Posted: 11/7/2011 1:38:43 PM EDT
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Our fair city has had it's share of OWS issues. So everyone was told to have their riot gear in the trunk of the car, in case we need to go and move crowds. Then, in the infinite wisdom that is common here, they decided that if someone forgets, then it will be a cluster, so they will take the long batons and gas masks to have them available in the armories at the stations. Yeah.
So I need a gas mask. I don't need to get stuck without a fitted mask or without a filter when someone forgets to open the armory or some other screwup. I haven't the slightest idea of what brand the one I gave up was. But it was with the open view type goggle and two spots for the filters, left and right. Came with a smaller filter for CS/OC and a bigger one for NBC. I need somethig similar, of reputable quality and for under $200, since it's coming out of my pocket. What to buy and where? ETA: it needs to fit under my helmet also. These they didn't take away. |
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Bad thing about the MSA Advantage is that it uses proprietary cartridges.
Scott's M120 (I think that's the one with the full face shield.) runs right around $200 and uses NATO 40mm threads. I used the predecessor Pro 40 for plenty of gas. They've worked well for most applications you're going to need it for. If you need to use a long gun at all, you're going to possibly have issues getting down on your sights and should consider something like the M110 or a military M40 or M45. If you will do more gas work later in your career on tactical problems, see if there is a way to invest in the new Avon mask which runs around $500 something. |
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Quoted:
Bad thing about the MSA Advantage is that it uses proprietary cartridges. The MSA Millenium is the same basic mask, but with NATO/EN148 threaded ports and a port plug for one side. The nice thing about the A1000/Millenium/MCU-2 types is the interchangable lexan impact shields in clear and tinted. MSA does sell the Advantage 1000 as a riot control mask with a single side CN/CS rated filter and a port cover for the other side for easier weapon use. My choice for best fitting mask (YMMV) and high quality is the Scott Pro40/Pro2000/whatever other names they are going by. And the Scott M95 and NTC-1 filters are among the best on the market. You're a year or so too late for the screaming deal of the century, a ton of Scott masks and filters were surplussed from some place in Australia and were selling on ebay, in brand new condition with 5 years left on the filters for like $30-$40. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
Bad thing about the MSA Advantage is that it uses proprietary cartridges. The MSA Millenium is the same basic mask, but with NATO/EN148 threaded ports and a port plug for one side. The nice thing about the A1000/Millenium/MCU-2 types is the interchangable lexan impact shields in clear and tinted. MSA does sell the Advantage 1000 as a riot control mask with a single side CN/CS rated filter and a port cover for the other side for easier weapon use. My choice for best fitting mask (YMMV) and high quality is the Scott Pro40/Pro2000/whatever other names they are going by. And the Scott M95 and NTC-1 filters are among the best on the market. You're a year or so too late for the screaming deal of the century, a ton of Scott masks and filters were surplussed from some place in Australia and were selling on ebay, in brand new condition with 5 years left on the filters for like $30-$40. My error, yes the MSA Advantage 1000 was the one with non standard threads. Scott no longer makes the Pro40 or the M95. They have the M120/M110's instead. I have both the Pro40 and a M120, and I am not honestly sure what the differences between them are except for age. |
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The mask only needs to protect against CS or pepper spray. Some of the other masks recommended are good masks, but overkill for a riot situation. I don't really care for voiceboxes or drinking tubes.
This is the mask that the State of Florida issued out to all cops right after 9/11: 3M 7800 Respirator I'd rather not trust my life to it in an NBC environment, but it works fine for CN/CS and pepper spray. |
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Quoted:
The mask only needs to protect against CS or pepper spray. Some of the other masks recommended are good masks, but overkill for a riot situation. I don't really care for voiceboxes or drinking tubes. This is the mask that the State of Florida issued out to all cops right after 9/11: 3M 7800 Respirator I'd rather not trust my life to it in an NBC environment, but it works fine for CN/CS and pepper spray. 3m 7800 is an excellent mask. They are rather heavy though, and unfortunately don't fit me at all. Virtually any full face mask you would buy will have a voice emitter. Do not need a drinking tube, just adds a failure point to the system. |
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Quoted:
The mask only needs to protect against CS or pepper spray. Some of the other masks recommended are good masks, but overkill for a riot situation. I don't really care for voiceboxes or drinking tubes. This is the mask that the State of Florida issued out to all cops right after 9/11: 3M 7800 Respirator I'd rather not trust my life to it in an NBC environment, but it works fine for CN/CS and pepper spray. I'd say being able to be heard and understood while wearing a mask is 100% required. "Hey John, you ok over there?" "Mhhmmph waaaw whaaahaaawaaa!" "What John?" "HUUH! MPPH MMAAAMAAA WHIF WHANNA!" <Translation> Hey! Suspect 10 o'clock with a rock! I've seen too many have difficulty communicating when they don't have some sort of voice emitter. Our jobs require that we effectively communicate to our co-workers and to the public. Most masks do, but some don't, and someone buying one based on cost just may end up with one without because that is how the company was able to lower the price. |
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Quoted:
I'd say being able to be heard and understood while wearing a mask is 100% required. For some applications, absolutely. For a riot situation, not so much. When you have a 60 man platoon assigned to a skirmish line, the last thing you need is radio chatter. Multiply that by 10 platoons on the same channel, and chatter is problematic. Bosses and squad leaders have bone mics to give out commands, the troops just need to be able to hear using earpieces. All actions are at minimum squad based, so cover officers are always available. The voicebox on the 7800 is pretty basic and sounds crappy when trying to come over the radio, but works well enough when someone is standing next to you. Some of the better masks have battery powered amplifiers which works better for radio use, but again, I believe that is overkill for riot situations. |
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Quoted:
Quoted:
I'd say being able to be heard and understood while wearing a mask is 100% required. For some applications, absolutely. For a riot situation, not so much. When you have a 60 man platoon assigned to a skirmish line, the last thing you need is radio chatter. Multiply that by 10 platoons on the same channel, and chatter is problematic. Bosses and squad leaders have bone mics to give out commands, the troops just need to be able to hear using earpieces. All actions are at minimum squad based, so cover officers are always available. The voicebox on the 7800 is pretty basic and sounds crappy when trying to come over the radio, but works well enough when someone is standing next to you. Some of the better masks have battery powered amplifiers which works better for radio use, but again, I believe that is overkill for riot situations. Not sure if we are talking about the same thing. I'm not talking about the radio communications at all. I'm talking about the parts that allow speech to come outside of the mask rather than everything sealed inside and the officer sounds like he's talking into a pillow.... Mine have specific diaphragms so that I can talk to another officer without having to yell to make my voice heard outside the seal. Of the 4 masks I own, 3 have such parts. Not battery operated at all. Even in Crowd Control environments, that is necessary just to communicate to those next to you if need be. I may be overthinking everything, as my mask use has been for stuff othe than crowd control, and while I'm trained in and able to do riot situations, I haven't gotten to do those yet. |
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Quoted: If you are going to buy one, buy one that accepts the same filters as your agency. I only get 2 years out of my masks, so maybe it isn't that big of an issue for you. The filter cost is the larger expense. This. I've used the phalanx, advantage 1000 and advantage 3000...canisters are the huge expense.. Out of the 3 I liked the 1000 the best. It has a larger face shield which is flexible. |
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Quoted: Thanks for all the suggestions. A "stash" of older masks has been discovered by someone in position to distrubute them, so it looks like I won't need to fork my own dough. go over that "old mask" with a fine tooth comb..make sure the straps aren't rotten, the exhalation valve is working properly and get new canisters for it ASAP. Then put it on and make sure it fits you and you get a good seal. Do you know how to check for a seal? |