[Econdron]

I used to wear the 3M respirators. As Opus stated, they get hot and sweaty in the warmer months. Starts to hurt the back of your head from the straps. If it's not tightened enough, it's worthless. I believe the general rule of thumb is if you can smell anything through those respirators, it's not seated properly. That being said, I got so fed up with them, that I just purchased the 3M PAPR system. It's real nice having the fan constantly blowing air, almost acts as a fan during the warmer months! But the helmet is pretty heavy and gets cumbersome over long periods of time. But I also weld galvanized steel and I can't smell a thing now while welding it! It's an expensive setup, but well worth it to me.