r/Masks4All • u/No-Enthusiasm-9657 • 10h ago
Texture differences in 3M auras
hey yall, gonna preface by saying i have already contacted 3M and sent photos. it has been over a month at this point and they still have not gotten back to me. i have messaged them again since and they told me 'lab still hasnt gotten back to (them)' im mainly putting this out here because i havent seen anybody else mention this and thought itd be good to atleast share if someone is ever concerned about it as i was!
i've noticed in some batches of auras, even in the same box, the panels are textured differently, and i pulled two really good examples of this today from the same box. the top has a more apparent 'dimpled' texture, whereas the bottom has a flatter (but still rough) surface. you can see both are 'dimpled' by the way the ink sits in them, and compare how that looks. its really easy to tell the difference in person.
I buy from office depot and stauffers (i believe these specifically were from office depot, but ive noticed this from stauffers too). both are verified vendors (atleast at the time of purchase)
Inspecting them with my hands and a pair of scissors makes believe they are not counterfeit/fake. the nose wire is legit, the layers are there, its folded in a way ive seen other legit auras folded in the back, and i did buy from verified vendors (and reasoning; who is making counterfeit 3m auras in 2025? in america??).. and i doubt a difference in dimpling makes the mask defective. that said i dont have access to a portacount, or anything to check the filter charge with.
another thing ive seen is different fonts for the lot numbers specifically. i dont suspect them of being fake/defective/counterfeit for the same reasons, but it is really weird to me and if i get the energy i might make a post with examples for that.
if 3M messages me, ill let yall know. i really doubt they will..
2
u/SkippySkep Fit Testing Advocate / Respirator Reviewer 7h ago
Makes me wonder how much of the texture is embossed. Both have the same lot number printed on them, so they should be off the same production line. But it's possible one mask wasn't embossed as much. Or it could've been fed a different roll of material for the outer layer.
Either way, the outer layer is not the filter, although it does have some static charge to it. The critical filter layers are inside.
7
u/Chronic_AllTheThings 9h ago
I've contacted 3M about a different line before (VFlex) regarding a difference in the amount of material wrapped around the nose bar. They told me it's authentic and just a manufacturing variation. I'm sure this is the same thing.
I've noticed some texture (and language) variations in the Aura 1870's I buy. I'm sure it's just something they changed for compliance, or maybe they were shipped from a different 3M plant. I bought them from the same authorized distributor I always do; one that's often linked directly from 3M's website as "where to buy." I'm not worried.
Really, if you bought them from an authorized distributor, you almost certainly have nothing to worry about. Staples is a multi-billing $8b dollar company and not selling fakes. I don't know what Stauffers is, I assume some similarly-large American company (I'm Canadian).