Health & Wellness · Head-to-head
3M Qualitative Fit Test Apparatus FT-30, Bitter vs Allegro Industries Bitter (Denatonium Benzoate) Fit Test Kit 2041
Which should you buy? Our verdict on both, pulled from our full The Best Respirator Fit Test Kits: 4 Compared (and One to Skip) comparison.
The FT-30 gets the balance right: the OSHA protocol run properly, a complete hood and collar assembly, a bitter agent that does not gum up nebulizers the way saccharin does, and roughly 150 tests per set of bottles. The Allegro 2041 does the same test for less outlay and packages its solutions in sealed one-use ampules, which is the better answer if you are testing two masks once rather than a crew every year.
3M Qualitative Fit Test Apparatus FT-30, Bitter
Buy itThe complete Bitrex kit, with enough solution to test a whole crew and the fewest ways to get the protocol wrong.
- Runs the Bitrex Solution Aerosol protocol named in OSHA Appendix A, using denatonium benzoate, the exact agent the regulation specifies.
- 3M puts one set of FT-31 sensitivity and FT-32 fit test solution at approximately 150 fit tests, several times what ampule kits deliver.
- The bitter agent avoids saccharin's habit of crystallising, which is why 3M tells saccharin users to empty and rinse the nebulizers at least every four hours.
- 3M states in its own data sheet that the FT-10 and FT-30 kits are not recommended for fit testing wearers who use a full facepiece respirator.
- 3M publishes no shelf life for the solutions, so a kit bought for one weekend project carries no stated expiry in either direction.
- A qualitative pass is worth a fit factor of 100 and no more, which under OSHA limits the respirator to ten times the exposure limit.
Allegro Industries Bitter (Denatonium Benzoate) Fit Test Kit 2041
Buy itThe same OSHA protocol at a lower cost of entry, with sealed ampules that solve the problem of solution sitting half used in a bottle for a year.
- Sensitivity and fit test solutions come as one-time-use sealed glass ampules of 2.5 cc, so no opened bottle sits around collecting contamination.
- Allegro's spec sheet states the nebulizer converts 5 cc of liquid into an aerosol of 0.3 to 5.0 micron particle size, the range the protocol depends on.
- The kit includes a reusable poly-coated hood with a clear viewing window, both nebulizers, twelve ampules and the wire cleaner for the nebulizer's narrow passages.
- Allegro puts each ampule at an average of 3 to 5 fit tests, so a whole kit covers a fraction of what a bottle-based kit does.
- Allegro specifies the kit for disposable and reusable dust and mist respirators, not for full facepieces.
- The ampules are glass and meant to be snapped open, which is why the plastic sleeve is part of the design.
Side by side
| 3M Qualitative Fit Test Apparatus FT-30, Bitter | Allegro Industries Bitter (Denatonium Benzoate) Fit Test Kit 2041 | |
|---|---|---|
| Our verdict | Buy | Buy |
| Best for | Anyone testing more than one or two people, or a shop that wants a kit which will not run dry halfway through a session. | The homeowner or one-person shop checking two or three masks once, who would rather have fresh sealed solution than a large bottle that outlives the project. |
| Price tier | $$ · mid-range | $ · budget |
The bottom line
Our overall pick is the 3M Qualitative Fit Test Apparatus FT-30, Bitter - The complete Bitrex kit, with enough solution to test a whole crew and the fewest ways to get the protocol wrong. Choose the Allegro Industries Bitter (Denatonium Benzoate) Fit Test Kit 2041 instead if the homeowner or one-person shop checking two or three masks once, who would rather have fresh sealed solution than a large bottle that outlives the project.
Want the full picture, including the other options we compared and the popular one we'd skip? Read the complete The Best Respirator Fit Test Kits: 4 Compared (and One to Skip).