I've been wearing N95s for a while and am boosted, but with the very high case load of omnicron in NYC, I was thinking about upgrading.

I bought a few N100s to try which are nice, but they are 1) very expensive for a disposable mask and 2) trickier from what I've read than EHMR masks to get the seal right. (N100 link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B008MCV43K/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1)

I had a few questions:

1. If I'm not going many places and am able to work from home, is all of this overkill to begin with?
2. With EHMRs, is there much risk of a beginner accidentally putting one on incorrectly and being exposed to COVID?
3. How comfortable are EHMRs to wear, especially compared to hard-shell N95/100s?
4. Do full face elastomeric masks offer better protection for nose/mouth, or are they basically EHMR + eye guard?

Also any recommendations on which EHMR to get and from where are appreciated.

Thanks in advance!

Our program has shifted to an all N95 all the time policy given the wildfire that is omicron right now. For comfort’s sake (and because I can never seen to get a great seal despite trying about every brand under the sun) I am thinking about getting a reusable respiratory. I can’t seem to find a reputable site online to get one that I trust. Does anyone have experience purchasing an elastomeric respirator from 3M or another solid brand as a single product?

Hi everyone. I am doing the research for our family before upgrading our PPE, and heavily leaning towards purchasing elastomeric half-mask respirators (EHMRs). I'm sorry if my query is too basic, but the information on this topic is raw, and I need help digesting it all. You all have been one of the most helpful communities I've found when it comes to finding the right mask for us.

Important features:

• Unlikely to fog up glasses. Current N95-type disposable mask set-up fogs up my glasses. We are reusing our disposable masks, and covering them with cloth masks to extend their lives.
• Be able to wear the respirator for at least two or three hours at a time in an indoor-outdoor community center, when visiting doctor's offices, and other indoor spaces. Our lifestyle is mostly stay-at-home, work-from-home, interacting with people outside of our household 3-4 times per week in an area with high / severe-high community transmission.
• Valveless and CDC certified, though there aren't a lot of user reviews for those. Having to wear another mask to cover a valve isn't interesting to us, nor is getting a fitted valve filter. We're worried that not having CDC certification suggests there might be something wrong with the other EHMRs that have valve plugs.
• Low-moisture. Reviews seem to indicate that valveless EHMRs are moisture-inducing, but it's unclear whether some models are better at clearing that moisture than others.

Less-important feature: Fashionable and low-profile is preferred. But we are willing to look like dystopian bug-people if necessary.

Questions:

1. If you own and have used the Dentec 400 or MSA advantage 290/900 models for several hours at a time doing light-to-medium physical activity, how much moisture accumulated on the inside of the mask? (Were you indoors or outdoors? What was the weather like? What were you doing?) Which is better, the Dentec or the MSA advantage?
2. Are either of these respirators also able to be fitted with cartridge filters for multiple types of gases, not just particles?
3. Why do 3M and other major companies not get/seek CDC certification for valveless EHMRs?
4. Should I just try to use [f

I have heard very good things about elastomeric respirator masks like Castle Grade (https://castlegrade.com/products/g-series-mask) or Envomask (https://envomask.com/), but both are products that ship from the US. I think ordering from the EU is not even possible for the latter, and would have to go through customs for the former, which is always a bit of a lottery and a hassle (they might even stop them due to not being EU certified or things like that).

Does anyone know a similar product that sells in the EU, and that is reasonably compact so that one could realistically use it in everyday life without being seen as a freak? Because all I have seen are masks that look like this: https://imall.com/product/POWECOM-3900-Half-Face-Respirator-Anti-Dust-Organic-Vapor-Chemical-Spray-Gas-Mask-Safety-Respiratory-with-Protection-Filter/Security-Workplace-Supplies/aliexpress.com/4000348999380/568-36339266/en - but if I take one of those to the supermarket people may think that chemical war is on...

Hi everyone, my mother and I just bought elastomeric respirators. However my mum says her mouth feels really dry very quickly (maybe after an hour of use?) and her throat hurts, she can handle it but drinks as soon as it's safe to do so. Is this normal or can there be a problem? I have the same respirator model as her but covid took away my capacity to feel thirst at the beginning of covid so I can't test. Has this happened to anybody else? Before elastomeric respirators, we used FFP2 medical masks (not fit-tested) and my mother never mentioned the thirst/dry throat thing until now.

Where can I buy a half-face elastomeric respirator with a P100 exhalation filter in a U.S online shop? I want one that will not get too many people staring at me. I read a comment somewhere here where someone bought a thin decorative cloth to cover it up like a bandana, but I can't find that post. I did see some etsy designs that make the mask look better, does anyone have any recommendations?

Background

Elastomeric respirator masks can muffle your speech quite a bit, and can make communication very difficult. But, compared to ordinary N95 masks, elastomeric respirator masks can be safer, more comfortable, and more economical. They can be excellent choices for silent activities, such as riding a bus or visiting the gym.

A product review article by the New York Times Wirecutter website considered only elastomeric respirator masks with US CDC/NIOSH approval. It recommended the 3M 6502QL, which costs about € 20.

Powecom manufactures half a dozen different elastomeric respirator masks. They all have Chinese GB 2890 certification; but none have US CDC/NIOSH approval.

I would normally be wary of trusting any non-NIOSH respirator mask. However, Powecom is a well-regarded brand in the /r/Masks4All subreddit where I sometimes hang out.

The respirator masks, and how to buy them

The low-end Powecom 3800 particulate-only KN90 respirator mask costs € 5, including slow shipping from China to the UK.

The Powecom 3900 is a bit fancier. It costs € 12, including slow shipping and some unknown accessories. (The cartridges are organic-vapor cartridges, which are useless against viruses. I think there are also some KN95 viral filters included, but I'm not sure.)

If you search on AliExpress for [ Powecom gas mask ], you might find a variety of other options. Beware: Not all of the search results will be Powecom products. Some might be random no-name Chinese elastomeric respirators. (Also, if you're in the US, you must change your region before you search. Otherwise, you may not get any relevant results.)

There is currently no AliExpress seller which ships Powecom elastomeric respirator masks to the US. They do seem to ship to Europe, Canada, and everywhere else.

If you're in the US, you can do a Google web search and perhaps find other random online stores which carry the Powecom elastomeric respirator you want.

Once you find a vendor which will ship the Powecom 3900 to the US, please leave us a comment with a link to the vendor.

Questions for you

A.)

Is the Powecom 3900 as good as the 3M 6502QL? [Edit: Almost surely not. Please see [this comm

I will be flying later this month. I plan to wear a disposable N95 when arriving at the airport. Either before I board or after I board the plane, I plan to switch out to an elastomeric respirator. I have a 3M 6200 with a P100 filter and a 3M 604 Exhalation Valve Filter installed.

Will I be allowed with it on? I remember people were talking about how airlines will not allow masks/respirators with exhalation valves. Since I will be wearing a filter over it, I should be allowed, right?

If any one has worn one on a plane, do you have any suggestions on flying with one on?

Looking to print elastomeric lattices that at max will be 0.5”x 6” x 8” or smaller.

Seems like Resin is the way to go for production quality.

There aren’t too many choices besides FormLabs and Carbon. But Carbon is way above my affordability range.

Is FormLabs the best way as an independent home maker? Still quite pricey, but attainable.

Are there other businesses that have a Carbon or FormLab that print as a service? Honestly trying to sell this product at max $30. Print services are always going to be more expensive as they are marking it up.

Stuff needs to be skin safe as well.

Great page with many interesting links!

• https://encycla.com/Elastomeric_Respirator_COVID_Resource_Guide

This site has other interesting pages, too.

• https://encycla.com/_explore

I am a college student and am looking for a good PPE mask for this coming school year. I am thinking about buying the 3M 6800 full face elastomeric respirator mask but am worried that people won’t be able to hear me (in a small classroom of about 6-10 people).

Does anyone have any experiences talking to people wearing a full face mask? I have a pretty loud voice but was wondering if I would be muffled to the point where people can’t hear anything at all? Thanks!

Background information

Powecom manufactures half a dozen different elastomeric respirator masks.

The low-end Powecom 3800 particulate-only KN90 respirator costs € 5, including slow shipping from China to the UK.

The Powecom 3900 is a bit fancier. It costs € 12, including slow shipping and some unknown accessories. (The cartridges are organic-vapor cartridges, which are useless against viruses. There might also be KN95 filters included, but I'm not sure.)

If you search on AliExpress for [ Powecom gas mask ], you might find a variety of other options. Beware: Not all of the search results will be Powecom products. Some might be random no-name Chinese elastomeric respirators. (Also, if you're in the US, you must change your region before you search. Otherwise, you may not get any relevant results.)

There is currently no AliExpress seller which ships Powecom elastomeric respirator masks to the US. They do seem to ship to Europe, Canada, and everywhere else.

If you're in the US, you can do a Google web search and perhaps find other random online stores which carry the Powecom elastomeric respirator you want.

Questions for you

A.)

Is the Powecom 3900 as good as the 3M 6502QL? [Edit: Almost surely not. Please see this comment.]

B.)

Does the Powecom 3900 offer good value for money?

C.)

AliExpress is full of fake products. In fact, even the AliExpress "Powecom official store" is completely unofficial.

How likely is it that a random Powecom elastomeric respirator mask bought from a random Chinese seller will be genuine?

Might it instead be an unauthorized poor-quality clone of a genuine Powecom product?

D.)

Does the Powecom 3900 include an anti-fake sticker on the box? [Edit: Probably. See here.]

E.)

Is the Powecom 3900 reasonably easy to [de-valve](htt