@trendless I voted headstraps even though my everyday elastomeric can be worn with earloops (and I use it that way). But my ress as l answer is “headstraps unless it’s a product made by Barry Hunt”.
@IPEdmonton@trendless have you tried the 3M Aura 9210+? Definitely the best headstrap fit I’ve found for smaller heads. I do find the disposables much more comfortable for hot/humid days. I have some unopened if you have not tried them and want to.
@IPEdmonton@trendless how interesting, I can’t stand the duckbill type shapes and I world have thought our face/head shapes were similar. How fortunate there are so many different mask options nowadays! 😊
@trendless N95 head straps for me, 99.5% of the time. Except for the VERY occasional time when I run out of the house late and flustered and forgot to bring a mask. Like today.
Where I resort to the (nicely flat packed) emergency pack of KN94 ear looped masks I carry in my laptop bag (and another in car glove box, and another in desk drawer in the office).
@trendless
I wear a mask with earloops because I use a lanyard. I go to eat lunch in my car and when I get outside, I take my mask off outside and have it hang there in case I see people. I found thy other man's would be squashed, it have other issues if I put them in a pocket, etc. I also want to reuse it when I go back into the building. If I've sneezed in it or it's wet because I've been sweating, I toss the mask at lunch. Otherwise, I toss it at the end of the day. I use a strip of tape on the inside mask around my nose and cheeks, and just refresh the tape at lunch. I use an ear saver devise on the back of my head to get a tight fit. I have head strap masks that are more breathable, but I was having to toss them at lunch, and they weren't convenient to put back on if I saw someone outside, for example. The lanyard is important in my masking routine and ensures I always have a mask handy when i need it.
@trendless Wasn't sure what options to choose when the poll was still open. 🤔
I wear my mask until I feel any sign it become less tight, or until I have visited a hospital (I probably don't have to, but don't feel comfortable reusing a mask that has been in such a covid-dense environment), or until I've had a nosebleed and inevitably made stains on the inside of the mask. Unfortunately one of those always happens before I get 40 hours out of it.
I've never found any mask with earloops or headstraps that has given me a good fit with a perfect seal, not even 3M. :sad_dog: However, I've got an FFP3 fish shape mask with earloops that I wear with a little clip on the back of my head to turn them into headstraps and that is the only method that gives me a perfect seal. I think those clips were originally sold for people in a hijab who couldn't use their ears for masks. Maybe "earloops as headstraps" is its own category. 😂
@trendless Can't vote. Maybe something wrong with the megalodon app I'm using.
I was rewearing masks after some good data from 3M showing how long their masks work, but now the real world study showing how poorly masks work when reworn has me reconsidering. I usually wear a new masks for high risk situations like doctor visits and rewear masks for walking outside or maybe receiving grocery delivery
@trendless Ack, none of these answers fit my protocol exactly. I answered "until soiled/broken" but really I use a disposable mask for UP to 40 hours max, but I rarely use it for that many hours because I will toss it once the ear loops or nose wire feel loose, or the mask stops holding its shape well. Most of the time it's 1 mask per day of school (for my kids and teacher husband), which is 7+ hours a day, and I have a system of storage and rotation so each mask is usually used 3-4 times total.
@ikuo1000 haha! It's a good thing official Mastodon doesn't allow unlimited poll answers or I'd not be able to restrain myself 😆.
But actually... you've essentially beaten the poll, because you already recognize the primary cause of poor-fit-ergo-leaks. 🙌. Also, thanks for sharing your protocol!
@trendless I voted "until soiled/broken" but it's usually the case that the head loop elastics stretch so that I'm not confident of the fit , rather than breaking in a literal sense.
@kdnyhan 👌. In my mind, that's what it's all about -- how 'well-used' are straps getting (inspired by that study from [last week?] about failing fit tests after reuse and extended use).
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