MicroClimate Air3 kit

I quickly moved onto a combination respirator face shield which was a massive improvement.  My line of sight wasn’t impeded and I had significantly less fear of an exploding bowl taking out my eyes.  Fast forward to today, I’ve still been using the combination respirator-face shield and it’s getting pretty worn out but still chugging along.

When I had the opportunity to check out the MicroClimate Air3, it was popping up on social media and all the focus was on how it looked like an astronaut helmet or something from a sci-fi movie.  Sure, it’s not your typical looking woodworking safety gear, but I still wanted to give it a fair shake and see what it was all about.

Right off, the packaging was excellent, well thought out and provided excellent protection from the wear and tear of shipping.  The replaceable face shield was nicely protected from any potential scratching or scuffing, and the entire kit was well organized.

At first glance, it seemed quite large, a lot larger than I expected, but upon closer inspection it made a lot of sense given the complex but intelligent design of incorporating the High Efficiency Particulate Filters.  Having them incorporated into the sides of the unit rather than the front makes them all but clear of your line of sight.  There are two filters, and A and B side, which you can purchase in sets, they’re easily removable with a simple click into the casing, they’re held secure and out of the way.

Speaking of visibility while wearing – all I can say is it’s incredible.  In all directions, you’re not encumbered by large seams, frames or any other sort of nuisance.  You can see clearly even when looking down at the lathe, so big thumbs up from me there!  To put it into modern day perspective, as I was wearing the Air3 my phone buzzed, mindlessly I lifted it up to check the notification, and the facial recognition immediately recognized me and opened.  That’s how clear and unencumbered your face and vision is.

I will say I was a little concerned at first about the Air3 being battery powered, I mean you don’t have to charge a run of the mill respirator!  But given it has an 8hr battery life, that’s certainly plenty of time to get what you need done, and you’re likely deserving a bit of a break by that point anyways.  I purposely didn’t charge the unit right out of the box; I put in about 4+ hours with the Air3 until I finally got the lower battery warning.  Thankfully, it’s not like some battery powered items where you get a warning and then it shuts off immediately.  I had more than a few minutes to wrap up what I was doing before it fully shut down.  Charging is a breeze, it even comes with a standard USB cable, and mounting rack to set it on.  If I had wanted to continue working, I could have even connected a charging block and kept going.  (Perhaps that’s an experiment for another day)

Of course, you’re probably wondering why on earth you need a battery anyways, and frankly, this is probably my absolute favourite aspect of this system.  There is an internal blower within the respirator.  It maintains a positive pressure, which is why you don’t need to have a mask pressed up against your face.  The blower not only provides the positive pressure but it keeps the internal temperature cool and comfortable, while also eliminating any fogging up of the face shield.  In addition, it means those of us with facial hair aren’t dealing with masks that don’t fit or must be synched up so tight you wonder if you’ll have that circular impression on your face forever.

Is it perfect?  No, of course not, I did find two aspects that I’m not a fan of.  The first, really being just a problem for myself and my shop.  Due to the overall size, and the fact that I already have low ceilings in my basement shop, I was continually bumping into the rafters and overhead dust hoses.  But thankfully I had protective head gear on!  So, if you’re also in a space with a low ceiling, be prepared to accept that the unit adds a few inches in height.  Next, is the shroud, which is incredibly comfortable while working with the Air3 on, but it can be a pain to keep positioned properly, especially when putting on or taking off the system.  Granted I have a larger head than your average person, and I’m still working on learning how to smoothly get my giant noggin in and out, but the shroud is held in a channel around the face shield by a tension band.  If you pull or tug the wrong way it can pop out, which leads to having to get it positioned back into place.  If I was to suggest a change, it would be to make that tension band a thin bungee cord that can be tightened and loosened with a spring clasp, like how the neck adjustment is designed.

At first, I also didn’t like the adjustable head band within the Air3, however, after some slight adjustment in the sizing, and proper positioning, I forgot it was even part of the unit and worked away comfortably without a care.  From a weight perspective, the 3.17 lbs (1.44kg), which I find hard to believe, certainly doesn’t feel that heavy, as I worked away, I never noticed any sort of neck or back fatigue, especially considering I was hunched over a lathe for the entire time.

All in all, I am very impressed with the MicroClimate Air3, it was comfortable for long periods of time in so many ways, from wearing, to the positive pressure environment created by the internal blower.  The clear visibility is such a huge improvement over traditional face shields and respirator/face shield combinations; it really can’t be expressed enough.  Even the fact that they were able to eliminate the dreaded fog up of your eye protection is something to be celebrated in itself!  The battery life is excellent and more than enough for an entire day of working in it. Plus, not having a respirator hard pressed against your face makes for finally having a way to protect your lungs and eyes efficiently, yet comfortably.  Overall, it’s well worth checking out if you’re in the market for a change.