I have several of these. I tried them, they seemed to fit my large and round face (no official fit testing). Pros: they were very breathable and adjustable and comfortable for short amounts of time. Cons: the cost, although you can rewear them. However, they were not easy to transport and seemed very fragile. Cleaning them was an issue. They were not comfortable for all day wear, which is what I need in a mask as a teacher. The edges felt sharp as I was moving my face, talking, and the mask would shift. I would often have lines when I took the mask off. I tape my current masks to my face on inside edge to ensure fit all day long despite facial and head movements and then throw them away (so wasteful), so I wanted to like these, but not really possible for this mask. If they had a bigger/flatter edge around the entire mask, especially where the bellows are, I would reconsider.
Thanks for the details. I've been wondering about the longer term durability of these since they are dependent on the integrity and stiffness of the folds for their structure. And to justify the cash outlay for them, people need to re-use them - one Airgami costs as much as 20 3M Auras, but I would think that a single Aura would be more robust and safer from damage. The Airgami are neat, but they are one accidental squish away from being non-functional, unlike my Auras which can knock around in their individual packaging in my back pack with no special consideration.
Kudos to Gerard for his hard work and public service by making his excellent mask testing videos. I wear Airgami every week day for as long as 6 to 8 hours continuously, and usually much less on the weekends unless doing yard or shop work or going to the office. For me, it's comfortable enough that I often forget I'm wearing it. I heat disinfect my Airgami daily in an Instant Pot. This keeps it smelling fresh. I have 2 at a time in circulation, so on average, I find that at the end of around 2 months or a little more, I'm ready for a new pair. I have done a lateral quantitative fit test on five Airgami at 1 week intervals of use (0 weeks (brand new), 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 , 4, and 5 weeks of use) and up to the end of 4 weeks it was able to get a solid pass on an N95 QNFT. The fit factor degraded gradually and monotonically from the brand new Airgami onward. So it doesn't last forever but I get really good use out of it. QNFT has been performed with head-strap and ear-loop harness configurations and both passed N95 fit factor. After 4 weeks of continuous use, my Airgami can look a little scuffed where my eyeglasses can scrape it and where the harness rubs and this gives me a visual indication of wear. I think that's a nice feature of the colored masks. Mine still look quite good on the outside at end life. However, I've seen some that were trashed after 5 minutes of careless handling, so your mileage may vary. My secret is I don't put Airgami in my pocket or backpack unless it's in a Tupperware or protective eyeglass case because it could get crushed, otherwise. If I don't have a case and it's not on my face I use the harness to hold it on my wrist like a corsage. If it is crushed, it can lose its fit factor unless it is reformed. Depending on how crushed it is, and it can be quite crushed, it can be reformed if you follow the crease pattern. It is surprisingly robust and the materials are extremely durable. If you follow these precautions, it will last a very long time. I never use mask tape with Airgami. The fit is all done through harness tensioning, which becomes second nature after you've used it and can be done while it's donned. The bellows adjustment is usually set once. Same for the top headstrap loop. These are only very occasionally adjusted as the mask ages. Keep up the good work Gerard!
@@gerardhughes I would quibble with the statement, "They are one accidental squish away from being non-functional ..." In fact, you can squish it a lot and reform it. However, if you squish it at the bottom of a pile of books in your backpack overnight or sit on it during a dinner party then it's going to be a problem. So don't do that! To your point, I could say the same of Aura or any mask with a nose wire that it's a squish away from a bad fit. If you squish Aura so that the nose wire gets kinked, then you're going to have a harder time getting a good fit. It's easy to kink the nose wire by folding your Aura in half (accidentally or on purpose) and putting it at the bottom of a back pack full of books. Yes, Airgami is more expensive than a single Aura, but it's designed to last and be reused so there is less waste. Sometimes folks forget that this is a medical device designed to save people's lungs and lives. If you want it to treat you with respect, you have to treat it with respect. It is not a toy.
Thanks. I have done strap tension measurements for a number of other masks, but those videos still need to be edited. I didn't measure the tension of the bottom strap because it's meant to be adjusted, and I felt like that people are just going to adjust to taste each time they don and doff rather than try and take over their head. But I probably should have measured it after I tested the mask to see exactly how much tension I was using. I haven't actually adjusted the mask I tested yet as far as I can remember, so I can probably go back and do that. (And if I didn't adjust it, that means I can get it over my head and I didn't think about it.)
Thank you for the kind words. I do have more videos in the works, but it is definitely a lot faster to do quick Twitter and Reddit posts with photos of various tests than to create a full video. So I've been doing more of that in the meantime.
I’m impressed with how well the head loop fitted. Excellent score for you. I would love to see an ear loop fit test on you. I have the ear loop version. I adjusted it and it’s nearly there for a fit test but as I’m using Bitrex I find if a mask fails I still have the taste in my mouth and residue on my face so I have to put it aside and test another day. I never finished testing because it’s fiddly and I ran out of patience adjusting the mask and firing up the nebuliser. For comfort the aura beats it hands down. I hacked the aura for ear loops and it’s still a better fit and more comfortable than the Airgami but I want to persist with the Airgami because the aura is ugly and an eyesore in meetings. The Airgami is trendy and has lots of space to breathe. I get lines on my face from the Airgami and also from my aura. It takes about an hour for the marks on the cheeks to disappear after wearing the aura a couple of hours. I find the Airgami scratchy at the bellows and it could do with some foam around the edges - but then it wouldn’t be easy to clean. I hate the elastic on the Airgami. It’s too skinny. It’s painful to wear for any length of time as an ear loop. It needs a soft coating or to be wider. Surgical mask elastic is more comfortable than the Airgami elastic. With the aura I can easily staple soft wide elastic in place for the ear loops but there’s no way to replace the elastic on the Airgami My other complaint with the elastic on the Airgami is you end up with long bits of extra elastic hanging down. It’s messy. I guess I will cut it off once I get a fit (if I have the patience to keep fiddling). I wish it was more comfortable. I would be more motivated to do all the adjustments if it was a comfortable mask. Again, I am asking 3M to do other colours in the masks. Just like the Ford model T it should come in any colour you want so long as you want black.
@@taylorshephard4905 oh that is very tempting but I just started sugar free to see if it helps with a chronic health condition. I guess I could try something minty??? I could chew gum for a few minutes.
@@ManifestingItAll perhaps try sugar free chocolate or dark chocolate? My understanding is there is some compound in the chocolate that neutralizes Bitrex. I’ve never heard of mint being used candidly, but I could stand to be corrected there
I was wondering if you'd be willing to discuss PortaCount/quantitative fit test things with me, or guide me to a good resource on looking into setting up my own set-up? I've recently gotten quite interested in it all and am curious how much it would cost to set something like what you've got going up (not really expecting to actually go ahead and make the purchases as it's rather expensive, but who knows if a good deal will come along). I saw the list of tools you used under the video, and was able to search some up, but some has left me somewhat confused as I'm rather new to the world of PortaCounts.
I'd be happy too. The biggest issue is that the surplus units are no longer repaired by the manufacturer, and the most important component, the laser that's used as part of the particle detector, has a limited lifespan. The special laser diodes are no longer made and cannot be replaced. Some of the units on eBay have dead lasers, but there's no error message on machines when that happens. They can appear to work in a listing, may have a dead laser. And the last unit I bought in fact did turn out to have a dead laser. I don't know what percentage of listings are non-functional, but it could be 20% or so. But it would be very hard to determine exactly. And I'm saying that not to discourage you, but just to set up expectations if you do decide to go through with a purchase of the surplus unit, to protect yourself by buying only from used listings that offer returns so that if you get a dead unit like I did that, you can also return it.
@@Amy-ff9lw I lucked out and found paperwork from the manufacturer saying it had been sent in for for calibration and returned because there was no laser pulse. The paperwork said the unit was unreparable because parts were obsolete. Normally, it's a much longer process to determine whether the laser is dead and involves various troubleshooting steps to verify the airflow through various parts of the unit to ensure that they aren't clogged. There may be some step an engineer with the right equipment could use to verify whether or not the laser pulse is present using electronic testing equipment, but TSI has not published manuals on how to do that.
I've used a nebulizer with fit test solution to test masks I use. 3M FT-10 (sweet, identical to FT-30 I think) is just saccharin and salt in water. I make my own from pure sodium saccharin and water (easy to get a groceries and dirt cheap). FT-10 has 10mg of sodium saccharin per ml of water if my memory serves correctly and the salt does not affect detection if absent. By diluting it more and more I tested that I can detect about 0.3% dilution. So, I can detect about 0.3% leaks will full strength solution. (One could make a stronger solution to detect even less leak but 0.3% or so ie. fit factor 333 is good enough for a pass in my daily use). I can just detect the difference with 2 to 3 days of beard growth with double strength. Nebulizer allows one to pin point where it leaks. On some masks it is nose bridge, on some it is chin and with 2-3 days of beard growth it was leaking in the sides along cheaks. A quantitative fit test meter would be a nice toy but too costly for me. So, for practical use, diy fit test solution has to do for now. (I have thought about making one myself though, I have some particle detectors laying around but haven't got into it) Love to see your quantitive measurements but I think everyone should test the fit for him/herself to be sure of fit on that perticular person. (even though some masks seem to fit almost everyone well while many do not)
I think making up your own home fit test solution is the cheapest long term option, and a fine idea for people who are up to it. I initially recommended people mix their own because of the cost, but I now recommend the 3M pre-mixed solution because most people just want to get straight to fit testing the simplest way possible. The formulas for the fit test solutions developed by 3M are posted as part of the OSHA regulations, so you can look them up. There is no salt in the sweet solutions. It is used in the bitrex solutions to match the nebulized particle size to that of the sweet fit test solution, which is around 2.5 microns. You must have some great grocery stores :-) Most saccharine sold in grocery stores is not pure saccharine but is bulked up to make it easier for consumers to handle and measure. Sweet N Low is 97% dextrose. Some of the saccharine pills have a higher concentration of saccharine. It would be handy if any of my local grocery stores sold pure saccharine, but I had to order it instead. Sweet fit test solution has .83 grams of saccharine per ml of water - essentially a saturated solution, as much as you can dissolve in warm water. There is a paper on line about how to make your own fit test solution that messed the formula up and got it wrong by a factor of 100x. The authors have been informed, with citations to OSHA and other irrefutable sources, but have not retracted the paper. Here's the correct formula for sweet and bitter fit test solutions: www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.134AppA I agree that people need individual fit testing. My fit testing videos only show whether the mask fits me well, and may fit other people with similar faces subject to confirmation by individual fit tests. And qualitative fit testing with a nebulizer is something I'd love to see be more widely used - it's also nice because you don't have to wreck a respirator to do the test or buy expensive adapters.
@@gerardhughes That is interesting info. I have to check those against my recipy that is clearly different. In europe there are some common sweeteners that are pure 100% sodium saccharin. Sure, we have many mixes too but I see no reason to get my skin sticky and avoid them. I think I may be confused with different solutions. Is FT-10 used for threshold testing (
I've got a big nose, and just from looking at those I think they're a little too shallow to fit me well. I may not be the right person to test those :-)
I do 🙂 @ghhughes on Twitter. My Mastodon account is listed on my Twitter bio. I don't post on Mastodon very frequently, but it is something that I do want to do more often.
If I ever find a good deal on an EnvoPro half mask, I may do that. It looks like it fits lower on my nose than I prefer, which tends to close my nostrils and make it hard to breathe. So I haven't prioritized budgeting for an EnvoPro. The original Envo, the quarter mask that fits on the front of your face, seems to be a bit fussy in terms of fit. It fits some people very well. And some people not at all.
I have several of these. I tried them, they seemed to fit my large and round face (no official fit testing). Pros: they were very breathable and adjustable and comfortable for short amounts of time. Cons: the cost, although you can rewear them. However, they were not easy to transport and seemed very fragile. Cleaning them was an issue. They were not comfortable for all day wear, which is what I need in a mask as a teacher. The edges felt sharp as I was moving my face, talking, and the mask would shift. I would often have lines when I took the mask off. I tape my current masks to my face on inside edge to ensure fit all day long despite facial and head movements and then throw them away (so wasteful), so I wanted to like these, but not really possible for this mask. If they had a bigger/flatter edge around the entire mask, especially where the bellows are, I would reconsider.
Thanks for the details. I've been wondering about the longer term durability of these since they are dependent on the integrity and stiffness of the folds for their structure. And to justify the cash outlay for them, people need to re-use them - one Airgami costs as much as 20 3M Auras, but I would think that a single Aura would be more robust and safer from damage. The Airgami are neat, but they are one accidental squish away from being non-functional, unlike my Auras which can knock around in their individual packaging in my back pack with no special consideration.
Kudos to Gerard for his hard work and public service by making his excellent mask testing videos.
I wear Airgami every week day for as long as 6 to 8 hours continuously, and usually much less on the weekends unless doing yard or shop work or going to the office. For me, it's comfortable enough that I often forget I'm wearing it.
I heat disinfect my Airgami daily in an Instant Pot. This keeps it smelling fresh.
I have 2 at a time in circulation, so on average, I find that at the end of around 2 months or a little more, I'm ready for a new pair.
I have done a lateral quantitative fit test on five Airgami at 1 week intervals of use (0 weeks (brand new), 1 week, 2 weeks, 3 , 4, and 5 weeks of use) and up to the end of 4 weeks it was able to get a solid pass on an N95 QNFT. The fit factor degraded gradually and monotonically from the brand new Airgami onward. So it doesn't last forever but I get really good use out of it.
QNFT has been performed with head-strap and ear-loop harness configurations and both passed N95 fit factor.
After 4 weeks of continuous use, my Airgami can look a little scuffed where my eyeglasses can scrape it and where the harness rubs and this gives me a visual indication of wear. I think that's a nice feature of the colored masks. Mine still look quite good on the outside at end life. However, I've seen some that were trashed after 5 minutes of careless handling, so your mileage may vary.
My secret is I don't put Airgami in my pocket or backpack unless it's in a Tupperware or protective eyeglass case because it could get crushed, otherwise. If I don't have a case and it's not on my face I use the harness to hold it on my wrist like a corsage.
If it is crushed, it can lose its fit factor unless it is reformed. Depending on how crushed it is, and it can be quite crushed, it can be reformed if you follow the crease pattern. It is surprisingly robust and the materials are extremely durable. If you follow these precautions, it will last a very long time.
I never use mask tape with Airgami. The fit is all done through harness tensioning, which becomes second nature after you've used it and can be done while it's donned. The bellows adjustment is usually set once. Same for the top headstrap loop. These are only very occasionally adjusted as the mask ages.
Keep up the good work Gerard!
@@gerardhughes I would quibble with the statement, "They are one accidental squish away from being non-functional ..." In fact, you can squish it a lot and reform it. However, if you squish it at the bottom of a pile of books in your backpack overnight or sit on it during a dinner party then it's going to be a problem. So don't do that!
To your point, I could say the same of Aura or any mask with a nose wire that it's a squish away from a bad fit. If you squish Aura so that the nose wire gets kinked, then you're going to have a harder time getting a good fit. It's easy to kink the nose wire by folding your Aura in half (accidentally or on purpose) and putting it at the bottom of a back pack full of books.
Yes, Airgami is more expensive than a single Aura, but it's designed to last and be reused so there is less waste.
Sometimes folks forget that this is a medical device designed to save people's lungs and lives. If you want it to treat you with respect, you have to treat it with respect. It is not a toy.
Appreciate you measuring the tension on the straps!
Thanks.
I have done strap tension measurements for a number of other masks, but those videos still need to be edited.
I didn't measure the tension of the bottom strap because it's meant to be adjusted, and I felt like that people are just going to adjust to taste each time they don and doff rather than try and take over their head. But I probably should have measured it after I tested the mask to see exactly how much tension I was using. I haven't actually adjusted the mask I tested yet as far as I can remember, so I can probably go back and do that. (And if I didn't adjust it, that means I can get it over my head and I didn't think about it.)
I miss your videos!
Thank you for the kind words. I do have more videos in the works, but it is definitely a lot faster to do quick Twitter and Reddit posts with photos of various tests than to create a full video. So I've been doing more of that in the meantime.
amazing, thank you!
I’m impressed with how well the head loop fitted. Excellent score for you. I would love to see an ear loop fit test on you.
I have the ear loop version. I adjusted it and it’s nearly there for a fit test but as I’m using Bitrex I find if a mask fails I still have the taste in my mouth and residue on my face so I have to put it aside and test another day. I never finished testing because it’s fiddly and I ran out of patience adjusting the mask and firing up the nebuliser.
For comfort the aura beats it hands down. I hacked the aura for ear loops and it’s still a better fit and more comfortable than the Airgami but I want to persist with the Airgami because the aura is ugly and an eyesore in meetings. The Airgami is trendy and has lots of space to breathe.
I get lines on my face from the Airgami and also from my aura. It takes about an hour for the marks on the cheeks to disappear after wearing the aura a couple of hours.
I find the Airgami scratchy at the bellows and it could do with some foam around the edges - but then it wouldn’t be easy to clean.
I hate the elastic on the Airgami. It’s too skinny. It’s painful to wear for any length of time as an ear loop. It needs a soft coating or to be wider. Surgical mask elastic is more comfortable than the Airgami elastic.
With the aura I can easily staple soft wide elastic in place for the ear loops but there’s no way to replace the elastic on the Airgami
My other complaint with the elastic on the Airgami is you end up with long bits of extra elastic hanging down. It’s messy. I guess I will cut it off once I get a fit (if I have the patience to keep fiddling). I wish it was more comfortable. I would be more motivated to do all the adjustments if it was a comfortable mask.
Again, I am asking 3M to do other colours in the masks. Just like the Ford model T it should come in any colour you want so long as you want black.
Did you try milk chocolate after the fit testing? Let it melt on your tongue so it can become saturated. That should help get rid of the Bitrex taste.
@@taylorshephard4905 oh that is very tempting but I just started sugar free to see if it helps with a chronic health condition. I guess I could try something minty??? I could chew gum for a few minutes.
@@ManifestingItAll perhaps try sugar free chocolate or dark chocolate? My understanding is there is some compound in the chocolate that neutralizes Bitrex. I’ve never heard of mint being used candidly, but I could stand to be corrected there
@@taylorshephard4905 thanks
Thank you so much ❤
I was wondering if you'd be willing to discuss PortaCount/quantitative fit test things with me, or guide me to a good resource on looking into setting up my own set-up? I've recently gotten quite interested in it all and am curious how much it would cost to set something like what you've got going up (not really expecting to actually go ahead and make the purchases as it's rather expensive, but who knows if a good deal will come along). I saw the list of tools you used under the video, and was able to search some up, but some has left me somewhat confused as I'm rather new to the world of PortaCounts.
I'd be happy too. The biggest issue is that the surplus units are no longer repaired by the manufacturer, and the most important component, the laser that's used as part of the particle detector, has a limited lifespan. The special laser diodes are no longer made and cannot be replaced. Some of the units on eBay have dead lasers, but there's no error message on machines when that happens. They can appear to work in a listing, may have a dead laser. And the last unit I bought in fact did turn out to have a dead laser.
I don't know what percentage of listings are non-functional, but it could be 20% or so. But it would be very hard to determine exactly.
And I'm saying that not to discourage you, but just to set up expectations if you do decide to go through with a purchase of the surplus unit, to protect yourself by buying only from used listings that offer returns so that if you get a dead unit like I did that, you can also return it.
@@gerardhughes Oh thank you very much for the warning! How would you know it's dead since there is no error message?
@@Amy-ff9lw
I lucked out and found paperwork from the manufacturer saying it had been sent in for for calibration and returned because there was no laser pulse. The paperwork said the unit was unreparable because parts were obsolete.
Normally, it's a much longer process to determine whether the laser is dead and involves various troubleshooting steps to verify the airflow through various parts of the unit to ensure that they aren't clogged.
There may be some step an engineer with the right equipment could use to verify whether or not the laser pulse is present using electronic testing equipment, but TSI has not published manuals on how to do that.
I've used a nebulizer with fit test solution to test masks I use. 3M FT-10 (sweet, identical to FT-30 I think) is just saccharin and salt in water. I make my own from pure sodium saccharin and water (easy to get a groceries and dirt cheap). FT-10 has 10mg of sodium saccharin per ml of water if my memory serves correctly and the salt does not affect detection if absent.
By diluting it more and more I tested that I can detect about 0.3% dilution. So, I can detect about 0.3% leaks will full strength solution. (One could make a stronger solution to detect even less leak but 0.3% or so ie. fit factor 333 is good enough for a pass in my daily use). I can just detect the difference with 2 to 3 days of beard growth with double strength.
Nebulizer allows one to pin point where it leaks. On some masks it is nose bridge, on some it is chin and with 2-3 days of beard growth it was leaking in the sides along cheaks.
A quantitative fit test meter would be a nice toy but too costly for me. So, for practical use, diy fit test solution has to do for now. (I have thought about making one myself though, I have some particle detectors laying around but haven't got into it)
Love to see your quantitive measurements but I think everyone should test the fit for him/herself to be sure of fit on that perticular person. (even though some masks seem to fit almost everyone well while many do not)
I think making up your own home fit test solution is the cheapest long term option, and a fine idea for people who are up to it.
I initially recommended people mix their own because of the cost, but I now recommend the 3M pre-mixed solution because most people just want to get straight to fit testing the simplest way possible.
The formulas for the fit test solutions developed by 3M are posted as part of the OSHA regulations, so you can look them up.
There is no salt in the sweet solutions. It is used in the bitrex solutions to match the nebulized particle size to that of the sweet fit test solution, which is around 2.5 microns.
You must have some great grocery stores :-) Most saccharine sold in grocery stores is not pure saccharine but is bulked up to make it easier for consumers to handle and measure. Sweet N Low is 97% dextrose. Some of the saccharine pills have a higher concentration of saccharine. It would be handy if any of my local grocery stores sold pure saccharine, but I had to order it instead.
Sweet fit test solution has .83 grams of saccharine per ml of water - essentially a saturated solution, as much as you can dissolve in warm water.
There is a paper on line about how to make your own fit test solution that messed the formula up and got it wrong by a factor of 100x. The authors have been informed, with citations to OSHA and other irrefutable sources, but have not retracted the paper.
Here's the correct formula for sweet and bitter fit test solutions:
www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910/1910.134AppA
I agree that people need individual fit testing. My fit testing videos only show whether the mask fits me well, and may fit other people with similar faces subject to confirmation by individual fit tests. And qualitative fit testing with a nebulizer is something I'd love to see be more widely used - it's also nice because you don't have to wreck a respirator to do the test or buy expensive adapters.
@@gerardhughes That is interesting info. I have to check those against my recipy that is clearly different.
In europe there are some common sweeteners that are pure 100% sodium saccharin. Sure, we have many mixes too but I see no reason to get my skin sticky and avoid them.
I think I may be confused with different solutions. Is FT-10 used for threshold testing (
Can you fit test a Gatapack mask? I’m curious to see how effective they are!
I've got a big nose, and just from looking at those I think they're a little too shallow to fit me well. I may not be the right person to test those :-)
do you have a twitter and mastodon?
I do 🙂
@ghhughes on Twitter. My Mastodon account is listed on my Twitter bio.
I don't post on Mastodon very frequently, but it is something that I do want to do more often.
can you fit test the Envo NIOSH respirator?? it has gel seal
If I ever find a good deal on an EnvoPro half mask, I may do that. It looks like it fits lower on my nose than I prefer, which tends to close my nostrils and make it hard to breathe. So I haven't prioritized budgeting for an EnvoPro.
The original Envo, the quarter mask that fits on the front of your face, seems to be a bit fussy in terms of fit. It fits some people very well. And some people not at all.