Fair question.
The number of fume extractor brands, and the number of different types offered by those brands, can make choosing the right extractor a daunting task. The real question, of course, being asked by a purchaser is “Given all the choices I see, how do I keep from buying the wrong extractor?”
Businesses want to protect their welders, so making the right choice is a critical task that has implications for worker health and safety, insurance, and regulatory compliance. Furthermore, a fume extractor is an investment, and like all investments, the financial outlay for the equipment must yield appropriate results. That’s just prudent business.
So to start the process of asking the right questions in order to drill down to just the right extractor, we have put together the following simple chart that essentially asks just one question: “Will your extractor be for field-type welding, such as what a contractor does, or for production type welding, such as for what a fabricator does?”
It’s a simple question, but it gets to the heart of the matter. Once that question is answered, the rest is simply matters of personal choice, physical space, and budget. We will talk more about those three qualifiers in Part 2.
For now, though, let’s ask this key question…and determine the work the extractor is expected to perform:
