I'm a doctor, and wear the head loop masks all day; they fit me way better than the N95s I've tried, which tend to make the bridge of my nose sore in an hour or two, and these fit flat against my face for a pretty good seal where the N95s are harder to get a tight fit. Headloops rather than earloops prevent my ears from getting sore. Comfort is key so you'll actually wear them.
I really think the head loop masks are better protection and more comfortable.
expired
Top Comments
As example, I was at a convention in Las Vegas over the summer which turned out to be a super spreader event. Many people I know got Covid. I was fine by wearing mine the whole time.
Comfortable, breathable, no weird smells out of the box. Thumbs up as this'll give me some discounts to restock up for the months to come.
Join The Conversation
Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!
210 Comments
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Being comfortable to wear is an important aspect of compliance.
Happy Holidays!
If it's 3M making the masks in China, I would at least have some confidence as I can sue their asses off if they messed up. That's the downside of buying from totalitarian regimes: they get away with anything using their sovereignty.
https://www.fda.gov/medical-devices/emergency-use-authorizations-medical-devices/revoked-euas-non-ni... [fda.gov]
Just wear medical grade stuff which you have recourse if the manufacturer screwed up.
Also, to be fair, we can consider these KN95 masks if we had our own testing capability to verify the batch we buy before using it. I'm just not placing my trust on non-collateralized products. If somebody can verify they have product liability insurance in the US, I'd reconsider.
WFH ending soon
Some variant probably on the horizon
The new normal I guess
Booster every so months and masks
I tried to sleep with this original masks while flying on an airplane and other places where masks were required and found that I cannot sleep with one. The problem is my breathing slows and relaxes as I fall asleep. At that point I feel like I can't breath--being suffocated with something over my mouth and nose.
It would be great if the new material provides the same protection while making it easier to breath through them.
Luckily I haven't to had sleep in them.
Maybe one of those one way filter masks?
I think they're not allowed on airplane, unless you cover the exhaust with a handkerchief or gaiter mask.
The reason I scrutinized Powecom more than 3M is solely based on the the fact that there's little potential recourse with Powecom compared to 3M if things went wrong. This is an increased risk factor which could be mitigated by randomly sampling masks bought independently on the market and run independent tests.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
The reason I scrutinized Powecom more than 3M is solely based on the the fact that there's little potential recourse with Powecom compared to 3M if things went wrong. This is an increased risk factor which could be mitigated by randomly sampling masks bought independently on the market and run independent tests.
Powecom's masks were approved by FDA for EUA before that program lapsed. The filtration appears very good in some of the data I looked at at that time, and the fit on my face is good so I think leakage is fairly minimal with the head loops.
In terms of "recourse," there's no way to prove if use of a certain mask led to getting COVID.
Sent my old friend a PM, we'll see if his lab is still doing the tests.
I tried to sleep with this original masks while flying on an airplane and other places where masks were required and found that I cannot sleep with one. The problem is my breathing slows and relaxes as I fall asleep. At that point I feel like I can't breath--being suffocated with something over my mouth and nose.
It would be great if the new material provides the same protection while making it easier to breath through them.
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
Bought a pack of the 3M KN95s and the 3M 8210 style respirators as well, but those are just not as comfortable and would leave me with a red welt on my nose if I'd wear them for more than an hour or so.
Lots of folks here recommending the headband style and maybe I just got a weird couple of batches or something, but when I tried them, they just didn't fit right and would fold over in a weird spot and end up rubbing up against my lips the whole time. From the side, it kind of looked like I had a fish face lol
Instead, I use the ear loop ones and when I wear them for longer, I attach one of those velcro ear saver things. I got a 5 pack on Amazon for like $5 I think and for me, it's the best solution. It also pulls the mask a bit tighter against your face until the elastic starts to loosen up, which is when I'll swap for a new mask.
I've been careful, but I've also had to travel a bunch of times due to work and family situations and (knock on wood) I've never gotten covid. My wife also uses these exclusively and has never been sick. Even though she has a smaller head/face than me, she also had the weird issue with the headband style folding over, so she uses the ear loop ones as well.
Join The Conversation
Share your experience with the Slickdeals community
Share information with the community. Please follow our Community Guidelines and be kind!