I received my Gentex Pureflo 3000 powered air purifying respirator (PAPR) a few months ago and thought I would share my thoughts about it. It replaced my Trend Airshield Pro and as that is the only other PAPR I’ve used I can only compare Gentex to it.
Like the Airshield Pro, the Pureflo is a self contained unit. But with better impact protection and better filtration. The Pureflo comes with a hepa filter and optional prefilters and carbon filters are available. It comes with one visor protector and packs of four replacements are available. The Pureflo comes with two lithium batteries and a charger.
Filtration;
Trend has two filters with an efficiency of 98% and filters to .6 micron
Pureflo has one hepa filter with an efficiency of 99.97 and filters down to .3 micron
Airflow;
Trend is rated at 7.06 cfm with a fully charged battery (5.6 cfm minimum)
Pureflo is rated at 7.7 cfm (6 cfm minimum)
When using the Pureflo I have never felt the need for more air, breathing is quite easy.
Power;
Trend includes one battery and a charger. Run time is rated at 8 hours
Gentex includes two lithium batteries and a charger. Each battery is rated at 4 hours of run time and only takes two hours to charge. Uses one battery at a time
I haven’t run down a battery yet and have worn this up to three hours at a time. Charging is quick at two hours so a charged battery will always be available.
Weight with the battery installed;
Trend 2 pounds 7 ounces
Pureflo 3 pounds 2 ounces
The Pureflo is heavier when looking at the numbers above but I never would have guessed that by wearing it. The head band is a completely different style than the Trend’s, is much more comfortable and the helmet is very well balanced. I don’t find my head feeling top heavy at all, which I did with the Trend. Gentex does offer the Pureflo with a bump cap style hat instead of the hard hat, the bump cap is one pound less.
Loudness;
The measurements were taken in my shop with no external equipment running while using an app on my phone. Measured near the ears the Trend’s motor was 60db while the Pureflow was 54db. Both the Trend and Pureflo allow the addition of ear muffs. The trend uses a proprietary ear muff while the Pureflo will accept any ear muff designed for hard hats, including those that have bluetooth or a built in radio.
Comfort;
The Trend’s head band is like most of our faceshields, its a band that goes around the top of our head. The Trend always felt top heavy, a bit out of balance and when ever I tilted my head it felt like my head wanted to keep going because of the weight. This caused neck strain for me if I was wearing the Trend for an extended period of time. The Pureflo has a band that in the back is lower and sets below the skull. The band is very well padded so I almost never know its there when I have it on. The weight is well balanced and because of the band’s design (and despite the heavier weight) I don’t get any neck strain. I can tilt my head and not have to fight against the weight of the helmet. Its much more enjoyable to wear.
Cost;
There is a significant cost difference between the Trend and the Pureflo 3000, but there is also a significant difference between the two units. The Pureflo feels like a more robust, commercial grade unit. The Trend runs about $450 to $500. I purchased my Gentex Pureflo 3000 with a four pack of visor protectors and a pack of carbon filters. With shipping it was about twice the price of the Trend.
A Note, I have never worn a belt type PAPR so I can’t compare to those. I chose the Gentex because of its ease to put on and take off.
Below are some comparison photos.
Like the Airshield Pro, the Pureflo is a self contained unit. But with better impact protection and better filtration. The Pureflo comes with a hepa filter and optional prefilters and carbon filters are available. It comes with one visor protector and packs of four replacements are available. The Pureflo comes with two lithium batteries and a charger.
Filtration;
Trend has two filters with an efficiency of 98% and filters to .6 micron
Pureflo has one hepa filter with an efficiency of 99.97 and filters down to .3 micron
Airflow;
Trend is rated at 7.06 cfm with a fully charged battery (5.6 cfm minimum)
Pureflo is rated at 7.7 cfm (6 cfm minimum)
When using the Pureflo I have never felt the need for more air, breathing is quite easy.
Power;
Trend includes one battery and a charger. Run time is rated at 8 hours
Gentex includes two lithium batteries and a charger. Each battery is rated at 4 hours of run time and only takes two hours to charge. Uses one battery at a time
I haven’t run down a battery yet and have worn this up to three hours at a time. Charging is quick at two hours so a charged battery will always be available.
Weight with the battery installed;
Trend 2 pounds 7 ounces
Pureflo 3 pounds 2 ounces
The Pureflo is heavier when looking at the numbers above but I never would have guessed that by wearing it. The head band is a completely different style than the Trend’s, is much more comfortable and the helmet is very well balanced. I don’t find my head feeling top heavy at all, which I did with the Trend. Gentex does offer the Pureflo with a bump cap style hat instead of the hard hat, the bump cap is one pound less.
Loudness;
The measurements were taken in my shop with no external equipment running while using an app on my phone. Measured near the ears the Trend’s motor was 60db while the Pureflow was 54db. Both the Trend and Pureflo allow the addition of ear muffs. The trend uses a proprietary ear muff while the Pureflo will accept any ear muff designed for hard hats, including those that have bluetooth or a built in radio.
Comfort;
The Trend’s head band is like most of our faceshields, its a band that goes around the top of our head. The Trend always felt top heavy, a bit out of balance and when ever I tilted my head it felt like my head wanted to keep going because of the weight. This caused neck strain for me if I was wearing the Trend for an extended period of time. The Pureflo has a band that in the back is lower and sets below the skull. The band is very well padded so I almost never know its there when I have it on. The weight is well balanced and because of the band’s design (and despite the heavier weight) I don’t get any neck strain. I can tilt my head and not have to fight against the weight of the helmet. Its much more enjoyable to wear.
Cost;
There is a significant cost difference between the Trend and the Pureflo 3000, but there is also a significant difference between the two units. The Pureflo feels like a more robust, commercial grade unit. The Trend runs about $450 to $500. I purchased my Gentex Pureflo 3000 with a four pack of visor protectors and a pack of carbon filters. With shipping it was about twice the price of the Trend.
A Note, I have never worn a belt type PAPR so I can’t compare to those. I chose the Gentex because of its ease to put on and take off.
Below are some comparison photos.
