KN95 Masks

Actually, a “real” KN95 has to meet only slightly different standards than an N95. Problem is making sure that you get a mask that actually meets the KN95 standards.


Watch the video.


I would prefer to use an N95 myself, if they were available to the general public. Right now they are suppose to be reserved for health care workers.

KN95 has to meet slightly different Chinese standards and they're also not subject to stringent US gov't guidelines, other than that.... yeah, they're pretty much the same :rolleyes:

They also have to be sized properly and worn properly. They're saving the N95's for health care workers because KN95's aren't allowed in most healthcare environments.

Not minimizing your concern or risk factors, however I'd suggest you'd be better off having others do your shopping or ordering online rather than trusting a KN95 mask to keep you safe.
 
I've been using a homemade N17 mask, but I don't think the "N" is for real...
 
For disposable masks, I’d be looking at the KF94 versions from Korea over the KN95 Chinese masks
 
I thought KN95's were knock offs? 🤔

Over-under of the number of masks required or new strains "discovered" before politicians start dangling from lamp posts?

The problem is not KN95 masks, which are regulated in China, the problem is knockoffs of KN95 masks. They are everywhere.
 
How many layers of mask will it take for sheep to remember that they are humans? doubt 2 will be enough.
 
I bought a few dozen legit 3M N95 masks off Amazon yesterday. They're back, but not a lot of stock. Same with nitrile gloves.

How do you tell anything is legit from Amazon? Was it sold by Amazon? Most legit sites are still reserving N95 masks for first responders, though I haven’t looked in a while cause I don’t care that much what mask I wear.
 
The problem is not a single Chinese inspector gives a shit what the mask is actually made like if it's going to export. And a lot of factory owners have zero problems with mislabeling the masks.

Two things should not be combined. The words "standards" and "china."

Yeah there could be glass shards in them, people. Oh no wait, I’m thinking of Hot Pockets.

Anyone who thinks our government is more trustworthy or competent has been asleep for decades.
 
Yeah there could be glass shards in them, people. Oh no wait, I’m thinking of Hot Pockets.

Anyone who thinks our government is more trustworthy or competent has been asleep for decades.

The inspections and standards enforcement conducted in the US are orders of magnitude better than anything the PRC could dream of.
 
the 17 is probably meaningless too
I hope so. It's the bottom 6 inches of a worn out Pocket tee shirt...

I've been toying with the idea of making a mask with the pocket section. So I'll have a place to put my Dunkin's Card... or, a Werther's.
 
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I have seen "kn95" masks discarded on the ground that look like a glorified dust mask; nothing like a real N95. I hope people are not duped into thinking those will offer any protection at all.

I agree with this post. We have “kn95” masks available at work and they are nothing like a real N95 mask.

I believe KN95s are made in China. Make your own conclusions.
 
How do you tell anything is legit from Amazon? Was it sold by Amazon? Most legit sites are still reserving N95 masks for first responders, though I haven’t looked in a while cause I don’t care that much what mask I wear.
Verified reviews. I’ll let you know more when I get them.
 
The inspections and standards enforcement conducted in the US are orders of magnitude better than anything the PRC could dream of.

We have a massive regulation apparatus employing thousands of taxpayer suckling bureaucrats, I’ll give you that, but I don’t know if it’s better.
 
If you really don’t want to get COVOD, N95 level is the way to go. During the first wave I intuabted a good number of COVID+ folks and never caught the bug. Same thing with 100% of my colleagues (confirmed by antibody testing). N95s just plain work. I wear an envo mask these days and so does my dad (who, at a private school, has been doing 100% in person teaching). I have been very pleased with my Envo.
 
I know many of you are down on wearing masks. But for those of us in the high risk population who are, like me, belt and suspenders kind of folks you might want to consider stocking up on some KN95 masks while they are still available. The CDC has come out to recommend wearing multi-layer masks to help protect yourself from the new more contagious and potential more deadly UK variant of COVID-19. The most effective multi-layer masks are the N95 class, such as the KN95. You need to be sure you get a “real” KN95 and not some cheap knockoff. I can foresee that if this new UK variant really takes off, there will be another shortage of masks that will make the ammo shortage look small.

Since the vaccination process is proceeding a lot more slowly than I’d like and it may or may not be as effective against these new mutant strains, I think a KN95 mask when out in high risk ares (like a Walmart) is not a bad idea.

Right now prices have come down from their October highs, but that might not last if this UK variant (among others) hits hard. You don’t want to be caught short like you were with ammo.
Thanks for the hot tip, Dr. Fauci.
 
I'm getting ahead of this curve. I'm stocking up on surplus NBC suits.
The Bride and I both have one of these Chuck polo shirts,
ordered directly from the NBC store.
Does that count?
51-mB6TQUEL._AC_UL1001_.jpg


Ready to go to market basket View attachment 441267
Ready to go to Piedmont.
Andromeda-Strain.jpg
 
Thanks for the hot tip, Dr. Fauci.
Sorry if I offended anyone, but having a family friend who died from the disease, I really would not like to see anyone else succumb to it. Dying from it is like drowning in slow motion. Those of us who are at high risk from COVID-19 (where the death rate is running 20%) need to take what I consider unusual precautions. I believe in Paul Harrell's admonition to "prepare for the scenarios that are more likely before those that are least likely”. For most of us, getting COVID-19 is probably a lot more likely than getting into a shootout with a bad guy. So just like I always have my EDC when outside the home, I also have my mask.

Enough said.
 
Not sure how in any sane world wearing a cloth face diaper or a bulk-pack "surgical" mask over a true N95 mask would in any way be a substantive increase in filtering effectiveness. Given that the 95% effective rating of an N95 mask is reached through the incorporation of a middle layer of electrostatically charged fibers, the physics would say an additional layer of inferior mechanical filtration does bupkiss.

Here's a good article explaining the functioning of N95 masks:

"In addition to mechanical capture, N95 respirators employ an electrostatic mechanism to attract and intercept foreign particles (charged or uncharged). This happens when there are significant electric fields and electric field gradients in the mask material, which may occur when the fibers are charged.20 It is these electrostatic interactions that raise the filtration of N95 masks to the 95% level. Charged fibers can attract both inherently charged particles by Coulombic forces and neutral polar particles (such as tiny aqueous droplets) by dielectrophoretic forces that come from the interaction of polarized objects and electric field gradients.

In typical N95 masks, the electrostatic filtration is performed by a layer comprised of a non-woven melt-blown mesh of charged polypropylene fibers. Most of the pores in this mesh have a characteristic length scale of about 15 μm, and about 90% of its space is void. This layer is held in place between two or more quasi-rigid layers that provide both support and mechanical filtration. Polypropylene is an electret, a dielectric material, which can hold a charge or possess a net microscopic dipole moment.21"


Based on the science, it makes sense that trying to sterilize N95 masks without a means to refresh the electrostatic charge would be folly and potentially dangerous.
 
Actually, a “real” KN95 has to meet only slightly different standards than an N95. Problem is making sure that you get a mask that actually meets the KN95 standards.


Watch the video.
NIOSH approved N95’s should be fit tested for the individual user, per OSHA standards. You need a nearly 0% inhalation leakage to pass some of the testing we do at my job.

the KN95’s have about an 8% inhalation leak rate and will never ever pass an OSHA type fit test standard.

if you’re a person who thinks you’ll die from COVID, buy a rubber P100 style respirator from Home Depot with cartridges
 
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