KN95 Masks

If I remember correctly, the Rona virus attaches to aerosol particles emitted during a cough/sneeze. Those particles are large enough to get filtered by the masks.

I think typical masking is pure stupidity, completely disproven by results - ie public masking obviously is doing hardly anything or likely nothing at all to curb transmission, it might even be making it worse..

But a key thing is no matter what the filter might potentially accomplish, most masks don't seal to your face, so the filter type is almost impertinent. Sure they block stuff how a face shield would, but filtering isn't really going on unless you have a firm attachment system and a gasket of some sort.

I work around a lot of nasty stuff at times, dust and chemicals, and even for dust that you can basically see clear as day, I know for a fact an N95, any of those light duty styles, just aren't reliable. Of course a surgical mask does nothing.. The n95 filters can stop the dust just fine but the typical elastic and gasket system isn't very reliable.
 
If anyone is looking for NIOSH-approved N95 masks, McMaster-Carr has them. $30-something for a pack of 10, plus shipping.

Early on, my wife was working with COVID-positive patients and her employer was having trouble obtaining N95 masks. I ended up sourcing them myself, and had significantly better luck with non-medical industrial suppliers (Mcmaster, MSC, etc.) than with vendors who target the individual consumer.
 
Cloth masks are garbage. They're better than nothing, but how much better? They were readily available and early guidance suggested the were "good enough." But the spread isn't happening solely in areas where fewer people wear masks, which means the masks most people are wearing don't provide adequate protection.

Seems like they're preparing the ground for further more restrictive mask mandates. Not sure how the phuck I'm even supposed to wear ANY form of N95 mask - when the things seem to have become unobtainium.

I saw a few articles passing thru my email over the last week or so - that Fauci is now pushing double masking or some such shit. Ever worn an N95 mask for any extended period of time? Those things get hard to breathe thru. Dumping a triple layer cloth mask on top of that (that's what they recommend) - is going to make it REALLY hard to breathe for an awful lot of people.

The article also says " if you're vaccinated you should still wear a mask" - WTF? What exactly is the point of vaccination - if you can still apparently spread it - or catch it?
 
Friend who is respiratory therapist says that last spring he was wearing on of those blue cheapo masks OVER an n95, not for filtration but to keep shit like Snot, blood, exhalation stuff, etc from getting on the n95.

He was wearing the blue mask OVER (like on the outside of) the N95?

[slap]
 
The problem is not KN95 masks, which are regulated in China, the problem is knockoffs of KN95 masks. They are everywhere.

From what I've seen - most of this masking stuff is just pure bullshit.

People are making up cloth masks - which as somebody already pointed out here was clearly stated earlier in the year to really be inadequate. "They" only relented when it became clear that there simply wasn't any N95/ whatever masks available out there.

So people are going around making up all sorts of weird masks - that don't do a damn thing. After I ran out of the 3M N95 masks that I had been wearing whenever I absolutely had to - I started using some of those blue disposable "surgical" type masks that the wife had picked up somewhere. Noticed the first time that I wore one that it had a distinct smell of cat piss. Near as I can tell - that's probably because it's somehow processed using urea. And God knows where the damn mask came from - but it sure wasn't 3M or any other "reputable" brand. So breathing in all sorts of random chemicals - is somehow better than getting the cornholeya virus - which I'm pretty sure I already had?
 
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:




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.

But.............. you're not in a sane world any more now - are you?
 
Seems like they're preparing the ground for further more restrictive mask mandates. Not sure how the phuck I'm even supposed to wear ANY form of N95 mask - when the things seem to have become unobtainium.

I saw a few articles passing thru my email over the last week or so - that Fauci is now pushing double masking or some such shit. Ever worn an N95 mask for any extended period of time? Those things get hard to breathe thru. Dumping a triple layer cloth mask on top of that (that's what they recommend) - is going to make it REALLY hard to breathe for an awful lot of people.

The article also says " if you're vaccinated you should still wear a mask" - WTF? What exactly is the point of vaccination - if you can still apparently spread it - or catch it?
Quite the opposite. N95 masks are more readily available and coming down in price, but you need to buy in bulk to recognize any savings. There are websites selling 5 packs or 10 packs for $6-7/mask, but I'd steer clear of those. For starters, always check how the masks come packaged by the manufacturer. If they come 20/box from the manufacturer and you're buying a 10 pack, someone physically touched all your masks to repackage them for sale unless they're individually wrapped, and few are.

We've just signed an agreement with the Colorado AG to restructure our pricing, so even a single case has a max markup of 50% over our cost. If you are seriously looking for N95s I can reinstitute the group buy, but fulfillment would have to be done from a single point to keep costs reasonable. Costs for some 3M N95 respirators can be as low as $2.00 for an industrial grade (not FDA 510k cleared surgical) model.
 
I think typical masking is pure stupidity, completely disproven by results - ie public masking obviously is doing hardly anything or likely nothing at all to curb transmission, it might even be making it worse..

But a key thing is no matter what the filter might potentially accomplish, most masks don't seal to your face, so the filter type is almost impertinent. Sure they block stuff how a face shield would, but filtering isn't really going on unless you have a firm attachment system and a gasket of some sort.

I work around a lot of nasty stuff at times, dust and chemicals, and even for dust that you can basically see clear as day, I know for a fact an N95, any of those light duty styles, just aren't reliable. Of course a surgical mask does nothing.. The n95 filters can stop the dust just fine but the typical elastic and gasket system isn't very reliable.
You’re not too sharp.
 
the difference between crap masks, and kn95 or n95, is there is an electrostatically charged layer in the middle of the later two, that makes stuff stick to it.

wearing some ski scarf is a f***ing joke! N95 or KN95 at a minimum!
P100 is a little intrusive, if you have to wear it 100% of an 8 hour shift at work. I have done it, but not for all 8 hours, maybe 7 hours for the day, with breaks for lunch and snacks. At work, where you might be exposed in the break room...well you need it 8 hours all day long....p100 is a little much for me.
 
the practical mater to deal with, if you are going to be hiking the AT for three months, how do you keep your gun from getting stolen along the way. You can "hide it" in your pack when you come up to a public space, but you are not going to be carrying that pack 100% of the time. Leave it outside the outhouse when you take a dump...etc.

that was my biggest issue with hiking and using the hut system in the white mountains....no place to actually lock something up. like you are in a hut, leave your pack near you bunk, but are in the main room eating supper.
 
the practical mater to deal with, if you are going to be hiking the AT for three months, how do you keep your gun from getting stolen along the way.
"Concealed" means concealed?

If I were in that position, I'd use a ski recoiler to lock the pistol itself
to the pack's internal frame.

A sneak thief pawing through your stuff while your back was turned
might get magazine(s), but they'd either get spotted while up to their elbows in the pack,
or have to carry the pack outdoors - past a room full of people -
if they wanted to get the gun itself.
 
You’re not too sharp.

I don't think you've spent much time actually wearing masks - in situations where it actually counted.

I've worn masks on and off for decades - in work situations and while working on personal projects - and I can tell you with 100% certainty that even N95 masks don't filter out all the crap in the air - because every time I wear one - even when I fit the thing carefully to my face - I still end up with shit in my nasal cavity that sneaks in around the edges. I also wear glasses - which gets almost impossible to do - because breathing out in ANY sort of heavier than normal breathing situation - fogs up the glasses as exhaled breath leaks out around the edges.

I can also tell you with absolute certainty that N95 masks don't filter out chemicals in the air - because my lungs close up very shortly after exposure to the isocyanates contained in many two-part automotive and industrial paints . The ONLY thing that pretty much allows me to breathe when those chemicals are present - is a forced fresh air breathing system - that pulls from a source of clean fresh air.

There's been a whole crapload of reports out there about how masks don't prevent the transmission of viruses - including warnings right on the damn boxes from the manufacturers saying they don't work to filter out viruses. And based on the above stated personal experiences - I BELIEVE THEM.

Since it appears that 99% of the population is walking around wearing cloth based masks of dubious providence - I'd say the assertion "masks don't work" - is completely and totally true.
 
I don't think you've spent much time actually wearing masks - in situations where it actually counted.

I've worn masks on and off for decades - in work situations and while working on personal projects - and I can tell you with 100% certainty that even N95 masks don't filter out all the crap in the air - because every time I wear one - even when I fit the thing carefully to my face - I still end up with shit in my nasal cavity that sneaks in around the edges. I also wear glasses - which gets almost impossible to do - because breathing out in ANY sort of heavier than normal breathing situation - fogs up the glasses as exhaled breath leaks out around the edges.

I can also tell you with absolute certainty that N95 masks don't filter out chemicals in the air - because my lungs close up very shortly after exposure to the isocyanates contained in many two-part automotive and industrial paints . The ONLY thing that pretty much allows me to breathe when those chemicals are present - is a forced fresh air breathing system - that pulls from a source of clean fresh air.

There's been a whole crapload of reports out there about how masks don't prevent the transmission of viruses - including warnings right on the damn boxes from the manufacturers saying they don't work to filter out viruses. And based on the above stated personal experiences - I BELIEVE THEM.

Since it appears that 99% of the population is walking around wearing cloth based masks of dubious providence - I'd say the assertion "masks don't work" - is completely and totally true.

To be fair, if a mask filters out 95% of the Covid in a room, the 5% that gets through may not be enough to infect you.

What might infect you is when you get back in your car and take your mask off, and pick your nose while driving home. Don't ask how I know this.
 
I don't think you've spent much time actually wearing masks - in situations where it actually counted.

I've worn masks on and off for decades - in work situations and while working on personal projects - and I can tell you with 100% certainty that even N95 masks don't filter out all the crap in the air - because every time I wear one - even when I fit the thing carefully to my face - I still end up with shit in my nasal cavity that sneaks in around the edges. I also wear glasses - which gets almost impossible to do - because breathing out in ANY sort of heavier than normal breathing situation - fogs up the glasses as exhaled breath leaks out around the edges.

I can also tell you with absolute certainty that N95 masks don't filter out chemicals in the air - because my lungs close up very shortly after exposure to the isocyanates contained in many two-part automotive and industrial paints . The ONLY thing that pretty much allows me to breathe when those chemicals are present - is a forced fresh air breathing system - that pulls from a source of clean fresh air.

There's been a whole crapload of reports out there about how masks don't prevent the transmission of viruses - including warnings right on the damn boxes from the manufacturers saying they don't work to filter out viruses. And based on the above stated personal experiences - I BELIEVE THEM.

Since it appears that 99% of the population is walking around wearing cloth based masks of dubious providence - I'd say the assertion "masks don't work" - is completely and totally true.

Yep and what strikes me as highly suspect are the particles the N95 & even now they claim cloth masks filter you can't even see. Fiberglass dust you can easily see as a cloud or glistening in the light yet masks that fail to stop that are dubbed as capable of stopping smaller invisible particles. Ha ok sure, whatever. I guess we have been wasting $$ on the $20 p100 filters for years and should've just bought a box of n95s or even surgical masks :).
 
IDK if anyone's said it but KN95 is a chinese knockoff "standard" that I wouldn't trust any more than a bandana. Just because it sounds kinda like a real standard (no doubt by design on the ripoff republic's part), doesn't mean it has a heightened level of protection. I highly doubt CCP cares if the batches made for export conform to their standard, even if the standard seems comparable to ours.
 
The parent company is Ball Chain mfg who make the dog tag chains for they military. They should be much more legit than random Amazon masks. They have black or white kn95, ear loop or headband style. They're made by Powecom (fda authorized for use in health care settings during public emergencies)

Use promo code 'black22" for the black ear loop style or "2021" for 20% off. Comes out to~$1 each.

Here's a link for a guy who tested a bunch of masks. Not all masks are created equal. Kf94 (Korean made are more consistent). Powecom is a recommended Kn95 (Chinese made)
 
Last edited:
I don't think you've spent much time actually wearing masks - in situations where it actually counted.

I've worn masks on and off for decades - in work situations and while working on personal projects - and I can tell you with 100% certainty that even N95 masks don't filter out all the crap in the air - because every time I wear one - even when I fit the thing carefully to my face - I still end up with shit in my nasal cavity that sneaks in around the edges. I also wear glasses - which gets almost impossible to do - because breathing out in ANY sort of heavier than normal breathing situation - fogs up the glasses as exhaled breath leaks out around the edges.

I can also tell you with absolute certainty that N95 masks don't filter out chemicals in the air - because my lungs close up very shortly after exposure to the isocyanates contained in many two-part automotive and industrial paints . The ONLY thing that pretty much allows me to breathe when those chemicals are present - is a forced fresh air breathing system - that pulls from a source of clean fresh air.

There's been a whole crapload of reports out there about how masks don't prevent the transmission of viruses - including warnings right on the damn boxes from the manufacturers saying they don't work to filter out viruses. And based on the above stated personal experiences - I BELIEVE THEM.

Since it appears that 99% of the population is walking around wearing cloth based masks of dubious providence - I'd say the assertion "masks don't work" - is completely and totally true.
The parent company is Ball Chain mfg who make the dog tag chains for they military. They should be much more legit than random Amazon masks. They have black or white kn95, ear loop or headband style. They're made by Powecom (fda authorized for use in health care settings during public emergencies)

Use promo code 'black22" for the black ear loop style or "2021" for 20% off. Comes out to~$1 each.

Here's a link for a guy who tested a bunch of masks. Not all masks are created equal. Kf94 (Korean made are more consistent). Powecom is a recommended Kn95 (Chinese made)
If you get legit ones....

because the Powecom mask was the most sought after KN95 in the early stages of the pandemic, when N95s weren’t available, numerous counterfeits hit the market. Powecom had to add an authentication sticker to the package to separate themselves from the fakes. Make sure if you get these they have the sticker on the package!
 
Seems like they're preparing the ground for further more restrictive mask mandates. Not sure how the phuck I'm even supposed to wear ANY form of N95 mask - when the things seem to have become unobtainium.

I saw a few articles passing thru my email over the last week or so - that Fauci is now pushing double masking or some such shit. Ever worn an N95 mask for any extended period of time? Those things get hard to breathe thru. Dumping a triple layer cloth mask on top of that (that's what they recommend) - is going to make it REALLY hard to breathe for an awful lot of people.

The article also says " if you're vaccinated you should still wear a mask" - WTF? What exactly is the point of vaccination - if you can still apparently spread it - or catch it?
Yes wearing a N95 I notice much more difficulty to breath thru than one of those dopey cloth masks. I use to wear N95 in the workshop for sawdust etc. but I was not really moving around much. Not like now running around in the belly of the beast like a grocery store. Fauci is out of control and drunk with power. There is no end in sight to this mask mandate.
 
I don't think you've spent much time actually wearing masks - in situations where it actually counted.

I've worn masks on and off for decades - in work situations and while working on personal projects - and I can tell you with 100% certainty that even N95 masks don't filter out all the crap in the air - because every time I wear one - even when I fit the thing carefully to my face - I still end up with shit in my nasal cavity that sneaks in around the edges.

I dont think you understand what you dont understand. If they DID filter all the crap in the air, they'd be called N100 or P100.
 
The parent company is Ball Chain mfg who make the dog tag chains for they military. They should be much more legit than random Amazon masks. They have black or white kn95, ear loop or headband style. They're made by Powecom (fda authorized for use in health care settings during public emergencies)

Use promo code 'black22" for the black ear loop style or "2021" for 20% off. Comes out to~$1 each.

Here's a link for a guy who tested a bunch of masks. Not all masks are created equal. Kf94 (Korean made are more consistent). Powecom is a recommended Kn95 (Chinese made)

Ive been using the Powecoms, they are pretty good and pretty cheap ($8 for 10). I used the same code you posted. They’re cheap enough I don’t mind tossing them after a day at work.
 
If you can't get N95 certified masks, I trust Korean made KF94 masks more than Chinese KN95.

I think there are a lot of places to get NIOSH N95 masks now, like here - cheapest seems to be about $100 for 30, but cheaper if you order big numbers:


The company has gotten a lot of good press, including from MIT and Beth Israel.
 
Back
Top Bottom