# Which of these respirators should I buy ?



## Mathlete (Nov 3, 2011)

http://www.amazon.com/GERSON-Signature-One-Step-Cartridge-Respirator/dp/B00CF4I2WM

http://www.amazon.com/3M-07192-Paint-Spray-Medium/dp/B0002STR22

Which $17 one is better? Gerson or 3M ?

Or should I get this $27 one?
http://www.amazon.com/3M-Paint-Project-Respirator-Medium/dp/B00004Z4EB/


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

It depends on what you are protecting yourself from. Since you are looking at half-face units, look for one that has a NIOSH rating N95. Make sure that whatever you get has replacement cartridges available. Get P100 cartrideges for particulates (dust, lead, mold spores and fragments, etc.). Use organic vapor cartridges for things like paint fumes, chemicals, etc. Good units will allow you to stack cartridges. Personally, I prefer ones that have provisions for prefilter cartridges to be snapped over the primary filters. Prefilters are pennies compared to several dollars for the primary. When you finish using it, make certain to remove the filters and wash the mask in warm soapy water. Then rinse it well. You don't want nasty things growing in the moisture from your breath that has been left in the mask. Another important thing is to make sure you buy the proper size so that it seals correctly. Most people tend to buy masks that are too large.


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## Mathlete (Nov 3, 2011)

I ordered the $27 one. Is it decent?


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## Maintenance 6 (Feb 26, 2008)

It has an N95 NIOSH rating, so it's not a toy. But it doesn't really say what the filter cartridges are rated at, so I'm guessing they are P95s. That means they are 95% efficient. P100s are 99.97% which is equivalent to HEPA. That is about as good as it gets and which is why I recommend P100s. Even with P95s, it's still hundreds of times better than those cheesy "monkey" masks they sell at the box store.


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