MSA471329Ultra-Twin Full Facepiece Reusable Air-Purifying Respirator, Medium, Black Hycar, Twin Threaded Cartridge Ports, 5-Strap Harness

Product Description

What this part is

The Ultra-Twin is MSA’s reusable full-facepiece air-purifying respirator. “Twin” refers to the pair of threaded cartridge ports, one either side of the chin, which is what distinguishes it from a single-cartridge mask: two cartridges halve the breathing resistance at a given flow and roughly double service life between changes, and they balance the load across the face instead of hanging it off the front.

Design features

Inturned lip for a comfortable seal against the faceLarge chin cup for quick, repeatable positioningFive suspension headstraps with roller buckles — holds position while minimising hair entanglementWide, scratch-resistant lens held by a two-piece lens ring, colour-coded by facepiece sizeSpeaking diaphragm for clear short-range communicationNosecup to help eliminate lens foggingTakes all MSA Comfo threaded cartridges and filters

Read this before you buy: this is the facepiece only:
The carton states it plainly: “This facepiece must be used in conjunction with the proper chemical or particulate cartridges or filters for protection against specific contaminants.” No cartridges or filters are supplied. NIOSH approval under 42 CFR 84 applies to the assembly — facepiece plus the specific approved cartridge or filter — not to a bare facepiece, so the approval you are working to is determined by what you fit to it. Select the cartridge against the actual contaminant and its published exposure limit.

Manufacturer limitations printed on this carton

Reproducing the warnings as printed, because they are the sizing criteria as much as the safety notice: this device does not supply oxygen and must only be used in adequately ventilated areas containing at least 19.5 % oxygen. Do not use where contaminant concentrations are unknown or immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH). Do not use where the appropriate exposure limit (OSHA PEL, NIOSH REL, ACGIH TLV) is unknown, or where that limit is below the contaminant’s odour threshold or other established warning level. Leave the area immediately on breathing difficulty, dizziness or other distress, tasting or smelling the contaminant, or eye, nose or throat irritation. A satisfactory seal may not be achievable with beards or large sideburns that break contact between skin and the sealing surface. Never alter or modify the device. For use by trained, qualified personnel only.

Paint spray users: the carton carries a separate warning — do not use for urethane paints or other paints containing diisocyanates, because their poor warning properties mean use against such contaminants could cause serious or permanent respiratory damage. Air-supplied respirators are required for that work.

Verified from the carton and the sealed bag

Original MSA carton, printed Ultra-Twin respirator facepiece, catalogue number 471329, form GPQ 496 Rev. 6, one per package, manufactured by Mine Safety Appliances Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. 15230. The facepiece is inside a sealed polybag, unused, in black elastomer with a green lens ring and a factory clear cover lens still fitted over the lens — the cover lens is a peel-off protective film and is intended to be removed before use.

Size and material

Catalogue number 471329 is published by MSA distributors as the medium facepiece in Hycar (nitrile) rubber; the small equivalent is 471298. MSA also offers the Ultra-Twin in black silicone, which looks identical in a photograph, so the elastomer here is taken from the catalogue number rather than from appearance. MSA colour-codes the two-piece lens ring by facepiece size; the ring on this unit is green, but MSA’s colour-to-size key is not published in the sources available, so it is offered as an observation only and the size rests on the 471329 catalogue number.

Interchange guidance

Also written 471329, MSA 471329, 4-71329. Related MSA catalogue numbers: 471298 (Ultra-Twin, small, Hycar), 4712PP and 4802PP (distributor pack codes for Hycar and silicone respectively).

Specifications deliberately left blank

MSA does not publish a facepiece weight, an assigned protection factor for the bare facepiece, or a shelf-life date for the elastomer, so all three are left blank. Elastomer respirators have no fixed expiry but the seal and valves should be inspected and the unit fit-tested before it is put into service.

Source-data note: the previous description described the product as offering protection against airborne hazards without stating that no cartridges are included — the single most important fact about this listing — and omitted the NIOSH 42 CFR 84 assembly requirement, the Comfo cartridge compatibility, and the manufacturer’s printed limitations. All have been added. Medium size and Made in USA are retained and corroborated by the carton.