CDR 4500 Elite Military Grade Gas Mask For Nuclear , Biological & Chemical Warfare CBRN Protection Military Grade US NIOSH Certified Survival Full Face Mask For Kids Adults, Comfortable Robust Design

To give a quick background before I jump into the review…I’m an Army combat veteran with 4 tours in Iraq, and somewhat of a gas mask collector. Within my collection, I own the following:- Drager CDR 4500- Drager X-plore 6300- 4A1 Israeli Civilian Mask- Israeli Military M15 Mask- Mestel SGE 150- Mestel SGE 400/3- Russian M-10-M Protective Mask- Avon M50 MaskConsidering current relations with North Korea, terror threats, and all the other crazy stuff going on, I think it’s important for people to be informed of what they’re buying, and the level of protection their equipment is rated for. That’s why I decided to write this review.I’ll start of with a breakdown of the CDR 4500, and then jump into the other options. Keep in mind, the focus of this comparison is for CBRN applications (chemical, biological, nuclear, chemical).Also keep in mind, that a gas mask is only one part of a CBRN protection system. To minimize exposure during a true SHTF scenario, you would also need coveralls, gloves, boots, and Chemtape to seal up the seams. It also wouldn’t hurt to get a decontamination sponge like RSDL.--Drager CDR 4500:PROS*NIOSH CBRN Approved when used with a Cap 1 A2B2E2K2E2 cannister.*Rated to protect against many chemical warfare agents, including mustard gas & sarin gas.*Standard 40mm NATO threading.*Best visor from all the masks I’ve tried, offering wide angle peripheral vision.*Next to the Avon M50, this is the most comfortable mask I’ve tried.*Universal size can fit children as young as 12.*Built in speech diaphragm allows for easier communication.*Most comfortable mask I’ve tested with a rifle. It’s not absoultey perfect for this use, but I was able to rest my cheek against the stock and get my eye centered on the scope. Aside from the M50, all the other masks I tested did not work at all as they’re too bulky around the cheek. .CONS*No drinking attachment system available.---Drager X-plore 6300: The structure of this mask is identical to the CDR 4500, with some slight color variation. The major difference is the rubber used for this mask is NOT NIOSH CBRN approved. However, It does have a NIOSH rating for use against many other gases and particulates.4A1 Israeli Civilian Mask: Sold mostly in surplus stores and can be picked up for under $30. Visibility is poor considering the small viewing area. Many people in Israel have this mask in case of emergency, and I’m sure it’s saved lives over the years, but I would not trust it considering most are surplus and could have been sitting around for 20+ years. This mask is not NIOSH CBRN approved. Also, do not use the supplied filter for these as they are almost certainly expired.Israeli Military M15 Mask: Similar specs to the 4A1, but with better visibility. These do expire (20 yr life), so keep that in mind if purchasing. I’ve owned 5 M15 surplus masks over the years and 3 had damaged valves, leading to a return. These masks do have a NIOSH certification for certain warfare agents, but it is not NIOSH CBRN approved.Mestel SGE 150: This mask looks really nice, but is not intended for CBRN purposes of any sort. There is no coating on the visor against chemical irritants, and there is no CBRN certification. Primary use for this would be against tear gas, pepper spray, and riot situations.Mestel SGE 400/3: Same as the SGE 150, but with 3 filter ports instead of one. This mask also has a few optional accessories. Retail is around $200, and can cost upwards of $400 when fully loaded with accessories (speech diaphragm, drinking module, canteen). This is a great mask to block tear gas if you’re stuck in a riot, but is not intended for CBRN applications, and doesn’t have NIOSH CBRN approval.Russian/German M-10-M Protective Mask : This mask is outdated and not fit to be used for CBRN protection. All it’s good for is a Halloween costume.Avon M50: This is the current military issue mask for the US, and is the Ferrari of gas masks. It’s fits up to 2 40mm NATO cartridges, and has many optional accessories. The only downside is the price. A new mask will run you $500+ dollars, and most masks on the market are military surplus, and thus likely used at one point or another. These are also ITAR regulated and cannot be exported out of the country.Conclusion:The Drager CDR 4500 and Avon M50 are the only masks in this list that are NIOSH CBRN approved. Considering NIOSH has some of the strictest testing in the field of personal protective equipment, I’m going to trust their certification over European counterparts.Along with that reassurance, the mask is comfortable, offers great peripheral vision, fits kids as small as 12, and looks good. For these reasons, I think this gas mask is the best option for civilian defense against CBRN agents.I added some pictures of the mask, along with NIOSH certifications, and some background supporting info for the other masks mentioned.Hope this helps!

I caught the prepping bug a few years back and amassed quite a collection of items ever since. The one area I was lacking in was CBRN protection, so a year back I bought a few Israeli gas masks thinking they were the gold standard.After noticing that one had a leaky valve, I started doing some more research and discovered that most of them are expired surplus garbage. So, I set out on the quest to find a replacement.After doing tons of research and reading every review I could find, I was down to two masks. The Mestel SGE 400/3, and the Drager CDR 4500. I ended up ordering both to test them out.Here’s how they stack up...**CERTIFICATION & TESTING - Both masks conform to European standard EN-136 for respiratory protective devices. The Drager mask, however, is also NIOSH CBRN approved when used with a Cap 1 Rd 40 canister.Considering the mask currently issued by the military is also NIOSH CBRN Approved (Avon M50), Drager has the advantage.**COMFORT & FIT - To test the fit, I tried both masks on myself during conditions of physical exertion (treadmill for 30 mins), on my petite wife, and on my nephews age 13 and 8. The Mestel mask I own is sized M/L, and fit well on both myself and my wife. When I tested on my nephews, both had some extra space and did not get a tight seal with the Mestel mask. When on the treadmill, with 3 filters attached (there are 3 ports here, so why not?!), the Mestel mask kept sliding off even with the straps securely tightened. While the 3 filter system is good for increased filtering capacity, it’s not very practical in terms of comfort and weight.The Drager mask is a universal size and was a good fit for me, my wife, and my 13 year old nephew. Unfortunately, it was too big for the 8 year old and didn’t have a tight seal. I did some more digging, however, and did see that Drager offers a small sized mask as well. Will try to get my hands on one in the future to try it out.As for the treadmill test, the Drager mask performed flawlessly and maintained a good center of balance, tight seal, and didn’t fog up. In this category, Drager has the advantage.**MATERIAL QUALITY, CONSTRUCTION, & SIZE - Mestel masks are made by a company named Ocean Reef, primarily specializing in driving equipment. When you look at their gas masks and compare them to their diving masks, it’s quite clear they they are essentially the same design. The only major difference is that one leads to an air filter, and the other to a SCUBA tank. That being said, the Mestel mask looks like a quality piece of equipment. The front face is molded entirely out of plastic, with rubber surrounding it to form a seal. The only downside is that the construction is very rigid as the facepiece is one solid piece of plastic. If you’re trying to squeeze this into an already crowded backpack, there’s gonna be very little give.The Drager mask looks more like the classic gas mask and has a slimmer profile. The build quality is top notch (German engineering). It also has a special coating to keep the rubber from aging, which the Mestel mask does not.For this category, I give neither the advantage because both are very well made. But, if you’re looking for well made and compact, the Drager wins as it can be squeezed into smaller spaces.**VISOR - Without going into crazy detail, the Drager mask has much better peripheral vision than the Mestel. The visor wraps around the face and reminds me of my snowboard goggles in terms of clarity and field of vision. Drager takes the cake here.**FIREARM USE - As a firearm enthusiast, this was a major factor for me. Because, in all reality, if the SHTF and you need to wear a gas mask to survive, you’re likely going to need a rifle as well. I had high hopes for the Mestel mask considering it’s build quality, but getting your cheek close enough to the stock to look down the scope was impossible. Drager has the advantage here.**ACCESSORIES - The Drager mask comes with a speech diaphragm pre-built into the mask. This allows for easier communication. Other than that, with the Drager mask you have the option to add an adaptor for glasses.As for Mestel, there are several accessories you can purchase, Including: glasses adapter, drinking module, speech diaphragm, and 2 additional filters. Considering the availability to add a drinking module (at a cool $160 markup for this accessory), Mestel takes the advantage in this category as there are more options.**WARRANTY - Although I haven’t had to call in any warranty claims, the Drager mask comes with a 2 year warranty, and Mestel comes with 1 year. Based on what I’ve heard through the grapevine, Dragers warranty is top notch and they will offer fixes or replacements on claims well after the 2 year mark. Drager takes the advantage with the extra year in this category.**OVERALL VALUE & FINAL THOUGHTS- After trying both masks, testing them personally in non-hazardous conditions, and reading up the certifications they’ve been though, I’m picking Drager as a better choice.The only area in which the Mestel mask was superior is the drinking module compatibility. However, with the Infinity System installed (drinking module), the price of the mask bumps up to $360 without the filters. Also, there’s no way to do it yourself so the mask would have to be sent back to the manufacturer for installation.The 3 filter system for the Mestel is nice in theory, but it fails with practicality. Along with that, the standard SGE 400/3 is not certified for protection against CBRN agents. They have another model, the 400/3 BB that meets material specifications for CBRN use, but has not been tested or certified in this respect by NIOSH.It seems like the Mestel masks are better suited for riot situations as the full face plastic shield would be ideal to stop a projectile. Unfortunately, it’s not very well suited for CBRN use for the reasons mentioned above.Based on my testing, needs, and research, the winner of this matchup is the Drager CDR 4500.Just FYI...Here’s what else I bought as part of my CBRN setup:-Dupont Tychem F Coveralls-Honeywell Rubber Butyl Boots-RSDL Sponge Kit-Kappler Chemtape-Blackhawk Omega Elite Gas Mask Pouch-North Butyl Gloves-Radex RD1503+-A cheap duffle bag to keep everything contained

Wanted to buy a gas mask that will last a long time and came across the CDR 4500. From all the research I’ve done, any mask made of rubber will eventually expire and begin cracking. If the rubber cracks, the seal will be compromised, and thus you can throw it in the garbage.I called up Drager and they said that this mask has a special coating that prevents it from aging. They also said that if I have any issues with aging rubber or cracking, I can send it back and they will take care of it.Awesome that a company is willing to stand behind their product like that. Better to buy the best and have it for a lifetime

Along with preparedness purposes, I use this mask in my line of work as a contractor. Fit’s very good, doesn’t fog, and keeps the sawdust/paint fumes/drywall out of my lungs. Great product!

fits great and will be ready if needed

...looks like an excellent product, just hope I never have to use it, but better be safe that sorry...

Really comfortable sealed tight mask perfect

This is the best one that can be purchased by a civilian. It is military grade and beyond.