Best face masks for anti-corona?

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
IronWing

IronWing

No Lifer
Jul 20, 2001
69,049
26,927
136
The one the other person is wearing is the best. The one you actually wear is second best. Avoid bandanas and neck cowls. The neck cowls are worse than no mask.
 
S

SaltyNuts

Platinum Member
May 1, 2001
2,399
275
126
IronWing said:
The one the other person is wearing is the best. The one you actually wear is second best. Avoid bandanas and neck cowls. The neck cowls are worse than no mask.
Click to expand...


OK, but can you tell me what one I should wear to make it the best possible second best?
 
purbeast0

purbeast0

No Lifer
Sep 13, 2001
52,858
5,729
126
SaltyNuts said:
CRUD, I meant face SHIELD. Sorry everyone, face SHIELD.
Click to expand...
face-shield-lede.jpeg

reid.jpg
 
L

LikeLinus

Lifer
Jul 25, 2001
11,518
670
126
pete6032 said:
N95 or KN95 but good luck finding them.
Click to expand...

bonafidemasks.com

Powecom KN95 Face Mask - FDA Authorized | 10 per pack | Buy Online

Buy the Powecom KN95 face mask online today from Bona Fide Masks™. The #1 premier Powecom distributor in the U.S. NPPTL tested shows greater than 95% filtration.
bonafidemasks.com bonafidemasks.com

They are an FDA authorized vendor for KN95 mask. There was a whole thread on Slickdeals about it.

I was considering purchasing them, but then someone gave me a whole case of N95 and I've been WFH, so I had no real need.
 
Captante

Captante

Lifer
Oct 20, 2003
30,277
10,783
136
41fd56e2dd781fc531ff2246e386e80a.jpg



Seriously from what I've read what you want to do is light a candle and try to blow it out through the mask. Obviously it's better if you can't blow it out but unless your mask fits your face perfectly that can cause too much leakage so its a balance.

Also if a mask is so uncomfortable that you take it off it defeats the purpose entirely.

I went with these based on suggestions in another thread and they work well (pass the candle-test FWIW) PLUS they don't try to rip my ears off! In addition I've washed them a bunch of times now with near-zero apparent wear.

Looks like they're sold out at the moment unfortunately.


Adidas masks
 
Last edited:
dullard

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
25,069
3,419
126
WelshBloke said:
Why a shield rather than a mask?
Click to expand...
So far there is no data that either shields or masks are better than the other (speaking here of face masks, like surgical masks or cloth masks that are readily available). There is data that wearing both are better than wearing just one. Covid is almost always transmitted by deeply inhaling large quantities of virus. Lightly inhaling and small quantities are unlikely to get you sick. Both masks and shields are great at stopping the large particles that carry the large quantities of viable virus. Key word = viable. Just because a virion is aerosolized does not mean it is infectious.

Benefits of shields: more comfortable for many, easier for lip readers to understand you, feels like it is easier to breathe (although oxygen data shows that both are actually fine for oxygen levels, the difficulty breathing is psychological, not an actual lack of oxygen).

Drawbacks of shields: if you are in an area with large quantities of aerosolized and viable virus, then you might inhale the viable virus around the sides of the shield.

That said, I wear a mask (tried many styles to find ones that I don't realize are even on my face) and don't really know which shields are most comfortable.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Captante
WelshBloke

WelshBloke

Lifer
Jan 12, 2005
30,449
8,111
136
dullard said:
So far there is no data that either shields or masks are better than the other. There is data that wearing both are better than wearing just one. Covid is almost always transmitted by deeply inhaling large quantities of virus. Lightly inhaling and small quantities are unlikely to get you sick. Both masks and shields are great at stopping the large particles that carry the large quantities of viable virus. Key word = viable. Just because a virion is aerosolized does not mean it is infectious.

Benefits of shields: more comfortable for many, easier for lip readers to understand you, feels like it is easier to breathe (although oxygen data shows that both are actually fine for oxygen levels, the difficulty breathing is psychological, not an actual lack of oxygen).

Drawbacks of shields: if you are in an area with large quantities of aerosolized and viable virus, then you might inhale the viable virus around the sides of the shield.

That said, I wear a mask (tried many styles to find ones that I don't realize are even on my face) and don't really know which shields are most comfortable.
Click to expand...
I'd be shocked if a face shield offers anywhere near the protection for the wearer or from the wearer that a well fitted n95 mask does.
I get they are better than nothing if you can't wear a decent mask and that's why I asked him why he specifically wanted a shield.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Captante
S

Spacehead

Lifer
Jun 2, 2002
13,201
10,063
136
Red Squirrel

Red Squirrel

No Lifer
May 24, 2003
67,395
12,142
126
www.anyf.ca
Safety googles that are spray painted black. That way you can't see the news.

Seriously though, social distancing and avoiding crowds is #1. Get a basic cloth mask so you don't get thrown out of the grocery store, don't spend more time there than you have to, and avoid any other crowds etc. Stick to only seeing family and friends and keep your social bubbles low and even then practice decent social distancing. And wash your hands.

At the very start of all this when we did not know how bad this virus is, the full lockdown and restrictions made sense. Now, it's mostly all arbitrary. The virus does not care if a social setting is "official" or not. Being in a classroom with 30 kids or at a casino is not safer than being at home with 5 family members just because those settings are "officially allowed".

Of course this all changes if you are in a hot spot where they are reporting 10's of cases daily. In that case you really should get yourself a properly fitted medical style mask like a N95 or similar, and also a face shield can't hurt and you probably should actually avoid even going out with friends and family, and use a grocery delivery service and sanitize everything.
 
Last edited:
MrSquished

MrSquished

Lifer
Jan 14, 2013
21,271
19,762
136
I did a bunch of research on best N95 or equivalent type masks and ended up with the Swedish Airinum and the New Zealand MeoAir Lite. They are both rated to N95 equivalent ratings - the Airnum to KN95 and the MeoAir to the NZ/Aussie equivalent standard. Both use replaceable filters that are easy to switch in and out and last for a while. I like the Airinum for being bigger and more coverage and kinda looking badass, it also comes in more sizes - but it has valves so you gotta tape over them if you want to protect others more. No biggie. The MeoAir Lite is easier to breathe through and it has no valves. Also it's actually in stock the last time I checked. The Airinum has a waitlist. Cambridge from the UK is also very highly rated. Someone else on here got those and liked them as well. I like the look of MeoAir and Airinum better though.
 
13Gigatons

13Gigatons

Diamond Member
Apr 19, 2005
7,461
500
126
SaltyNuts said:
I want to get some. Any particular best ones to get or not get?

Thanks.
Click to expand...

Really hard to get legit ones now. Most are just counterfeit for quick profit. I bought a bunch of 3M and Honeywell N95 models long before the pandemic hit. They are the only ones that I trust.

It's really shocking that N95 aren't being made by the millions in America....still sourced in China.
 
dullard

dullard

Elite Member
May 21, 2001
25,069
3,419
126
WelshBloke said:
I'd be shocked if a face shield offers anywhere near the protection for the wearer or from the wearer that a well fitted n95 mask does.
I get they are better than nothing if you can't wear a decent mask and that's why I asked him why he specifically wanted a shield.
Click to expand...
Please show us where the OP can get a ready supply of N95 masks. Yes, a well-fitted N95 mask is a great option, but almost no one can get one. N95 isn't the best protection either (the filtering goes higher) but those are also unavailable.
Spacehead said:
Yeah, nothing(probably) is better than an N95 for Joe Average user. I assumed he(dullard) was talking about cloth masks or the surgical type masks.
Click to expand...
Yes, I was talking about masks that those of us can just go and make/buy. I will edit it to be clear.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom