Health & Wellness

Disposable Masks - Medical Grade

Sr. Member
Dec 24, 2010
564 posts
1012 upvotes
GrumpyAsian wrote: Have not tried yet, but i only picked up a few when they were still available. When I went last week, PAT only had NAWELL and SAFEAIR available.
Would love to hear your thoughts when you get the chance to try them. Saw that the Ashin and Nawell were both available online at the Galleria in Oakville and debating which one to get.
Member
Jan 17, 2018
422 posts
235 upvotes
Is there anywhere online that I can buy one or two kf94 masks?

The smallest quantity I've found is 5 for $35. That seems expensive considering single 3m n95's are sold for $4.

There are no korean grocery stores that I know of nearby.
Newbie
Nov 15, 2016
79 posts
51 upvotes
montreal, qc
Could someone recommend a KN95 of FFP2 mask for a 13 years old teen ? for school. Thanks
Member
Oct 13, 2018
265 posts
311 upvotes
azndnangel wrote: Would love to hear your thoughts when you get the chance to try them. Saw that the Ashin and Nawell were both available online at the Galleria in Oakville and debating which one to get.
From my experience the Nawell is pretty good. Firm and easy to breathe in, no collapse. Seems to be made of a firmer material than most KN95 or KF94. Haven't tried the other one (not available here)
DanIsTheBoss wrote: Could someone recommend a KN95 of FFP2 mask for a 13 years old teen ? for school. Thanks
How big is his face? If you can wait, and he'll bear the headbands, I'd recommend buying 3M 9502+ from Aliexpress. Very breathable and nice to wear for long periods at a time like at a school, and not that expensive either.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001119286767.html

No need for the N95 version of the 9502+, the KN95 is cheaper and almost the exact same, if not the exact same. It's 3M, so you can trust it.
Member
Oct 13, 2018
265 posts
311 upvotes
I bought 3M 1870+ from Hmart today here in Richmond BC. $30 for 10, no VAT charged.

Very, very comfortable and breathable. The foam strip really makes it so much better, and the elastic even compared to the 9502+ makes it feel like I'm not wearing a mask at all at the back.
If you can afford the price, I would definitely recommend them.
https://imgur.com/a/TvN1hor
Member
Oct 13, 2018
265 posts
311 upvotes
CaptainD wrote: Is there anywhere online that I can buy one or two kf94 masks?

The smallest quantity I've found is 5 for $35. That seems expensive considering single 3m n95's are sold for $4.

There are no korean grocery stores that I know of nearby.
If you don't end up finding any, I can head over to my local HMart and ship some to you for cost of an envelope + shipping + masks.

They're quite small, so if you don't mind the lack of tracking I can ship them CP Lettermail for $2-3.
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Aug 29, 2012
9301 posts
10316 upvotes
buizel10 wrote: From my experience the Nawell is pretty good. Firm and easy to breathe in, no collapse. Seems to be made of a firmer material than most KN95 or KF94. Haven't tried the other one (not available here)


How big is his face? If you can wait, and he'll bear the headbands, I'd recommend buying 3M 9502+ from Aliexpress. Very breathable and nice to wear for long periods at a time like at a school, and not that expensive either.
https://www.aliexpress.com/item/4001119286767.html

No need for the N95 version of the 9502+, the KN95 is cheaper and almost the exact same, if not the exact same. It's 3M, so you can trust it.
A child isn't going to want to wear a KN95, especially one with headbands, it will be too tight and uncomfortable, especially all day at school.

The other problem with KN95s is that they are thick and it's difficult to be understood when you speak. When I wear one, people often tell me "What?". I can't imagine a child with a softer voice.

I say something very, very lightweight and comfortable like the Air Queen Breeze that can easily be worn all day.
Member
Oct 13, 2018
265 posts
311 upvotes
Poutinesauce wrote: A child isn't going to want to wear a KN95, especially one with headbands, it will be too tight and uncomfortable, especially all day at school.

The other problem with KN95s is that they are thick and it's difficult to be understood when you speak. When I wear one, people often tell me "What?". I can't imagine a child with a softer voice.

I say something very, very lightweight and comfortable like the Air Queen Breeze that can easily be worn all day.
Again, the original poster has not described their child. You underestimate 13 and 14 year olds, I see younger high schoolers wearing even 1870+ Auras and other headband masks all the time in Richmond.
Newbie
Nov 26, 2017
81 posts
94 upvotes
Vancouver
Poutinesauce wrote: The other problem with KN95s is that they are thick and it's difficult to be understood when you speak. When I wear one, people often tell me "What?".
If KN95s will be muffling my voice, my wife is going to consider that as a bonus feature.
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Aug 29, 2012
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https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-england-not ... e-52025950

Interesting article about the early pandemic, in which in early 2020, physicians were given surgical masks with an original expiration date of 2016, and they just added a sticker of 2021 over it. The government tested the masks and they still performed up to specs.

It's just more confirmation that the filtering membrane of masks doesn't "expire". They don't just lose their electrostatic charge and filtering capacity, that's just nonsense. If they are stored in a dry environment, the membrane stays intact.

Masks have an expiration date because they are required to, and because manufacturers want to sell more masks. That's pretty much it. It's totally arbitrary.
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Aug 29, 2012
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made-canada-3m-aura-9205-masks-35-20-10 ... #p35518890

After looking at this post for Taiwan-made KF94 equivalents of medical grade, I decided to order masks from Hohomed. Shipping is free if you buy for about $140 worth of masks, which comes to about $1 a unit.

I received mine in 5 days. I ordered many colors.

In the box there was a thank you card that said they would give some other masks, which were 50 "3D masks" (which were very thin and had no nose seal, so I will never wear them), and also 5 surgical masks with smiley faces.

The KF94 equivalents themselves so far, I really like. They are very soft, but yet the fit is great. The earloops are thicker, which I like, although I prefer to use a ear saver to improve the fit. The mask seems to be taller and thus cover more of the chin at the bottom.

They seem great, it looks like a good option for quality KF94 type of masks.

I didn't have to pay any taxes or duties and it was a big order. In my opinion, it was because the content was declared as face masks, and thus DHL couldn't tax it because it is now exempt in Canada.
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Aug 29, 2012
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MadMonday wrote: I am thinking about placing an order of Air Queen Breeze.
What is the difference between https://www.airqueen.ca vs. https://aqnano.com?
Are they the same company?
My understanding is that aqnano is part of Soomlab itself, while airqueen.ca is an authorized distributor.

You can order from either with peace of mind.
Sr. Member
Jan 7, 2015
657 posts
535 upvotes
GVR
The vaccine clinics here in Vancouver were distributing Primed level 3 masks for everyone arriving. Thoughts on Primed vs the level 3 Humask from Costco? Would level 3 certification mean similar levels of protection>?
Member
Mar 27, 2016
459 posts
411 upvotes
Vancouver
CornPops wrote: The vaccine clinics here in Vancouver were distributing Primed level 3 masks for everyone arriving. Thoughts on Primed vs the level 3 Humask from Costco? Would level 3 certification mean similar levels of protection>?
These surgical masks have less protection than kn95/kf94/n95 because of all the gaps between the mask and the wearer's face.

At the clinics, did they force everyone to change their masks even if one has a higher standard mask with more protection? With the amount of people at a vaccination clinic, it's not that safe to have everyone wear just a surgical mask.

But who are we to say that, even Bonnie Henry the other day said that respirator type only has incremental benefit over the 3-ply surgical mask - this I do not agree at all
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Aug 29, 2012
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Lisameow wrote: These surgical masks have less protection than kn95/kf94/n95 because of all the gaps between the mask and the wearer's face.

At the clinics, did they force everyone to change their masks even if one has a higher standard mask with more protection? With the amount of people at a vaccination clinic, it's not that safe to have everyone wear just a surgical mask.

But who are we to say that, even Bonnie Henry the other day said that respirator type only has incremental benefit over the 3-ply surgical mask - this I do not agree at all
The public health officials who say that respirators are not really more beneficial than surgical masks are deliberate liars. They are flat-out spreading disinformation. Over and over again, respirators test at 95% or even 99%+, while surgical masks tests from 10% to 50%. These facts are undeniable because this is what empirical studies show time and time again.

And they are saying that purely because if they start hailing it as a better standard, they wouldn't have enough stock to get these masks to everyone, and it would cost more. Contrarily to Asia where they have developed plenty of capacity to make tons of these masks for anyone who wants them.
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Aug 29, 2012
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I must say after wearing it for my shopping tonight, the HoHoMed, KF94-style Taiwanese medical masks are truly great masks. Extremely comfortable, extremely good fit, extremely lightweight. It fits much better than the Good Manner KF94s which, although they are showed to filtrate at 99.3%-99.7%, fits much more loosely. The HoHoMed are the first KF94s where I feel less of a need to use an ear saver to have a good fit. I think these have become my favorite masks I've ever tried.

On their webpage for these masks, HoHoMed have a certificate where they show that their mask have tested for 99.8%-99.9% filtration. It seems the Taiwanese medical autorities regulate these masks with the same kind of strictness as the Korean government does.

Totally worth it.

Here is the link to one of them, there are many colors. Some text is only in Chinese on the website, although once you go to the check out process, it goes to a Shopify page that's all in English.

https://www.hohomed.com/products/hhm_kf ... 0537496822

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