@StillIRise1963
Which ones do you like? We have had good experiences with the BNX ear-loop ones you can get on Amazon. And they're not too expensive, which is good since it seems we go through them pretty quickly.
@StillIRise1963@jbe I rely on bonafidemasks.com for my N95s and KN95s. My son did a deep dive and found them to be reliable and they are. Quality company.
@GottaLaff
Laffy, I see several different brands on the Bona Fide Masks website. Are there particular ones you like, e.g., Harley, Demetech, Powecom, etc.? (I'm in the market for some new ones and want to look into the ones that have been mentioned on this thread.) @StillIRise1963@jbe
@tc_morekindness My favorite N95 for comfort and effectiveness: 3M Aura 9205. It's the only one that doesn't slip off my hair, too. I still use Powecom for KN95s, but they tend to hurt after awhile. @StillIRise1963@jbe
@tc_morekindness What I like about the 3M is that the straps are a little rubberized, so they stay in place. And they are NOT tight. The elastics on the KN95s, all of them that I've tried, kill my ears after an hour. @StillIRise1963@jbe
@GottaLaff Wait, do your masks have head straps over the top of your head or ear loops? Or do you use both? I've been using mostly head straps, but I want to find some ear loops that have high efficiency and are comfortable. When I was buying masks a yr or 2 ago, I understood that in general head straps were more effective than ear loops. But there may be ear loops now that are better.
@tc_morekindness N95s should only have head straps. KN95s can have ear loops. Head straps are more effective, which is why N95s use them. I use both, depending on how lazy I feel that day, but when I'm in a crowded place, I always use an N95. @StillIRise1963@jbe
@GottaLaff@StillIRise1963@jbe Btw, Aaron also tested a Vida (mentioned here), and it had high efficiency, almost 99%. If you're looking for ear loops, that might be a good choice. I need one with ear loops for getting my hair cut...
@GottaLaff
I'm not sure what that's about. They seem to have lots of other KN95s that don't say anything about allergies. 🤷♀️
It looks like the Vida mask tested by Aaron was a kids' mask, although he was able to wear it for the test. (Some kids' masks he tests by holding them up to his face.) A kids' mask might fit an adult with a small face better.
The Project95 site doesn't seem to have any Vida masks.
There are a number of other brands of KN95 masks with over 98% filtration efficiency listed on Aaron's spreadsheet. I was just looking at Vida because it was mentioned here.
I have gathered that adjustable ear loops can be good because you can tighten them to fit your face.
@GottaLaff Oh. Well, they might be fine. It says >95% efficiency, and they're KN95s. Or maybe it's not too late to cancel if you don't want them... (I hope I didn't lead you astray; I'm so sorry if I did.)
@tc_morekindness I emailed them, got a bot email back saying they'd respond in 24 hours. I told them I may have ordered the wrong mask. Maybe they'll change my order. I wouldn't mind that. But when I compared the one I ordered to the other KN95 option, they seemed identical. So.. ???
I use silicon 'toggles' ('cord stopper', 'lugs') on ear loop masks - get them cheaply on eBay. To add a toggle to the ear loop, I push a small headed crochet hook through the smaller hole in the toggle, catch the ear loop with the hook and drag it back through the larger hole in the toggle. Some people use fishing line instead of a crochet hook.
@GottaLaff @tc_morekindness@StillIRise1963
Yep, I think I first saw it ages ago on that spreadsheet that others are referring to in the comments here, and haven't used anything else for my N95 needs. Though admittedly I tend to rely more on KN95s if I'm going to be in tight quarters for less than 30 minutes.
Wow, I just looked at Aaron's spreadsheet, and the Aura 9205 had 99.68% filtration efficiency when he last tested it (8/8/2022). He's tested it several times, and it's always been that high. 👍
The 3M Aura are the only masks that I can get to fit without feeling leaks and getting glasses fog, partly because of the foam-covered nose-wire, I think.
However, for short usage, the two headbands are annoying, so I always loop in a pair of ear loops, so I can quickly pop the mask on and off when going into a store briefly. And if one of the elastic bands break (as they eventually do), the ear loops are a backup.
@joelvanderwerf Unfortunately, ear loops aren't as effective. N95s must have head straps or they're not N95s, so I use one or the other, but I don't modify. I get it though. @tc_morekindness@StillIRise1963@jbe
Yeah, with just the ear loops I do feel like it's not a perfect fit. Also, after 10 or 15 minutes, the ear loops start to hurt the backs of my ears. So for any longer use, I just start out with the head bands.
@GottaLaff As I sit in Newark Airport, just wanted to thank you for this N95 recommendation. My husband, son and I all agree this is the most comfortable N95 we've ever worn. Very easy to breathe too. Thanks again! And, very few people here are masked. 🙄 @tc_morekindness@jbe
@StillIRise1963@GottaLaff@tc_morekindness@jbe Glad to hear it. I suspect there won’t be many people wearing them on flights these days. I cannot take a chance of getting family members sick in London. Plus I don’t wanna get Covid again.
I'm hoping my box of 440 will last for some time (though I'm getting through several a day doing heavy yard work at the moment — no-one else here, but useful when digging up large quantities of earth and organic debris).
@GottaLaff@StillIRise1963@jbe Still got more than 50 N95 masks. I am starting to think more about wearing them in a closed environment like a movie theater. Not doing it yet but getting close.
Man, I just stopped wearing them just three four months ago.
@normalguy Really?? I won't even GO to a movie theater or concert or any indoor crowded space, including restaurants. If I did, I'd ONLY wear my N95. @StillIRise1963@jbe
@StillIRise1963@GottaLaff@normalguy@jbe I’m reading this while sitting in a packed airport where I’ve seen only one other person besides my husband and me in masks. Oy.
The covid stats have jumped up a lot in my area (NC). We're almost up to the 2 mini-spikes of the past year, the highest points other than the huge Dec-Jan spike. I'm not planning to do anything at all risky until I get the new vaccine that's supposed to roll out in a couple of weeks or so.
@GottaLaff@StillIRise1963@IdahoLark@tc_morekindness@normalguy@jbe
Wishful hoping, I think. I’m moving to MA on the 18th and not counting on it. My HEPA filter is taking valuable space in my small car. The rest of the space involves cats. I have to ship my clothes. 🙃😵💫🍷
@sepfeiffer I went to the Picasso Museum in Malaga with a kn95. That's the most adventurous thing I've done, and I did that for my kids. @GottaLaff@normalguy@jbe
@StillIRise1963@GottaLaff@normalguy@jbe I have never been to an exhibit in the artists’ enclave. Something I yearn to do. Thinking Klee in Basel. Hey, did you ever watch Antonio Bandaras in Picasso on the history channel? I enjoyed it.
@sepfeiffer No, I've never seen that. He's from Malaga as well. It was an interesting exhibit because it was his sculptures. I'm not sure it had been done before. @GottaLaff@normalguy@jbe
@Pineywoozle@StillIRise1963@jbe I highly recommend the 3M™ Aura™ 9205+ N95 Particulate Respirator Mask. A couple of people who tried it here on my rec LOVE it. Really comfy and the straps are sort of rubberized so they stay in place.
@GottaLaff@StillIRise1963@jbe Cool! 🥰👍 I’m upping all mask recs I see because there are still people who haven’t found one they think is comfortable and changing that will increase the times they wear one. #Covid#CovidIsNotOver
@leolevinsky@Pineywoozle@GottaLaff@StillIRise1963@jbe I used a bunch of different N95s during my days as a COVID ICU nurse. 3M Aura hands down the best fit and most comfortable (would wear for 12 hours a day). AND kept me COVID negative until the vaccine came out! (Also agree - work well with glasses)
I'll just throw in that, back in 2021(?), I discovered this guy Aaron Collins, a mechanical engineer in Minneapolis who has a background in aerosol science. He had this ongoing project of testing masks and making Youtube videos of each test. He shares all his data on a Google drive. I am nerdy enough to have pored over his data and then picked masks to buy based on filtration efficiency and my desired strap type/ shape (and what I could find online).
In the text box on the right hand side of this page, there are some links to Aaron's data and to other web pages related to him, if anyone's interested: https://www.projectn95.org/mask-info/
Oh, I didn't realize Aaron was on Mastodon! Yay, that's so cool. I just followed him... I see there's a post from Aug 26, with his top mask picks for 2023!
@StillIRise1963@jbe Finding the one that’s comfortable and a good fit is so important. 🥰 I’m tall but my face is narrow so smaller sized masks work better for me. The snotty BT calls them “baby masks” lol pfffft
@StillIRise1963 My local Walmart gave N95's to everyone walking into the store for a period of about 3 months, so I stocked up. I've got about 100 of them.
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