Best dust masks for woodworking

Dust masks are extremely important in woodworking for protecting your lungs. Here’s the best dust masks for woodworking!

As a DIY woodworker, I’ve evolved a lot in the last 10 years when it comes to protection in the workshop.

Honestly, when I started out, I didn’t use face masks, eye protection, or headphones and I often make cuts in barefoot with a miter saw. Please, don’t do any of that.

When doing woodworking, I’ve found that one of the most important safety considerations is on face masks and taking care of respiratory health. There is A LOT of saw dust in the air when cutting and sanding and this is really bad for your health.

I’ve used a lot of different dust masks in my life and here’s some of the best ones I’ve used.

Best woodworking dust masks

I’ll break down the best woodworking dust masks with some of their pros and cons and talk about when certain ones might be better in certain situations than others.

Certain woodworking dust masks are better for certain situations, so pay attention to your specific needs.

Obviously you might need to take into consideration price too, but remember that your health is overall the most important thing.

If you want to cut down on the woodworking dust, check out our review of the Mullet M5 Dust Collection System that is perfect for small workshops.

3M Half Facepiece Reusable Respirator 6200

The 3M Respirator 6200 is a really good mask that I’ve been using for awhile now.

This mask is really comfortable to wear and I like that it has a round head strap to keep it solidly in place on my head so it doesn’t fall down and that it has a good rubber seal around the face so it can form fit. That’s a great thing if you have a beard, in my opinion.

The 3M Respirator 6200 is lightweight too and the clip on the back of the neck is easy to unhook when you need to take it off, but it does kind of make like a Darth Vader raspy sound when you’re breathing. One thing I don’t like about it is that you have to buy the air filtration pads separately at first purchase. I feel like they should include these.

But, overall, this is a great dust mask for woodworking and it has helped me to feel like I’m tasting less dust.

Trend Air Stealth Dust Mask

The Trend Air Stealth dust mask is a super unique mask because it has a hard shell casing on the outside.

I don’t know why, but it makes me look like a bug when wearing it, but the hard shell is really cool for certain applications. If you’re doing a lot of woodworking where you might have chips flying around, this is a really great choice because it will offer actual protection from flying debris.

The air filtration pads it comes with are hidden inside the casing, so they shouldn’t get directly dirty, unlike the ones on the 3M respirator above. However, I don’t love the strap on this one as much and the clip on the neck can be cumbersome to unhook if you’re wearing gloves.

But the Trend Air Stealth does have a rubber face seal here too and it will offer the most physical protection while woodworking.

GVS ELIPSE P100 Elastomeric Half Mask Respirator

The GVS Elipse P100 respirator is another good option for giving you good air filtration pads while woodworking.

I like how the filters in this one seem to be more of a filter like you see in your air conditioning system in your home or car with ridged paper filters instead of the rest of them which have like a cotton ball texture. I don’t know if that matters, but that is the main difference here.

Overall, the GVS Elipse P100 is a quality mask that definitely gets the job done, but it doesn’t have any other exciting features to it.

3M Rugged Comfort Quick Latch Half Facepiece Reusable Respirator

The 3M Rugged Comfort Quick Latch respirator is very similar to the 3M one I already reviewed, and I’m not really sure why they bothered to make both models.

This 3M Rugged Comfort dust mask is basically the exact same, but it does seem to have a larger hard plate in the front compared to the 6200 and the adjustable strap was quick to pull. It can use the same air filtration pads, but they don’t go on as easily for some reason, even though they have the same latch system.

Otherwise, this is basically a comparable model, so either one will get you what you need.

3M Aura Particulate N95 Respirator 9205+

The 3M Aura is an N95 disposable dust mask that is great for guests, taking on the go, or quick use.

I think having a collection of disposable masks can be great for a lot of different reasons and it’s good to have them on hand. These 3M Aura masks come very small and flat in their package, which is better than the ones you get that have a big cup-like feel.

These also have a metal pinch nose, but the rest of the mask is form fitting and soft, unlike some other disposable masks that either have gaps on the side or the form doesn’t fit to your face.

I wouldn’t recommend using one of these over and over again, but I think having quality disposable masks on hand is a great idea and these are the ones I’d recommend.

RZ Mask M2

The RZ Mask M2 is a really quick and easy fabric mask to use when woodworking. The way it works is by attaching what is essentially a disposable filter inside the fabric mask.

The RZ Mask is honestly what I have used the most over recent years, but I’ll be switching away from it. It is great in that it is lightweight and not bulky at all. However, I have a hard time with fogging up my safety glasses while wearing these and I don’t like how the single strap holds on behind my neck.

These are a great choice for a lot of general woodworking, but I also wouldn’t recommend using these with any chemical solutions or anything like that.

Top choice of woodworking dust masks

As I said, I’ve used the RZ Masks for awhile, but my new favorite dust mask for woodworking is the 3M Half Facepiece Reusable Respirator 6200.

I really like how this fits on my face and holds onto my head. It doesn’t feel cumbersome and seems to do a really good job filtering out dust particles while being breathable and not fogging up my glasses. Grab one today!

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Remember to also always use safety equipment while woodworking and using tools. Make sure you have proper eye protection, ear protection and a good mask to keep yourself safe.