3M Adflo/FX issues

[Brad93]

This is my

By and large, the speedglas adflo systems are just fine, most of the bigger fab shops I've been to use the 9100 or 9100FX systems, they are the industry standard, the benchmark for quality. We have 5 of them in our shop at work too. They just need maintained as per 3M's instructions, and I set up a regular planned maintenance schedule for the lads to check theirs thoroughly as well as daily pre-use checks.

You know it's good if Parm has nothing bad to say about them

There is something sadly wrong with Brad's kit though, and yours as well.

Used my Esab A50 PAPR last night for a load of plasma cutting and had a great time with it, as per usual. No odours, no dust, nothing. It may not be as durable as a 3M kit but it works absolutely as intended.

that's how my old FX kit used to be. Barely any odour, nice clean air.

Then the fx kit started playing up so I bought the new G5-01 kit.

And it's exactly the same, I get odours really strongly, I can taste dust, sometimes I even have the old black face/moustache from dust and I've had the helmet on non stop.

Grinding is the worst. Im sure I get more grinding fume through the helmet than I would if I had nothing on.

 

[davidjohnperry]

I've just compared my 6 year old fx to my new one last year the build quality has certainly got a lot cheaper

 

[Brad93]

I've just compared my 6 year old fx to my new one last year the build quality has certainly got a lot cheaper

Well that sucks. I was going to buy a new FX air shell

 

[Munkul]

What alternative do you have, though? You could move away from 3M but what product competes with an FX properly? Possibly a Tecman V3, but is it as good a quality?


Why aren't you addressing the problem with the supplier, instead of complaining and buying a new one?

 

[Parm]

What alternative do you have, though? You could move away from 3M but what product competes with an FX properly? Possibly a Tecman V3, but is it as good a quality?


Why aren't you addressing the problem with the supplier, instead of complaining and buying a new one?

Im also familiar with the Techman offerings. Quality aside they are all manufactured to meet the performance requirements set out in BS EN 12941.

Infact after nearly 2 years of being on secondment looking at RPE, PAPRs could easily be my mastermind subject

 

[Brad93]

What alternative do you have, though? You could move away from 3M but what product competes with an FX properly? Possibly a Tecman V3, but is it as good a quality?


Why aren't you addressing the problem with the supplier, instead of complaining and buying a new one?

Because with all due respect, welding suppliers are not Ppe experts.

Someone from 3m should be giving me a call goday

 

[Munkul]

Im also familiar with the Techman offerings. Quality aside they are all manufactured to meet the performance requirements set out in BS EN 12941.

Infact after nearly 2 years of being on secondment looking at RPE, PAPRs could easily be my mastermind subject

BS EN 12941 performance requirements aren't the same as product quality/durability/longevity/design features.

As a PPE non-expert but knowing the every-day requirements of welders, the BS EN 12941 conformance is a minimum requirement when I look at a welder PAPR system.

 

[Munkul]

Because with all due respect, welding suppliers are not Ppe experts.

Someone from 3m should be giving me a call goday

You don't need an expert to tell you that you have a problem!
Hope the 3M support helps you out but what they can do over the phone is limited. "have you installed the filter correctly? Is there any visible damage?" That's how i see the phone call going.

 

[Parm]

BS EN 12941 performance requirements aren't the same as product quality/durability/longevity/design features.

As a PPE non-expert but knowing the every-day requirements of welders, the BS EN 12941 conformance is a minimum requirement when I look at a welder PAPR system.

Not quite but there is a good amount of testing involved. You’d be surprised at how good some of the cheaper units are.

 

[Parm]

Because with all due respect, welding suppliers are not Ppe experts.

Someone from 3m should be giving me a call goday

Be interested in what they say

 

[Munkul]

Not quite but there is a good amount of testing involved. You’d be surprised at how good some of the cheaper units are.

I'd be interested to see some review of testing various PAPR systems. My experience is limited to Esab, 3M and Sundstrom PAPRs. Navitek and Optrel I've seen and touched but not actually used.

All well and good knowing you have APF20/50 for the job in hand when the kit is in good nick, but all bets are off if you drop it. The 3M units more or less just bounce.

The Esab PAPR is made from hard brittle plastic and I've already had to repair one of the belt clips that broke. Optrel feels similar.

The Tecmen stuff interests me a lot, I'd like to see and handle it in real life.

 

[davidjohnperry]

@Brad93 the newer fx hood is better than the g3 but they cheaper out on the flip up part my first version is all metal spring and has lasted 6 years the new ones use plastic clips on cheap springs which break after we'll a year old my new one is and it isn't getting used like my old one but 10 quid later and a bit of hokey pokie it's repaired and the new clips are better made

 

[Brad93]

@Brad93 the newer fx hood is better than the g3 but they cheaper out on the flip up part my first version is all metal spring and has lasted 6 years the new ones use plastic clips on cheap springs which break after we'll a year old my new one is and it isn't getting used like my old one but 10 quid later and a bit of hokey pokie it's repaired and the new clips are better made

Yep my plastic clips snapped on my helmet which is about 4 years old. New ones seem to be working okay.

 

[bletchmonster]

I've been trying to keep out this, this time, but it's no good. I gotta say my G5 works just fine

 

[Brad93]

I've been trying to keep out this, this time, but it's no good. I gotta say my G5 works just fine

I'm sure there are many people out there who they work great for otherwise 3M would have a massive backlash. But for me, I've got issues. Real issues.

I had three years of faultless service from my old FX before that started playing up. Maybe the filters have changed?

People also do different work. I can pretty much guarantee my helmet is being used to the extreme. I'm not a bench welder. I doubt there's many blokes outside of the same industry/shut down work who use a Adflo for as many hours as me. We pull 14 hour days wearing these.

Saying that even brazing today (outside the workshop) I was getting a fair taste of fume

 

[Brad93]

Bare in mind I'm lucky to get 6 months out of a £100 pair of boots.

And the wire we use is pretty nasty, so proper filtration is paramount. This isn't just a bit of manganese.

 

[bletchmonster]

3m market the G5 as heavy duty so you would naturally expect it to work in heavy duty conditions.

 

[Brad93]

3m market the G5 as heavy duty so you would naturally expect it to work in heavy duty conditions.

Well exactly. That's why I bought one. From my own pocket.

So far it's just not met expectations.

 

[500e]

Any further forward Brad