This is the beauty of the internet. One individual solves a big companies problem for free and share with the others... Thank you very very much.

That long rant was actually very appropriate - I am an Electrical Engineer and I have an R/C plane hobby, so I have a lot of various types of batteries. I learned a lot from this video - thank you. Because of that cable that connects the battery and switch to the fan, you could also build an "extension" to that cable, and put the battery on your belt. That might be "annoying" to have another piece, but it would also take a BUNCH of weight out of the headgear. And, it would also mean that you could just charge "that thing on your belt" instead of the whole headgear.

This was exactly what I was looking for, thank you so much. I bought the trend airshield for dirt cheap secondhand but it didn't have the battery or charger, and now I know why it was so cheap lol. I am seasoned at 3d printing but not much batteries and soldering, if you decided to make a tutorial video for this, I would be in your debt, either way you have a subscriber for life since you modeled the parts and are giving them away for free, thanks again!

I got one of these when building a cedar strip kayak. I found it was too heavy when looking down while sanding. Made my neck really sore. I took off the cover, removed the battery and charging/switch block and wired the fan directly to a USB cable. It significantly reduced the weight. Now I put on the airshield and plug the cable into a USB power bank that fits in my pocket.

What a champion. Thank you!

Alex, YOU ARE THE MAN! I've watched the video and I was like hypnotized! Great comparison of all 3 products and amazing explanation why $112 for the battery is ridiculous markup. Btw: I didn't know Trend Airshield Pro respiratior. $500 is the price I could spend on system like that. I'm very grateful for this video and HUGE HUGE thanks for 3D models of the parts (You are awesome!)- After I buy my own respirator I'll use them for sure!

Thank you so much for sharing all of this!!!

a thorough and well thought out review, I'm kind of wishing I'd seen this before I bought my versaflo haha. Well done mate

I hope no one needs to ever replace that tiny plastic inline fan for $348 CAD!

Thank You!! The STL files they were a huge help, tinkered with them to add a buck converter mount for USB Power!!!

FANTASTIC review. I had been contemplating saving up for the versaflow, worried that the Trend model could not be good for this price. Your review cinched it and I bought one. Oddly enough I was purchasing it on Amazon and you could select several optional additional pieces. The option with the battery holder/charger was actually cheaper than purchasing it without! So perhaps they heard and are now trying to make up for this!

Thanks! that really was in-depth and very useful You've convinced me so I've just ordered one. Now to decide if I order some cheap NiMH batteries or go straight to lithium.

Awesome informational video. I totally didn’t intend to watch the whole thing, but here I am at the end of the video. I just bought the Trend unit yesterday and am finding out about the battery issue now. I even saw another guy buy some cheap replacement batteries, hot glue them together and then take out the batteries in the Trend helmet and solder the new ones in when the original batteries would no longer hold a charge (after a few years). Cost him about $20. I had no idea that Trend gouged their prices so much for the dock and batteries. I will definitely use your solution or the other guy’s I mentioned. Thanks for the detailed video!

great review!

That’s a good review. Rare for people to complain without offering a solution! I know the batteries are cheap but I’d be so tempted to go for a lithium replacement. But that’s not simple any more 😂 nice job 👍

Thank you. Very informative review 👍 i believe the trend is P2 rated vs the versaflow, which is P3. And also with 3m you can install an additional gas filter and particulates. We're the trend has only particulates option.

Very helpful review. Thank you. I'm new to chainsaw carving and also using an angle grinder. I wanted the triangle of protection you were talking about all in one. Currently I have all the PPE except the impact facesheild. It's pricey, but I think I'll save up for it. It would be nice to have it all in one, and good to know I can still use it with my current ear muffs. I am also glad to hear the replacement parts are readily available. Thanks for this in depth review.💯👍😊

I am about to get a mask but will wait and see 😮🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿. Thanks Nick

Was just listening in the background but had to start paying attention when you started talking about the fart box 😅😂😅😂😂 great video brither thabk you fir your time and research 🙏

Just beautiful. Saving my own pennies now...

Wow! I have some jobs coming up where I will need a good respirator, and I was thinking that I can't afford the 3M, but I think I can swing the Trend. Thank you very much!

Hey, thank you for doing a review on this. I've been looking at this as an option. I'm a heavily bearded individual and want something that doesn't require me shaving to have a respirator. I heard you were doing the review on teh forgecast. So was waiting to see it. Also, I hope if Trend does see this.. I hope they aren't jerks about the links

Well done Thanks, just had a look at prices here in SA... 8K for respirator and 4500k for battery that crazy man.

I've been wanting a versaflow for forever but can't justify the price. I wear glasses so options are limited. Gunna get one of these and I have a good mate that does 3d printing woohoo. Awesome vid Alex

good job👍keep them honest🤟

I also got my versaflo June last year from rob and Weber abrasives. It set me back $1800 and I got heaps of extras with it. Filters etc. but unfortunately as you know he’s no longer in business. Great video mate.

NiMH batteries haven't suffered from the memory issue for ages, Eneloops are used by everyone and use the same tech. I know LiPO is safer than Li-Ion but not sure if NiMH is safer again? Definitely don't want a bigger battery that can have thermal runaway sitting on my dome. Anyway, thanks for the video was an absolutely excellent in depth review of the product.

ĢREAT review! I haven't needed such a complete filtration unit, but if I do I know I'm going with this one. Side note: Welcome to that stage of life wherein one discovers one's ears need shaving.

Bravo.

I’m betting that there’s a similar markup on the helmet . You can buy an auto-darkening helmet for a lot less. My other concern is that the filter is not a hepa filter.

on a side note i had picked these up in January and unfortunately i am a Mellon head 25inches around i tend to use welding masks on the last click and that is with a buzz cut if i can lucky i can get a baseball hat on to keep the spark off my neck anyway as a result even fully adjusted i could not get the airsheild to seal as it was pulled tight below my chin and open up both sides .. over in the us at least it looks like they are discontinuing the hearing protecton mine did not have the place for them to clip in ( i use 3M™ PELTOR™ Optime™ 95 Earmuffs H6B/V, Behind-the-Head) only 21db protection but i use in ear earbuds for music and they are rated for a extra 5db hearing protection so i tend to be quite enough)

Thank you for such a great review! I'm getting these! And really great that you put up the 3d designs, Thanks again. One question, I'd like to mount a pair of Peltor ear protectors with helmet mount on this, without having to buy the Trend ones (890NOK=90usd) and rebuild them, do you or any of the other commenters know if this is possible? Best regards, Thomas

I have a Trend Air Shield Pro. Thanks for the printable files. The price in Ontario Canada is 659.00 dollars Canadian. It includes 1 battery and the charger. A replacement battery is 114 Canadian dollars. Just FYI we also have 13 percent tax on both of those prices. I will attempt to make my own batteries. Thanks again Cheers.

In fairness I have a versaflow, yes they are lithium batteries and they have a seperate charger, however a replacement battery is between $400-600. And a replacement charger is between $300-600. And the chargers are a comman problem. I have been without my versaflo for 4 weeks and counting because my charger melted. It’s being replaced under warranty, but duno when. I suppose the bonus is the batteries will last me 2 or more days depending how much I used it and will charge in a few hours.

Great video. I'm fairly happy with my air shield but the ear defenders are shite. The plastic, slide in brackets are not strong enough for the springs that hold them against your head, they broke after two days use. Have fabricated metal brackets and solved it. Also after some use, the battery has become a bit loose in the helmet and I've taken to slipping a folded up complaint letter in beside it to stop it cutting out.

Just bought the Trend Airshield and then saw your video. Thank you very much for the 3d files. I will be building my own battery and charger. Have you thought about replacing the batteries with LIthium Ion batteries?

You need to try the 3M Behind-The-Head Earmuffs they are awesome.

To your point, retail, one could buy 10Ah LiPO4 for $26 US. So yes, they really need to be addressing this. I know next to nothing about buying components and hacking this stuff because I simply don't know what is all available. But it didn't take long to research a few things to confirm your gripe. When researching this mask, the first thing that made me balk at buying it was simply the NiMh battery. Ridiculous! This has been around for several years now and they have simply chosen not to upgrade it as battery tech has improved, yet are still gouging for an obsolete battery setup. Fantastic review, Thank You.

Just a question if they are selling their batteries for that extortionate price have you checked out to see if they are extorting the prices of the filters and visor overlays? Also with the problem of the flimsiness of the visor couldn't you make a jaw line frame to fit to the trend airshield respirator?

Ok, only 58 secs in, but I thought I'd say, I have one of these, and am looking forward to the rest of the video to see what you reckon. :)

Thank you

Hi Alex, I would recomend you to make a converter to USB power instead. Use the battery with some components and have an USB cable coming out so that you can connect a normal powerbank and use that instead. Should be a better solution all together and even help with the balance.

Great video. Would this be a good helmet for a spray painting room?

How is this for using it where chemicals are in the air? Are there filters for it?

Fart problem... That can be the best guide video on the planet.

Do you offer 3d printed battery cases for the Trend Airshield Pro, if so I would be interested in purchasing

Does that operate while being plugged in and charging? If so it opens up all types of powering options.

I wonder if the dimensions of the battery case would let me run 2 18650s in parallel. How cool and easy would it be to just swap out the 2 18650s and keep going.

Great video! Farts factor lol! I did my research Trend makes a Pro Max version for around $1300 with more robust rigid jaw like frame similar to Versaflow and includes ear protection. Could you tell me if the AirShield comes with visor protector included?

Can you post the .stl on your drop box? Converting from .obj to .stl does not create a very accurate model. When I printed the battery holder it came out oversized. Excellent video!!!!!

I found 2 extra batteries for 25 bucks. But they are toasted. Ali express makes me nervous. If have the factory cases. Can I just get battery packs and solder them in there?

Where in Australia did you buy it? Or did you just get it straight from Trend's site?

Great video. Taking my battery apart as I watch this. Battery and charger here in the UK £114.00. That's a rip off as you say.

I think that second hand versaflo/adflo maybe the best or second best option

I had a look at these about, 2-3 months ago and I wasn't hugely impressed by them mostly because I'd just have to constantly get filters and stuff mailed in. Like for me the actually good thing about 3M is that is is sold in most of the rural hardware stores so for filters and the like and trust, just sort of found it convenient. Frankly, I'd kind of shocked that NiMH is still being used for something like this when even just a 18650 Li=Ion 3.7V, 3000ma cost about $10-12 each and they'd probably drive that with 'one' cell with a little battery holder for quite a time if you're prepared to do some jiggery to the battery area. So for $3-4 bucks for a battery holder + $10 for an 18650 cell you could get this down even potentially lower and have a faster turn around on your battery life assuming you have a lithium battery charger which isn't usually that expensive.

I'm guessing it runs on 3.6v, what do you reckon the about an 18650 mod? does it have clearance for the larger cells? Such a shame - seems like a perfect respo otherwise.

You cna get a full dewalt set with 2 batteries LITHIUM btw, for less.

Hi again, wrll i recived mine and it was defected. So I returned it very disapointed .. But then I found something better much much btter for close cost. The Tecmen G10 + TM1000 It did cost 840 usd. But thats still half od the versaflow and way closer to versaflow if not identical ias far as i can tell . I wouldnt mind your opinion

👍👍👍👍👍

Very thorough review. My company has been at work on a PAPR that's simpler (all in one design monocoque manifold). Our aim is a PAPR that's more accessible to the DIY crowd. When we have certification, would you be willing to give it a try to compare? Its called MicroClimate Air3.

Hi I just bought the airshield pro I would like to work with your designs

You may know, but amazon has the battery for about 60.00 and dock for about 55.00

I'm looking at these and thinking what do I need a helmet for? I can understand a face mask, but a helmet?? If I were working on stuff in a workshop rather than a building site, the helmet aspect is completely negligible to me unless I needed one of those full body bomb suits, since my neck would need more protection than my head off site. I picked up a 3M/Scott FF-300/Promask and an Israeli surplus Onyx 45 to see how that works for me, since my half mask is kind of annoying. That's roughly 2/3 the volume of the chinese PAPR you've got, which I think is 75l/min. ordered some replacement rechargeable batteries for it since the ones inside are long life non-rechargeable. I'd do the same with the chinese one, just wire up a BMS, or easier just swap in some protected cells. but it's like £70 for the chinese one and £45 for the israeli, and while the israeli one is old they didn't save pennies when they originally bought it ($180 today brand new)

The trend is also glasses friendly I don’t think it’s top heavy

You forgot to talk about type of filters and their prices, i think that for chemical stuff 3m may be the only option but for simple dust others maybe cheaper

The fart problem is real. You never forget the first time it happens when wearing the versaflow

I'd suggest that you not get the earpieces. I have them on my Trend and the motors actually seem louder with the earpieces on than without. Yes, they dull the outer noise, but the blower seems to echo inside the earpieces. I took them off and use earbuds now.

The whole thing begs the question why such a simple device costs hundreds the the first place. There’s another great video on here this guy makes his own purchasing retail parts online and uses a Milwaukee battery and a snorkel mask for like $70 US?

As monty python said, JESUS CHRIST!!! on the pricing lol

better your own fart than someone elses😂

From a business standpoint the cost of batteries and charger makes them a non contender for me

Attach a DIY battery that you can put in your pocket or wear on your waist. Get that weight off the helmet.

Batteries have been the biggest ripoff in cordless tools for quite some time. NiMH batteries are a ripoff for a new build any electronics. Have you tried LiPO batteries in your setup yet?

Thanks for the video! Will you sell a ready to go battery and doc. Postage to Sydney?