Ministry of Supply mask review!

[Not_a_Number]

Hey all, 

We've been looking to upgrade our masks now that local cases are going up, and have ordered a variety of stuff to try out. We haven't gotten the Happy Masks yet, so I'll review those when we get them... but DH ordered these, and I'm really impressed: 

https://www.ministryofsupply.com/products/3d-print-knit-mask-kit

This is the first commercial mask I've tried that really feels like it's sealing in the air. Like, it just kind of sticks to your face, and there's no air coming out of any gaps as you breathe -- everything is going through the mask. I haven't been able to get that kind of fit on any N95 or KN95 I've tried so far, so we're going to start using these day to day. They are also really comfy and don't pull on the ears.

Let me know if you try one! They are made by a cool clothing start up founded by MIT students, I think 🙂 . 

Edited December 12, 2020 by Not_a_Number

[MEmama]

Those look fantastic! I just bought Happy Masks for our stockings, but if those don’t work for us I’ll definitely try these.
 

I’m especially on the lookout for something DS can wear while skiing competitively this winter, something that can withstand lots of heavy breathing in the cold and not impede airflow. Probably a big ask, but if anyone can do it, it’s MIT students! Lol

[Not_a_Number]

Just now, MEmama said:

Those look fantastic! I just bought Happy Masks for our stockings, but if those don’t work for us I’ll definitely try these.
 

I’m especially on the lookout for something DS can wear while skiing competitively this winter, something that can withstand lots of heavy breathing in the cold and not impede airflow. Probably a big ask, but if anyone can do it, it’s MIT students! Lol

Hah, I don't know if these will do that, but they are at least warm 😛 . 

[Amethyst]

These have been great. I can't imagine getting a mask without adjustable ear loops after wearing these.

[MEmama]

For “casual” use, like walking around the neighborhood (even if no one is around we still need to mask here), I like ours from https://www.bocogear.com/. I found them light and not over hot in the summer. 
 

I just got a free mask from Athleta and wore it on a walk this morning. I found it did a nice job of not “sucking in” while I was breathing and I liked the way it felt on my skin. It wasn’t “breath proof” though. I’m hoping the Happy Masks will provide a tighter seal for public use (grocery store, etc). 

[Not_a_Number]

3 minutes ago, MEmama said:

For “casual” use, like walking around the neighborhood (even if no one is around we still need to mask here), I like ours from https://www.bocogear.com/. I found them light and not over hot in the summer. 
 

I just got a free mask from Athleta and wore it on a walk this morning. I found it did a nice job of not “sucking in” while I was breathing and I liked the way it felt on my skin. It wasn’t “breath proof” though. I’m hoping the Happy Masks will provide a tighter seal for public use (grocery store, etc). 

See, I'd rather it "suck in" than have air escape out the side. If it sucks in, that suggests a tighter seal to me. 

[rebcoola]

We have a lots of masks.  I wear the castle grade when I'm going to somewhere risky.  It's ugly but definitely feels sealed and safer.  I wear another mask over it often to look nicer.

https://castlegrade.com/

[MEmama]

20 minutes ago, rebcoola said:

We have a lots of masks.  I wear the castle grade when I'm going to somewhere risky.  It's ugly but definitely feels sealed and safer.  I wear another mask over it often to look nicer.

https://castlegrade.com/

I’ve never seen one like that! 
I'd probably put something pretty on top too. 😂 But it seems hard core..👍

[rebcoola]

Someone posted it on here.  I got when the happy masks were really backed up. 

15 minutes ago, MEmama said:

I’ve never seen one like that! 
I'd probably put something pretty on top too. 😂 But it seems hard core..👍

It does seem hardcore.  My kids call it my Hannibal mask.I only use it if I'm going to be inside somewhere for awhile.  

[Not_a_Number]

16 minutes ago, rebcoola said:

Someone posted it on here.  I got when the happy masks were really backed up. 

It does seem hardcore.  My kids call it my Hannibal mask.I only use it if I'm going to be inside somewhere for awhile.  

It looks FIERCE 😄. 

Hmmm, perhaps if I wear something like this, people will stay away from me! Win-win... 

[Corraleno]

2 hours ago, Not_a_Number said:

See, I'd rather it "suck in" than have air escape out the side. If it sucks in, that suggests a tighter seal to me. 

Yeah, this is exactly what I like about my Happy Mask — when I breathe in, I can feel it suck tight against the sides of my face, but because it's structured it doesn't collapse against my nose and mouth like most fabric masks do. 

[Corraleno]

56 minutes ago, rebcoola said:

We have a lots of masks.  I wear the castle grade when I'm going to somewhere risky.  It's ugly but definitely feels sealed and safer.  I wear another mask over it often to look nicer.

https://castlegrade.com/

Does the bottom of the mask go under your chin or on top? In the photos on the website it looks like the guy is wearing it so the bottom of the mask sits on his chin just below his mouth — which I guess would work fine in terms if filtration, I'm just wondering if it would be uncomfortable.

[Not_a_Number]

2 minutes ago, Corraleno said:

Yeah, this is exactly what I like about my Happy Mask — when I breathe in, I can feel it suck tight against the sides of my face, but because it's structured it doesn't collapse against my nose and mouth like most fabric masks do. 

I've actually now tried the mask in the review above with the filter in, and it moves a lot less than without the filter. So it's still a tight seal, but it doesn't move as much. 

[MEmama]

I don’t mind the lightweight masks for my typical use, which is walking outside with no one around. But I am starting to feel the pressure of wearing something hardcore for the few trips I have to take in actual public (Target pharmacy, etc). Those trips are rare though, and fast.

DS is the only one of us that spends any time around other people, running and skiing with friends/teammates. They do mask and of course they are outside and somewhat distanced, but they chat and so forth too. And breathe all over each other, it’s unavoidable. So I definitely want something more hardcore for him. Also so his glasses don’t fog up—he had a hard time skiing in his mask today because he couldn’t see. 
 

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, MEmama said:

I don’t mind the lightweight masks for my typical use, which is walking outside with no one around. But I am starting to feel the pressure of wearing something hardcore for the few trips I have to take in actual public (Target pharmacy, etc). Those trips are rare though, and fast.

DS is the only one of us that spends any time around other people, running and skiing with friends/teammates. They do mask and of course they are outside and somewhat distanced, but they chat and so forth too. And breathe all over each other, it’s unavoidable. So I definitely want something more hardcore for him. Also so his glasses don’t fog up—he had a hard time skiing in his mask today because he couldn’t see. 
 

I'd guess the mask I got wouldn't have glasses fog up -- it really does seal on top. When I get the Happy Masks, I'll compare. 

[Corraleno]

42 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

I've actually now tried the mask in the review above with the filter in, and it moves a lot less than without the filter. So it's still a tight seal, but it doesn't move as much. 

I just ordered one — if it fits as well as my Happy Mask but is more comfortable on my ears for long trips, it will be useful in case I have to fly somewhere (my dad is currently in the hospital and not doing well, so that is a possibility no matter how much I would prefer not to fly right now). When I flew with DS in August (to go back to college), I wore my Happy Mask for 11 hours straight, from the time we left the house in the shuttle until the moment we walked into his apartment 11 hours later, and my ears felt like they were going to fall off! It's totally fine for few hours of errands or something, but having those elastics pulling on my ears for 11 hours straight was painful.

When you get your Happy Mask, if you find that the sides gap, I've been able to get a really snug fit by tying an extra knot in the elastics close to the mask. And I moved the ear piece adjuster so it goes behind my earlobe instead of pressing against the cartilage higher up. That made the mask much better fitting and more comfortable.

 

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, Corraleno said:

I just ordered one — if it fits as well as my Happy Mask but is more comfortable on my ears for long trips, it will be useful in case I have to fly somewhere (my dad is currently in the hospital and not doing well, so that is a possibility no matter how much I would prefer not to fly right now). When I flew with DS in August (to go back to college), I wore my Happy Mask for 11 hours straight, from the time we left the house in the shuttle until the moment we walked into his apartment 11 hours later, and my ears felt like they were going to fall off! It's totally fine for few hours of errands or something, but having those elastics pulling on my ears for 11 hours straight was painful.

Let me know how they compare when you get it!! I'm curious how others like it. 

[rebcoola]

1 hour ago, Corraleno said:

Does the bottom of the mask go under your chin or on top? In the photos on the website it looks like the guy is wearing it so the bottom of the mask sits on his chin just below his mouth — which I guess would work fine in terms if filtration, I'm just wondering if it would be uncomfortable.

It sits on the chin but it's quite comfortable. It feels like one of those mask frames.   The head straps are what bother me and why I only wear it longer times because it take me awhile to get them adjusted comfortably.

  I just ordered the ear straps to try.

[Porridge]

We might one from Outdoor Research and are buying one from Honeywell to try. 

[Corraleno]

11 minutes ago, kand said:

Have you tried an ear saver strap of some kind to keep it off your ears?

I haven't tried that yet, but I was looking at them on Amazon yesterday when DD was complaining that her ears hurt after an 8 hr shift at work. If the mask I just ordered doesn't work out, I'll try an ear saver strap — I might even try to knit or crochet some with buttons.

 

Edited December 7, 2020 by Corraleno

[Pippen]

13 hours ago, Corraleno said:

Yeah, this is exactly what I like about my Happy Mask — when I breathe in, I can feel it suck tight against the sides of my face, but because it's structured it doesn't collapse against my nose and mouth like most fabric masks do. 

Happy masks just don't fit me well. I was disappointed because I like the breathability.

[Porridge]

This is the one from Honeywell. OUrs haven't arrived yet, so I can't comment further.

https://ppe.honeywell.com/collections/face-covers

And this is from their website:

"The Honeywell Dual-Layer Face Cover together with its filter block ≥ 97% of 3.0-micron-sized particles (BFE) and 0.1-micron-sized particles (PFE)."

 

[Not_a_Number]

@wathe -- this one! It's certainly not an N99, but I was really impressed with how well it sealed the air in. 

[wathe]

5 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

@wathe -- this one! It's certainly not an N99, but I was really impressed with how well it sealed the air in. 

It looks very nice indeed.

[Not_a_Number]

Just now, wathe said:

It looks very nice indeed.

It's the first commercial-made mask I can thoroughly recommend. Everything else I've tried had serious gaps. This one genuinely seals in air, even with just the ear loops (which don't pull.) 

I haven't tried the much-discussed Happy Masks, though 😄 . But we did choose to have my sister fly with this one and not with the N95s we bought her, because this one really didn't seem to leak out the sides -- all the air went through the mask. 

[easypeasy]

These are my personal favorites: https://www.shopwayre.com/collections/all/products/adult-high-tech-washable-mask?variant=33529648087099

They're suuuuper lightweight, can be contoured to not be right on top of my mouth, and the nose wire is great - it's long so I can smooth it across my cheekbones, which is nice. I do replace the ear elastic because I have some at home that I like better and I add ear adjusters (the Wayre masks come with open-ended elastic and you are supposed to tie knots to make them fit your face perfectly). All of mine are light gray, but they have white and black as well.

Quote

 

our mask

0.075 μm filtering and 99.9% effective protection, full coverage cloth mask. wayre High Tech masks are highly functional, highly filtering masks. Made from a 5 layer technology with water repellency & n-PTFE nano-microporous film to physically filter out viruses & bacteria from the air, protecting from droplet transmission.

Our masks have a flexible iron bar to adjust nose fit & customizable elastic ear band. They provide full coverage and are PM2.5 filtering with 99.9% effective protection. 

If properly cared for, our masks can be washed at least 20 times while still maintaining the 99%+ filtering effect of the nano-membrane. We recommend each person has 3 masks on hand (one to wear, one on deck & one to wash) to minimize the need for replacements. 

Our masks are made in a sustainable & ethical factory that pays living and fair wages. The fabric layers of the mask are STANDARD 100 by OEKO-TEX® certified. 

 

 

Edited December 10, 2020 by easypeasy

[MEmama]

I ordered Happy Masks for our stockings and they came today. I tried one on, hoping against hope that my glasses wouldn’t fog, but even in the warm house I had no such luck. I’m *so* disappointed to have just spent $70 on a product that was “supposed” to be superior.

One of the primary purposes was for outdoor exercise, but these are just as leaky as all the other masks we have. Poor DS can’t see at all during ski practice, I have no idea how he’s going to compete with fogged up glasses. I was so hopeful! 😞 

He's also tried the much touted Under Armour masks and those don’t help either. I would think that the more “serious” masks wouldn’t let so much air out! 
 

Oh, and I didn’t see that the Happy Masks can't go in the wash! Gah!! Yeah, I do not for a minute think that rinsing in cold water is going to remove virus, lip balm and sweat. Just gross. 😞 

Edited December 12, 2020 by MEmama

[Not_a_Number]

9 minutes ago, MEmama said:

I ordered Happy Masks for our stockings and they came today. I tried one on, hoping against hope that my glasses wouldn’t fog, but even in the warm house I had no such luck. I’m *so* disappointed to have just spent $70 on a product that was “supposed” to be superior.

One of the primary purposes was for outdoor exercise, but these are just as leaky as all the other masks we have. Poor DS can’t see at all during ski practice, I have no idea how he’s going to compete with fogged up glasses. I was so hopeful! 😞 

He's also tried the much touted Under Armour masks and those don’t help either. I would think that the more “serious” masks wouldn’t let so much air out! 
 

Oh, and I didn’t see that the Happy Masks can't go in the wash! Gah!! Yeah, I do not for a minute think that rinsing in cold water is going to remove virus, lip balm and sweat. Just gross. 😞 

Ooooh. Disappointing. 

You're going to start thinking that I have a commission from Ministry of Supply, but you really have to try the mask I linked above. Here, I'll post a picture of me with it on. You can SEE how well it seals in air. 

Edited December 12, 2020 by Not_a_Number

[Not_a_Number]

Look, mommy, no air leaks 😄 

 

 

Edited December 12, 2020 by Not_a_Number

[Not_a_Number]

The above is probably the world's worst picture of me, but I tried to take it from the angle that shows that it doesn't allow air out the top. 

[MEmama]

Yeah that does look good! Thanks.

I wish I’d held off until I saw your review. Idk if I can justify buying 3 more masks right now, but I don’t see how the Happy Masks will be useful...ugh.

[MEmama]

1 minute ago, Not_a_Number said:

The above is probably the world's worst picture of me, but I tried to take it from the angle that shows that it doesn't allow air out the top. 

Ha ha— you must take great photos then! 🙂 

[Not_a_Number]

1 minute ago, MEmama said:

Yeah that does look good! Thanks.

I wish I’d held off until I saw your review. Idk if I can justify buying 3 more masks right now, but I don’t see how the Happy Masks will be useful...ugh.

Maybe just buy ONE more to see if you like it? They are also a knit material and rather warm -- I was wearing them out in scarf and hat weather, as you can see, and they were nice for that. They are machine washable (hot water, at that), and you lay them flat to dry. They do require buying filters if you want the best performance, though, so they aren't exactly cheap at the end of the day... we're planning to use ours when we really need protection and to use our normal surgical masks the rest of the time. 

Oh, DH showed me this: 

 

[MEmama]

3 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

Maybe just buy ONE more to see if you like it? They are also a knit material and rather warm -- I was wearing them out in scarf and hat weather, as you can see, and they were nice for that. They are machine washable (hot water, at that), and you lay them flat to dry. They do require buying filters if you want the best performance, though, so they aren't exactly cheap at the end of the day... we're planning to use ours when we really need protection and to use our normal surgical masks the rest of the time. 

 

Yeah, I might have to. I don’t think I’ll even bother with the ones I just bought. 😞 

Even if it didn’t leak so badly the fact that they can’t get washed seriously grosses me out. I am so mad at myself for not seeing that mentioned anywhere. 

[klmama]

28 minutes ago, MEmama said:

I didn’t see that the Happy Masks can't go in the wash! Gah!! Yeah, I do not for a minute think that rinsing in cold water is going to remove virus, lip balm and sweat. Just gross. 😞 

I wash ours by hand with Dawn.  The Dawn breaks down the lipid layer of viruses, as well as oils/sweat.  A quick rinse probably won't cut it, but soaking it seems to work just fine.  I've used an extra dab of dish detergent and rubbed it with a toothbrush to remove lip gloss stains.  It hasn't seemed to affect anything.  

 

[Not_a_Number]

5 minutes ago, MEmama said:

Yeah, I might have to. I don’t think I’ll even bother with the ones I just bought. 😞 

Even if it didn’t leak so badly the fact that they can’t get washed seriously grosses me out. I am so mad at myself for not seeing that mentioned anywhere. 

So... they can't go in the washing machine AT ALL? I didn't realize this, either. Sigh. 

I think I prefer the "machine washable outside, insert filters inside" model. 

[AmandaVT]

32 minutes ago, MEmama said:

I ordered Happy Masks for our stockings and they came today. I tried one on, hoping against hope that my glasses wouldn’t fog, but even in the warm house I had no such luck. I’m *so* disappointed to have just spent $70 on a product that was “supposed” to be superior.

One of the primary purposes was for outdoor exercise, but these are just as leaky as all the other masks we have. Poor DS can’t see at all during ski practice, I have no idea how he’s going to compete with fogged up glasses. I was so hopeful! 😞 

He's also tried the much touted Under Armour masks and those don’t help either. I would think that the more “serious” masks wouldn’t let so much air out! 
 

Oh, and I didn’t see that the Happy Masks can't go in the wash! Gah!! Yeah, I do not for a minute think that rinsing in cold water is going to remove virus, lip balm and sweat. Just gross. 😞 

I soak in detergent and water and squish it around in there. Then rinse and air dry. I have to wear for 8 hrs straight and (tmi) they are a bit gross  smelling by the end of the day. After the handwash/soak, they smell fine again. I squeeze the nose thingie tight over my nose and my glasses don't fog. 

I'm going to check out ministry of supply too @Not_a_Number - those look awesome!

 

 

[Not_a_Number]

21 minutes ago, AmandaVT said:

I'm going to check out ministry of supply too @Not_a_Number - those look awesome!

Please review them if you get them! I'm curious how they work for other people 😄 .

[MEmama]

21 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

So... they can't go in the washing machine AT ALL? I didn't realize this, either. Sigh. 

I think I prefer the "machine washable outside, insert filters inside" model. 

Nope, hand wash only. 😞

I definitely wouldn’t have bought them had I known (my fault for not reading carefully, hand washing is mentioned on their site).

[MEmama]

1 minute ago, Not_a_Number said:

Please review them if you get them! I'm curious how they work for other people 😄 .

Me too! 🙂 

[AmandaVT]

7 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

Please review them if you get them! I'm curious how they work for other people 😄 .

I'm going for it - what size did you get and did you get a filter? 

[Not_a_Number]

2 minutes ago, AmandaVT said:

I'm going for it - what size did you get and did you get a filter? 

I think we got mediums, and they come with 10 filters. We haven't had to buy more yet, since we haven't taken them on that many spins yet 🙂 . 

We haven't bought ones for the kids yet, although we plan to try the smaller size for them. 

Edited December 12, 2020 by Not_a_Number

[Corraleno]

1 hour ago, MEmama said:

I ordered Happy Masks for our stockings and they came today. I tried one on, hoping against hope that my glasses wouldn’t fog, but even in the warm house I had no such luck. I’m *so* disappointed to have just spent $70 on a product that was “supposed” to be superior.

One of the primary purposes was for outdoor exercise, but these are just as leaky as all the other masks we have. Poor DS can’t see at all during ski practice, I have no idea how he’s going to compete with fogged up glasses. I was so hopeful! 😞 

He's also tried the much touted Under Armour masks and those don’t help either. I would think that the more “serious” masks wouldn’t let so much air out! 
 

Oh, and I didn’t see that the Happy Masks can't go in the wash! Gah!! Yeah, I do not for a minute think that rinsing in cold water is going to remove virus, lip balm and sweat. Just gross. 😞 

The washing instructions are to soak in water with a bit of detergent and then rinse and air dry, which is what DS and I do, and so far it has worked fine (and he is a very sweaty athlete).

I found that pinching the metal nose strip tightly and tying a knot in the elastic, like this photo that Not-a-number posted, gave me a much tighter fit and solved the fogging issue with my Happy Mask:

[AmandaVT]

28 minutes ago, Not_a_Number said:

I think we got mediums, and they come with 10 filters. We haven't had to buy more yet, since we haven't taken them on that many spins yet 🙂 . 

We haven't bought ones for the kids yet, although we plan to try the smaller size for them. 

Thank you - ordered, and they gave me $15 off for being a new customer which was handy!

[wathe]

@Not_a_Numberif this is too far off topic, let me know, and I will move it.  Since there has been discussion of Happy Masks on this current thread, I thought this would be a good place to post this.

Happy Masks finally got back to me (I emailed a question 7/12, they sent me junk mail in response, I sent a follow up email yesterday, and got a response this morning).  I'll post this in the Masking Outside thread too.

The centre seam is welded, not sewn (excerpt from email follows):

"The middle seam in our filter is attached through a fabric welding process, which uses heat and pressure to join the two pieces of fabric. This creates a very strong bond that prevents any leaks or breaks in our final mask."

 

The filters have been lab tested, but the finished masks have not:

 

"Nelson Labs is one of the most well-established and credible 3rd party testers of non-medical masks, and they require all testing be done on the filter, and not the mask itself. The reason for this is that no non-medical mask can guarantee any percentage of filtration when worn, since so much of that depends on the fit of the mask on the face. But what can be very definitive and black and white is the filtration of the filter itself." (bolding mine)

 

As an aside, I noted that on the HM website, they quote "surgical mask" filtration at "60-80%".  I note that Nelson labs states that American medical mask standards require >95% BFE and PFE for level 1 medical masks, and >98% BFE and PFE for level 2 medical masks.  (The term "surgical mask" has a PPE definition (subset of medical masks) and a surgical mask has to meet the above-mentioned standards to be labelled for sale as such.  Canadian standards are similar)).  I asked HM to explain the discrepancy.   When they use the term "surgical mask", they actually mean surgical-style non-medical mask, not an actual surgical mask.  Apples to oranges.  I find that a bit disingenuous and frankly, misleading.  If they mean non-medical surgical-style masks, then I think they should be precise with their terminology in their marketing.  (Of course I know people use the term surgical mask colloquially to mean surgical-style non-medical mask.  I still think HM's comparison is sloppy and misleading):

 

"Most surgical masks that customers are wearing are non-medical surgical masks, and are percentages are based on that. The range for surgical mask filtration is quite high - but within the category of surgical masks, there are many grades, with most sold to non-medical personnel being "non-medical" which have a lower standard of filtration that we have shown in our chart."

[Not_a_Number]

2 minutes ago, wathe said:

@Not_a_Numberif this is too far off topic, let me know, and I will move it.  Since there has been discussion of Happy Masks on this current thread, I thought this would be a good place to post this.

Yes, I'm happy to have the review here! 

 

2 minutes ago, wathe said:

"Nelson Labs is one of the most well-established and credible 3rd party testers of non-medical masks, and they require all testing be done on the filter, and not the mask itself. The reason for this is that no non-medical mask can guarantee any percentage of filtration when worn, since so much of that depends on the fit of the mask on the face. But what can be very definitive and black and white is the filtration of the filter itself." (bolding mine)

Oh, interesting -- I think the Ministry of Supply masks also use Nelson Lab filters, except they are removable. 

But yes, I've wondered about what the point of all these ratings is when the vast majority of the virus particles are going to come through the top and the sides... 

[wathe]

1 minute ago, Not_a_Number said:

Yes, I'm happy to have the review here! 

 

Oh, interesting -- I think the Ministry of Supply masks also use Nelson Lab filters, except they are removable. 

But yes, I've wondered about what the point of all these ratings is when the vast majority of the virus particles are going to come through the top and the sides... 

Exactly.  Just about any decently constructed, well-fitting mask is going to be better than a poorly-fitting mask, no matter how awesome the filter.  But, marketing.

[Not_a_Number]

3 minutes ago, wathe said:

Exactly.  Just about any decently constructed, well-fitting mask is going to be better than a poorly-fitting mask, no matter how awesome the filter.  But, marketing.

I've actually wondered about this, though. When I looked at videos of how much comes out of the front of a mask, I do remember feeling that surgical-style masks let out a lot fewer particles out the front than even well-fitting cloth masks -- that's why we started wearing the disposable masks, even though I actually found that our cloth masks that tied in the back were tighter and felt like they had a tighter seal. 

[wathe]

45 minutes ago, kand said:

Thank you for sharing this information back, as I have been interested to know the details. I have found all the focus on N95 filtration over fit to be a little frustrating. Obviously, N95 with a great fit is the ideal, but a well sealed mask is going to be more effective than a high filtration mask with gaps. 

Yes, it is frustrating.  That, and the tendency to conflate N95 standards with filtration only.  N95 is a respirator standard, as in a standard for the whole device, and involves more than just filtration.  The standard also specifies head-straps with a particular strength, adjustable nasal splints, flow rate, inhalation/exhalation resistance etc.  There is no such thing as an  N95 filter or a N95 fabric, for example.   (venting here a little, not talking at you, kand)

Edited December 13, 2020 by wathe

[maize]

I use disposable masks plus a strip of fashion tape if the nose fit isn't tight; works well for my 8 year old.

Not the type of tape I have but similar:

https://smile.amazon.com/Fashion-Clothing-Tape-Double-Sided/dp/B088F8V97M/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=fashion+tape&qid=1607830231&sprefix=fashion+tape&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExUEdYRjJSWE44OVVCJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwODI4NjI2MUoxVjJGOFkzTk05SSZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwMzc5NjQ4UzE1QVlKUUczRTNVJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfcGhvbmVfc2VhcmNoX2F0ZiZhY3Rpb249Y2xpY2tSZWRpcmVjdCZkb05vdExvZ0NsaWNrPXRydWU=