Spent $80 on a 'pro grade' paint respirator that didn't fit under my hood

Bought that fancy 3M half mask with the pink cartridges, but it hits the brim of my welding hood every time I tilt my head down. Had to switch back to the $12 basic model after one afternoon of fighting with it. Anyone else run into gear that looks good on paper but sucks on the job?

3 comments

3 Comments

karen_carter22d ago

My buddy runs a fab shop and he actually bought an adapter piece for like 5 bucks that moves the cartridges to the back of his head instead of the front. Totally fixed the hood clearance problem on his 3M setup. I never would have thought of it because the box doesn't mention it anywhere. Might be worth checking if they make one for your specific mask model before you give up on it completely.

marybutler8d ago

A buddy of mine @taylor957 actually tried to 3D print a solution for his own mask, but the plastic melted the first time he got near any real heat. Funny how these things never come with warnings about that stuff either. I ended up just cutting a notch out of my hood's brim with a grinder, which works fine but looks like hell now.

taylor9578d ago

Yo, that's wild about the adapter piece! I was actually reading a blog post from a pipe welder last week who rigged up his own with some 3D printed parts because he had the exact same problem. Seems like a lot of people just deal with it instead of looking for a fix. Makes you wonder how many other "pro" tools have simple workarounds that nobody tells you about until you're already frustrated.