JSP Powercap Infinity or the Breathie Thingy - which one?

The Powercap Infinity is sold in the United States by Peke Safety, which is why the same unit turns up under two names. It is a well made piece of kit and people who own one generally like it. This is not a page telling you it is bad.

Where they are the same

Both are rated TH3 under EN 12941. That is the top of the three powered classes and it is the number worth checking on any unit you are considering - the original Powercap was TH1, which is a materially different level of protection. If a unit does not publish a TH class, ask why.

Both are positive pressure, which is the whole reason to buy a powered respirator. Air is pushed out past your face rather than sucked in around it, so a beard has no seal to break and there is no fit test.

Where the blower sits

The Powercap carries its blower and battery in the headtop. The Breathie Thingy puts them on a belt at your waist and runs a hose up your back. Head-mounted is tidier with nothing round your middle. Waist-mounted keeps the weight off your neck over a long session and keeps the noise further from your ears. Neither is simply better and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling.

The battery, which is the one people regret

Ours comes out. It runs 7 to 8 hours on the low setting, and a spare is $65, so you can swap one in and keep working while the other charges. That matters more than it sounds like it will - when a built-in battery dies at four in the afternoon, the tool is finished for the day, and when it stops holding charge after a couple of years the tool is finished for good.

Check this on whatever you buy, ours included. Ask whether the battery is user replaceable and what a spare costs.

Running costs

The sticker price is the small number. Our replacement filters are $14.99 and a battery is $65. Before you commit to any unit, find the price of its consumables and multiply by the years you expect to own it. That figure is often larger than the difference between two units on the shelf.

Headphones

A lot of people want to keep their Bluetooth ear defenders on. This depends entirely on the shape of the headtop and it is worth asking the seller directly rather than guessing from photographs. We would rather tell you it does not fit than have you find out.

The honest summary

If you want head-mounted and tidy, and you are comfortable with the battery arrangement, the Powercap is a good unit. If you would rather carry the weight at your waist and be able to swap a dead battery in ten seconds, that is what we built. Both are TH3 and both solve the beard problem, so the decision is about how you want to wear it, not about who filters better.