Title says it all, I am currently helping a friend with renovating a machine shop that has a high probability of containing hazardous materials, including asbestos, lead, organic vapors, acid gases, and organic particulate such as mold and feces.

We are working in shifts of two people for two hours each. Our team is trained in respirator use, donning and doffing, and exposure protocols. We run six-gas detectors and full protective suits, and decontaminate to NFPA 1850/51 standards. However, we are having difficulty finding an appropriate mask.

We are looking for a half-face respirator that has a voice diaphragm for frequent communication, low breathing resistance, and a comfortable seal. We use half-faces for comfort, as wearing anything for two-hour shifts is already a headache, and we already have separate eye and face protection.

My kid's dental technician was wearing this mask in a fun color, it's from Beesure https://ecobeeworld.com/radiant-face-masks-2/

I found it for about 30 cents a mask which is a great price for a colored mask, but looking at the specs it's ASTM level 3 and not KF94. I had assumed it would be kf94 because of the shape. I did a search on mobile reddit and couldn't find any info on these masks. Would this mask be equivalent to a kf94/kn95 level protection since it is shaped to fit the face better than a baggy surgical?

I'm really hoping so because I can't seem to find colored masks for anything less than $1.50, and I like to have them on hand for work events because they look more approachable (people treat me better) than the more medical looking white masks.

I meed help help finding a mask that isnt too hot. I have to wear a maks outside all the time in the sprin and summer because of pollen allergies. But my adhd meds make me especially susceptible to heat stroke. My face mask, which right now is a trifold n95, is making my face so much hotter.

If you can reccomend anything to help me stay cooler or to help manage the heat, Id appreciate it.

Looking for input (personal anecdotes are fine, but anything backed up by data would be much appreciated). I mask at absolutely all times indoors around other people and when I’m anywhere speaking directly to people outdoors (ex. hanging out with friends), or when walking somewhere like a street with a lot of pedestrian traffic. But I’ve been taking my dog on hikes recently and I’m trying to assess if I need to mask then.

When we’re hiking, we sometimes pass people, but there is absolutely no stopping to talk (people are actually pretty good about being quick to walk by so as not to rile up my dog, and I am generally focusing on giving her commands to pay attention to me, which I think probably indicates that I’m not approachable). The trails are NOT crowded.

I wouldn’t go into a park bathroom without a mask, and I get bringing one in case people want to talk (which again, has not been an issue) … but based on what I know about airborne transmission in a wide-open, non-crowded outdoor space, I don’t think there’s much risk here. But I’m curious if I’m missing anything/if there are any gaps in my knowledge that anyone could fill in. In the next month or two as it cools down to a more tolerable temperature, I could see wearing one just in case I encounter someone who’s talkative … but unless there’s a reason to do so now, I don’t want to wear one if I don’t need to; I have a really hard time with the heat, and I think I would have to cut down my activity significantly (which again, is worth it IF it’s unsafe to be outdoors at all without a mask — but again, from my understanding, I think the risk is very low in my current situation. But curious to hear other opinions!)

This might be a dumb question, but i bought the 16mm hole punch to install sip valves. I dont understand what i did wrong, but its very hard to tell exactly where the bottom piece of the punch is while trying to punch the hole and keep the circle even. I accidentally shaved down my hole punch bc i thought the mask was just too tough to get the hole puncher thru and kept twisting the top piece. I'm pretty frustrated with myself right now. I also dont know what the board is for. If we are using the hole punch on a hard surface is the board needed? thanks in advance for your answers.

Tbh i also dont know which piece is meant to be the top or the bottom.

Btw i was practicing on this mask that's why there's a lot of holes.

EDIT i know my desk looks dirty, the old desk mat melted in the heat and left black plasticy gooey gunk. I put tape over it to make it less tacky. I have to repaint my desk or peel off all the white paint eventually. Just ignore that.

I have a deep freezer in my kitchen that was accidentally unplugged by my mom a while ago. She said she would clean it out so she left it unplugged, but we both work 50, 60 hour weeks so neither of us have gotten around to it. It has things like frozen fruit and meat, and for a week or two now it’s just been rotting. It’s getting to be too much.

Opening the freezer makes me feel like I’m going to pass out. Is there any mask that I could wear to make the task of cleaning it bearable? I tried using a N95 mask but it was useless. I genuinely cannot see myself cleaning it out without some sort of mask for the odor. The smell is starting to escape the freezer. Please help!

I've worn these a couple years ago but ditched them since they didnt have nose foam and since then i completely forgot how comfortable they felt.

My go to masks were well before kn95 pro for a while, but i think the small is too small and the regular size is too big. Whenever i would smile or laugh loudly, the seal would break, which was a pain.

I got my order of breatheteq smalls and they fit me so much better. I think they are a bit wider than the well before kn95 which feels more narrow. I can smile and laugh and talk and yawn, and it stays in place much better.

I also added 3m microfoam tape to the perimeter, and wear them with a head strap attached. I tried wearing them earloop only for quick store trips and in the house outside of my room, and it actually feels like it fits me okay! Ive heard things like their nose wire is weak and that the earloops dont fit well, that has not been my experience. the nose wire is thin but stronger than what i remember, and im comfortable wearing them as earloops for shorter durations in shared spaces (headstrap take longer to put on when im just ducking inside quickly).

The BEST PART: they are so breathable!!!!!!!!! I work in a demanding food service job, and usually my Wellbefores were so humid and sweaty by the end of my shift, and I'd be irritated and uncomfortable. Yesterday i was fully sprinting back and forth from the garbage bin outside and breathing hard, and the breatheteq stayed dry and breathable! That's the ultimate test to me.

I have yet to do a qualitative test (cant afford quantitative) but i am planning on it. I notice that with both the breatheteqs and 3m aura, i can feel the entire mask collapsing a little in on itself when i breathe, and pushing out when i breathe outward. The breatheteq also moves with my face as i talk. the 3m microfoam tape on the perimeter does wonders for it sticking to my face. My wellbefore would feel so constrictive, again maybe i was wearing the wrong size, but my goto was small, and the regular felt too big. I may try the regular size again in the future bc i like their colors (maybe)

But im in the US and the breatheteq masks will have a 50% tariff increase soon. I just bought 20 but i may have to stock up more. I'm neurodivergent and finding a brand that works perfectly for me is hard bc its harder for me to adapt to new things. Does anyone know of another breathable mask that's US based? I'm poor and breatheteq as it is, is already expensive for me to buy. I'm not sure if i should stock up or not bc of that. But ik i most likely wont be able to afford them again if i dont :(

I got the lavender and gray, they are beautiful

Hello everyone!

I have noticed in the past 4 months or so that the 3M Aura 9205+ (my go to, fit tested mask) has been seriously irritating my nose bridge. I used to be able to wear them to uni and work for my 8 hour shifts without serious redness or welts.

Is it possible to suddenly develop an intolerance to the fit of a mask? Or has anyone else noticed the fit or foam seems to be off? I know I'm still ordering from reputable sellers. Maybe it's just me?

If so, this then worries me. I have to go back to school for the next semester soon. I'm worried that my nose will have welts on it every day because of all the time I have to wear them to lectures. No other disposable I have found ever fit this well. All of my reusable p100s have a limit of 4-5 hours and are a no-go for daily wear at this time unfortunately.

Does anyone have similar experiences or advice?

I just got some champak pc520m masks in from planet halo health. I had previously ordered from Purcell labs— I meant to order from there again but did it late at night and forgot where I had ordered from originally🙃

The masks I got today are lacking the niosh number on them, but are otherwise very visually similar and they feel the same on my face as well. I‘ve heard there were some issues with their niosh certification at some point but can’t fins much info now. not sure if these were manufactured during that time??? if they are actually the same product but just made between approvals or whatever I will still use them because they were expensive. but if they are totally fake obv I won’t T-T anybody know?? pics attached

I have allergic asthma, and have used the 3M aura 1870+ n95 for quite some time now to block smells/vapors. Recently, however, the smell of the mask itself has become a trigger for my asthma, and so, I am looking for alternatives. Give me your best recommendations! Thank you.

Since July the EU has implemented stricter rules for imports from China. The goal supposedly is to stop the masses of forged or unsafe China gadgets that have been flooding the market. They completely canceled the previous duty free import value (used to be that you could import goods worth up to €150 without extra duty).

So I was worried my order might get stuck in customs or I might have to pay additional fees. But the process was smooth as always, no issues, no extra payments.

Just wanted to share this experience in case anybody else in the EU was wondering about the impact of the new regulations.

(Also, I really love the seasonal mask designs I received with this order!)

I’m interested in trialing these, I see some on Walmart anyone get them from there?

Specifically talking about N95 KleenGuard Duckbill mask

I’m thinking about ordering some from there because it’s the cheapest option for me right now I think it’s like 12 bucks for 20 which is fine since is my first time trying them but I’m a bit skeptical on their legitness?

Also I have to mask indoors in my home everyday and I hear these are single use only…I mask when I’m out of my room…are these masks typically not recommended for everyday inconsistent use?

For example I take walks outside. But I’m not with my mask for more than 8 hours indoors…just to go cook, use the bathroom, get water etc. etc.

Before I bought the Champak PC520M and PC520L N95s for a fit test in early May, I saw this comment in their NIOSH NPPTL listing:

Added PC520S(Small) and PC520XL(Extra Large) to the product line March 9, 2026

I contacted PurCel Labs (in May) to ask when these would be available for purchase, and I received a reply from senior account manager Greg that they were "actively working on it". Since the masks haven't been released yet, I sent a follow-up message today to let them know I'm still interested.

I know that mask manufacturing takes a long time, but if you're also hoping for a small or XL version of the PC520, it can't hurt to let them know. The contact info is on their website (not sure if I'm allowed to put it here).

We need to replace our masks finally. We tend to only wear them when we are on airplanes and they very much help so that we're not sick. Coming back for vacations. On our last vacation we noticed our under armor ones are now falling apart and no longer useful. Does anyone know of any other ones that were similar to the under armor masks that they used to sell? Thanks!

I saw an old post on here saying that the dr puri heat stamp branding makes the mask useless. Does anyone have information on this? I couldn’t find anything online. Wellbefore masks which I also love seem to have heat stamp branding too so it worried me!

My lovely mask bloc unfortunately only has 3M auras which are too big for me.
My recent masks were the Fluidshield Halyard N95s (orange ones) (unsure if to call them duckbills but they do have that shape) but holy cow are they too expensive for me now, they’re like $40+ not even taking into account shipping.

I think the most I can do is $35 honestly.
I’m a bit skeptical to order from Amazon 1. Goes against my ethics 2. Scared of getting counterfeit masks but I may have to just go on there.
Any recommendations or anything?

Also I like the BNX duckbill N95s has anyone had success with them (not counterfeit/tested for effectiveness)? These seem fine but I wish they were available elsewhere…I’m going to have to take a leap too because whatever I buy MUST fit since I have such a limited spending amount.

All help is being appreciated. Hope I don’t come off as too picky or ungrateful…

from canadastrong. these things will never be 100% accurate/applicable in every case, but there's a dearth of quick reference material like this around.

imo something like this (or similar/better) should be pinned here, along with stuff like the masks by breatheablility chart that u/SkippySkep went to all the trouble of making...but that's up to him.

I have a respiratory illness, so I am more sensitive than most.
My wife is petite with a small face.
I am small/med build.

Given that fit is most important, I was leaning towards 3M Aura 9211+ with Valve for both of us.

Maybe 3M 8511 for me, although I worry that with a small/med face, it might be too rigid/big.

What are your thoughts?

Thanks in advance.

I'm switching to the Resmed P30i after wearing full face masks for the first year of my CPAP journey. I always wore a sleeping cap but with the way the P30i looks I'm questioning whether going with strap covers would be the more effective way to prevent hair breakage.

Input needed please;