N95 Masks
First, this is not a mask vs no mask discussion-
I want recommendations for a comfortable N95 mask, something we can wear for 4, 6, 8 or more hours on the bus or a plane. Also, with the unavoidably and obvious nature of the beast in mind, I would prefer a mask that doesn't look too dorky, and durability, especially the straps needs to be considered.
I was searching Amazon earlier this evening and was overwhelmed by all the choices, but comfort and appearance don't seem to be big design elements in what is available except at outrageous prices.
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Comments
Alan - I've been wearing the 3M 8210 almost exclusively since all this began in March 2020. They are available on Amazon in boxes of 20 for about $1.25 per mask, which isn't bad at all. Some people have trouble with these, but as one who wore a surgical mask for 4-8 hours/day, 1 day/week for 30 years, I have no problem with it. Here's a link: https://www.amazon.com/3M-Particulate-Respirator-8210-Pack/dp/B008MCUZZS/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3PICNH4I2AVFT&keywords=3m+8210&qid=1643942690&sprefix=3m+8210,aps,102&sr=8-2
Personally, I would stay away from KN95s, especially if your goal is to avoid a positive Covid test. The N95s are tested and certified by NIOSH. The KN95s are Chinese and have no real standard or certification. A number of articles have stated that about 60% of the KN95 masks are counterfeits. Not exactly sure how couterfiet is defined when you're dealing with Chinese-made crap with no standards in the first place.
There are also KF94 masks which are made in S. Korea, which are tested and certfied, so that's another option.
I’m not sure you will find an N95 that’s comfortable. I know the health care professionals have to wear them for long periods of time, but I had trouble with just a few minutes. We chose from Amazon Suncoo KN95 (GB2626-2019 KN95. They are almost as comfortable as the normal surgical mask. They are fairly inexpensive so if you don’t like them, no big deal.
Alan, We've been wearing these WWDoll masks (also GB2626-2019 KN95). I haven't tried wearing them for more than an hour but they seem to be pretty comfortable for N or KN95. The lining is soft. Amazon carries them in several different size and quantities running about a dollar per mask.
Alan, you asked about an N 95 mask. We used them almost exclusively on our recent tour. You will only find them with straps that go around the back of your head and neck. They are the best and only truly approved. They have an excellent tight fit around the face.They are great for men because they have short hair, but for women like me they are a pain….the straps constantly slipped down because of my current long and shiny hair. The bottom of the mask also cut into the crease of my neck. When I pulled the mask down to eat, it doesn’t fold in half neatly, it scratched me and I was itchy. When I put it back on, I had to stretch it out in front and lift it carefully over the top of my hair to avoid it looking a total mess. I can’t believe I’m saying all this because I am such a keen mask wearer and Mr. B was not happy that I complained, saying all I should worry about is that it is the best thing to protect me and it did!
I don’t find the surgical masks a good tight fit, even though they are comfortable and I was used to wearing them in hospital settings. I love my thick tight cloth masks that I got from a company that make hospital scrubs, they also have anti bacterial properties…..yes I know Covid is a virus.
When I got home, knowing just cloth masks are not even allowed at the main hospital facility where all our doctors are, I researched and looked for KN 95’s for me. I found and ordered some and they fit me well, are tight and comfortable with the behind the ear straps. Mr. B is not totally happy with me, but those are what I will be wearing on our tour next week.
Thanks to those who have replied so far. keep the suggestions coming.
British, my wife has the same thoughts about the masks with straps that wrap around the head. Except when a surgical mask is required and supplied during doctor visits, we mostly wear fabric masks. So far, knock, knock, they have worked.
We will likely try different brands and styles. Also, I have no problem modifying the straps- whether it is converting them to ear loops or replacing them altogether. The main concern is wearing them during the long flights.
The worst mask I've seen required you clean your face well, then stick a sheet of sticky mask material directly to your skin. Do you think eating, drinking and reattaching the mask might be problematic?!?!?!
We’ve been wearing Honeywell N95 masks. We both wear glasses and my husband has hearing aids, and ear loops are irritating if worn for a long time. So for us the behind the head straps are more comfortable and convenient. The Honeywell masks are available on Amazon in either 20 or 50 per box. They have a foam piece on the inside over the nose wire which ads to the comfort. That all being said, we both got Covid anyway, but it wasn’t for lack of wearing a high quality mask at all appropriate times.
We use the KN 95 masks by WWDoll that Claudia mentioned. My husband works part time and he has worn them for 4 to 6 hours with no problem. But we are also considering N95 masks for International travel.
Over the face, either N 95 or KN 95 masks are very comfortable if you wear them correctly. When I experimented with the N95 and tried having the two straps around my neck instead of having one over the back of my head, it pulled the mask downwards and not in an optimum position over my nose and then I could not get the metal strip comfortable.
If you are going to adapt N95 straps, I’m not sure if that would make them less effective. Would you really potential do that on maybe two changes of mask a day for the whole.trip. After several hours of wearing, they really should be changed.
I don’t know if anyone has tried a handy dandy invention my daughter found on Amazon that my husband has been using for a long while on cloth masks that’s fit an ear loop mask around your neck instead. I’ll try to find a link and post it
The brand is Linidi, I don’t know how to do a link but hers is a screen shot that might help you find it
From the CDC.
"This pandemic is going to be with us for the long term," she said. "We are going to have to grapple with continued surges due to new variants, seasonality and waning immunity."
One of the best ways to manage continued spread of the airborne virus, Raifman said, is through masking. "We know what works."
I use 3M’s Aura 1870 or 9205 or Readimask https://readimask.com/
LINIDI Silicone Extender Strap
https://www.amazon.com/Silicone-Adjustable-Anti-Slip-Relieving-Long-time/dp/B087MCH7QG/ref=sr_1_4?m=A9L9O2X3VHGNZ&qid=1643985160&s=merchant-items&sr=1-4
Alan - I like and use the 3M Aura 9205+ or its sister, the Aura 9210+. The 9205+ has an elastic band, while the 9210+ has a braided band. The nice part of this mask is a foam strip inner liner across the top edge, including the nose bridge. It provides comfort. I'd add that it is the only mask I find that does not fog my glasses due to the contour of the mask and how air flows through it. I'd advise against purchasing masks via Amazon, since there are lots of fakes, or units you cannot authenticate. I had purchased some 9210+ and it arrived in a bag not from the manufacturer, containing 20 individually wrapped masks. There was no box with lot number and expiration date as 3M sells them, nor user pamphlet which should be in the box. I got Amazon to refund me when the vendor would not. Some of the 3M line is sold at Home Depot, which you can count on. https://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Aura-Particulate-Respirator-N95-Foldable-10-Pack-9205P-10-DC/316909322 This mask is likely the one I will go with for my 13.5 hour flight segment on the way to K & T this summer.
While we don't have personal experience, there is one N95 mask on the market that does not have straps and is held on with tape adhesive. I think they appeal to medical professionals wearing all day. My wife's school is looking into them. They are expensive at about $5 a unit. https://readimask.com/
There are several companies now marketing sampler packs where they send you a variety of models/styles/brands to try. Some of them also specialize in US manufactured items only. This is a good way to try some out without a large investment.
A few weeks ago the NY Times ran a nice piece about mask styles, authentication of masks, etc... See https://www.nytimes.com/article/covid-masks.html
Included in the article is a link to a GoogleDocs spreadsheet by The Mask Nerd in which an extensive variety of masks are put to the test for filtration and airflow. Yes, even the strapless Readimask is in his testing database.
I don't know if you belong to ConsumerLab.com (similar to Consumer Reports, but mainly a testing lab for health products) but if you do, they have done extensive work on the mask front.
Well, I'm not so concerned with filtration, N95 vs KN95, but comfort, especially when trying to sleep on the plane or walking in the heat of the desert
, and ease of breathing. I've ordered some 3M N95's but will look for a sampler pack which I hadn't seen before.
Alan, I will reinforce some of the previous comments. Ever since I read an article by a health professional in which they described cloth masks as "purely decorative" I have stashed the cloth in favor of N95 masks. I prefer the true N95 because it has straps that go around the head, not behind the ear. With hearing aids and eyeglasses, the "real estate" behind my ears is pretty well occupied already.
I have used the 3M Aura 9205 model. Wore one on a fairly long flight day (7 hours) and it was never burdensome. As mentioned above the 9205 has rubber straps. I have not had any failures, but a friend had one strap break. 3M also makes masks with a braided strap. I have ported 3M masks with that kind of strap for working around dust, and the braided strap seems much more durable. Just checked on Amazon, and the Aura 9210 with braided strap is only available in the handy 240-count box.
Speaking of eyeglasses, the 3M 9205 has an internal wire nose piece and a closed foam strip on the inside of the mask at the nose, making a very good seal around my nose. This results in much less eyeglass fogging than with any other mask I've used.
Keep us posted on any additional information you gather.
I don't doubt the personal reports of others, but I will add my own.
I just received a shipment of the 3M 8210 masks. While I will admit they appear to be well made for durability (mask and straps), max filtration, and best seal, I personally rank the comfort as poor, a 3 - 4 out of 10!
The special elastic (behind-the-head) straps need to be pre-stretched to don the mask. The straps extend a considerable amount and stay that way for awhile to ease donning, however, the "elastic material" evidently has a memory and eventually shrinks back its original length. Not only does that result in too tight of a fit for me, it also requires that the straps be pre-stretched each time you remove and re-don the mask (the instructions actually say this is necessary.)
While the metal nose strip can be shaped to fit the bridge of my nose it is not an easy nor quick process- at least for my nose and face, if I want a comfortable fit (which I was never able to achieve during my brief evaluation.)
As I said, the behind-the-head straps are too tight, so I did an experiment- I cut each loop and tied the same-side pieces together to create L and R ear loops- another fail, too hard to adjust the length, knots were uncomfortable behind my ears. It might be possible to fashion and attach soft fabric straps.
My wife found this mask extremely uncomfortable.
I will keep these masks and use them in my shop when I'm sanding on a project or spraying a finish that doesn't contain VOCs. (when spraying finishes containing VOCs I use a professional respirator that has two replaceable cartridges, each with a dual fiber particulate and activated charcoal VOC filter.)
Time to order and evaluate another brand/style mask.
If and when I find a comfortable mask, which will likely be an around-the-ear KN95 or basic surgical mask, my strategy will likely be to wear something like the 3M 8210 in high risk areas and wear something else when we in other lower risk areas (and wearing a mask to primarily satisfy a requirement.
) It is too bad we've been so spoiled by fabric masks.
I'm chiming in again, just because so many of us hope to travel this year, and we'll likely be wearing masks for looooong stretches on international flights.
Alan, the 3M 8210 mask appears to be a one-piece cup type mask with braided straps. Before you give up on 3M masks, I hope you'll try to find a 3M 9205. It is 3-piece which seems to help fit facial contours, it has rubber straps that return to original dimension after use (which is good--compact for stowing and re-using) but at least for me they are not uncomfortably tight. (Maybe I just have a hard head?)
FWIW, I have a beard so no mask provides a great seal, but around-the-head straps on true N95 masks seem to work best for me.
A local chat forum here in northern California claimed that our local Rite-Aid Pharmacy was giving away free federal masks that were 3M 9205 model on Thursday Feb. 3, so you may be able to find a free one to try.
And thank you to everyone who contributes useful information on this forum!
These are the masks I got and they for me extremely well
Rasav KN95 Face Masks, 30 Pack Comfortable 5 Layer Cup Dust Safety Mask, Muti-Colored Design KN95 Mask with Elastic Ear Loops for Women, Men
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Rasav KN95 Face Masks, 30 Pack Comfortable 5 Layer Cup Dust Safety Mask, Muti-Colored Design KN95 Mask with Elastic Ear Loops for Women, Men
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Color: Color-02
Color-01
Color-02
Size Medium
Brand Rasav
Color Color-02
Material Metal
About this item
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https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71dCe6cOVhL.SX522.jpg
I've been wearing 8210 masks for almost 2 years now. The 8210 has rubber straps. I apply an initial stretch and they maintain that stretch for me. Though I haven't seen it in writing, I think the rubber straps have a built-in life expectancy to limit over wear of a single mask, as they do break after a few days (I created a rotation of masks, wearing one for a day, letting it sit to "disinfect" for 2-3 days, wearing another the next day, etc.)
Good luck with your quest, Alan. Hope you find something tolerable..
If there are any crocheters or knitters on the forum, you can make extensions and/or replace the ear loops with soft yarn. By adjusting the gauge (trial and error at first), I have been successful at making my masks more comfortable and the different yarn colors add some "elegance" to the drab mask. I also crochet lanyards for my masks.
Having just come back from my first tour since the Pandemic began, the amount of time you are wearing a mask during a day, I would not want to reuse any mask. In the heat they get quite damp, they will get other bacteria on them and could cause other problems. It is also unacceptable to see people putting their masks face down at the dining table, the cross contamination, it makes me want to throw up.
I think once you start trying to replace straps, then it possibly defeats the object of how an N 95 fits which should be quite tight, that’s the point of that type.of mask
It’s just my opinion, but believe me if I had found wearing an N 95 mask easy on my trip, I’d be recommending them because they are the gold standard, but the number of times you have to put them on and off during the day, I just found it a pain compared to any other type of mask. And we never saw anyone else wearing N 95 the entire time we were away from airport to plane to tour, they wore everything else.
We got emails from the hospital facility we use for all our healthcare while we were away stating that no cloth masks would be allowed so I dutifully wore N 95 to two appointments last week. Desk staff were wearing badly fitting Cloth or surgical masks and even my two Drs were wearing lose surgical masks, no wonder there is confusion.
Alan, I’d like to suggest you take KN 95 with you as well in case N95 mask annoy you or your wife or wear one all day to practice, taking it down when you get on and off an imaginary bus, eat and drink and so on.
Again, I can’t believe I’m saying this because I’m so strict, but because I had to take mine up and down snd not wear it for a whole shift like I would in a work situation, I looked like a mad woman with Wild hair once I had taken it down the first time each day….no comments about mad woman 😀
I haven't experienced mask wear in a tropical climate, but have experienced the opposite - mask wear in sub-freezing conditions. Last year, I wore a mask while skiing. The mask got crunchy as my breath condensed and froze on the mask material. For skiing, I used a fabric mask designed by Outdoor Research that had replaceable filters. I know this isn't applicable to the original question, but since we're talking masks...
Studies have shown that letting a mask sit for a few days in a dry environment does sterilize it. Works in my location where the humidity is usually in the 10-20% range. Unlike the concerns during the early days of Covid, where they were suggesting wiping down everything constantly, the more recent studies have shown transmission is almost 100% aerosol. The virus loses potency on surfaces, including masks, within a few hours.
@Rick - The braided version of the Aura mask - the 9210 can be had from various places without buying 240 units from amazon. Grainger, a reputable vendor, has small units, as do some medical supply places that sell to the public.
Alan, we spent most of the time during our back to back tours last Sep wearing surgical masks that were exactly what our local health provider/hospital required last summer. It's what I wore in the hospital for my knee surgery and PT afterwards. I took a picture of the box and bought them on Amazon. I also used a silicon mask frame and lanyard for convenience. The frame keeps the mask away from your mouth and the lanyard makes it easy to remove but not loose your mask. Descriptions below. Was all this the safest we could be - No - but given the hours of wear on the tours it made life much easier.
HALYARD FLUIDSHIELD 1 Disposable Procedure Mask w/SO Soft Lining and SO Soft Earloops, Yellow, 25867 (Box of 50)
Teskyer 8 Pack Face Mask Lanyard for Kids and Adult, Adjustable Mask Holder/Strap, Comfortable Around The Neck Facemask Rest & Ear Saver, Mix Color
3D Face Mask Bracket for Comfortable Breathing,Upgraded Soft Inner Support Silicone Frame for Lipstick Protection,Keep Fabric off Mouth, Reusable&Washable (3 Pack) - lots of brands of these and sizes, my husband wears a different one.
The cutaway view of the frame looks like something from a Mad Max movie or something worn by Hannibal Lector in Silence of the Lambs!
I have a 25-count box (5 ea. color) of these KN95 masks coming tomorrow. We'll see how they feel. They make a version for kids with adjustable straps that use little sliders. My wife likes her mask which has sliders.
Depending on the comfort level, my plan will be as I said above to take some 3M 8210 N95s, the KN95s here, and some basic surgical masks. That should provide the appropriate level of protection and/or comfort for a variety of situations. That is my plan and I'm sticking to it (or not
)
I ordered these also and am pleased. Will use these and N95 to go to egypt.
Alan, I thought the same thing about the mask frames. Worried what weird lines it would.make on my face but they didn't leave anything. Sometimes the silicon felt a little sticky.
Those colored KN95s look like the same as what we have but ours are just boring white. Just spent 2 hours in one with no problem.
The WWDOLL outfit the makes the KN95 masks Claudia posted above and the ones I have on order also sells a 5 layer mask with animal/pattern print. It has strap adjusters, is for kids, but supposedly fits ages 5-15 so they will likely fit most ladies.
Another outfit sells a mask package suitable for the Hawaii tour:
If anyone tries the animal masks and they find they fit well, please post about them, they look fun!