The Most Breathable N95 Respirator? ElastoMaskPro Review Part 1
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- Опубліковано 25 сер 2024
- The ElastoMaskPro is the most breathable N95 I've tested that also filters well above the minimum N95 standard.
The ElastoMaskPro is an innovative mask that is made entirely out of a single piece of silicone, even the straps. It's meant to be as simple to use as an N95 filtering facepiece respirator, but have the great seal and lasting reusability of an elastomeric respirator. Unlike a lot of source control respirators on the market it is not a slightly altered existing industrial mask. ElastoMask Pro was designed from the ground up to be for healthcare workers.
I think there are some advantages and disadvantages to the design, but overall I'm impressed. It offers incredible breathabilty, around twice as breathable as my 3M Aura N95s, but also has outstanding fit and filtration. When I first wore it for a few hours to try it out, it was so breathable I never felt a need to immediately take it off when in a safe environment.
I was given the masks for free to review, and if it seems like I'm gushing a bit in the video it's because of the breathability and the test results not because I got them free. In Part 2 I'll show the comparison testing I did against a Dentec NxMD with N95 filters and a 3M Aura and you'll see why. In that video I'll also have full comparisons of speech intelligibility of different respirators, measurements of the strap tension and more.
Overall, I don't hesitate to recommend ElastoMaskPro in terms of performance as an incredibly breathable N95 elastomeric that fits and filters very well and is easy to use.
Whether it might be right for you is a more complicated question that involves individual fit and overall value. As of the time of this review, it is an $80 mask, which is comparable to other high quality respirators I sometimes call "boutique" respirators, such as FloMask and Envo Mask, to distinguish them from their less expensive industrial counterparts. Check the Part 2 video when that comes out for more details. But if it's in your price range I definitely think ElastoMaskPro is a mask worth considering.
Addendum 11/23/22:
I'm editing part 2 now, including the video when I took the mask off after wearing it for 3 hours. It left quite an impression on me, literally. The pressure marks on my face are more prominent than in the post fit test video in part 1. The ElastoMaskPro seals really well on me, but the pressure marks on my nose bridge and from the straps on my cheeks are an indication the mask may not be the best fit for me in terms of the distribution of pressure on my face.
You can learn more about the ElastoMaskPro at their website:
reusable-respi...
Update 12/1/22
Just got off a webex call with some of the people behind ElastoMaskPro and found out the mask has a 1 year warranty. I think that is something that may help with concerns about the durability of the straps. I'm not even sure if any of my other elastomerics have warranties. I'm not sure yet what exactly the warranty will mean in practical terms, but I was kind of surprised it exists.
And as to whether talking with them influenced me, definitely. They are all really nice and it was interesting to hear about some of the engineering that went into the mask, including fluid dynamics calculations that went into the air flow, which is why the small slits under the filter covers work so surprisingly well. And that one of the challenges in designing the seemingly simple mask with fixed straps was finding data on head circumferences since that isn't part of the NIOSH guidelines for mask fit test panels (panels which aren't part of for approval of particulate respirators, but apparently can be for vapor filtering masks).
Note 12/12/22:
As with any video where I have received a test sample for free, I've tagged this video as "Includes Paid Promotion" since that is UA-cam's term for whether you receive any compensation for a review, and under FTC guidelines a test sample is considered compensation. That is the full extent of this being a "sponsored" video. No review approval or other compensation than masks to test. I did receive one request, which is if I could include an example of speech while wearing the mask, but the test samples were not contingent on that. I created a separate speech comparison video because it's an issue I was going to test anyway and though would be useful to people.
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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
2:25 - Perfect. Eight OSHA exercise results displayed in a Brady Bunch format😁
I almost immediately regretted trying to do the 8 up 🤣
Some ineffable bug in premiere pro wouldn't display all of them at the same time and didn't go away until I upgraded the program. Whew. :-)
I am impressed with it too. The cost of the filters give me a little pause, but I don't work in health care, although I do work in a germ factory known as a school. I also wear glasses and that looked like it might be an issue because the nose comes up so high. Looking forward to seeing part 2, thank you.
I touch on the glasses fit of the ElastoMaskPro vs other respirators in part 2 (I had more content that I thought the average person would watch, so I split it up).
On me, with the large size, there is no room for glasses, unlike my Dentec NxMD which has a sort of cut away at the nose bridge that leaves room for them. YMMV. I now wish I had access to the small size, but I should be firmly in their large size category at 11.8cm from under the chin to nose bridge.
I love this mask. Did you ever do a part 2? Not seeing it. Thank you for all you do! So helpful.
Alas part two is still in the works. One of things I'm waiting on is a FOIA request on respirators in its class. I wanted to know how they compared in terms of filtration and breathability based on the NIOSH tests, but NIOSH redacted all of the tests NIOSH performed as part of the approval process, claiming they are confidential and exempt from FOIA release. So I've got an appeal in process. I'm told there are 450 appeals ahead of mine. They didn't tell me what their daily clearance rate on appeals is. So I have no idea how long the appeals process will take.
Can it be used for sanding and sawdust? Thank you 😊
Yes. It is a very good particulate respirator.
I love your video and I have ordered one of these masks. Please tell me, if you can, the actual filtration level of this mask with normal breathing as per N95 particle standard eg 99.5% or whatever. I know it will only be for your face, but I am still interested. And what is the significance of each fit factor? I know bigger numbers is better but can that be converted into filtration rate eg fit factor 674 is X% filtration, fit factor 469 is Y% filtration level etc. And how much does the mask weigh? Does it have an odour? And if it does have an odour (most elastomeric masks do), is it okay to air the mask out on the clothesline to get rid of the odour?
Cool. I hope this mask works out for you. Fit is very individual so it's very hard to predict.
The mask is rated as an N95 mask, however that apparently was a marketing decision. It may actually be qualified to pass N99 tests, but fewer people are familiar with the n99 designation, which is as you might think, a mask that filters 99% of most penetrating particles at 85 L per minute.
I don't have the weight at my fingertips right now. But I can look up my measurements.
@@gerardhughes Thanks for that. My guess they went for N95 because testing is expensive and concerned they may fail N99. I think it is pretty much common sense an N99 is better. But as you say, it seems to perform at N99 level which is great, considering how breathable it is. Also, I've worked out now the significance of the fit test numbers and how to convert them into percentage filtration.
You mention a cheater test that helps N95s pass. Can you elaborate on that?
For OSHA compliance, fit tests of particulate respirators are supposed to be about the seal of the mask on the user and nothing else - the NIOSH approved filter is presumed to be good because it has passed rigorous NIOSH certifications, so the filter media is not supposed to be part of the test. This makes it a challenge to test N95 masks which are allowed to leak up to 5% of the most penetrating particle size at an airflow of 85 liters a minute. How do you test for a seal leak of less than 1% when the mask filter is allowed to have up to 5% penetration? Well, if you have a very good N95 filter, that's not a problem, it will still have a total inward leakage below the 1% maximum allowed if the mask fits well. And that's the case with the ElastoMaskPro and my 3M Auras. But for some N95s, passing a 1% total inward leakage is not possible because of the filter penetration, the Dentec N95 cartridges are an example. So a special addition to the fit testing machine was developed by TSI that only counts particles that have a charge and size that makes them less likely to have penetrated the filter - they call it the N95 companion. That helps the machine count just the particles in the mask that were likely to have gotten in there by going around the mask seal.
To my mind, the N95 Companion mode is a way to help employers get their employees passing fit tests efficiently at the minimum required level for OSHA compliance. But, as a consumer, I just want fewer particles in my mask. So generally I use the full range particle count test, similar to what Aaron Collins uses, not the N95 Companion that I referred to as a "cheater test."
While I am interested in knowing how the particles got into the mask to help me evaluate what can be improved, in the end I just want the mask to have fewer particles inside of it and don't want to use a test designed to ignore particles that got in through the filter itself.
You’d need to plug the probe to use this mask right? Trying to test these elastomeric masks without destroying them seems challenging
Once you've modified a NIOSH approved mask it is no longer NIOSH approved and can't be used for mandatory use in a workplace covered by OSHA rules.
It would be possible for me to plug the hole to use it, but I'm not super comfortable with the idea of an improvised fix, so I don't use any of my probed masks.
You can fit test non-destructively using the qualitative type of testing, using aerosolized saccharine or bitrex that you can taste if it gets in to your mask around the seal, but that isn't as informative or objective as a PortaCount test.
Is it possible to put a small plastic cap (obviously needs to be a perfect fit) on the port so you can use the mask?
You could seal the port. It would not be eligible for use at workplaces however. Modified respirators are no longer NIOSH or OSHA compliant.
And although I could use vinyl caps, and or seal it with hot glue or something else. I just don't feel comfortable with an extra hole in my respirators. Even a tiny tiny leak can reduce performance. So I don't use any of my ported masks. But if I get into a situation where I don't have any of the masks available, or that's the one that fits, I will consider sealing the port.
Is there a measurement in pascals for how breathable this mask is?
There aren't any published measurements, but I've been told the breathing resistance is between around 3 and 6 mmH2O, depending on the testing methodology. I''d love more data, but that's the best I've been able to obtain so far and I don't have a lot of details beyond that. While that is a pretty wide spread of results, it is safe to say
@@gerardhughes It seems in your other video your voice is more clearly heard through the GVS mask than through the ElastoMaskPro, while on the other hand the ElastoMaskPro should be significantly more breathable. How would you compare breathability of the GVS mask and the ElastoMaskPro? I haven;t tried either of these. By the way, where do I find the second video of the review? I don't see it among your videos.