Best airigami mask replacement?

September 22, 2023 7:02 PM

I was a huge fan of the airigami masks for their fit (I have a small face & wear glasses) and breathability (I lecture a lot). Sadly, they are ceasing production. What masks should I try instead?
posted by Westringia F. to Health & Fitness (6 answers total)

I have a small face, small nose and wear glasses. I use KF94 masks. I find the KN95s too big and there are always gaps. KF94s fit my face well enough that my breath rarely fogs up my lenses unless I'm for some reason running (to catch a bus I think). I lectured in these when I went back to in-person teaching.
posted by spamandkimchi at 8:54 PM on September 22, 2023

I like the mask lab KF94 masks - very comfortable and breathable although maybe not as small as you need.
posted by metahawk at 9:42 PM on September 22, 2023 [2 favorites]

Seconding the masklab masks that @metahawk linked to. I also use ear loop adjusters to cinch up the loops and they work great. You can get a set of 4 with a pull tool on masklab's site and then you can find replacement adjusters if needed on etsy for very low cost. I wear these with glasses; I do have fogging sometimes but the incredible fogblocker anti-fog wet wipes prevent fogging very well.
posted by happy_cat at 10:39 PM on September 22, 2023 [1 favorite]

The masklab ones are too big for my small face. I wear the Wellbefore 3D (KF94 style) masks in size small.
posted by misskaz at 7:42 AM on September 23, 2023 [1 favorite]

I'm not sure if this is a style you'd like, but I've had good luck with child-size masks - in my case, the Bona Fide Masks KN95-SM.
posted by kristi at 7:26 PM on September 24, 2023

I never got to try the Airgami (sadly), but the most breathable masks I've found so far are the Kimberly-Clark Duckbill N95 and the KN Flax KF94.

The Kimberly-Clark looks ridiculous, but it super comfortable — the mask material is light and breathable enough that it almost feels like cotton. I have a regular-sized face and wear the regular size, but I believe it also comes in a small size.

The KN Flax mask is very similar to other Korean KF94s, but I find it to be more breathable and of a softer material than most. For smaller faces (in a very similar KF94 style), I haven't tried these, but Aaron Collins recommends the BOTN KF94 mask in medium and the Dr. Puri KF94 mask in medium.
posted by fire, water, earth, air at 9:16 PM on October 17, 2023 [1 favorite]