I've been designing and making furniture for over a decade now and have tried every dust mask known to man. They either hurt my face, fogged my glasses, slid down my face, got too hot, or came loose and I ended up coughing up gross stuff. The list goes on, but after my annual visit with my Doctor about 8 months ago, I got a real wake-up call about lung disease. As it turns out, sawdust is more harmful to the lungs than smoking.
It was only by chance that I finally discovered the dust mask I now use and I'd like to tell you about the pros and cons of wearing it.
I first saw it in the shop of my friend (and competitor) about seven months ago. A really talented new guy started working in his shop. This guy always wore his dust mask and said he'd been using the same one every day for four years! I didn't think that was even possible. He just washes it out at night starts fresh the next day.
When I saw that, I ordered one online and I am really pleased with it. Everything the guy said was true. Plus, it's so comfortable I can wear it all day. I pretty much forget I have it on. It doesn't fog my glasses, it's easy to breathe through, and I can wear it damp on hot days to keep me cool. I can even talk through it, which is really important to me, since I'm quite a talker.
There are a couple of things you have to be careful of when you get one.
The first thing is you can't pull the strap too tightly when you put it on. I thought it had to be as uncomfortable as all the others to work correctly. Wrong! It has a nose wire that adjusts to your nose for a custom fit, so even though it's comfortable, it's working properly. That's the reason it doesn't fog my glasses. That alone makes it invaluable to me, because as you know when working with wood, you really need to see and keep your fingers!
The second thing I'd warn against is you can only hand-wash it. You can't throw it in the dryer. It's made of some space age fabric that will get frayed in the washer and get trashed in the dryer. If you remember that, it will last as long as the one my friend's new guy has. Maybe longer, come to think of it, since his is still in really good condition. At the end of the day I just give it a quick swirl in mild, soapy water, rinse it, shake the water out and it's like new in the morning. I hang it on a hook right next to my tools, so I always know exactly where to find it in the morning.
One more thing you should know, you will still need a respirator when working with toxic fumes. So, why even get this dust mask if you still need a respirator? Yeah, right! Have you ever tried to wear a respirator all day?
For me, this has been an excellent purchase and I can finally protect myself all day in my shop. I finally found a dust mask that is both comfortable and effective. It puts my mind to rest about protecting my lungs and frees me to think about the things I love; like furniture making.
It was only by chance that I finally discovered the dust mask I now use and I'd like to tell you about the pros and cons of wearing it.
I first saw it in the shop of my friend (and competitor) about seven months ago. A really talented new guy started working in his shop. This guy always wore his dust mask and said he'd been using the same one every day for four years! I didn't think that was even possible. He just washes it out at night starts fresh the next day.
When I saw that, I ordered one online and I am really pleased with it. Everything the guy said was true. Plus, it's so comfortable I can wear it all day. I pretty much forget I have it on. It doesn't fog my glasses, it's easy to breathe through, and I can wear it damp on hot days to keep me cool. I can even talk through it, which is really important to me, since I'm quite a talker.
There are a couple of things you have to be careful of when you get one.
The first thing is you can't pull the strap too tightly when you put it on. I thought it had to be as uncomfortable as all the others to work correctly. Wrong! It has a nose wire that adjusts to your nose for a custom fit, so even though it's comfortable, it's working properly. That's the reason it doesn't fog my glasses. That alone makes it invaluable to me, because as you know when working with wood, you really need to see and keep your fingers!
The second thing I'd warn against is you can only hand-wash it. You can't throw it in the dryer. It's made of some space age fabric that will get frayed in the washer and get trashed in the dryer. If you remember that, it will last as long as the one my friend's new guy has. Maybe longer, come to think of it, since his is still in really good condition. At the end of the day I just give it a quick swirl in mild, soapy water, rinse it, shake the water out and it's like new in the morning. I hang it on a hook right next to my tools, so I always know exactly where to find it in the morning.
One more thing you should know, you will still need a respirator when working with toxic fumes. So, why even get this dust mask if you still need a respirator? Yeah, right! Have you ever tried to wear a respirator all day?
For me, this has been an excellent purchase and I can finally protect myself all day in my shop. I finally found a dust mask that is both comfortable and effective. It puts my mind to rest about protecting my lungs and frees me to think about the things I love; like furniture making.
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