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Please help me choose masks

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10 December 2022, 03:25 PM
markj
Please help me choose masks
Happy to help! As we go into the colder portion of flu and cold season, we are masking up more now.
10 December 2022, 04:21 PM
ShiroKuro
Very nice WTG!

I can't do the over the head thing. I just can't.

For the record, I get KN95s from Amazon. I do the various tests to make sure they work and they are a tight fit, but bc they have earloops, I can easily take them on and off. I always take mine off when I go outside, and since I'm wearing them when I teach back to back, sometimes I need a quick mask break. So I don't think I could do the over the head straps, those seem like they only work when you put them one once and take them off once.


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10 December 2022, 11:21 PM
piqué
quote:
when I went to the ophthalmologist a couple of days ago, none of the techs or doctors were masked despite the sign on the front door encouraging masking for patients entering. I was masked, of course, and wasn't real thrilled about having an unmasked person inches from my face.


Ask them to wear a mask. Lots of medical offices now have dropped the mask requirement. I tell them they have to wear one when they are in the same room with me. No one has refused to comply yet.


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fear is the thief of dreams

11 December 2022, 01:07 AM
piqué
quote:
Originally posted by markj:
Most comfortable N95 I have ever worn.

You can get 300 of them for $139.00 There might be a first time buyer discount. I remember getting one.

https://www.armbrustusa.com/co...riant=39649761001605


thank you, mark. i just ordered these by following your link. I will save them for air travel.


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fear is the thief of dreams

13 December 2022, 02:20 PM
Daniel
quote:
Originally posted by AD:
Problem with Amazon is sifting through all the bilge to find a gem.
And only you can say if a mask is comfortable. Ultimately, wearing one with excellent fit, combined with your hand cleanliness seems to be the key factors.

I'd say buy an N95 or N99 mask made in the USA. N95 is going to protect you, as well as others, while made in the USA ought to reassure you of quality control.


My take on this new mask market:
1. Homemade/bought stuff that doesn't fit at all, bandanas, solid masks, things where air flows freely around or under. Useless.
2.Homemade/bought stuff that fit badly, including anything without a noseband, anything with earloops, anything with less than two layers of material. Protects others to some extent, the wearer very little.
3. Bought masks that are rated and look the business but... Made somewhere you are uncertain about. Possibly fakes from mainly China etc. Often have earloops (see 2 above). Ought to give you some protection but how much if the fit is not snug?
4. Masks made in UK/USA somewhere you trust and are rated FFP2/N95/FFP3/N99. Must be elasticated around the back of the head with two loops and have an adjustable noseband to fit. You see the mask rise and fall as you breath showing the fit is good and filtration is working. Probably the least comfortable, probably the warmest to wear, probably the most expensive, probably worth buying to see how you feel wearing them.


That's my 2c

Andy

https://smartairfilters.com/en...ween-n95-kn95-masks/


Hi, Andy.

I've decided to take your advice vis a vis how to choose them. I hadn't thought of buying from a US manufacturer, having them be certified, nor having two straps to make sure they seal.

Thanks.
13 December 2022, 02:22 PM
Daniel
Thanks, everyone.
17 February 2023, 10:41 AM
wtg
Suggested guidelines for when to mask. Not much new here, but a good refresher.

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/10...ree-experts-weigh-in


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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training



17 February 2023, 10:44 AM
wtg
The company that markj suggested has some new styles of very high quality masks, including some with earloops:

One that's reusable with replacement filters.

American made KN95s

quote:
KN95 masks are an incredibly popular respirator design. The cone shape provides a tighter seal than surgical masks, while many find the ear loops more comfortable than the head straps found on traditional cup-style N95 masks.

It's a good design, but after testing hundreds of KN95s that we bought on Amazon, we consistently found that the most popular ones don’t even follow the Chinese safety standards they're based on -- with almost half failing the most important 95% protection standard.

People deserve a high quality, American-made KN95 that has been tested to exceed the highest safety standards — but since it didn’t exist, we made it


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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training



17 February 2023, 08:59 PM
ShiroKuro
I might try the ones in the second link, thanks!


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My piano recordings at Box.Net: https://app.box.com/s/j4rgyhn72uvluemg1m6u

17 February 2023, 09:21 PM
wtg
I don't know if the sale code will still work:

KN95-BOX-30

It's 30 percent off.

They do sales all the time. If this code doesn't work and you decide to wait, when I get another code I can post it here and/or PM you.


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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training



17 February 2023, 11:28 PM
RealPlayer
quote:
Originally posted by wtg:
Suggested guidelines for when to mask. Not much new here, but a good refresher.

https://www.npr.org/2023/02/10...ree-experts-weigh-in


I am still masking up, but I’ve gotta tell you, I’m getting pretty tired of it. I’m a thoroughly vaxxed senior, but in New York you travel by mass transit. From Staten Island to mid-Manhattan, that can be an hour and a half - each way - in a mask. Not to mention the advisability of a mask at your destination: a concert, a meeting, a medical appointment. It gets suffocating and exhausting.

Around home, I can drive and avoid masking for that amount of time, at least. I like the protection of the KN-95s, but I am putting on the thin surgical ones more and more often.


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“It's hard to win an argument with a smart person. It's damn near impossible to win an argument with a stupid person." -- Bill Murray

14 March 2023, 02:05 PM
wtg
Anybody need masks? Flash sale at Armbrust.

https://www.armbrustusa.com/

3-14-FLASH-N95


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We are all visitors to this time, this place. We are just passing through. Our purpose here is to observe, to learn, to grow, to love… and then we return home. - Australian Aboriginal proverb

Bazootiehead-in-training



14 March 2023, 03:53 PM
rontuner
Still masking while tuning in homes - I'll buy a box and see how these fit!


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www.ronkoval.com

15 March 2023, 05:00 PM
ShiroKuro
I ended up not liking those. Maybe they're too big for me? Not sure but they didn't seem to be a tight enough fit, so I've continued wearing the same kind of KN95 ones I've been wearing for a long time.


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My piano recordings at Box.Net: https://app.box.com/s/j4rgyhn72uvluemg1m6u

15 March 2023, 10:48 PM
RealPlayer
I need some new KN95s, and I was considering Armbrust. but SK’s comment gives me pause.


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“It's hard to win an argument with a smart person. It's damn near impossible to win an argument with a stupid person." -- Bill Murray