would steam up for a second and soon clear. The fan is a bit noisy, but not overly so, and once the lathe is running, or the cyclone starts up, I cannot hear the fan at all.

The face shield flips up, half flipped and all the way back, it seems to lock in place really well, and I only slammed my knuckles into the closed shield once, when I was trying to scratch my nose

cont...............

The flip up shield is a good thing........


........ in case you get thirsty or something itches

The unit I have has a soft hose, one of the big complaints I've always heard about the Triton power respirator is that the rigid hose gets in the way, well with the new soft hose, with the quick disconnects, I think they solved this problem.

The batteries are supposed to last for up to 8 hours, I'll not do that in one sitting, but it is nice to know that they will last a few times in front of the lathe. They do take over night to recharge, which is not the best thing, but I'm sure it will not be a problem for me, in my situation.

There are two filters, a pre-filter, which is on the bottom of the batter pack, which is washable, and they provide a replacement with the unit, and two round cartridge type of filters in the unit itself.

I'll post more as I use it, but so far, I'm really liking what I see and plan to wear it a lot, especially while standing in front of the lathe, it really feels secure, as the shield is good and thick, and clear to look through (some distortion off to the side, but great straight ahead), and the helmet is an approved hardhat. I hope to never have to test it, but I think it is a whole lot better than just a pair of safety glasses to keep large pieces of wood out of my dental work.

Cheers!

Hey Stu,
Thanks for the very interesting review! Does it work just for dust or for VOCs and other vapors as well? Does it come in different sizes? I have a huge head.

Thanks,
Jess

Jesse Cloud said:

Hey Stu,
Thanks for the very interesting review! Does it work just for dust or for VOCs and other vapors as well? Does it come in different sizes? I have a huge head.

Thanks,
Jess

Click to expand...

So Jesse, are you saying that your avatar pic was drawn to scale?

Thanks for the review, Stu.

Thanks for a good review Stu. But, I would have prefered it if a different model was wearing the thing.

One of the things on my "should get" list is a respirator and the Triton looks like a good cantidate. I am really impressed with the quality of the Triton router that I purchased earlier this week and that has me looking at other things that they make.

I can purchase it for $290 (Canadian) plus 14% tax. Would you say that is a good price?

I just read more about the unit on the WEB and was disappointed to read:

Please Note:The Triton Powered Respirator is not suitable for use against
gases, vapours, chemical fumes or in explosive atmospheres, for example
spray painting.​

While it will not do well against paint fumes etc. I did not buy it for that, and I'd not want to paint in it, as overspray would wreck the shield..........?

I have a good respirator with charcoal filters for paint spray etc, I'll use that.

I think that because it looks like a space helmet, people think it will protect them from everything, it won't, but so far, it has done a good job on the lathe, and I see it doing a good job in general around the Dungeon.

The price in Japan is 24,000 yen or about $240 Cdn including tax...........Wow, something is CHEAPER in Japan

($199 US, so it is cheaper in the US than Japan...)

Cheers!

I just ordered it from Amazon for $189 no tax and free shipping!

Thanks a bunch Stu. Although I have seen this before I wanted to wait until "Mikey" tried it.
I have emphysema, this will be a really good thing for me. In case anyone is interested, here is Bill Esposito's write up.

http://www.mv.com/users/besposito/woodworking/respirator/

Thanks again

Don

Stu,

How about an update on your respirator? I'm thinking of getting one to do a tile countertop demolition in our kitchen/bathrooms.

Do you still like it?
Do you still use it?
Would you buy it again? Yes/No/Why?
Would you recommend it?

Thanks,

Greg Cook said:

Stu,

How about an update on your respirator? I'm thinking of getting one to do a tile countertop demolition in our kitchen/bathrooms.

Do you still like it?
VERY MUCH
Do you still use it?
DAILY
Would you buy it again? Yes/No/Why?
DEFINITELY
Would you recommend it?
WHOLEHEARTEDLY!!

Thanks,

Click to expand...

The only thing I do not like about it, is I don't have two batteries, because they take 15 hours to charge! and Triton has not come up with a "Smart Charger" yet. I have a timer thing, I set it to 16 hours and let it run, that way the battery will be charged, but I don't forget and leave it on for a few days (again)

I've only once run out of battery power, I'd used it for a week or so, here and there, and I knew it needed recharging, but I neglected to do so, then I was doing a bunch of sanding, and the visor started to fog up on my, sure enough, the battery was just about dead.

Went back to my normal respirator and learned that if I think it is just about out of charge, to make the effort to charge it.

I'd like to get a second battery pack, this would do away with this whole problem.

All in all I like it very much, solid, well built, and I don't find it uncomfortable at all, or heavy, but I've spent years with a full face motorcycle helmet on my head, so...........

Cheers!

Stuart Ablett said:

I've only once run out of battery power, I'd used it for a week or so, here and there, and I knew it needed recharging, but I neglected to do so, then I was doing a bunch of sanding, and the visor started to fog up on my, sure enough, the battery was just about dead.

Went back to my normal respirator and learned that if I think it is just about out of charge, to make the effort to charge it.

Click to expand...

Swapping out the prefilter for a clean one gives you an extra half-hour or so of "battery life". (Well, not really, but the airflow is very sensitive to the condition of the prefilter, at least if you go by their provided airflow gauge.)

Size-wise, I'm in the XL range, at least based on my prior adventures finding a comfortable motorcycle helmet. But no problems at all getting the Triton fitted.

Pricing varies all over the place, but I think I've got the best "gloat": $185 on sale at Woodcraft last spring, plus they let me use the 15% discount coupon they give you when you take a class there.

Thanks for the tip Lee, but the pre filter was still really clean, this was the first 8 hours I'd run the unit, and the cyclone gets most of the dust you know

Cheers!

I received and e.mail sale notice from Rockler....20% off any one item, this Saturday (power tools and other things not included). I called my local store and confirmed I could use the coupon on the Triton Respirator, and the mgr said yes...and put the only one he had in stock on hold for me. I pick it up Sat. $160 seems like a good investment, especially with my remodel job removing tile from our kitchen and bath countertops...