Reply To: [unofficial weekender] May seems to be going well…

[limburger 21711xp 0]

spending time in front of a screen for work is my job … I wouldn’t know anything else I’d rather enjoy doing to be honest.

Although I must admit that I don’t spend as much time writing software for fun as I used to do.

@ninjilly I’d say it only adds up because we either spend ages researching alternatives to avoid the hobby tax or we just settle because our supply needs are so low that bigger portions would be a waste of money.

It’s buying into a new part of the hobby that can start to add up as well, because a lot of the ‘extra’ tends to be ignored.

Doing ‘research’ for a mask I discovered several things :
– Amazon (and other webshops) are very bad at giving useful information about the products they sell …
Did you know that 3M sells half-masks in 3 different sizes ? (S, M and L)
I wouldn’t know if I hadn’t run into this tiny bit of potentially very useful info because getting a good seal is essential for these things to do their job. And that is kind of hard if your head/face is either smaller or larger than ‘average’.

– all of them appear to use propiety filters, making it impossible to buy ‘any’ filter …

– companies like to make life even harder so these filters also need not be compatible within their own brand

– the filter section is in several parts with the outer cover not always sold with the mask …

– From what I can tell the mask itself is ‘cheap’ (25 Euro without filters, 50-60 Euro = likely mask + filters).
Like printers it’s the disposable parts that really start to add up, depending on the type of filter …

– and of course they have dates … so you can’t keep them forever. I suspect part of it is science/physics (the things absorb stuff when exposed to ‘dirty’ air), but part of it must be because someone decided that all things need a date without thinking if it makes sense. Companies are of course happy to oblige, because it means more money for them …

– protection level ‘A2’ appears the one that is meant to stop spray paint and related

– protection level ‘P2’ is particles (possibly resin printers ?)

– ‘cheap’ filters are likely to be dust filters (meant to protect you during sanding and grinding), this is the type you’re likely to find at a DIY store.

– expensive filters protect against acid vapours (proper dangerous chemicals)

It really really sucks that Amazon has a nasty habit of recommending a ‘random’ filter that may or may not be suited for your purpose. And because they allow 3rd parties (often located in China … ) to sell on their platform they can neatly sidestep any responsibility when needed …
I’ve seen similar from the Dutch competitor to Amazon …

btw : if anyone knows more about this stuff feel free to comment. I think I now know enough to be dangerous.