41–50 of 106 posts
I do not really understand why hospital workers and others that use masks daily for whole shift still use single-use N95 masks and not half-face respirators with reusable filters, like 3M 7500 ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-5zbj3_ezqE ). They are more comfortable and fit much better.
Their shop ( https://shop.demetech.us ) ships only to United States, Canada and Mexico... so I am unable to buy it the easy way...
It works like this: You basically rent a bit of shelf space in a warehouse somewhere in the USA and get your personal shipping address in that warehouse. Your unique address is identified by a unique "suite number" in the mailing address. You have stores send your packages there and the freight forwarder optionally holds them for some time, usually up to 30 days. Then you can consolidate the individual packages and have them sent as one shipment. I'm using MyUS these days; They ship by weight only, and have very fair shipping rates. I have been able to ship non-medical N95-level masks through MyUS.
Having access to in-USA shipping makes quite a big difference. You get access to a big consumer market, which makes the unbuyable buyable and the hard-to-buy easy!
I have noticed that Google Shopping is blocking results for "N95 mask" in the UK, making it more difficult to find retailers which sell them. On the other hand there are thousands upon thousands of results on eBay/Amazon, most of which cannot be trusted.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
> welter of vendors hawking KN95 masks, a Chinese-made equivalent that researchers say is less effective. Citation? Ther actual written standards of N95 vs KN95 are very similar, and if anything KN95 is probably slightly better. To meet KN95, the mask must be shown not to let air pass around the edges even while doing vigorous exercise, whereas N95 has no such requirement. This is notable in the shape of N95 and KN95…
As the downvoted comment explains, there's good quality masks coming out of China and there's tons of questionable quality masks. Differentiating between the two is difficult if not impossible. Personally I am using some Chinese made masks every now and then from a reasonably well known company, but they are CE certified FFP2 masks. Still prefer big brands when I can get them though, but they're still ridiculously ex…
> The problem is getting consumers to their retail websites. At the moment, anyone trying to buy N95 masks on Google Shopping or Facebook Marketplace is greeted with a blank page; on Amazon, a search for N95s yields a welter of vendors hawking KN95 masks, a Chinese-made equivalent that researchers say is less effective. > “How is it that you can spread conspiracy theories on Facebook, but we can’t sell N95 masks to t…
Huh, FFP2 masks are now available for 1-2 EUR here, individually packaged, and less in packs. They're sold everywhere, from discount supermarkets to pharmacies (where they're a bit more expensive). Of course, prices were much higher a couple of months ago.
You could also buy them cheap on Amazon with no CE labeling or with fake labeling, if you are feeling adventurous.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Oh, maybe they are here (UK) too then, I haven't been to an actual shop for.. over a year now. I was talking just about Amazon UK, where it was once easy to get FFP2 & FFP3 disposables and non-disposable filters in the DIY section, (I bought them for sanding/plastering/messing about with fibrous insulation) and now it's all shitty AliExpress-style spam.
Amazon.de was sold-out around February-March 2020 and never really recovered. Currently there's only third party sellers which sell FFP2 masks in there. But masks are widely available in pharmacies and specialized stores. I'd try to find a store selling occupational safety items if I were you.
Here in Germany (we need surgical masks or (K)N95/FFP2 masks to go to the store or for public transport) they have been available easily for a while. Prices for Made in Germany ones were (and are) high, but getting Chinese-made masks shipped from EU or German warehouses was easy, and now one of our discounters (Lidl) started selling them for 0.88€ ($1.07) per piece.
I bought 20 FFP2 and 50 surgical masks in a pack from a German medical equipment importer for 25€ ($30).
I purchased some at Home Depot recently for $4/pc (they had plenty in stock, Seattle area). The company mentioned here is selling [0] them for $3.75/pc, but only in quantities of 20 ($75). I wish N95’s did not necessitate the second strap, but hey, it’s better than COVID! [0] https://shop.demetech.us/collections/n95-respirator-masks/pr... Edit: for the record, I think the ones I got at Home Depot are nicer. They have…
Is there still a shortage in the US? Here in Germany (we need surgical masks or (K)N95/FFP2 masks to go to the store or for public transport) they have been available easily for a while. Prices for Made in Germany ones were (and are) high, but getting Chinese-made masks shipped from EU or German warehouses was easy, and now one of our discounters (Lidl) started selling them for 0.88€ ($1.07) per piece. I bought 20 FF…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
As the downvoted comment explains, there's good quality masks coming out of China and there's tons of questionable quality masks. Differentiating between the two is difficult if not impossible. Personally I am using some Chinese made masks every now and then from a reasonably well known company, but they are CE certified FFP2 masks. Still prefer big brands when I can get them though, but they're still ridiculously ex…
I'm sure you're aware -- but I was very surprised to find out -- that the European CE certification mark was _quite_ so similar to the younger China Export Mark: https://www.ybw.com/vhf-marine-radio-guide/warning-dont-get-...