Laurel Krahn: Gonna be wearing a mask long enough you’ll need to drink something & but you don’t want to remove your mask? Sip drinking valves may be the answer. Can be installed in a N95 or KN5 & some other masks. Straws that work with them are narrower than standard. sipmask.com

Last I checked Powecoms are still one of the most highly rated KN95s & this is the best place to get them. They sell some colors individually wrapped if you prefer that. Good for handing out to people. (N95s protect better than KN95s but people are more likely to actually wear earloop masks.)

FWIW, Bonafide Masks is having a 30% off sale right now. This is where I've gotten my Powecom KN95 masks for years now. Not a paid spokesperson, ha ha, just a customer! bonafidemasks.com/powecom-kn95/

Powecom® KN95 - Page 1 - Bona Fide Masksbonafidemasks.com Like the N95, the FDA Authorized KN95 face masks sold by Bona Fide Masks™ are rated to provide 95% ore greater filtration of particles larger than 0.3 µm in diameter such as bacteria, viruses, dust & ...

Armbrust has their mask sampler kits on sale for 40% off which is an amazing deal & a great way to try a variety of masks. Fit is so important with masks. www.armbrustusa.com/products/arm...

Armbrust Mask Sampler Kitwww.armbrustusa.com There's no such thing as a universally perfect mask. All the masks we sell have greater than 95% filtration, but that filtration is only as good as how well the mask fits your face and how comfortable...

After the studies showed that even the best KN95s didn’t fit people well enough to protect them as well as N95s, I stopped wearing KN95s save for in lower risk situations. But I still hand them out to people as folks are far more likely to throw on earloop masks than any involving headbands.

Mileage does vary a lot on fit, I bet KN95s work pretty well for some people (though usually it helps if you have something to tighten them). The key is to find masks you’ll wear more often than not. At this point I’m happy to see anyone wearing any masks at all. Some protection > no protection.

Another decent KN95 option are these HUHETA masks. I picked up some black individually wrapped ones for my dad’s funeral. amzn.to/4csoFGF Other colors: amzn.to/4eQWQcq Armbrust tested them & they would’ve passed if they were properly labeled. www.armbrustusa.com/blogs/mask-r...

I remain a huge fan of elastomeric masks. I have a face shape that means i’m one of the unlucky 10% of the population that really struggles to get a decent fit in a mask. My preferred mask is the GVS Elipse P100 elastomeric respirator. I look like a dork, but I find it comfortable. amzn.to/4btgRTv

Amazon.com: GVS ELIPSE P100 Elastomeric Half Mask Respirator with Source Control for Healthcare Professionals with Replaceable and Reusable Filters Included : Tools & Home Improvementamzn.to Amazon.com: GVS ELIPSE P100 Elastomeric Half Mask Respirator with Source Control for Healthcare Professionals with Replaceable and Reusable Filters Included : Tools & Home Improvement

That previous GVS Elipse is the “healthcare professionals” model with source control (which means air is filtered in both directions). Sometimes when I need better breathability &/or am confident there’s no chance I have SARS-CoV-2 I go with the non-source control version. amzn.to/4f5ucVp

GVS SPR456 Elipse P100 Nuisance Dust Half Mask Respirator with replaceable and reusable filters included, Medium/Large, Blue: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvementamzn.to GVS SPR456 Elipse P100 Nuisance Dust Half Mask Respirator with replaceable and reusable filters included, Medium/Large, Blue: Amazon.com: Tools & Home Improvement

There are lower profile nicer looking elastomerics masks that lots of folks swear by. My preferred mask would probably be an envomask if I could get a good seal. They’re having a 20% off sale right now. envomask.com Flomasks are very popular & seem great (haven’t tried). www.flomask.com

Flo Maskwww.flomask.com Next level protection for the whole family.

My husband’s preferred mask is a valveless Vogmask (the 8-bit design). I first heard of them well before the pandemic, favored by plenty of disabled folks. Some testing by Mask Nerd showed these lose effectiveness after washing so we just usually replace eventually. www.vogmask.com

Kevin uses a headband to tighten these as the earloops only work so well. Cambridge Mask co masks are similar to Vogmasks. Cloth masks but with filtration. If you like the feel of a cloth mask, getting something like this or Vogmask might work well for you. cambridgemask.com

Actual N95s can be found all over the place these days. Target, Home Depot, Lowe’s, whatever. 3M Aura is one of the most popular lines. I recommend the 9210+ model as they have stronger headbands than some of them. (If buy from amazon make sure amazon is seller & shipper.) amzn.to/4ehvn3o

For a time folks were paying a lot to import these Draeger X-plore 1950 N95s, but now you can pick them up from the maker (as a 3rd party seller) on Amazon. They test well & some swear by them. (Fit & preference varies a lot on all of these.) amzn.to/3KNcQyC

Hate headbands and/or earloops or are getting a haircut & don’t want those getting in the way? Maybe you’re having an MRI or something where you can’t have metal in your mask. Or you want to be very sure of your mask seal. You might like Readimasks (they stick to your face): amzn.to/3VtJ6LU

Gonna be wearing a mask long enough you’ll need to drink something & but you don’t want to remove your mask? Sip drinking valves may be the answer. Can be installed in a N95 or KN5 & some other masks. Straws that work with them are narrower than standard. sipmask.com

SIP Airtight Drinking Valvesipmask.com Safely drink in public spaces without removing your mask or compromising your health. The SIP Airtight Drinking Valve can be installed on any mask and custom fit to your mouth!

I have done a ton of research & reading on masks, but not lately. I’m not an expert. They are a very important layer of defense against SARS-CoV-2 (& also helpful when air quality sucks due to smoke or pollen). May you find something that fits & filters well & is comfortable. 😷❤️

www.projectn95.org is no longer selling masks, but they still have useful info on good masks & where to buy legit ones. You can check on 3M’s site to find legit resellers of their N95s. Don’t buy from sketchy 3rd party sellers on Amazon. There are counterfeits & just plain bad masks out there.

Some people prefer pouch or duckbill N95s. I was pleasantly surprised when these Kimberly-Clarks tested well; we have used them in the past for medical appointments. I worry about the headbands being flimsy but haven’t broke on me yet. Good breathability. www.kcprofessional.com/en-us/produc...

There are many styles out there. It’s a PITA trying to find one that will work for you, but hopefully you’ll have an easier time of it than I have. I’m a huge fan of masks, but hated wearing them until I tried the GVS Elipse. What are your fave masks? Sellers of masks?

Old school N95s with valves like many have used while doing home improvement projects are a viable option if you need better breathability & know for sure you don’t have SARS-CoV-2 and aren’t worried about source control. (Some folks use these outdoors or at the gym.) amzn.to/4c3KBYh

Amazon.com: 3M Respirator, Cool Flow Valve, Paint Sanding, Lightweight, Disposable, Filter Media, Stretchable, Easy Breathing, 10-Pack : Tools & Home Improvementamzn.to Amazon.com: 3M Respirator, Cool Flow Valve, Paint Sanding, Lightweight, Disposable, Filter Media, Stretchable, Easy Breathing, 10-Pack : Tools & Home Improvement

I like to model good behavior & wear masks/respirators with source control but 95% or more of the time I’ve not been around people & there’s no chance I have SARS-CoV-2 and many around aren’t bothering with masks at all so I’m cool with wearing a mask with a valve if I’m more comfortable.

I'm currently pretty happy with the 3M Aura, myself. I get them from Amazon, but avoid the "Six random letters name from Shenzhen" sellers in favor of "3M Store" and the like

Can confirm. Sip mask valves work well with duckbill style masks, though they don't show that on their site, & can reuse on new masks. They come with 10 skinny straws, but you can use up to 6mm straws, like KFC's are. McD straws are too big. I use the skinny straws in hopes of increasing valve life.

This is useful info, thanks. I ordered some but have yet to try them (& am not sure where they are, I should track them down). Seemed like a good idea to have on hand should I need them.

The skinny (4mm) straws they include are also fairly short. For taller cups I just taped one sticking out a few inches from inside a regular straw, and that worked fine if I made sure the tape seal was airtight. They include little valve covers but I find them annoying and don't use them; YMMV.

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