Best mask for anxious traveller
September 25, 2021 8:07 AM Subscribe
I've been having trouble in the UK finding a covid mask that I'm sure fits and is effective. Ideally I'd like a qualified person to assess and fit me and find the right mask but this service doesn't seem to exist. What's the next best thing? What mask might work?
I've bought things like Boots FFP2 masks but they just didn't seem to fit right. I'm female and have a snub nose, everything seems to steam my glasses and nothing seems to fit properly. I want to feel safe going back on public transport where mask mandates are not being properly enforced but I'm also an anxious person so not feeling sure I have a good mask and a good mask fit is scaring me.
I see things in the US like mask fitters and nice elastomeric masks which apparently seal well but they don't seem to exist here in the UK and the shipping prices would make mistakes pricey. Can anyone advise me a bit better?
I've bought things like Boots FFP2 masks but they just didn't seem to fit right. I'm female and have a snub nose, everything seems to steam my glasses and nothing seems to fit properly. I want to feel safe going back on public transport where mask mandates are not being properly enforced but I'm also an anxious person so not feeling sure I have a good mask and a good mask fit is scaring me.
I see things in the US like mask fitters and nice elastomeric masks which apparently seal well but they don't seem to exist here in the UK and the shipping prices would make mistakes pricey. Can anyone advise me a bit better?
Some (Much? Most?) of the stuff you're seeing is probably drop-shipped from China, but I've seen some 3D printed fitters on Etsy. Here's their search help page which apparently let's you search for UK based shops. Probably a lot is still drop-shipped, but there are some people out there doing great DIY work, and one seller I dealt with in the past asked for measurements!
posted by Jack Karaoke at 9:00 AM on September 25, 2021
posted by Jack Karaoke at 9:00 AM on September 25, 2021
Ms. Procrastination is an epidemiologist and found and bought Livinguard masks for our family. They are pretty comfortable and seem reasonably protective. She wears them with glasses. Many of our friends have switched to them as well after seeing ours. Assuming they are as effective as they claim, I would recommend them. Edit: I should mention that she got us the Pro masks.
posted by procrastination at 9:04 AM on September 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by procrastination at 9:04 AM on September 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
At the start of this pandemic, I bought one of the much vaunted N95 masks which was an absolute rubbish fit and I did not have complete confidence in it's efficacy.
However, any KN95 masks I got fitted just great. You could actually see the mask go in and with each breath which was very reassuring. I got 2 FFP2 masks which were also a very snug and moved in and out if you took a heavy breath.
I'm sure each manufacturer has different "fits" (like a jeans manufacturer). I suggest you buy 2 or 3 masks (FFP2 or KN95) from different sources and you might get lucky with a fit.
posted by jacobean at 9:44 AM on September 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
However, any KN95 masks I got fitted just great. You could actually see the mask go in and with each breath which was very reassuring. I got 2 FFP2 masks which were also a very snug and moved in and out if you took a heavy breath.
I'm sure each manufacturer has different "fits" (like a jeans manufacturer). I suggest you buy 2 or 3 masks (FFP2 or KN95) from different sources and you might get lucky with a fit.
posted by jacobean at 9:44 AM on September 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
Response by poster: To clarify I'm not worried about the glasses fogging but take it to be a sign of a bad fit?
posted by Flitcraft at 10:49 AM on September 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Flitcraft at 10:49 AM on September 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
I also have a snub nose and the best masks I've found that fit me comfortably, are from Screwfix, which is a builder's merchants, but which sells masks and respirators. The 3M ones - either the P3 or the P2 - are the best. Although they are sold as for the building trade, the P2 masks are equivalent to FFP2/N95/KN95 and the P3 masks are equivalent to FFP3/N99/EN149.
From this article: "FFP2 masks (equivalent to other international standards known as N95, KN95 and P2 masks) are becoming more and more prevalent for elder-care and nursing homes. Germany required them during the 2021 third wave in buses, trains and supermarkets. They provide a certain level of protection against viruses for the wearer, but should not be used when in contact with highly infectious patients.
Only FFP3 masks (roughly equivalent to international standards such as N99, EN149 and P3) effectively protect the wearer from droplet aerosols, protein molecules, viruses, bacteria, fungi and spores, and even from highly dangerous dusts such as asbestos fibers. Unlike simple surgical masks, such high-quality filter masks can protect the wearer — including from a highly infectious pathogen such as measles or tuberculosis." "
posted by essexjan at 10:52 AM on September 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
From this article: "FFP2 masks (equivalent to other international standards known as N95, KN95 and P2 masks) are becoming more and more prevalent for elder-care and nursing homes. Germany required them during the 2021 third wave in buses, trains and supermarkets. They provide a certain level of protection against viruses for the wearer, but should not be used when in contact with highly infectious patients.
Only FFP3 masks (roughly equivalent to international standards such as N99, EN149 and P3) effectively protect the wearer from droplet aerosols, protein molecules, viruses, bacteria, fungi and spores, and even from highly dangerous dusts such as asbestos fibers. Unlike simple surgical masks, such high-quality filter masks can protect the wearer — including from a highly infectious pathogen such as measles or tuberculosis." "
posted by essexjan at 10:52 AM on September 25, 2021 [1 favorite]
If you have a small face and you're trying to find an industrial-certified mask (FFP2 in the UK/EU, N95 in the US, P2 in Australia), you pretty much have to find specific small-sized masks, not a regular or medium/large. (other than a very specific model/shape like the 3M Aura where the only size is inbetween small/medium). Even so it does seem like they are all designed for people with larger noses.
The folded design of KN95s does make it more adaptable to slimmer faces and noses.
Glasses fogging _can be_ a sign of bad fit but not necessarily. Your inhalation will by nature pull the mask tighter to your face, but also exhalation pushes the mask away from you. So it is possible that it seals on inhalation (protection) but fails on exhalation (source control).
Ideally I'd like a qualified person to assess and fit me and find the right mask but this service doesn't seem to exist.
There exists a standardized process to make sure masks fit. It's called "qualitative fit testing" where you put on your mask and you sit in a chamber/hood filled with a bitter gas, and you move your head around and see if you can smell it. If you can smell it, then there is a gap somewhere that's allowed unfiltered air. If you never smell anything, then you are assured that the mask is sealing correctly to your face. At the end you often take off your mask in the chamber to specifically smell what you didn't with the mask on.
They are for industrial and medical workers who are required to wear a "passing" mask as part of their job requirements.
Here is a random link for the UK that I found: QUALITATIVE FACE FIT TESTING Safety First (Cornwall). Look around your area for places that do occupational safety or services. They may or may not provide masks. It's possible that some of these places are now set up for individuals and not just businesses. But it is going to cost both money and time.
Here is a 3M video that describes what is going to happen: Respirator Fit Test Demonstration
You can simply buy an official test kit and have someone else follow the instructions to test out masks on you. In the US they are expensive, around $150-$200.
Here is a study on doing an unofficial test using more commonly available items: Performing Qualitative Mask Fit Testing Without a Commercial Kit: Fit Testing Which Can Be Performed at Home and at Work. I have not tried this.
posted by meowzilla at 11:54 AM on September 25, 2021 [3 favorites]
The folded design of KN95s does make it more adaptable to slimmer faces and noses.
Glasses fogging _can be_ a sign of bad fit but not necessarily. Your inhalation will by nature pull the mask tighter to your face, but also exhalation pushes the mask away from you. So it is possible that it seals on inhalation (protection) but fails on exhalation (source control).
Ideally I'd like a qualified person to assess and fit me and find the right mask but this service doesn't seem to exist.
There exists a standardized process to make sure masks fit. It's called "qualitative fit testing" where you put on your mask and you sit in a chamber/hood filled with a bitter gas, and you move your head around and see if you can smell it. If you can smell it, then there is a gap somewhere that's allowed unfiltered air. If you never smell anything, then you are assured that the mask is sealing correctly to your face. At the end you often take off your mask in the chamber to specifically smell what you didn't with the mask on.
They are for industrial and medical workers who are required to wear a "passing" mask as part of their job requirements.
Here is a random link for the UK that I found: QUALITATIVE FACE FIT TESTING Safety First (Cornwall). Look around your area for places that do occupational safety or services. They may or may not provide masks. It's possible that some of these places are now set up for individuals and not just businesses. But it is going to cost both money and time.
Here is a 3M video that describes what is going to happen: Respirator Fit Test Demonstration
You can simply buy an official test kit and have someone else follow the instructions to test out masks on you. In the US they are expensive, around $150-$200.
Here is a study on doing an unofficial test using more commonly available items: Performing Qualitative Mask Fit Testing Without a Commercial Kit: Fit Testing Which Can Be Performed at Home and at Work. I have not tried this.
posted by meowzilla at 11:54 AM on September 25, 2021 [3 favorites]
One thing that has been helpful for me was to find a couple of other people who were also interested in finding a better fitting mask. I was fortunate to have a friend who was very interested in masks and she took the lead of finding high quality masks and would buy a box and then everyone could take a couple and try them out.
A good resource for getting ideas about masks that might work for you and be safe, then you should check out Aaron Collins youtube - he tests the masks and provides comparison information.
posted by metahawk at 12:20 PM on September 25, 2021 [2 favorites]
A good resource for getting ideas about masks that might work for you and be safe, then you should check out Aaron Collins youtube - he tests the masks and provides comparison information.
posted by metahawk at 12:20 PM on September 25, 2021 [2 favorites]
FWIW, I find the trick to getting an FFP2 to fit properly over the bridge of my smallish nose is to bend the wire almost into a “w” shape, so that it curves down either side of your nose, and then the end of the wire (maybe half or 3/4 cm) is actually bent slightly away from your face again.
If feels counterintuitive, as if bending the ends away from your cheeks would lift the mask away from your face. But (on my face at least) those ends still sit on my cheeks, because the elastic pulls them there, and the bend creates a bit of tension or spring in the wire that means the bits down either side of my nose dig in more snugly and make a seal.
Before I tried that, I had jets of air shooting upwards into my eyes, but now my mask puffs in and out when I breathe.
posted by penguin pie at 1:38 PM on September 25, 2021 [4 favorites]
If feels counterintuitive, as if bending the ends away from your cheeks would lift the mask away from your face. But (on my face at least) those ends still sit on my cheeks, because the elastic pulls them there, and the bend creates a bit of tension or spring in the wire that means the bits down either side of my nose dig in more snugly and make a seal.
Before I tried that, I had jets of air shooting upwards into my eyes, but now my mask puffs in and out when I breathe.
posted by penguin pie at 1:38 PM on September 25, 2021 [4 favorites]
Response by poster: Thanks, I've ordered the aura mask for a start to see if it's a better fit.
posted by Flitcraft at 5:21 AM on September 26, 2021
posted by Flitcraft at 5:21 AM on September 26, 2021
Oh hi. Snap! Thank you for asking this; I've been sitting on a very similar question for months now, too anxious to actually ask it.
The 3M Aura masks are the best I've found so far. They do still fog my glasses, but much less than anything else I've tried; and they pull in a bit when I breathe in, so I'm guessing they seal better on inhalation.
Things that surprised me and made me briefly worry about the authenticity of what I'd received: they have headbands not ear loops, the headbands are stapled to the mask, and they look and feel somewhat like giant blue elastic bands. I went and looked at the photo on the 3M site to reassure myself.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 1:03 AM on September 27, 2021
The 3M Aura masks are the best I've found so far. They do still fog my glasses, but much less than anything else I've tried; and they pull in a bit when I breathe in, so I'm guessing they seal better on inhalation.
Things that surprised me and made me briefly worry about the authenticity of what I'd received: they have headbands not ear loops, the headbands are stapled to the mask, and they look and feel somewhat like giant blue elastic bands. I went and looked at the photo on the 3M site to reassure myself.
posted by ManyLeggedCreature at 1:03 AM on September 27, 2021
Can you get KF94s? I like KF94s. My glasses fogged and slipped down with every mask I tried. Then following advice from Aaron Collins I got a box of KF94s from these guys for my boyfriend and noticed that they were sized and the ones I'd bought were large. So then I got a box of mediums for my smaller-headed friend and tried one and realized that I was having the fogging and slipping problem this whole time because I was wearing masks too big for me--the medium stopped the fogging and slipping. And the mediums were too large for my friend, so I got her a box of smalls and they fit her fine.
Interestingly, all of us variably head-sized people were together at another friend's house yesterday and she gave us each a Kimberly Clark duckbill N95, and they fit all of us well despite our heads being a veritable menagerie of different sizes. They seem to be one-size-fits-all because they're so malleable. They have a honking big flat very bendable nose wire and blue head straps you can move around 'til you find the best spot to make the mask fit tight to your face. They're very comfortable. They're also huge and look absolutely ludicrous on. My friend's cat objected to being picked up while she had the mask on, presumably because he thought she'd suddenly morphed into an enormous duck. But they're very breathable and no fogging, slipping, or perceptible leaks. They're much cheaper than anything comparable, too--but we're in the US, so YMMV.
posted by Don Pepino at 6:51 PM on September 27, 2021
Interestingly, all of us variably head-sized people were together at another friend's house yesterday and she gave us each a Kimberly Clark duckbill N95, and they fit all of us well despite our heads being a veritable menagerie of different sizes. They seem to be one-size-fits-all because they're so malleable. They have a honking big flat very bendable nose wire and blue head straps you can move around 'til you find the best spot to make the mask fit tight to your face. They're very comfortable. They're also huge and look absolutely ludicrous on. My friend's cat objected to being picked up while she had the mask on, presumably because he thought she'd suddenly morphed into an enormous duck. But they're very breathable and no fogging, slipping, or perceptible leaks. They're much cheaper than anything comparable, too--but we're in the US, so YMMV.
posted by Don Pepino at 6:51 PM on September 27, 2021
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posted by DarlingBri at 8:18 AM on September 25, 2021