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Mask Filter WARNING

16K views 24 replies 17 participants last post by  Scoo 
#1 ·
I spend a ton of time researching survivalist type issues. In my research on New Gas Mask filters (NBC type) I came to realize that many companies, including reputable ones that have been referenced on this forum many times are not necessarily being completely up front with their advertising.

I was in the market to purchase more NATO 40 mm NBC filters, and started going through all of my sources. I started to notice that the "new" 5-year shelf life filters they were advertising were already 4-years old, and that the 10-year shelf life filters were 7-8 years old.

I called another well reference source, and many of their highly advertised filters had actually been on the shelf for a while.

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If you cannot be certain, you MUST call and verify the mfg dates of the filters you plan to purchase. I was interested in getting some NP8000 filters only to find they were 6+ years old.

I also found out that Scott has come out with a very new filter called the "Domestic Preparedness Filter" which will eventually replace the very popular M-95 filter. What does this mean - they are about as new (manufacturing date wise) as you can get and have a 10-year shelf life. In fact, they seem to be so new that most places have not even updated their websites to show they are available.

Be sure to research before you buy, or you may be wasting your hard earned and saved prep money!!
 
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#9 ·
With all the panic purchases being made right now, one would assume that the "old" inventory would be moved out first by companies. If you find a site that is sold out, maybe when they have restocked it will have a longer shelf life.
 
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#10 · (Edited)
Also watch for tanks

Watch out for the SCBA Fresh Air back packs like you see fire fighters wearing sold on ebay. The tanks need to have a current dated hydro test to be filled again. A lot of the tanks are out dated and even if tested can't be refilled again. Scratches in the Carbon Fiber Tanks are a reason to not be filled again also. So buyer beware and learn about them first. Certain tanks have different shelf year life between aluminum and carbon wrap also. The dates are stamped on the aluminim tanks and printed on the lable on the carbon fiber or composit tanks. Mark
 
#11 ·
I don't mean to be persnickety but I thought this was common knowledge? It kind of runs a long the lines of don't buy used body armor unless you check the manufacturing date. If you noticed masks on CheaperThanDirt and other websites have always been sitting around for awhile. I don't even trust the Israeli masks cause I have heard about them expiring and still being sold.
 
#12 ·
These are not "surplus" or "used" filters from a bygone era that I am talking about. The filters in question are the very common and highly sought after new NBC filters that are sold with new style masks or separately as spares.

The problem is that these new filters (made by reputable companies: Scott, 3M, North, NP, MSA, etc.) have been languishing on manufacturer's and distributor's shelves for 3-8 years. My point was that most of these reputable companies (ALL of which have been discussed on this board as the places to get your stuff) that have been advertising these new manufacture filters have not been disclosing that the filters have used up 30-90% of their usable lives sitting on a shelf, but they are still asking retail for them.

Again, this thread was and is not about surplus filters.
 
#13 ·
why don't people stop cheeping out on Halloween costume gas masks and buy themselves a reliable modern MSA mask with proprietary filters? if you can't afford to spend $200 minimum per person on a protective mask then you can't afford gas masks plain and simple. i can't count all the people with russian GP-5s and PBF's with filters that expired in the 80's if they were ever functional at all.
 
#14 ·
Again - this thread is NOT about masks or filters that are labeled New, but are actually surplus. This thread is about New Current Manufacture Filters that are being sold by reputable companies without disclosure of how old they are.

I will give you a perfect example since you brought up MSA. I was purchasing filters and because of my research asked about the expiration dates of several filters, one of which was the MSA Millennium which has a 10-year shelf life. Had I not asked and just ordered the filters, I would have received 6-year old filters that only had 4-years of shelf life left in them. They were $44 each.
 
#17 ·
OH, I see what you mean know. Hmm. I guess that means you can't really order online.

Yeah, that is basically it. I noticed that many of the popular as well as "approved" places were not disclosing this information on their websites.

Once I realized this, I called before ordering extra filters only to confirm my suspicions that many of the filters were not "NEW" as most people would consider something "NEW," but new in that they had never been used or opened and were technically still within useable dates, so were technically not considered "new surplus" and could still be advertised as "NEW" without adding the "surplus" to them.

Within my calls, I found out that Scott is now manufacturing a truly "NEW" filter that has just come on to the market. So, in what a normal person considers as "NEW" these Scott Domestic Preparedness Filters are as close as one can get. The problem is that no one is advertising them since they want to get rid of their other filters first.

You have to call and ask for them by name to get them.
 
#21 ·
I was under the impression that new, off the shelf filters had to have the manufacture date on them.

My nato ones are old, but they tend to go out of usability relating to the type of current threat.

I was thinking about an adapter and some new commercial ones. Good info.
 
#22 ·
I was under the impression that new, off the shelf filters had to have the manufacture date on them.

My nato ones are old, but they tend to go out of usability relating to the type of current threat.

I was thinking about an adapter and some new commercial ones.
The do have a date on them. The issues is that that date is 2, 3, 6, or 9 years ago.

The bottom line is that some of these "reputable" retailers will sell you a new filter that that has been sitting on the shelf for 6 years of its 10-year life, and will not tell you it is 6-years old unless you ask them about it.
 
#24 ·
Great post -
I had the same questions recently when I upgraded my M17 to an M40 and needed to stock up on filters. I did an excel SS comparison of a large number of major OEM filters and the times they protect you from each chemical based on their NIOSH or other test results. I found the new Scott DP filters have extended times for most gases over and above C2A1 specs (and also the industrial gases the MilSpec filters don't test for such as AM/MA/HC etc.
I ordered some Scott DP from Botach the other day and got them within 3 days. They are 19.95 ea + S&H and these are dated 2/09 with an exp date of 2/2019. I thought that was a good deal since they retail for around 40 or so each... until today when I found some on ebay that also don't expire untill 2019 or so and they were only $10 each with free shipping.
Something I found out about the M-95 made by STI - they had a recall due to it not really protecting against phosgene - only place I found the recall was on their website. There are also some current SEA filters on ebay for about $15 ea but so far the Scott DP is the best deal.
 
#25 · (Edited)
This is indeed something to be aware of. I too encountered it when I ordered spare ABEK2-P3 filters for my "civil defense" masks from a specialty shop (workplace safety gear, they had everything from welding visors to rubber boots to telephone pole climbing harnesses and respirator filters). They were "only" two year old, the next time when I ordered I got ones made in the same year. A real bummer as one usually can't get a discount even if the filter has been made some time ago and sometimes if the filter has been ordered from a central warehouse as opposed to grabbed off a shelf (then one could check the label/wrapping) one must buy it.

For those living in Europe, a good source is the German ebay if local hardware/specialist stores don't sell filters or charge too much for them. The sellers are usually honest and sell sealed goods and one seldom have to ask for the expiry date.

A quick note on the Scott H&S DP filter, for some reason on every picture of it I've seen it's fitted with Scott Health & Safety's pre-filter holder with pre-filter and sometimes a filter cap (which is intended to be used by asbestos cleanup crews using particulate filters [P3] so that particles don't fall off the filter and contaminate other areas), making the DP filter look special.
 
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