How does this compare to a Trend Airshield Pro?

The Airshield Pro is the powered respirator most woodworkers have actually heard of, so this comparison comes up constantly.

On sticker price there is nothing in it. The Airshield Pro lists at $489 on Amazon, with bundles running $519.99 to $549.99. The Breathie Thingy is $499 for the first 30 units of each batch and $589 after that.

The difference shows up the second year. Trend replacement filters list at $70.99 for a pack of two, so about $35 a filter. Ours is $15, or $22.99 for the whole filter kit. A Trend spare battery is $89.99; ours is $65. A visor is $14.99. If you are in dust regularly and changing filters a few times a year, that is the number that actually decides what the thing costs you.

The bigger design difference is where the weight sits. The Airshield Pro is a powered face shield: the blower, the filter and the battery are all on your head. Ours puts the blower and battery on your belt and runs a hose to the hood, so your neck is carrying a hood and a hose instead of the whole machine. Whether that matters to you depends entirely on how long you wear it.

Where the Airshield wins: it is a face shield, so it is quicker on and off, and it is sold everywhere with parts on a shelf. If you need protection for twenty minutes at a time and want it from Amazon tomorrow, buy the Trend. We build in monthly batches and you wait.