A friend who recently passed away unfortunately and who was a physician left me these masks. I've included 6 photos. There are probably a couple of hundred of them. Her husband dropped them off for me.

I exclusively use Vitacore Can99 headstrap masks here in Canada. I tried one of these 3M ones on and the straps were quite a bit looser than the Vitacore Can99 masks. I also wonder if the foam around the nose allows for an actual proper seal. It just didn't feel as tight and as secure. The straps felt quite loose and I tried two of these individually wrapped masks.

I wonder if the straps feel weak because they're quite old. I can't find a manufactured or expiry date, and I'm wondering if anyone can tell me if I've missed this information via the photos I've posted here.

The other brand of masks that he dropped off are DM-1810 manufactured back in 2002 and expired in 2006. Should I just toss these DM-1810 masks that expired back in 2006? Funny enough they are a just tighter seal with the straps being tight. They do have a weird perfume smell which isn't nice and they're slightly small for my face, but I thought I might donate them. But perhaps not if they're expired.

Thank you in advance.

I used to love to watch Aaron Collins (The Mask Nerd) do the regular videos on testing different masks. I know there aren't a TON of new masks coming out right now, but it seems that he has dropped off the internet; none of his channels have been updated since last year :( Are there any current channels that show mask testing for current masks, with the filtration numbers, etc?

I wear a 3m aura mask for 8 hours at work and it’s the most comfortable one I’ve tried thus far, but still irritates me about half way through my shift. My biggest issue is the bottom, it rubs on my neck and itches and gives me acne.

I’m looking for reccomendations for a mask that:
-has head straps, no ear tugging
-n94 or better
-rests somewhere above the 3m auras, hopefully maybe on the apex of my chin somehow????

I'm looking for an easy on/off earloop mask for wearing outdoors to pick up my child from school. I've tried several earloops with poor fit on me. Do any have a foam nose bridge as found on some headband masks?

I’m looking for a good mask to wear to work. I work around pools and the chlorine air has recently started exasperating my asthma. My doctor recommended masking to help. Ideally something that can be worn for an extended time in a hot/humid environment, easy enough to talk through, and ideally easy to take off and keep with me as I come and go. I’m in the US!

My sons wear the small and medium breathteq masks to school. With the tariffs they are now out of our budget. Does anyone have any suggestions on comparable masks to breathteq? Thank you

hi everyone! my partner and I (both 22f) just recently got our updated covid shots, upgraded our masks and started consistently wearing them again! I’d really appreciate some input on our practices since there’s a lot of conflicting information and we’re learning as we go :)

we’re wearing fit tested aura 9210+ n95s everywhere we go, only taking them off at home. we have two roommates who take less precautions than us, but they work very low-risk jobs (night shifts on manufacturing lines) and spend pretty much all the rest of their time in their rooms. they know to test, mask and isolate in the case of an exposure/illness and we do the same. we hardly ever see them, let alone get near them for any length of time, and I know that masking in the home would drive my already stressed OCD insane, so it’s a small risk I’m willing to take considering we mask everywhere else. that being said, whenever I get the chance I’d like to ask them to hop on the masking/vaxxing train with us, just to make this living situation extra safe. thoughts on this approach?

secondly, I’d like some input on how we’re storing our masks! we’re keeping them in individual, labeled paper bags in our closet and having them on a rotation to rest for five days after a day of use. we keep them in the paper bags whenever we’re home, but if we’re out and about and take them off in the car we store them in our backpacks (we make sure not to crumple them lol). some of the days we’ll be wearing them will be for our 6-8hr shifts at work (public-facing jobs, but not high risk ones), but others will only be for a collective 20-30 mins on our days off when we’ll be running quick errands and such. we plan to wear each mask for a cumulative five days before discarding them. is this too long to be wearing the masks, or could they be worn for longer if they’re still intact? is it chill for them to be briefly in our backpacks, or is there a better way to store them when we’re not home?

thanks so much for any advice!

edit: thank you all for your kind words and suggestions! I’ve been perusing air purifier listings and cr box instructions :D

bad news is that I had some unexpectedly big bills come up and my partner had her hours cut. after redoing the budget it’s looking like we’ll have to hold off on a purifier/cr box supplies for a bit :( good news is that my partner and I talked with our roommates, and they’re happy to start taking up precautions again too!! we’re also just investing more in lysol wipes and hand sanitizer for the apartment.

with these new developments I’m feeling a lot more comfortable being in this living situation while we’re saving up for air purification!

y’all are awesome!!

New JSP Qualitative Face Fit Testing Kits on eBay UK for £95 (or £90 with voucher until end of today... but only if you pay by bank).

Just bought one and thought I'd share as listing says more than 10 available.

As the title says. Just got my AuAir in the mail and I am skeptical it is actually protecting me close to 100%. Any ways to tell if I should keep it? Thanks!

Does anyone have experience with the 3M 9936 disposable mask? I wonder if it's harder to breathe through compared to the "step down" version (the 9922 which has FFP2 = N95), and whether it has better odor filtration (i.e. thicker carbon).

I've been using the 9922 (FFP2 + carbon) for years, but occasionally I feel like it does not provide enough particulate and odor filtration (unless the mask is out of the box).

https://www.3m.co.uk/3M/en_GB/p/dc/v000094346/

I'm prepping for the fact that tarrifs to the usa might make this Canada based mask too expensive for me... What earloop masks do you all find most similar in fit to the breatheteq size small??

The strip doesn’t appear to be metal but I don’t know what it’s made out of either

I was wondering what allows an accessory to keep a mask airtight after install.

I know ZiMi sells a hole punch for their exhaust valves and that SIP valves also require you to cut through the filter medium. I've gone through the SIP website, scrolled through some posts searching for variations on "sip valve airtight" on this subreddit, and seen the video about the SIP valve by SkippySkep, but didn't catch any definitive answer on what creates the hermetic seal.

This might be because it's a simple answer, and I might be overcomplicating it in my brain, but are minimized gaps and silicone really all an accessory needs to keep the mask airtight after install? If so, then could an accessory like a metal stud earring safely pierce the filter medium, if it were installed with a silicone healing disk on one or both sides of the filter? As long as the earring or pin isn't heavy enough to compromise the fit of the mask, would silicone and tight fit be enough for me to stay safe?

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Apologies if my questions are a bit obvious. I've been masking with a KN95 since 2020 so I think I know basic mask safety, but I haven't really thought about the actual mechanics like this before I started considering accessorizing. Of course, the priority of masking is to stay safe, not to be fab, but I do wanna have some more fun once in a while so that's why I'm asking here before I risk it.

(I've been trying to find more reusable ways to accessorize my masks other than mask chains and cloth covers. Temporary tattoos and rub-on transfers sound fun, but since I mask basically everyday, I worry about the cost building up, so I'd rather have something I can transfer mask to mask. I was considering magnetic accessories but then another user reminded me of the dangers of magnet-swallowing so I'm not sure I wanna chance it given how close they'd be to my mouth.)

wasnt sure where this post would be most apt so reposting this here! looking for a mask that wont trigger headaches due to pressure in sensitive areas

I have a serious citrus allergy. I also work in a factory setting where we sometimes make orange flavoured products and have to use orange essential oils. Currently whenever we make the orange flavoured products i have to take a full week off work and my supervisor has to do my job. I lose about three weeks of work every year from this and if i can wear a good mask and some coveralls/gloves i would earn alot of money thats just sitting there and get alot of appreciation from my boss who can focus on their own work. What is a good mask to deal with eight hours of hot factory work with dangerous vapours?

Unsure if this is a silly question, but I'm not too savvy as to how the electrostatic charge in masks like N95s work. I've seen people using magnetic charms as an alternate way to accessorize their masks, and I think the idea's super cute, but I was wondering if there's any chance of magnets being able to disrupt the electrostatic charge and making the masks less effective?

I know the electrostatic charge of a mask isn't a flowing electric charge or anything, and that the charge is somewhat permanent (if not dissipated by some solvent) due to how the masks are produced, but I wasn't really sure how magnets factor into the equation. Would they be able to shift the charge around the area where they're applied? Or otherwise interfere with the charge in the mask as a whole?

This is probably an obvious answer but im gonna ask anyway bc ppl might have advice or new info that i havent considered

I'm now not sure if the masks ive been wearing are actually my correct size bc every time i smile or laugh, the nose bridge widens and causes a leak. I wear earloop masks but i have a headstrap that i attach to them and wear them all headstrap style for longer tasks like work. I wear them earloop style for running into places like corner stores and fas stations quickly (i know its less effective but i cant stand outside a store and fiddle with a headstrap over my hair. it takes longer, and i dont walk outside with a mask already on for safety reasons. i dont want to make my self look suspicious doing that. i dont live in safe areas.)

Every few min, i am reshaping the nose bridge on my mask bc i work in customer service and i try to smile to customers. also sometimes my coworkers are genuinely funny and ive been found on the floor weak, desperately holding onto my mask and letting out howling laughter

Masks ive tried

- Wellbefore KN95 pro regular:

Felt too big and awkward looking but fits against my face fine. i pleat n staple the bottom to avoid a gap. hated the look of them. but i am wearing them only on public transit rn and i found i have much more room to smile but i still reshape nose bridge bc it feels it widens a tiny bit when i do.

- Wellbefore kn95 pro small:

Love the way this size looks bc it doesnt feel as awkwardly big looking as the previous one. however its tight n presses on my cheeks. I thought smaller masks sealed best but i cant smile or talk expressively without nose bridge opening/widening

- Wellbefore kn95 small:

Fits looser, weaker nose bridge. i pleat the bottom n staple it too. same problem as Wellbefore kn95 pro small but worse bc of the weaker nose bridge. i add a second nose wire on top to strengthen it but still have issues.

- breatheteq small:

my current daily wear. i looooove how these help prevent against overheating while working a physically demanding shift and waiting for public transit. but, i have the same nose bridge problem as the Wellbefore kn95 pro small where i reshape it after smiling, laughing etc. i also pleat n staple the bottom or else theres a gap at the chin. for these i also add a second nose wire on top but still have issues.

- 3m aura:

i have only one, and wore it at a very long emergency room visit and plan to rewear it for such stays. I noticed immediately that i did not need to reshape the nose bridge at all. I still did frequently because i am now so used to doing it , that its a reflex for me. But, since i was there alone and not talking much, smiling or laughing im not sure if it would perform differently if i was. but even chatting to the nurses and smiling at them, i could tell a difference that i didnt need to shape the nose bridge as much or at all unlike the others. But i dont want to wear this as my daily mask, because i am already awkward enough being ND and I'm not comfortable wearing it in a customer facing position tbh. because its big looking on me (feels like it fits against my skin well tho) and stark white. I dont judge anyone for wearing it, but its uncomfortable to me lookswise, althought wearing it feels very comfortable. Also, i despise head strap only masks. they feel horrible to take on and put off and they are inconvenient.

For all the masks mentioned here except the 3m aura, i put 3m micro foam tape on the sides and bottom edges of the masks. I used to put it across the nose bridge as well (except for the Wellbefore before kn95 pro because that already has foam there), but i have since stopped bc it gets so sweaty and starts sliding down my nose even worse when i talk. The foam on the bottom edges and sides fills any gaps and feels like it stays better.

If anyone has a similar problem to me with the masks i mentioned, what have you done to help, what brands and sizes have worked better for you?

I feel really frustrated about having to reshape the mask and trying to avoid laughing hard or smiling feels horrible!!!!! But maybe thats just how masks are?

I'm not sure if i need to find a different brand, or if i need to up my sizes. I'm hesitant to buy a larger size bc i dont know if itll be too big to wear and I'll have wasted money (I don't have a lot of money). I dont have a mask bloc near me, I've already tried.

I did not do a qualitative fit test yet (i cannot afford to do a quantitative test, and i have no one near me with the machine). Yes i am planning to test, its a long story of why i havent yet. yes i know its important and helpful etc. Until then i want to know what to do about my mask bridge problem because i still have the masks i bought and still need to go out in public and have some protection until then.

I am flying to Europe (Poland) for the first time in early November, and am curious as to the best type of mask to wear in the airports and in the air during my flights to keep the germs to a minimum as Flu and Norovirus season start around that time.

Thank you!

I’m looking to protect myself from COVID etc, as well as silica dust. I would prefer to be protecting the people around me from me, but currently I use a valved Aura most often. I am a sweaty perimenopausal lady, I have big ol progressive lens glasses, and my nose bridge is little but my face is fat.

A ceramics person I follow on socials just started using the Basecamp masks and they look intriguing - safer for protection from silica dust in a pottery studio.

Anyone have experiences to share about Basecamp FFP3s?

It's a pretty common trope that valved N95s are cooler and less humid than non-valved ones. The valved Milwaukee N95 says it is "10 degrees cooler". But are they really? I've done my own testing with in mask probes and gotten varying results. So I was intrigued by this 2012 study, "N95 Filtering Facepiece Respirator Deadspace Temperature and Humidity".

https://stacks.cdc.gov/view/cdc/193328

The study tested matching valved and unvalved mask models from Moldex and 3M. The cup-style 2300 valved and 2200 unvalued Moldex, and the tri-fold 9211 valved and 9210 unvalved 3M Aura N95s. They put a temp/humidity probe in the masks that recorded samples every 20 seconds (a pretty low sampling frequency to my mind since mask temperature varies as you breathe cool air in and hot air out.)

They found no significant difference in humidity between the paired mask models, "The type of FFR had no significant effect on RH"

There was a difference in temperature between the two paired types of masks, "FFR type was significantly associated with temperature over the course of 1 hr". But "significant" is a statistical term. The actual difference in temperature appears to be pretty small on their chart, but the study makes it hard to tell exactly how much.

In mask humidity stabilized after 30 minutes and temperature stabilized after 10 of wear during the testing.

So, why was humidity the same but temp different? Well, one clue may be in amount of moisture captured in the N95 filter media. Both valved and non-valved masks had the same increase in moisture saturation by weight after an hour, "There was no significant difference at 1 hr in mean increases in weight of FFR (0.15 grams ±0.26) and FFR with EV".

When you breathe out of a valved mask, most of the humid, exhaled air goes out through the filter media, not the valve. The filter media traps moisture on the way out, and humidifies incoming air as you breathe in. The exhalation valve doesn't change how you breathe in through a moist mask.

The study does not include the raw numeric data for the mask humidity and temperature readings, but they did include a graph of averages. The graph is awkward and combines two different scales in one chart. So I've modified it slightly to make it a bit more clear.

For humidity, the valved and unvalved Moldex masks represented by the solid and clear circles eventually matched average humidity with each at 60 minutes, with a reading of 89% humidity. The 3M N95s represented by the solid and clear triangles showed what appears to be a consistent 5% difference in average humidity, but the study said no statistical difference. I don't know if that has to do with the standard deviations or maybe their analysis which combined both valved models together and both un-valved models together, apparently without considering them separately in their analysis.

The in mask temperature stabilizes pretty quickly when worn. At the end of an hour, the valved 9211 3M Aura is about 1 degree C cooler than the unvalved Aura. The Valved Moldex 2300 is about a half degree cooler. A pretty small difference.

At this point, I'm not sure what to make of the study. They did a lot of expert statistical testing for significance and said there is none for humidity, but just eyeballing the chart for the 3M Auras seems to indicate a clear and consistent reduced average humidity in the valved 9211 Aura. But not for the Moldex. Did having the Moldex in their combined analysis cause them to miss that? Or is there really no significant difference? .

As with so many mask studies, the conclusions seem to miss the mark a bit by looking at categories of mask rather than individual mask models. Although the chart separates out each model, their analysis combined the each category of masks together, which seems inappropriate for testing that only involved two pair of mask models which may not be enough models to accurately establish a categorical combined trend.

It does seem that valves don't make as much difference in humidity and temperature as I would like, but maybe other models have more significant differences? I'd sure love to see where Milwaukee get their claim that their valved model is 10 degrees cooler. Cooler than what, I'm wondering?

TL;DR: The study found no difference in humidity between the valved and nonvalved masks they tested. They did find a difference in temperature. But their chart shows it is only a single degree or less.

So, what is your experience with valved vs unvalved masks?