The best Safety Masks: Reddit reviews

From 3.5 billion Reddit comments

Someone posted these cones/supports you can put under the mask. Part of the problem is the "sucking" effect. I used a mask a couple times serious mountain biking (due to the smoke) and that was fun... the mask sucks back in much worse than just wearing in a grocery store but same deal.

Here's a link to what I am talking about. Thinking about buying some.

But yea the problem you describe is what the valve masks are supposed to solve, obviously that is not an option for a virus mask.

Awesome! Its super satisfying.

parts are surprisingly cheap! I really like eastwood and amazon for finding stuff for painting.

Mask: https://www.amazon.com/3M-07192-Paint-Spray-Medium/dp/B0002STR22/ref=sr_1_11?ie=UTF8&qid=1493075401&sr=8-11&keywords=3m+respirator

Pretty awesome $70 paint gun that will work with a cheap compressor (only uses like 4cfm!): http://www.eastwood.com/concours-lt-hvlp-paint-gun-1-3mm.html

Eastwood also has some nice single stage urethane paints (clear coat built in) that I like a lot and are cheap, or your local auto parts store should have a budget brand.

Definitely a fun project to do yourself, and surprisingly easy!

I would recommend that if you have a little space to work in, you can hang up some plastic and put a fan on to make a little spray booth, even outside! But also you will find like you did that you can get a good finish just sanding between coats even if there is a little dust.

Cut and buff with some polishing compounds and you will have a paint job that will look and feel pro, with high corrosion, solvent and wear resistance!

Do you think a painter's mask would work for you? https://www.amazon.com/3M-07192-Paint-Spray-Medium/dp/B0002STR22/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=painters+mask&qid=1600023744&refinements=p_89%3A3M&rnid=2528832011&s=hi&sr=1-4

I'm a teacher and since going back into the classroom this year I have really been a fan of KF94s like these, although I haven't tried those specific ones since I usually wear black masks. I am SO hoping that we will be past masks by the time my wedding rolls around, but if we aren't these are what I'll be wearing. They stand out from your face so it doesn't suck in while you're breathing/talking and the seal is great. I find that they do rub away SOME makeup from the bridge of my nose but they only touch there and on the edges of the mask. Not as pretty as having matching fabric, but WAY more comfortable in my sadly now extensive experience.

I use this plastic insert that keeps the fabric off my skin and makes it easier to breathe. It’s also easier to keep sanitized. https://www.amazon.com/Pack-Face-Mask-Bracket-Breathability/dp/B08NZXQKNH

N95 masks are being held for hospital workers and emergency workers, but you can get a regular mask on Amazon right now.

masks

If I'm going back to a mask, it's with a KF-94 and a printed tension/ear relief band. They're cheap, offer good protection, offer a solid seal with only mild fitting, and are easy to breathe through. The band I 3D print.

Prices have dropped, too. Here is the brand I use.

There are also around-the-head things you can wear over a mash or certain N-95's/KN-95's that, when worn correctly, form a strong enough seal around your nose/mouth so that like 99% of your breath goes out through the mask, and glasses/goggles won't fog up. They have bendable metal things for your nose, and a pack of little sticky, soft foam strips that you can apply to the inside to fill in any gaps and keep your mask tightly sealed.

That's one solution, or a surgical mask worn over it.

When I got to the worst places (grochery store) I wear a 3M painter's mask (this kind) with the two big canisters. It has a valve for the exhale but I cut out a square of a surgical mask and sandwiched it between the valve and the strap that holds the mask down that goes over it so that the exhale is filtered too. Not as much filtering as the inhale, but it gets the job done to protect others.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B084TJDDL1/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_i_Hi5wFb8YZ6QCS

This is similar to what I have. I also bought the activate charcoal filters, they're r95 rated (because i used it for woodworking and work with some other-than-wood particles). N95 is usually plenty of protection and I believe is what's recommended for every day use during the pandemic by the CDC. But any filter is better than no filter

https://www.amazon.com/3M-07192-Paint-Spray-Medium/dp/B0002STR22/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?dchild=1&keywords=respirator+mask+painting&qid=1599163380&sprefix=respirator+mask+paint&sr=8-10

There's a basic one but there's a few others I saw on their so you can take your pick. Just make sure you search "painting respirators"

This is a very common issue. Disposable seem to be the easiest for most people to use but personally I bought this mask and it's been the most comfortable/breathable one I've used yet. My therapist also sent me this article which full disclosure I haven't gotten around to reading yet, but I trust my therapist to be giving me quality information.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B087M2T7NP/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o02_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

$2.61 per mask. It's made by Powecom, just like the one /u/grendus linked. It only takes like 5 minutes to find it on Amazon

Here are some disposable masks in stock on Amazon, $30 for a pack of 50. I received mine, cut one apart and confirmed they are 3 layers with the center one being a melt blown cloth filter.

re: hand sanitizer, if there is a local distillery near you, give them a call. I lucked out and one near me had converted part of their setup and was selling the WHO formula hand sanitizer. I fill plastic pocket spritzers and use those

https://www.amazon.com/FANGTIAN-Particulate-Respirators-Protective-TC-84A-7861/dp/B087Z7N4XF/ref=sr_1_1?crid=44G4O1BAOIVN&keywords=fangtian+n95+mask+niosh+certified&qid=1667782276&sprefix=fangtian+n%2Caps%2C260&sr=8-1 This one is the one where the straps are too long so it doesnt wrap around my head right and also on the ears sometimes it falls

Are we sure that sub isn't satire? Cus I mean...

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>I have been wearing N95 mask and Kn95 masks in hopes to prevent aerosol particles, but apparently it didnt work. I use this mask: https://www.amazon.com/FANGTIAN-Particulate-Respirators-Protective-TC-84A-7861/dp/B087Z7N4XF

It is NIOSH approved. I also use sometime 2 KN95 mask that is FDA approved too from somewhere else.

But sadly I caught covid 3 week ago with this mask. I also careful to wash hands, not touch eyes, face...

I think the mask is snug on my cheeks, nose but I did notice before its not completely snug on the chin/jaw area, but still how much viral load can come in that way

Anyone know of good N95 mask ot KN95 that dont have holes... a lot I saw on Amazon have small holes for breathing but that can be a way to catch aerosol

ive been using these ones!
https://www.amazon.com/FANGTIAN-Particulate-Respirators-Protective-TC-84A-7861/dp/B087Z7N4XF/ref=sr\_1\_57?crid=1JQIEBIT2WVEL&keywords=n95+mask&qid=1660423320&sprefix=n95+mask%2Caps%2C82&sr=8-57

The tab thing is that I had it open before posting this question and is three tabs away from the tab my question is in. It's helpful for finding stuff you definitely should not be buying.

But it doesn't go into the practical nitty-gritty of how regulators address the issue, how counterfeits can last on the market for a while (bought this one carelessly in oct 2020 for example. Still there for sale), what are the challenges in getting them removed, stuff like that. Which is what my question is about. The "how" of dealing with these products. They obviously have rules against them.

You can try this mask - https://www.amazon.com/Certified-Particulate-Respirator-Protective-TC-84A-9362/dp/B094DYKP3S/ref=sxts_rp_s1_0?cv_ct_cx=bnx+tri-fold&keywords=bnx+tri-fold&pd_rd_i=B094DYKP3S&pd_rd_r=60e50347-577a-4a18-8350-1f4288d657d0&pd_rd_w=7TPir&pd_rd_wg=AWkJa&pf_rd_p=1646f938-0b84-43fb-8b04-69eb8aa1e55a&pf_rd_r=03RCFRTWXE337NGZ4H8A&psc=1&qid=1650468329&sprefix=bnx+t%2Caps%2C136&sr=1-1-5e1b2986-06e6-4004-a85e-73bfa3ee44fe

It comes in different counts but in general I've found it more comfortable than Aura

What you quoted is talking about things like this:

https://www.amazon.com/AstroAI-Reusable-Dust-Face-Filters/dp/B084TJDDL1/

If you haven't already, invest in quality N95 masks. I used the ones linked below, from what I could tell the certification seems legit. Anecdotally, I travelled during the height of the omicron wave with this mask (which included getting a flight cancelled and spent time in a hotel shuttle bus full of unmasked people) and didn't catch it.

And if you do get it, keep calling doctors and pharmacies until you can get a prescription of paxlovid. That stuff saves lives.

FANGTIAN N95 Mask NIOSH Certified... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B087Z7N4XF?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

hard to recommend a mask without knowing the size of your face. I like the trifold n95 by BNX. Way more comfortable than the 3m Aura for me - https://www.amazon.com/Certified-Particulate-Respirator-Protective-TC-84A-9362/dp/B094DYKP3S/ref=sr_1_4?crid=253TQX2P5NUU2&keywords=bnx+n95&qid=1649994182&sprefix=bnx+n95%2Caps%2C77&sr=8-4

If you have a larger face, you can go for the BNX KN95. The BNX N95 put too much pressure on my nose.

The best is the BNX trifold mask - https://www.amazon.com/Certified-Particulate-Respirator-Protective-TC-84A-9362/dp/B094DYKP3S/ref=sr_1_4?crid=253TQX2P5NUU2&keywords=bnx+n95&qid=1649994182&sprefix=bnx+n95%2Caps%2C77&sr=8-4

Wow, that’s intense! The only tips I have, that weren’t already mentioned (like this seems extreme and unnecessary and a surgical mask should be good enough alone) is suggesting a face shield + a single mask or even a face shield alone + temperature checks (I really think little ones need to be able to see our entire faces as often as possible), having them blast the AC in the house (I masked for 3 weeks at my job when I started. NK was 2.5 months old and I came from a job working with school aged children and one unvaccinated NP, and so did my current NP’s - one is an ER doctor by the way. We’re in Miami and it’s pretty much always warm here and the AC was set to a few degrees cooler so we could be comfortable.) Or a mask bracket like these that should help with keeping the surgical mask further away from your face thus improving airflow and helping with the mask wetness https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NZXQKNH/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_FCHJ3N2CYVHVG5PG9P0M?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Have you tried a plastic bracket that keeps the mask from touching your skin everywhere but the perimeter of the mask? I realize that it's still going to be humid inside the mask while using the bracket, but maybe removing some of the friction from that inflamed spot could give you relief.

(10 Pack) Face Mask Bracket, Silicone Mask Bracket for Improved Breathability and Mask Cup Insert for a Lipstick Protective Face Mask, Compatible with Most Masks, Washable and Reusable https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08NZXQKNH/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_i_69NGM7J8SVR7WPPHNV5A?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

Ah, shit, sorry. I misremebered. They look like Auras. I got got for my partner and he mentioned that they are similar in size to the Vflexes, and I got my wires crossed this morning.

But it's these: BNX N95 Mask NIOSH Certified MADE IN USA Particulate Respirator Protective Face Mask, Tri-Fold Cup/Fish Style, (10-Pack, Approval Number TC-84A-9362 / Model F95W) White https://www.amazon.com/dp/B094DYKP3S/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_i_DQN9GMQ5DA2APYN8DWWZ?_encoding=UTF8&psc=1

BNX makes a trifold.

Nope, I live in the PNW so we’re in our rainy season, so you’re hxc if you run outside. I actually have fallen out with my running for that reason (we moved here right before COVID, so figuring out the new seasons + no gym has been …). I just recently started going to the gym again and the treadmill + mask combo is NOT IT lol, I was thinking about maybe getting one of those plastic under-mask cages to try to help, but really it’s just horrible (:

I personally found the Aura to be TOO TIGHT! I personally find these to look nice and fit well.

https://www.amazon.com/Certified-Particulate-Respirator-Protective-TC-84A-9362/dp/B094DYKP3S/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=bnx+n95&qid=1644336909&sr=8-2

I wear them all day for work too and never get a headache. The problem for you is that they are too tight and adding unnecessary pressure to your head. The Armbrust KN95 is especially horrible because it doesn't seal and ear savers make it too tight.

https://smile.amazon.com/Certified-Particulate-Respirator-Protective-TC-84A-9362/dp/B094DYKP3S/ref=sr_1_6?keywords=bnx+mask&qid=1643902843&sr=8-6

I would recommend the BNX trifold mask. It seals well and comfortable for all day. Soon they will have it in black too.