Mesh screen face shield vs. clear plastic?

[par38lamp]

While researching PPE, I am wondering if a solid plastic face screen is better/worse than a mesh screen. What are the pro's & con's for wood cutting?

What I can tell is mesh is much cooler and won't fog. Solid plastic could be used for more things like grinding.

On a side note, while splitting some free green sycamore last night, I struck my wedge off-kilter, sending it flying into my right leg. I now have a 3mm deep, 10 mm long gash in my leg. I was wearing blue jeans with insulated coveralls (Wall's). Ouch! Getting the wedge started proved to be the hardest part. I find wet wood has a "springiness" to it that makes for hard starting of a wedge. I don't own a maul yet, so all splitting is done with 2 wedges and a 12# sledge.

Never again will I split wood with family around! And more PPE for me.

 

[Gibbonboy]

I sometimes wear my clear shield on my hardhat when I'm running the snowblower, other than that, it's a pain. In cold weather, it fogs, gets droplets/ice on it, and makes it hard to see what you're doing. I don't have a mesh shield, I usually wear safety glasses/goggles. Goggles are nice if you're cutting dead/dry wood that can produce some very fine dust that will get through/around/behind a mesh shield or regular safety glasses. I do like having my hearing protection on my hardhat, easier to take off when you shut the saw down. Nothing more annoying than standing in the quiet forest with earplugs in. I don't wear my hardhat when I'm just cutting logs, only felling.

Green sycamore is hard to split anyway, it really doesn't have a clear grain structure. You can get a maul for 20 bucks, it's cheaper than stitches- my E.R. deductible is $200.00.

 

[Eric Johnson]

Most loggers use the screen. There are a couple of potential downsides to consider:

1.) Lift the screen before you spit, especially if you chew tobacco.
2.) The screen will frost up from your breath in the winter.
3.) If you have a plastic screen, keep it away from your saw muffler when you take a break or it will melt.
4.) If you have a steel screen (most common), keep it dry or it will rust out on you over time.

Some loggers wear just safety glasses, but then your face is vulnerable. Therefore, only use safety glasses if you're an ugly guy who doesn't mind pain. Otherwise, wear the full face screen.