Has the 3M Aura finally met its match? German made Hard FFP2 earloop mask tested every possible way.
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- Опубліковано 25 сер 2024
- There is lots of buzz around the German made Hard FFP2 masks being a worthy replacement for 3M Auras, but with convenient earloops and nice colors. I tested one against a 3M Aura, then to see if I could improve the Hard earloop FFP2 I installed different parts from the Aura one at a time and tested the Hard FFP2 again, and again. Here are the results:
00:53 Hard Earloop FFP2 - 10 Fit Factor | 10% Total Inward Leak
02:18 3M Aura Hacked with Earloops - 303 Fit Factor | .33% Total Inward Leak
(not in video) Hard Earloop FFP2 with Aura Headbands - 12 Fit Factor | 8.3% Total Inward Leak
04:04 Hard Earloop FFP2 with Aura Headbands - 7.7 Fit Factor | 13% Total Inward Leak
06:34 Hard Earloop FFP2 with Aura Nosewire - 31 Fit Factor | 3.2% Total Inward Leak
07:18 Hard Earloop FFP2 with Aura Headbands & Nosewire - 43 Fit Factor | 2.3% Total Inward Leak
08:08 Hard Earloop FFP2 with Aura Nosewire & Nosefoam - 56 Fit Factor | 1.8% Total Inward Leak
08:38 Hard Earloop FFP2 with Aura Headbands, Nosewire & Nosefoam - 50 Fit Factor | 2% Total Inward Leak
Fit is very individual. YMMV. I have a high nose bridge that needs a very good nose wire to get a good fit, so your fit could be very different than mine. One take didn't make the video because the microphone wasn't on. I think the small differences are too close to call, such as the head bands vs. earloops, whereas the Aura nosewire made a significant difference, which is consistent with similar tests I've done with other masks.
Overall I'd say the Hard FFP2 needs a better nose wire. It performs about as well on me as an LG Airwasher KF94, and the nose wire is almost identical to the Airwasher. Spoiler: It is not an Aura killer. But check out the video to see if it might be good enough for you.
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Thanks to Redittor ElectronGuru for the mask to test.
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There are two basic kinds of fit testing used for N95s and other filtering facepiece respirators (FFRs): the kind I do with a particle counter mask fit testing machine ("quantitative") in the video, and the kind where a flavored aerosol is used, that you can taste if the aerosol gets through your mask ("qualitative").I'm doing a very abbreviated version of mask fit testing with just a static 60 second test, but I'm using the same type of particle count test used on N100 masks, so some of the fit test scores may be lower than if I used the less demanding N95 mask fit test.
Testing for workplace use involves moving your head and body to make sure the mask works even when you aren't sitting still.
In the video I'm using a PortaCount mask fit testing machine that gives scores in "Fit Factor".Fit factor is the the concentration of ambient particles outside the mask divided by the concentration inside the mask. So if there were 1000 particles outside and 10 inside, 1000 divided by 10 is 100, so the air inside the mask is 100 times cleaner and the fit factor is 100. The Portacount counts particles from .02 to 1 micron in size.
If you have questions about masks, please leave a comment.
You can also get feed back on respirators on Reddit: / masksforeveryone
Once again, the 3m Aura pummels the competition.
Thank You for your videos! They are super-informative and I appreciate your evaluations / experimentation with modifications.
I just wanted to add a small comment / gripe: The "traditional" PPE manufacturers are (now in the 5th year of this pandemic!) still not producing respirators for children; a large demographic that world-wide has the least amount of autonomy in deciding where and for how long they spend time with others indoors, i.e. exposing themselves to SARS for hours almost every day in classrooms they have little to now power to influence or modify.
Hard is one of the few manufacturers that are easily and affordably available to me (in Europe) that make an FFP2 certified respirator in a size my 9yo can wear without extensive modifications. It is extremely frustrating.
Thank You again for your videos (also on elastomerics).
Hi Gerard, I want to thank you for your amazing reviews! I wanted to also ask you if I could ship you a few FFP2 masks that are made in Portugal that costs 71c per mask for you to test. I find them pretty good and use them all the time, but would love to see how they compare with the Aura.
Great stuff as always!
Any chance you have a purchasing link to that nosefoam?
The nose foam I used was removed from a 3M Aura. The idea was specifically to use the headbands, nose wire, and nose foam from a 3M aura. I've seen some nose foam on Amazon, but it looked too thick and contoured so I've never tried it.
At some point I need to do the opposite, which is test a 3M Aura, and remove those bits one at a time. It's a bit tricky because the nose foam can be hard to remove without tearing it and for the test to be fair the foam would have to be removed perfectly.
@@gerardhughes Got it.
Super that you're experimenting on this. As time goes on, a mask that's effective but a wee less industrial gets more and more attractive.
If only there were a black Aura...
Nice logical approach to testing. I heard some people talk about "collapse" when doing mask reviews. Do you know what that means?
Mask collapse is when a mask changes shape as you inhale because it's not stiff enough to resist the pressure imbalance. This often means that a mask will collapse and touch your mouth every time you breathe in. Many people find this irritating. Many good masks, such as the 3M aura, are specifically designed to be stiff enough not to collapse on inhalation.
@@gerardhughes ok so it won't compromise the integrity, its a comfort thing
I think you make a good point, that a mask that can collapse might change fit if it's that flexible. But generally people refer to mask collapse as a comfort issue. It's something that Aaron Collins has been talking about for a while in his videos because he really does not like mask collapse and does not like masks touching his face.
Another place mask collapse can be an issue is in kids masks. Kids masks can get damp on the inside from being worn a long time and some kids really do not like the feeling of a wet mask touching their face. A mask that doesn't collapse, and doesn't touch their face, may make it easier to convince kids to wear masks. But of course that will depend on the kids.