Wearing a mask in public means you are protecting the public from your nasty hot cheeto and or coffee breath and more importantly, your germs!
NOT wearing a mask means you’re the kind of person who doesn’t cover their mouth when they cough and probably doesn’t wash their hands after using the toilet either.
Germs don’t care about politics, religion, he said she said or any of that. They just want to spread and make more germ babies.
I bought the pack of 50 for $30 on May 15. They are junk and I wouldn’t buy them now when they’re about half that price. They’re packed so the earloops catch and are hard to pull out of the package, unless of course the earloops just fall off, like they do on a LOT of them, even after I just ripped the package apart so I could get them out easily.
The ones I bought from Woot on May 15 are garbage.
The pack of 50 masks I bought on May 21st have been pretty good.
They last hours while wearing them, then you toss 'em out.
I had one elastic end pull out after wearing it for a few hours. I tied it back on in 12 seconds & good to go.
At the beginning of the year, Woot had the fwpp 4 layer rainbow masks, they weren’t rated anything but the 2018 box is by far my favorite disposable mask. Sadly, it will be a while before they come back around.
Hey all. We think this James is a vendor that’s been trying to sell us masks. His price is too high. I’ve deleted his posts and made him go away.
Is it possible that there was a user error here? Either by ripping the package apart or yanking the mask out by the earloop? Also, were the ones you bought 3-ply? That seems to be the most-ply available currently. Since these aren’t sterile, maybe you can cut the bag so that you can grab a mask off the top of the pile vs pulling out by the cord?
These appear to be un-rated.
To those outside of the healthcare arena there are 2 basic facemask standards in the United States:
SURGICAL FACEMASKS are designed for use by healthcare personnel (although obviously they can be used in something like the current COVID-19 pandemic) mainly to PREVENT THE MASK USER from spreading microbes TO A PATIENT (such as in the operating room). These standards are maintained by the ASTM (American Society for Testing and Materials, now ASTM International), and are rated from 1 (least resistant to failure) to level 3 (highest resistance to failure). Usually, reading the standards requires a subscription to the ASTM, however during the COVID-19 pandemic they are available publicly. See: Home | ASTM Standardization News. Notice, it COSTS MONEY to test & certify a mask.
In order to filter air FOR THE USER, such as when breathing air contaminated with small particles such as metal, plastic, or unhealthy particles which might get into the user’s lungs (such as COVID-19 virus particles), NIOSH (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health) has a standard called N95 (filters at least 95% of airborne particles), all the way up to N100 (filters at least 99.97% of airborne particles). See: Approved Particulate Filtering Facepiece Respirators | NPPTL | NIOSH | CDC
These, too, require testing and approval by NIOSH to allow certification.
Up until recently, you could purchase these in any Walmart or Home Depot (to be used such as when sanding-off lead-containing paint, sandblasting, etc…), but of course supply and demand stresses have caused these to disappear.
Notice that the N95 standard is meant ONLY to prevent particles coming INTO the user’s lungs and does NOT concern itself with a contaminated user EXHALING particles (such as viruses) OUT into the atmosphere (or into someone else’s face). Because of this, N95 compliant masks CAN have devices such as valves that allow unfiltered air from the wearer to leak into the environment. In other words, for someone who is SHEDDING virus, they can still SPREAD VIRUS TO OTHERS if a mask containing one of these valves is present. Obviously, you can’t use these in the Operating Room, or in most healthcare settings.
In other words, the N95 standard is dedicated ONLY for PROTECTION of the USER.
There is a THIRD standard which combines the ASTM particulate filtration efficiency as specified by ASTM, AND meets NIOSH–approved user-protective N95 standards. These are called the Healthcare Particulate Respirator and Surgical Masks, such as the 3M model 1860. See: https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/company-us/all-3m-products/~/3M-Health-Care-Particulate-Respirator-and-Surgical-Mask-1860S-Small-N95-120-EA-Case/?N=5002385+3294795977&preselect=8740261&rt=rud
These are typically what are used in the operating room by OR personnel operating working with a contaminated patient or environment, such as a someone with tuberculosis, which would be transmissible TO healthcare personnel, as well as to protect the patient FROM microbes shed by healthcare personnel. Obviously, in a pandemic these would be ideal because it would effectively isolate the user from the rest of the world. Unfortunately, these are in extremely tight supply presently. Explore the 3M site if you want to see how N95 masks are used: They MUST be properly fitted to EACH user EACH time, and have significant limitations in and of themselves. Nevertheless, their biologic/filtering abilities are fantastic & near ideal when properly used & maintained.
As a separate issue, ASTM level 2 or 3 masks, especially when tightened as solidly as possible to the user’s face (I’m referring to surgical facemasks with straps which can be tied, and tension on the straps are adjusted to make the fit really snug… not these sold here), one can actually get filtering efficiency that approaches N95 characteristics. Unfortunately, these masks being sold here look more like procedure masks, and cannot be tightened firmly against the face. Furthermore, I doubt that these are actually rated to ASTM standards, although they may be modeled after one that is. If that’s the case, under the BEST of circumstances, they LOOK like ASTM level 1 masks, used for procedures, not like ASTM Level 2 or 3 surgical masks. But you’d have to test them to verify that. Still, we know that SOMETHING…, indeed ANYTHING, even cloth masks, is better than nothing: https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/prevent-getting-sick/cloth-face-cover-guidance.html. What is NOT mentioned by the CDC is the COMBINING of, say, an N95 mask, covered with an ASTM level-1 mask. This could leave more contamination on the level-1 mask, preserving filtering capacity of the underlying N95 or level 3 mask. Several healthcare organizations are doing this to help preserve the supply of their N95 (or level 3) masks . Unfortunately, I don’t think these are ASTM rated, despite their appearance of resembling them (including a layer of blown-polypropylene… the active filtering layer).
Unfortunately, in other words, you’re on your own.
However, if I didn’t have access to anything better, would I use these? YES. Probably better than cloth. Just change them after several hours of use.
Lol
MAYBE JAMES NEEDS NEW SHOES TOO!!!
Not on your dollar! We’re looking out for y’all.
I responded with pictures explaining the rating, although OP never said ASTM rating, so he could’ve gotten a box that simply said #2 general use and was charged more. On Amazon, the ASTM level 2 masks are reserved for Frontline staff. I took down my post so I wouldn’t confuse anyone.
It’s not likely that we’ll randomly decide to do dental procedures or surgery in these masks. And I’ve seen some homeless folks with dirty ripped disposable masks and I can at least hand these out to them since at the very least, these are better than those!
Does the seller provide the Chinese executive standard for this mask? There are several levels of masks that you can get from China, the first box that I bought from Woot met standard T/CTCA7-2019:
T/CTCA 7-2019
General protective face mask standard, which is able to filter pollen, bacterial particulates, and to prevent exhaling pollutants from the mouth and nose. Source: facemaski.com
The second box I bought from Woot was made to Chinese executive standard GB/T 32610-2016 which does not state that it will prevent the user from sharing respiratory droplets (the purpose for wearing a mask):
GB/T 32610-2016
Daily-used protective face mask standard. It is applicable for filtering particles in the air in daily life.
Do you have any information on the standard this mask meets?
I just received the masks. They are not as pictured. The masks that are pictured are the ones with the attached white elastic band. The ones are received are a mask with an incorporated ear loop that almost looks like it’s a part of the mask and it holds the mask so tight to your face that your nose is being pushed in and your ears are being pulled forward.
Count me out on this one…my wife isn’t just being mean when she calls me fathead.
Strange. I’ll ask our buyer about this. In the meantime, please reach out to Woot! Customer Service.
From a browser, use the Woot! Customer Service form.
In the Woot! App, choose Account from the bottom navigation and then Support.
Update: Vendor states that a few boxes of that type slipped into their inventory without their knowledge. Shouldn’t happen in the future.
oh great, already ordered… do i just cancel or see if i got the unlucky “oops” box that slipped in?
Hi. Apparently all 4 boxes I received are of the variety that “slipped into their inventory”. I already contacted customer service and I now have to ship these back. What do you think the chances are that if I reorder I will get the actual masks listed or another 4 boxes of “slip ins”?
I’m guessing they’ve either gone through or removed the incorrect ones from their inventory.
Mine were shipped on the 30th (after a long wait) at this point, it’s a coin toss! Although I’m hoping the delay between ordering and shipping was due to quality inspection.
I ordered 100 of these and received them today. These are garbage, sigh. They do not have elastic ear loops, they have fixed size ear loops formed out of the same fabric as used on the front and they do not fit. Can I get my money back?
