Latest and best mask tips? Double masking? N95?

[Laura Corin]

Sorry to bring this up again - any latest research?

My place of work (university) is not requiring vaccinations and will have limited distancing in teaching areas, but masks are compulsory indoors.  I currently wear tight-weave well-fitting double-layer cotton masks in shops and an N95 to visit my mum at her care home.

Is double-masking (surgical plus cloth) the best/most comfortable?  My N95s fit well and are comfortable - should I go with that?

[ktgrok]

If your N95 fits well and is comfortable, I'd do that. 

The issue with double masking is that if it is too hard for air to get through you will get more leaking out the sides. 

[Matryoshka]

Still loving my Happy Masks- N99,  fit well, and much more comfy than cloth plus surgical, and a better filter is sewn right in.

I'm not sure why they keep harping on double masking vs wearing well fitting masks with N95+ filters (disposable or not).

[ktgrok]

2 hours ago, Matryoshka said:

Still loving my Happy Masks- N99,  fit well, and much more comfy than cloth plus surgical, and a better filter is sewn right in.

I'm not sure why they keep harping on double masking vs wearing well fitting masks with N95+ filters (disposable or not).

When you have to mask all day, every day, at work, a disposable one is better for your skin. My DS was having a lot of acne and irritation until he switched to a clean surgical mask daily, sometimes twice a day if it is a long day. So if you are wanting a clean mask each time a surgical one is way cheaper than an N95. But surgical masks don't fit well, so putting a cloth one over it helps the fit. 

But if you are just using them for doctor visits, grocery store, etc then wearing an N95 or Happy Mask type makes sense.

 

[Matryoshka]

33 minutes ago, ktgrok said:

When you have to mask all day, every day, at work, a disposable one is better for your skin. My DS was having a lot of acne and irritation until he switched to a clean surgical mask daily, sometimes twice a day if it is a long day. So if you are wanting a clean mask each time a surgical one is way cheaper than an N95. But surgical masks don't fit well, so putting a cloth one over it helps the fit. 

But if you are just using them for doctor visits, grocery store, etc then wearing an N95 or Happy Mask type makes sense.

 

Yeah, I'm not using them all day.  Although the HMs are washable, lightweight, and have wicking fabric, so if you washed them every day and swapped them out, I still think they could be a good choice.  That's what dh did when we had to work at a skating competition - they were 8+ hours all day in the rink, and he rotated through the masks, washing after each long day, so every day he was putting on a fresh one.

[Pawz4me]

DS22 is the only one here who has to mask all day five days a week. He's had no skin problems at all from the cloth masks he's used. Mostly he uses these. I have no idea how protective they are, but he can wear them comfortably, doesn't feel like he has to constantly adjust, etc. I've got an Enro mask on order which (I think) will be more protective and hopefully will be as comfortable. If he likes it I'll order him some more. We have some surgical masks but I can't wear them very long w/o facial irritation. They're fairly rough on the inside, but I'm guessing others are better.

[ktgrok]

31 minutes ago, Matryoshka said:

Yeah, I'm not using them all day.  Although the HMs are washable, lightweight, and have wicking fabric, so if you washed them every day and swapped them out, I still think they could be a good choice.  That's what dh did when we had to work at a skating competition - they were 8+ hours all day in the rink, and he rotated through the masks, washing after each long day, so every day he was putting on a fresh one.

I think there is also a cost factor, a box of surgical masks is cheap. 

Especially if you are my DS22 and work provides them . 

Now that he's had Covid AND been vaccinated, he probably will wear just a surgical anyway, since he should be immune for the next 90 days at least. 🙂

Edited August 5, 2021 by ktgrok

[KSera]

I could sing my KF94 song again 😂. If you have enough N95s though, and they fit and you’re comfortable, I’d do those. I just bought some myself, now that we can get them again, but I’m mostly wearing KF94. They fit all of us really well, are highly protective, are easy to breathe in, and are easy to get. 

My new N95s are pretty impressive, though (3M Aura 9205). The nose seal is so tight that the first time I pinched it down over my nose, it cut off my airway and I couldn’t breathe through my nose at all 😂. I definitely have found boat shaped masks to fit best for everyone here, snd we have a wide range of face shapes.

For Happy Masks, you do have to pay attention to how much they’ve been washed, since they lose filter efficiency with washing. 

[Syllieann]

11 minutes ago, KSera said:

I could sing my KF94 song again 😂. If you have enough N95s though, and they fit and you’re comfortable, I’d do those. I just bought some myself, now that we can get them again, but I’m mostly wearing KF94. They fit all of us really well, are highly protective, are easy to breathe in, and are easy to get. 

My new N95s are pretty impressive, though (3M Aura 9205). The nose seal is so tight that the first time I pinched it down over my nose, it cut off my airway and I couldn’t breathe through my nose at all 😂. I definitely have found boat shaped masks to fit best for everyone here, snd we have a wide range of face shapes.

For Happy Masks, you do have to pay attention to how much they’ve been washed, since they lose filter efficiency with washing. 

Where are you buying your KF94s?  I want some for my small 8 yo.  Is Dr Puri a good choice?

[Lanny]

Possibly this recent article will be of interest:

https://www.foxnews.com/health/which-masks-protect-delta-covid-19-variant

[KSera]

7 minutes ago, Syllieann said:

Where are you buying your KF94s?  I want some for my small 8 yo.  Is Dr Puri a good choice?

I usually use BeHealthyUSA.net though if yiu refer to this chart, it lists a couple other reputable places. I just can’t remember the URLs for those ones off the top of my head. You can see the data for Dr. Puri on that chart. It looks pretty good, over 95%, but that’s lower than many of the other KF94s. It also looks like it may not fit as well because it required doing some thing special in order to get better numbers: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1M0mdNLpTWEGcluK6hh5LjjcFixwmOG853Ff45d3O-L0/edit

 

For kids masks, I like the Bluna Facefit small or the Posh kids (The Posh fits smaller faces better. An 8 year old should be able to wear either.). The BOTN kids mask is very nice, but it’s a little more fragile where the ear loop adjuster is, in my opinion. Whatever you get, I recommend you get one that either has adjustable ear loops (all the ones I mentioned do) or you get some ear loop adjusters. It’s rare for the masks to fit snug without making the ear loops tighter. Of course, tight enough ear loops means you might want to get ear savers if your child will be wearing it for a long time. Mine are fine in them for the amount of time they wear a mask, but if they were going to school, I’d use their ear savers.

[prairiewindmomma]

N95 will offer the best filtration. We are choosing to let our low risk vaccinated family members double mask cloth + surgical. It’s more comfortable for them, and we can burn through a box of surgical masks pretty quickly with 4 family members out and about. They burn through 2 a day each as they replace at lunch time. (The surgical gets damp with exhalation after four hours and we are postulating that the electrostatic spun poly layer will be less effective when damp.)

I am out only in a N95 or a KF mask.

It’s fairly clear from what aerosol studies are out that even a well fitting double layer cotton mask alone is not sufficient for good protection.
 

 

[Tree Frog]

Can anyone explain what the different letters in front of 94, 95, and 99 mean? I see mentioned in this thread a K95, KF 94, and N 99. I have KN95 masks that I've purchased from HEB. Are the KN95 as good as the others mentioned?

I ask because one of dh's guys tested positive early this week and another man's wife tested positive yesterday. My dd with whom I spent last weekend is currently quarantining while she waits for test results. Right now, dh can't work from home. He has to go in and I'd like him to be as safe as possible. (He also is a larger man with a beard and mustache. If you have suggestions for bigger masks, I'm all ears!) 

[Laura Corin]

Shipping for Happy Masks and Enro is prohibitive.  I'm looking at Cambridge,  which has good certification. Before I invest I'll try double masking. Thanks!

https://cambridgemask.com/products/the-admiral-non-valve

[wathe]

You need the perfect balance of fit, filtration and comfort.

n95 have great filtration, but often too uncomfortable to wear properly for very long

pleated disposable ear loop masks have great filtration and comfort, but sloppy fit

Cloth masks are comfy, can have great fit, but filtration seems to be poor 

A really good and inexpensive solution is  p disposable pleated earloop mask under well fitting cloth mask.  Disposable mask provides the filtration, cloth mask fixes the fit, and the combination is comfortable enough to wear properly

 

 

[kbutton]

3 hours ago, KSera said:

I usually use BeHealthyUSA.net though if yiu refer to this chart, it lists a couple other reputable places. I just can’t remember the URLs for those ones off the top of my head. You can see the data for Dr. Puri on that chart. It looks pretty good, over 95%, but that’s lower than many of the other KF94s. It also looks like it may not fit as well because it required doing some thing special in order to get better numbers: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1M0mdNLpTWEGcluK6hh5LjjcFixwmOG853Ff45d3O-L0/edit

 

For kids masks, I like the Bluna Facefit small or the Posh kids (The Posh fits smaller faces better. An 8 year old should be able to wear either.). The BOTN kids mask is very nice, but it’s a little more fragile where the ear loop adjuster is, in my opinion. Whatever you get, I recommend you get one that either has adjustable ear loops (all the ones I mentioned do) or you get some ear loop adjusters. It’s rare for the masks to fit snug without making the ear loops tighter. Of course, tight enough ear loops means you might want to get ear savers if your child will be wearing it for a long time. Mine are fine in them for the amount of time they wear a mask, but if they were going to school, I’d use their ear savers.

I have an 8th grader with a small, narrow chin. He wears a medium in Happy Mask and couldn't go smaller, but the fit around the chin is questionable. He loses his Happy Mask a lot, so we are thinking of KN94s to have good backups, but I am unsure about sizing. Regular surgical masks fit him better if he twists the earloops, which he doesn't mind at all. Sometimes he doubles up surgical masks, and we might just do that if we're not sure about fit.

Any suggestions on size or specific masks? I am browsing the site you listed here.

[KSera]

2 hours ago, wilrunner said:

Can anyone explain what the different letters in front of 94, 95, and 99 mean? I see mentioned in this thread a K95, KF 94, and N 99. I have KN95 masks that I've purchased from HEB. Are the KN95 as good as the others mentioned?

I ask because one of dh's guys tested positive early this week and another man's wife tested positive yesterday. My dd with whom I spent last weekend is currently quarantining while she waits for test results. Right now, dh can't work from home. He has to go in and I'd like him to be as safe as possible. (He also is a larger man with a beard and mustache. If you have suggestions for bigger masks, I'm all ears!) 

KF is a Korean standard, KN Chinese, and N US. They all are good if they are authentic, with the KN95s having the issue of a lot of conterfetis. The numbers are the filtration level they have to meet to meet the standard, but in testing, they are all very similar (many in the 99% range), except the N100 do meet a higher standard, but are also harder to breathe in.

For your husband, I hate to say this, but the truth is that it's not possible to get a good seal with a beard. A moustache fits inside the mask and doesn't interfere, and there are some other facial hair styles that can work (like a soul patch, lol), but anything that means the mask is passing over facial hair means air is going to be passing through there. For big masks, the BOTN size large and the AirWAsher LG are both supposed to work well for large faces. I hope all of you stay healthy!

33 minutes ago, kbutton said:

I have an 8th grader with a small, narrow chin. He wears a medium in Happy Mask and couldn't go smaller, but the fit around the chin is questionable. He loses his Happy Mask a lot, so we are thinking of KN94s to have good backups, but I am unsure about sizing. Regular surgical masks fit him better if he twists the earloops, which he doesn't mind at all. Sometimes he doubles up surgical masks, and we might just do that if we're not sure about fit.

Any suggestions on size or specific masks? I am browsing the site you listed here.

The Bluna Facefit size Large are good on small-medium adult size heads. I have a ds a similar age who is small and it fits him. The BOTN size medium is nice on him as well, as is the POSH adult mask. My 12 year old with a very tiny face does better with a true kids size mask--Posh or Bluna small. I like the adult Posh myself due to having a small face. The BeHealthy site has the option to order a 10 pack where you pick and choose different ones to fill it, and that might be nice to try a bunch and see how they fit. I definitely don't recommend the bifold style KF94 for a small chin (they are shaped more like a Happy Mask--only a couple of us here can get a good fit with the bifold style, but all of us can with the boat style).

[melmichigan]

3 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Shipping for Happy Masks and Enro is prohibitive.  I'm looking at Cambridge,  which has good certification. Before I invest I'll try double masking. Thanks!

https://cambridgemask.com/products/the-admiral-non-valve

I cannot speak to the new non-valved.  I do know independent testing showed that the VOG mask effectiveness went down when they took away their valves at the beginning of the pandemic.  I do wear Cambridge masks, as I have since before the pandemic.  I recently upgraded to them for the entire family, although DH wears KF94 at work each day.  Per the CDC "As source control, findings from NIOSH research suggest that, even without covering the valve, N95 respirators with exhalation valves provide the same or better source control than surgical masks, procedure masks, cloth masks, or fabric coverings." YMMV.

ETA:  I had one set of masks ordered early in the pandemic that did not run true to size.  That set was eventually refunded.

Edited August 5, 2021 by melmichigan

[Laura Corin]

9 hours ago, melmichigan said:

I cannot speak to the new non-valved.  I do know independent testing showed that the VOG mask effectiveness went down when they took away their valves at the beginning of the pandemic.  I do wear Cambridge masks, as I have since before the pandemic.  I recently upgraded to them for the entire family, although DH wears KF94 at work each day.  Per the CDC "As source control, findings from NIOSH research suggest that, even without covering the valve, N95 respirators with exhalation valves provide the same or better source control than surgical masks, procedure masks, cloth masks, or fabric coverings." YMMV.

ETA:  I had one set of masks ordered early in the pandemic that did not run true to size.  That set was eventually refunded.

Thanks.  That's really helpful.  I'm not sure that a valved mask would meet my employer's rules and it might make my coworkers nervous - they are not going to look at the detailed data.  It's good to hear that you are happy with them.

[Laura Corin]

Thanks, all. I ordered a Cambridge. 

[melmichigan]

5 hours ago, Laura Corin said:

Thanks.  That's really helpful.  I'm not sure that a valved mask would meet my employer's rules and it might make my coworkers nervous - they are not going to look at the detailed data.  It's good to hear that you are happy with them.

Yes, we are in an area where no one masks so I have no qualms. I use the valve stickers when going into the hospital. They are bright Orange and stand out.

Edited August 6, 2021 by melmichigan

[Laura Corin]

4 minutes ago, melmichigan said:

Yes, we are in an area where no one masks so I have no qualms. I use the valve stickers when going into the hospital. They are bright Orange and stand out.

I mentioned them to my coworkers and will report back to them about how I like my mask. We might manage to persuade our boss to subsidise them.

[kbutton]

I have been going through the list that was posted, and I am struggling to find medium masks in stock. Does anyone know where I can get medium boat-shaped masks? I can find large or child-sized, or I can find cone masks that don't come in medium.

 

[Laura Corin]

I managed to get medium non-valve Cambridge masks in Admiral.  I don't know about worldwide availability. 

[lynn]

I go shopping during the week when its not busy and just use whatever mask the store has.    But I'm not in there more than 20min at a time.   We do have n95 if we need them.

[kbutton]

I finally just decided to order one of the recommended masks but from Amazon. I hope I get the real thing. I can't get the BeHealthy site that was recommended to work properly. I can choose things but not add them to the cart, and their customer service goes to voicemail.

[Kanin]

Has anyone tried Vida masks? I saw them on a list of good masks. They have KN95s, but they also have masks that say, "99% filtration." Not sure what that means exactly...?

 

https://shopvida.com/pages/face-masks

 

[ktgrok]

6 hours ago, kbutton said:

I have been going through the list that was posted, and I am struggling to find medium masks in stock. Does anyone know where I can get medium boat-shaped masks? I can find large or child-sized, or I can find cone masks that don't come in medium.

 

I find these fit me well, and I'm more a medium. https://amzn.to/3lWbLZR  They just come in "adult" as far as I can tell. I do use an ear saver or twist the ear loops to tighten them a bit for a perfect seal, but get a very good fit even without doing that. Boat shaped is just so much more face fitting to me. 

[I talk to the trees]

Happy masks just sold out of their  restock in under a minute. 😔 I was hoping to get new ones for dd to take to college. It’s a shame because they really fit her well, and she is comfortable breathing in them. 

[mathnerd]

1 minute ago, I talk to the trees said:

Happy masks just sold out of their  restock in under a minute. 😔 I was hoping to get new ones for dd to take to college. It’s a shame because they really fit her well, and she is comfortable breathing in them. 

I too had the happy masks in my cart but it went out of stock while I was checking out. Do you know of another mask that is as comfortable as happy masks?

[Insertcreativenamehere]

3 minutes ago, mathnerd said:

I too had the happy masks in my cart but it went out of stock while I was checking out. Do you know of another mask that is as comfortable as happy masks?

I'm bummed about the Happy Masks too -- I was planning to buy a couple new ones for my immunecompromised kiddo who will be in school this year. I ordered some Enro masks a few weeks ago because they were so highly rated by the NY Times. Still waiting on them to arrive but now I see that they are basically out of stock, too. 😞

Edited August 13, 2021 by Insertcreativenamehere

[mathnerd]

7 minutes ago, Insertcreativenamehere said:

I'm bummed about the Happy Masks too -- I was planning to buy a couple new ones for my immunecompromised kiddo who will be in school this year. I ordered some Enro masks a few weeks ago because they were so highly rated by the NY Times. Still waiting on them to arrive but now I see that they are basically out of stock, too. 😞

If you don't mind waiting, they are taking preorders for October for one color:

https://www.happymasks.com/collections/pro/products/navy-blue-pro?variant=31933444882494

 

[Pawz4me]

20 minutes ago, Insertcreativenamehere said:

I'm bummed about the Happy Masks too -- I was planning to buy a couple new ones for my immunecompromised kiddo who will be in school this year. I ordered some Enro masks a few weeks ago because they were so highly rated by the NY Times. Still waiting on them to arrive but now I see that they are basically out of stock, too. 😞

Enro sent out an email this morning saying they expected to be restocked next Thursday. 

[KSera]

10 hours ago, kbutton said:

I have been going through the list that was posted, and I am struggling to find medium masks in stock. Does anyone know where I can get medium boat-shaped masks? I can find large or child-sized, or I can find cone masks that don't come in medium.

 

I can't remember--what size person are you looking for the medium for? In our family, we have found child or large seems to cover the whole range with Bluna masks. The child (Small) ones fit all the way up to my very small 12 year old, and the adult (large) ones fit my very small 16 year old. Is BeHealthy out of BOTN masks? They are the only ones I get some mediums of, though I'm finding the ear loop attachment point is a weakness and they don't last as long. The Posh Adult masks run small and are great for a teen or small adults, if that's what you're looking for.

9 hours ago, kbutton said:

I finally just decided to order one of the recommended masks but from Amazon. I hope I get the real thing. I can't get the BeHealthy site that was recommended to work properly. I can choose things but not add them to the cart, and their customer service goes to voicemail.

BeHealthy seems to have had a run on masks (like everywhere else) and I saw the same thing last night on their site. Things would be in stock, and then out of stock by the time you get to your cart. So crazy, as I've been ordering from them since January and never seen anything out of stock before. I just got my first order from Kollecteusa.com which I was worried would ship from Korea and take forever, but it didn't. It took well under a week, via FedEx. They still have lots in stock, including the Blunas. FWIW, the black Blunas are slightly stiffer fabric, and don't collapse at all when breathing (while still fitting just as well as the white): https://kollecteusa.com/collections/blunakf94/products/blunak-kf94-black

 

eta: Looks like BeHealthy still has plenty of the Posh KF94 masks, which are my favorite. I have a very small face and they also fit well on my small faced teen: https://behealthyusa.net/collections/posh-large/products/posh-kf94-mask-30-days-pack

Edited August 13, 2021 by KSera

[KSera]

48 minutes ago, mathnerd said:

I too had the happy masks in my cart but it went out of stock while I was checking out. Do you know of another mask that is as comfortable as happy masks?

I find my KF94s more comfortable than my Happy Mask. They are easier to breathe in for me and form a better seal. I can always feel a tiny bit of air escaping near my eyes in the Happy Mask.

[Halftime Hope]

I've been wearing KN95s for months, all day, every day at work. Being able to throw them away is wonderful, because they begin to smell rank after several uses. (I wear them for 4 hours, then swap mid-day, and use each one about 5 times with time to sun/air out at least a full day between uses.) 

I have found that using a small barrette to pull the ear loops tight, and putting the fastening the barrette in back, at the nape of my neck, results in a really well-fitting mask.  

For me, the KN94s don't have enough vertical coverage for a long, oval face. (YMMV)

 

 

[KSera]

4 minutes ago, Halftime Hope said:

I have found that using a small barrette to pull the ear loops tight, and putting the fastening the barrette in back, at the nape of my neck, results in a really well-fitting mask.  

That's a great tip! Like a DIY earsaver.

[kbutton]

25 minutes ago, KSera said:

I find my KF94s more comfortable than my Happy Mask. They are easier to breathe in for me and form a better seal. I can always feel a tiny bit of air escaping near my eyes in the Happy Mask.

I wear glasses, and I have to adjust them to avoid this, but I don't have trouble if I place my glasses correctly and get the nose piece pinched just right. 

27 minutes ago, KSera said:

Looks like BeHealthy still has plenty of the Posh KF94 masks, which are my favorite. I have a very small face and they also fit well on my small faced teen: https://behealthyusa.net/collections/posh-large/products/posh-kf94-mask-30-days-pack

I can't add them to the cart. I've been in circles. 

I can't remember what I finally ordered on Amazon, but it was something that was recommended in this list. I measured a known mask and how it fits my son with whatever I ordered, and it looks like a Large will fit him fine as whatever brand it is is smaller than the mask that gaps a bit below my son's chin. I think the style will offer a tighter fit for him, but we'll see. He has a narrow chin. 

He is also willing to twist the ears and double mask with surgical masks, so we have options. He's mostly only around vaccinated people when he's indoors. 

[Matryoshka]

33 minutes ago, KSera said:

That's a great tip! Like a DIY earsaver.

I've been using a paperclip! Works great. But I just upgraded to the combo ear saver/lanyard from Happy Mask...

[MEmama]

On 8/12/2021 at 9:36 PM, Pawz4me said:

Enro sent out an email this morning saying they expected to be restocked next Thursday. 

Thanks for posting this. I meant to order from them earlier this summer and stupidly put it off, and now of course they aren’t available. I want to send some with DS to university since they are machine washable, unlike the Happy Masks, and have been trolling their site daily hoping to get lucky. Fingers crossed for next week!

[MEmama]

I just ordered some Posh KN95s from BeHealthy for our flights. I’ll report here when I receive them. 
 

Edited August 14, 2021 by MEmama

[kbutton]

I ended up ordering some Bluna FaceFit masks from Amazon (shipped from a third party seller with good ratings), and I received only one (taking this up with their customer service). The single mask package is mislabeled as being a ten pack...we'll see what happens.

They are really adjustable and fit my son extremely well. He's very happy, and we're impressed with the fit.

I decided to try BeHealthy again, and I can order a ten pack there, but I still cannot order a mix and match package to my cart. I select all the masks, and then it won't transfer to the cart. It goes in circles.

So, beware if you want to order mix and match that you might have issues. They seem like a great site, so I hope they realize it's a problem and get it fixed. 

I am glad I could order the Bluna masks without a problem.

[mommyoffive]

2 minutes ago, kbutton said:

I ended up ordering some Bluna FaceFit masks from Amazon (shipped from a third party seller with good ratings), and I received only one (taking this up with their customer service). The single mask package is mislabeled as being a ten pack...we'll see what happens.

They are really adjustable and fit my son extremely well. He's very happy, and we're impressed with the fit.

I decided to try BeHealthy again, and I can order a ten pack there, but I still cannot order a mix and match package to my cart. I select all the masks, and then it won't transfer to the cart. It goes in circles.

So, beware if you want to order mix and match that you might have issues. They seem like a great site, so I hope they realize it's a problem and get it fixed. 

I am glad I could order the Bluna masks without a problem.

Oh that stinks about the Bluna masks on Amazon.  We got ours from there and didn't have any problems other than slow shipping.  How old is your son?  They fit my 5 and 8 year old well.  I want to try them on my 10 year old and see. 

 

[kbutton]

Just now, mommyoffive said:

Oh that stinks about the Bluna masks on Amazon.  We got ours from there and didn't have any problems other than slow shipping.  How old is your son?  They fit my 5 and 8 year old well.  I want to try them on my 10 year old and see. 

 

I suspect they mislabeled the packages since my one mask says ten pack, or else their workers don't realize that the label indicates the masks should be shipped in batches of ten--I really hope they clear it up.

He is 13, but he has a small chin. The large fit him extremely well. They run a little smaller than our Happy Masks, which fit the rest of us pretty well but left a gap under his chin (and surgical masks leave a little gap at the sides with him even when he twists the earloops, though wearing two helps with this). He was a medium in the Happy Masks. He also loses masks, so we wanted a way to have multiples for him without breaking the bank. We're not going many places or out for long periods at a time with him, so buying him more durable masks was not really idea. I think he can wear these for a few short outings before having to toss them.

Someone here suggested the 3D boat shaped, which I really hadn't run into IRL (many are not masking here anymore), and I think that shape is what he needed to get good coverage. We are relieved and pleased. 

[kbutton]

The Amazon seller is already addressing it. We are to initiate a return with missing pieces as the reason. I let them know how the product is labeled, and I asked if we actually have to return a used mask. I have the packaging and label if we do. They are working to figure out how the wrong quantity was sent, so I hope the information I supplied is helpful. 

[KSera]

On 8/15/2021 at 10:12 AM, kbutton said:

I decided to try BeHealthy again, and I can order a ten pack there, but I still cannot order a mix and match package to my cart. I select all the masks, and then it won't transfer to the cart. It goes in circles.

I got an email from BeHealthy today with an apology and coupon code for running behind and having things go out of stock. They said they had had unprecedented demand in the last couple weeks, and expect to be all caught up and things all restocked within two weeks.

 

For people still looking, Aaron Collins just put out a special video all about kids' masks and has made a separate spread sheet with the data for the kids' ones all in one place. I usually am not a video watcher, but this one he put out was worth it for people wanting to get up to speed on the different kinds of masks and how to make sure they fit. I sent it to my family members. I thought it did an especially good job explaining in a clear way why sometimes more layers (like a multilayer cloth mask with a filter added) can end up performing worse than one that is easier to breathe in, made just of really good filter media.

 

Mask data and sources: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i06OAItoOwIUaMjElr8mhh0Rw-it6WL-ODIQMZUOQxE/edit#gid=0

[Syllieann]

14 hours ago, KSera said:

I got an email from BeHealthy today with an apology and coupon code for running behind and having things go out of stock. They said they had had unprecedented demand in the last couple weeks, and expect to be all caught up and things all restocked within two weeks.

 

For people still looking, Aaron Collins just put out a special video all about kids' masks and has made a separate spread sheet with the data for the kids' ones all in one place. I usually am not a video watcher, but this one he put out was worth it for people wanting to get up to speed on the different kinds of masks and how to make sure they fit. I sent it to my family members. I thought it did an especially good job explaining in a clear way why sometimes more layers (like a multilayer cloth mask with a filter added) can end up performing worse than one that is easier to breathe in, made just of really good filter media.

 

Mask data and sources: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1i06OAItoOwIUaMjElr8mhh0Rw-it6WL-ODIQMZUOQxE/edit#gid=0

This is perfect.  I was just coming over here to ask about something smaller than the Bluna kids, which is perfect for my dd10, but my small-face 8 year old can't get a good seal.  He wear glasses that are labeled as 4-6 years, so I'll try something in that range.

[MEmama]

FYI:  Enro masks sold out their restock in under 30 minutes.

DH and I had 2 computers going at exactly noon EST. He was able to order a couple in his size, but the size smalls I put in my cart for DS and myself were sold out before I even finished the order— in literally a minute. Grrrrrrrrrrr. 
 

Supposedly they’ll get another restock next week. But wow, what an irritating process.

[Pawz4me]

7 minutes ago, MEmama said:

FYI:  Enro masks sold out their restock in under 30 minutes.

DH and I had 2 computers going at exactly noon EST. He was able to order a couple in his size, but the size smalls I put in my cart for DS and myself were sold out before I even finished the order— in literally a minute. Grrrrrrrrrrr. 
 

Supposedly they’ll get another restock next week. But wow, what an irritating process.

I managed to score a small for me and two XL for DH and DS. All solid dark blue. I wanted a medium for DS25, but . . nope. 

[MEmama]

8 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

I managed to score a small for me and two XL for DH and DS. All solid dark blue. I wanted a medium for DS25, but . . nope. 

I’m glad you managed to get a few!