I just thought that I would try to jot down some perceptions of the
Trend Air Shield which I purchased a couple of weeks ago.

The unit works okay, not super but just okay.

I believe that after purchasing this unit and using it, If I could
roll back time I would do so, and would have not wasted money on it
for the following reasons.

1. The Air Shield comes with one battery that lasts for 4 hours. You
can plug another battery into the unit with the first battery and
increase your run time to 8 hours. At first glance this arrangement
might seem okay.

2. The battery charger is a wimpy little plug in charger similar to an
entry level cell phone. This charger takes 14 hours to charge one
battery to full capacity. It would take 28 hours to charge both
batteries to full capacity so I could use them for 8 hours. I've now
used up the better part of two days to get one short day of use out of
this thing. So I thought that I would purchase another charger. The
price range for this charger is 75 to 120 dollars for a charger that
probably cost $1.50 to make. I am not about to spend that kind of
money on a cheap charger.

3. The replacement filters are also very expensive with the main
filter costing as much as $40.00 and the prefilters as much as $8.00 a
piece. At this time, I'm not sure exactly how long each filter will
last.

4. The seal around your face is awkward to use and is a bit like
peeking out from behind a curtain. Pulling the cloth material under
your chin and to the sides of your face.

5. The headgear is a little uncomfortable and tight, even after
adjusting the headband out all the way it is just to tight. I think
that they designed this headband for people with small heads. If your
head is average size or larger, you will have problems getting it to
fit right.

All in all, I see this unit not being designed for efficiency of use
or cost, with the best interest of woodworkers in mind. It was
designed to see just how much money they could milk from people buying
their overpriced accessories.

If I can help but just one person to avoid the same $300.00 mistake I
made. Then this mini review is well worth taking the time to write.

Now, can anyone tell me about the Triton powered respirator?

Steve

Steve wrote:


I believe that after purchasing this unit and using it, If I could
roll back time I would do so, and would have not wasted money on it...

You can. Return it - it sounds like a POS. Any piece of safety gear
that is that cumbersome to use will probably not get used anyway.

Hey Steve: Thanks for the great and timely post. I have been
considering the Trend unit. You have helped me from making a mistake.

Thanks,
Mike


On Nov 3, 7:20 am, "Mike" wrote:
Steve wrote:

I believe that after purchasing this unit and using it, If I could
roll back time I would do so, and would have not wasted money on it...You can. Return it - it sounds like a POS. Any piece of safety gear
that is that cumbersome to use will probably not get used anyway.

Steve wrote:
I just thought that I would try to jot down some perceptions of the
Trend Air Shield which I purchased a couple of weeks ago.

The unit works okay, not super but just okay.

I believe that after purchasing this unit and using it, If I could
roll back time I would do so, and would have not wasted money on it
for the following reasons.

1. The Air Shield comes with one battery that lasts for 4 hours. You
can plug another battery into the unit with the first battery and
increase your run time to 8 hours. At first glance this arrangement
might seem okay.

2. The battery charger is a wimpy little plug in charger similar to an
entry level cell phone. This charger takes 14 hours to charge one
battery to full capacity. It would take 28 hours to charge both
batteries to full capacity so I could use them for 8 hours. I've now
used up the better part of two days to get one short day of use out of
this thing. So I thought that I would purchase another charger. The
price range for this charger is 75 to 120 dollars for a charger that
probably cost $1.50 to make. I am not about to spend that kind of
money on a cheap charger.

3. The replacement filters are also very expensive with the main
filter costing as much as $40.00 and the prefilters as much as $8.00 a
piece. At this time, I'm not sure exactly how long each filter will
last.

4. The seal around your face is awkward to use and is a bit like
peeking out from behind a curtain. Pulling the cloth material under
your chin and to the sides of your face.

5. The headgear is a little uncomfortable and tight, even after
adjusting the headband out all the way it is just to tight. I think
that they designed this headband for people with small heads. If your
head is average size or larger, you will have problems getting it to
fit right.

All in all, I see this unit not being designed for efficiency of use
or cost, with the best interest of woodworkers in mind. It was
designed to see just how much money they could milk from people buying
their overpriced accessories.

If I can help but just one person to avoid the same $300.00 mistake I
made. Then this mini review is well worth taking the time to write.

Return it or sell it on eBay. Disavow any knowledge of this newsgroup
and your post in particular.

R

Steve,

Thanks for the post also. I was going to purchase one and have now changed
my mind. The battery recharging issue would really be a pain. 14 hours is
ridiculous.
"Steve" wrote in message
...
I just thought that I would try to jot down some perceptions of the
Trend Air Shield which I purchased a couple of weeks ago.

The unit works okay, not super but just okay.

I believe that after purchasing this unit and using it, If I could
roll back time I would do so, and would have not wasted money on it
for the following reasons.

1. The Air Shield comes with one battery that lasts for 4 hours. You
can plug another battery into the unit with the first battery and
increase your run time to 8 hours. At first glance this arrangement
might seem okay.

2. The battery charger is a wimpy little plug in charger similar to an
entry level cell phone. This charger takes 14 hours to charge one
battery to full capacity. It would take 28 hours to charge both
batteries to full capacity so I could use them for 8 hours. I've now
used up the better part of two days to get one short day of use out of
this thing. So I thought that I would purchase another charger. The
price range for this charger is 75 to 120 dollars for a charger that
probably cost $1.50 to make. I am not about to spend that kind of
money on a cheap charger.

3. The replacement filters are also very expensive with the main
filter costing as much as $40.00 and the prefilters as much as $8.00 a
piece. At this time, I'm not sure exactly how long each filter will
last.

4. The seal around your face is awkward to use and is a bit like
peeking out from behind a curtain. Pulling the cloth material under
your chin and to the sides of your face.

5. The headgear is a little uncomfortable and tight, even after
adjusting the headband out all the way it is just to tight. I think
that they designed this headband for people with small heads. If your
head is average size or larger, you will have problems getting it to
fit right.

All in all, I see this unit not being designed for efficiency of use
or cost, with the best interest of woodworkers in mind. It was
designed to see just how much money they could milk from people buying
their overpriced accessories.

If I can help but just one person to avoid the same $300.00 mistake I
made. Then this mini review is well worth taking the time to write.

Now, can anyone tell me about the Triton powered respirator?

Steve

You are right, I found myself today eyeing it over and trying to
decide if I wanted to use it, and opted out.

Steve

On 3 Nov 2006 04:20:19 -0800, "Mike" wrote:


Steve wrote:


I believe that after purchasing this unit and using it, If I could
roll back time I would do so, and would have not wasted money on it...

You can. Return it - it sounds like a POS. Any piece of safety gear
that is that cumbersome to use will probably not get used anyway.

You're very much welcome.

Steve


On 3 Nov 2006 06:37:20 -0800, "mike" wrote:

Hey Steve: Thanks for the great and timely post. I have been
considering the Trend unit. You have helped me from making a mistake.

Thanks,
Mike


On Nov 3, 7:20 am, "Mike" wrote:
Steve wrote:

I believe that after purchasing this unit and using it, If I could
roll back time I would do so, and would have not wasted money on it...You can. Return it - it sounds like a POS. Any piece of safety gear
that is that cumbersome to use will probably not get used anyway.

Well now you've done it. Made me laugh so hard my ribs are hurtin'.

Steve



On 3 Nov 2006 07:09:45 -0800, "RicodJour"
wrote:


Return it or sell it on eBay. Disavow any knowledge of this newsgroup
and your post in particular.

R

You are most welcome. That was one of the big turnoffs for me too. I
can charge my cell phone in about 2 hours and it will last all day
and then some. Granted this unit requires a little more power than a
cell phone, but the battery packs are no bigger than 4 AAA batteries
bundled together and they can't provide a decent (fast) charger. My
feeling is that it was designed that way in the beginning. With the
intention to maximize as much profit from unwary woodworkers as they
could. Why else would a simple wall charger cost so much and take so
long to charge a battery.

Steve


On Fri, 3 Nov 2006 21:24:54 -0500, "tdup2"
wrote:

Steve,

Thanks for the post also. I was going to purchase one and have now changed
my mind. The battery recharging issue would really be a pain. 14 hours is
ridiculous.

Steve wrote:
You are most welcome. That was one of the big turnoffs for me too. I
can charge my cell phone in about 2 hours and it will last all day
and then some. Granted this unit requires a little more power than a
cell phone, but the battery packs are no bigger than 4 AAA batteries
bundled together and they can't provide a decent (fast) charger. My
feeling is that it was designed that way in the beginning. With the
intention to maximize as much profit from unwary woodworkers as they
could. Why else would a simple wall charger cost so much and take so
long to charge a battery.

Steve


On Fri, 3 Nov 2006 21:24:54 -0500, "tdup2"
wrote:

Steve,

Thanks for the post also. I was going to purchase one and have now changed
my mind. The battery recharging issue would really be a pain. 14 hours is
ridiculous.

I've had my Trend Airshield now for about 2 years and agree with all
your sentiments. Unfortunately it was the only model available for me
at the time. However, I bought myself 3 AA size rechargable batteries
and the right size phone jack (2 of these) and made up an additional
battery pack. It fits neatly into the battery space.

As additional back-up I have a battery pack using 3 standard AA
batteries in a little box made from 3mm MDF, fitted the right in serie
connections and wear this in my pocket, with the cable with phone jack
over my back (underneath my shirt to keep it out of the way) into the
helmet. The lid of the battery box is kept in place with a rubber band.
Running both the battery packs (standard & rechargable) I get a full
day's work out of the airshield (while the other pack is on charge for
the next day)

Hope this helps
Eric

Hmmm, you've certainly given me a great idea. It would probably work
quite well with nickel metal hydride rechargeables. Are you using NMH
batteries or nickel cadmium?

Steve


I've had my Trend Airshield now for about 2 years and agree with all
your sentiments. Unfortunately it was the only model available for me
at the time. However, I bought myself 3 AA size rechargable batteries
and the right size phone jack (2 of these) and made up an additional
battery pack. It fits neatly into the battery space.

As additional back-up I have a battery pack using 3 standard AA
batteries in a little box made from 3mm MDF, fitted the right in serie
connections and wear this in my pocket, with the cable with phone jack
over my back (underneath my shirt to keep it out of the way) into the
helmet. The lid of the battery box is kept in place with a rubber band.
Running both the battery packs (standard & rechargable) I get a full
day's work out of the airshield (while the other pack is on charge for
the next day)

Hope this helps
Eric

I got my Trend in July of 2006 and have used it quite a bit so far. I
concur that the headband is not that comfortable. It would benefit from
a cushioned center band. I simply vacuum the filters as needed and have
yet to feel the need to replace either one. I've probably only got 20
to 50 hours of runtime on mine so far. However, the battery situation
was also a concern. They could significantly improve the design be
having an external jack to plug in the charger and also by having a
smart charger that you didn't need to concerned about leaving plugged
into the battery.

To get around the 4 hour runtime issue I rummaged through my bin of
miscellaneous electronics stuff and found an AC adapter that had exactly
the same mating connector as the battery. This adapter is rated at 5
VDC output at 1000 mA (compared to the 4.2v 140mA adapter that comes
with the Trend). The 5VDC may shorten the life of the fan motor since
it is made to run on the 3.6v battery pack, but it powers the fan
nicely. Now I just hook the adapter directly to the Trend. Yes, that
means I've got an umbilical cord which limits mobility. But, it means I
can use the Trend at any time for as long as needed without worrying
about having forgotten to put the battery on the charger the night before.

This may not be a solution for everyone, but it works for me so I
thought I would share it with the rest of you.

While the Trend has its faults, I am very happy I got it and I always
wear it while turning. The Triton has its own limitations and faults,
but if you want ear protection and a hard hat as part of the package it
would be a better solution. I like the Trend because it is superior
protect for my eyes and lungs than just using a dust mask and/or face
shield. It doesn't fog up at all, but the fan could be quieter.

Am catching up on this NG and saw your post. I recently bought a Trend
Airshield, and while I agree with one of your points, i disagree with your
conclusion.

First I wear glasses, at least when I want to see anything more then 3 in
from my nose clearly!! Goggles etc fog up on me, I cant wear them. As a
result, i was getting a lot of dust/chips in my eyes while turning. - Not
Fun. Goggles didn't work. The Airshield solves this problem nicely, keeps
dust/chips out of my face, and my glasses don't fog. Score a big point
here!!

I agree that the head band is a bit tight, particularly for those of us who
have large crania to hold all that grey matter!! :-) They could make it
bigger.

I also agree on the Battery issue. They are expensive and the recharge is a
pain in the ass!! However problem easily solved with a dive into my
copious parts bin and (I hate to admit it), a quick trip to radio Shack.

Results, one 3 volt DC, 400 ma wall wart tupe power supply with the correct
power connector on the end replacing the (wrong) one that originally came
with the wall wart. I now have a batteryless Airshield that supplies me
steady air long after I have otherwise worn out on my turning session. As
I am standing in front of the lathe, and not roaming about the shop, the
lack of portability in eliminatig the battery is not a problem.

So while it is not cheap, I am happy with my purchase.

BTW I also looked at the Triton, and concluded thast there was no way I
could get it on or off while wearing glasses. It was far too cumbersom.

On Fri, 03 Nov 2006 01:03:35 -0700, Steve wrote:

I just thought that I would try to jot down some perceptions of the
Trend Air Shield which I purchased a couple of weeks ago.

The unit works okay, not super but just okay.

I believe that after purchasing this unit and using it, If I could
roll back time I would do so, and would have not wasted money on it
for the following reasons.

1. The Air Shield comes with one battery that lasts for 4 hours. You
can plug another battery into the unit with the first battery and
increase your run time to 8 hours. At first glance this arrangement
might seem okay.

2. The battery charger is a wimpy little plug in charger similar to an
entry level cell phone. This charger takes 14 hours to charge one
battery to full capacity. It would take 28 hours to charge both
batteries to full capacity so I could use them for 8 hours. I've now
used up the better part of two days to get one short day of use out of
this thing. So I thought that I would purchase another charger. The
price range for this charger is 75 to 120 dollars for a charger that
probably cost $1.50 to make. I am not about to spend that kind of
money on a cheap charger.

3. The replacement filters are also very expensive with the main
filter costing as much as $40.00 and the prefilters as much as $8.00 a
piece. At this time, I'm not sure exactly how long each filter will
last.

4. The seal around your face is awkward to use and is a bit like
peeking out from behind a curtain. Pulling the cloth material under
your chin and to the sides of your face.

5. The headgear is a little uncomfortable and tight, even after
adjusting the headband out all the way it is just to tight. I think
that they designed this headband for people with small heads. If your
head is average size or larger, you will have problems getting it to
fit right.

All in all, I see this unit not being designed for efficiency of use
or cost, with the best interest of woodworkers in mind. It was
designed to see just how much money they could milk from people buying
their overpriced accessories.

If I can help but just one person to avoid the same $300.00 mistake I
made. Then this mini review is well worth taking the time to write.

Now, can anyone tell me about the Triton powered respirator?

Steve

On Tue, 06 Feb 2007 22:07:36 -0500, Bradford Chaucer
wrote:

Am catching up on this NG and saw your post. I recently bought a Trend
Airshield, and while I agree with one of your points, i disagree with your
conclusion.

First I wear glasses, at least when I want to see anything more then 3 in
from my nose clearly!! Goggles etc fog up on me, I cant wear them. As a
result, i was getting a lot of dust/chips in my eyes while turning. - Not
Fun. Goggles didn't work. The Airshield solves this problem nicely, keeps
dust/chips out of my face, and my glasses don't fog. Score a big point
here!!

I agree that the head band is a bit tight, particularly for those of us who
have large crania to hold all that grey matter!! :-) They could make it
bigger.

I also agree on the Battery issue. They are expensive and the recharge is a
pain in the ass!! However problem easily solved with a dive into my
copious parts bin and (I hate to admit it), a quick trip to radio Shack.

Results, one 3 volt DC, 400 ma wall wart tupe power supply with the correct
power connector on the end replacing the (wrong) one that originally came
with the wall wart. I now have a batteryless Airshield that supplies me
steady air long after I have otherwise worn out on my turning session. As
I am standing in front of the lathe, and not roaming about the shop, the
lack of portability in eliminatig the battery is not a problem.

So while it is not cheap, I am happy with my purchase.

BTW I also looked at the Triton, and concluded thast there was no way I
could get it on or off while wearing glasses. It was far too cumbersom.

Did you try it? I don't have any trouble getting it on or off over
glasses, not that it's all that burdensome to take the glasses off,
put it on, and put the glasses back on.

On Fri, 03 Nov 2006 01:03:35 -0700, Steve wrote:

I just thought that I would try to jot down some perceptions of the
Trend Air Shield which I purchased a couple of weeks ago.

The unit works okay, not super but just okay.

I believe that after purchasing this unit and using it, If I could
roll back time I would do so, and would have not wasted money on it
for the following reasons.

1. The Air Shield comes with one battery that lasts for 4 hours. You
can plug another battery into the unit with the first battery and
increase your run time to 8 hours. At first glance this arrangement
might seem okay.

2. The battery charger is a wimpy little plug in charger similar to an
entry level cell phone. This charger takes 14 hours to charge one
battery to full capacity. It would take 28 hours to charge both
batteries to full capacity so I could use them for 8 hours. I've now
used up the better part of two days to get one short day of use out of
this thing. So I thought that I would purchase another charger. The
price range for this charger is 75 to 120 dollars for a charger that
probably cost $1.50 to make. I am not about to spend that kind of
money on a cheap charger.

3. The replacement filters are also very expensive with the main
filter costing as much as $40.00 and the prefilters as much as $8.00 a
piece. At this time, I'm not sure exactly how long each filter will
last.

4. The seal around your face is awkward to use and is a bit like
peeking out from behind a curtain. Pulling the cloth material under
your chin and to the sides of your face.

5. The headgear is a little uncomfortable and tight, even after
adjusting the headband out all the way it is just to tight. I think
that they designed this headband for people with small heads. If your
head is average size or larger, you will have problems getting it to
fit right.

All in all, I see this unit not being designed for efficiency of use
or cost, with the best interest of woodworkers in mind. It was
designed to see just how much money they could milk from people buying
their overpriced accessories.

If I can help but just one person to avoid the same $300.00 mistake I
made. Then this mini review is well worth taking the time to write.

Now, can anyone tell me about the Triton powered respirator?

Steve

I bought the Trend too. I don't regret it as I wear glasses too & goggles
are pain/fogging. I paid around $200 not $300 so it seems better value. I
found it a bit heavy but other than that I like it, I looked into some of
the others but they seemed way to cumbersome.

Chris

"Bradford Chaucer" wrote in message
...
Am catching up on this NG and saw your post. I recently bought a Trend
Airshield, and while I agree with one of your points, i disagree with your
conclusion.

First I wear glasses, at least when I want to see anything more then 3 in
from my nose clearly!! Goggles etc fog up on me, I cant wear them. As a
result, i was getting a lot of dust/chips in my eyes while turning. - Not
Fun. Goggles didn't work. The Airshield solves this problem nicely,
keeps
dust/chips out of my face, and my glasses don't fog. Score a big point
here!!

I agree that the head band is a bit tight, particularly for those of us
who
have large crania to hold all that grey matter!! :-) They could make it
bigger.

I also agree on the Battery issue. They are expensive and the recharge is
a
pain in the ass!! However problem easily solved with a dive into my
copious parts bin and (I hate to admit it), a quick trip to radio Shack.

Results, one 3 volt DC, 400 ma wall wart tupe power supply with the
correct
power connector on the end replacing the (wrong) one that originally came
with the wall wart. I now have a batteryless Airshield that supplies me
steady air long after I have otherwise worn out on my turning session. As
I am standing in front of the lathe, and not roaming about the shop, the
lack of portability in eliminatig the battery is not a problem.

So while it is not cheap, I am happy with my purchase.

BTW I also looked at the Triton, and concluded thast there was no way I
could get it on or off while wearing glasses. It was far too cumbersom.

On Fri, 03 Nov 2006 01:03:35 -0700, Steve wrote:

I just thought that I would try to jot down some perceptions of the
Trend Air Shield which I purchased a couple of weeks ago.

The unit works okay, not super but just okay.

I believe that after purchasing this unit and using it, If I could
roll back time I would do so, and would have not wasted money on it
for the following reasons.

1. The Air Shield comes with one battery that lasts for 4 hours. You
can plug another battery into the unit with the first battery and
increase your run time to 8 hours. At first glance this arrangement
might seem okay.

2. The battery charger is a wimpy little plug in charger similar to an
entry level cell phone. This charger takes 14 hours to charge one
battery to full capacity. It would take 28 hours to charge both
batteries to full capacity so I could use them for 8 hours. I've now
used up the better part of two days to get one short day of use out of
this thing. So I thought that I would purchase another charger. The
price range for this charger is 75 to 120 dollars for a charger that
probably cost $1.50 to make. I am not about to spend that kind of
money on a cheap charger.

3. The replacement filters are also very expensive with the main
filter costing as much as $40.00 and the prefilters as much as $8.00 a
piece. At this time, I'm not sure exactly how long each filter will
last.

4. The seal around your face is awkward to use and is a bit like
peeking out from behind a curtain. Pulling the cloth material under
your chin and to the sides of your face.

5. The headgear is a little uncomfortable and tight, even after
adjusting the headband out all the way it is just to tight. I think
that they designed this headband for people with small heads. If your
head is average size or larger, you will have problems getting it to
fit right.

All in all, I see this unit not being designed for efficiency of use
or cost, with the best interest of woodworkers in mind. It was
designed to see just how much money they could milk from people buying
their overpriced accessories.

If I can help but just one person to avoid the same $300.00 mistake I
made. Then this mini review is well worth taking the time to write.

Now, can anyone tell me about the Triton powered respirator?

Steve

1. The Air Shield comes with one battery that lasts for 4 hours. You
can plug another battery into the unit with the first battery and
increase your run time to 8 hours. At first glance this arrangement
might seem okay.

2. The battery charger is a wimpy little plug in charger similar to an
entry level cell phone. This charger takes 14 hours to charge one
battery to full capacity. It would take 28 hours to charge both
batteries to full capacity so I could use them for 8 hours. I've now
used up the better part of two days to get one short day of use out of
this thing. So I thought that I would purchase another charger. The
price range for this charger is 75 to 120 dollars for a charger that
probably cost $1.50 to make. I am not about to spend that kind of
money on a cheap charger.


http://www.batteryspace.com/

I can't find exactly what kind of battery pack the Trend uses. But
the above place sells welded together battery packs in whatever
voltage and type of battery cell you want. Also check NiCad Lady for
battery packs. NiCad Lady uses name brand quality battery cells
instead of no name ones. The above link does have battery chargers
for any and all kinds of batteries. Smart chargers that have various
protection circuits built in and sense the amount of charge necessary,
etc. $30 or so. I have one and it charges 4000mAh 6 volt NiMH packs
just fine at a 1Ah or 2Ah (selectable based upone mHh of pack) rate
until it senses the battery is charged. There is no law in this
country that requires you to use the official brand name accessories
on a product. No one questions whether you can use a Freud or
Forresst sawblade on a Unisaw. Or use a Milwaukee bi-metal
reciprocating saw blade in a Makita reciprocating saw. Why would
someone think they are required to buy Trend brand batteries and
chargers for their Airshield?