We are just solving for the filtration and letting people figure out the fit.
But, you make a good point, in the videos I try to point this out but we could do better. Where could I add this to make this more clear?
For example an ASTM 2 or 3 surgical mask fabric has a filtration of 98%+
On my face I have a leakage of about 21% or PFE of 79% when worn normally.
With an ear saver, it jumps to 91%.
With a mask brace, it jumps to 98%.
So it really is about the fit.
If I put leakage % it would vary from person to person and many people would be mislead by this.
> With an ear saver, it jumps to 91%.
> With a mask brace, it jumps to 98%.
I had no idea it could vary so much for surgical masks. I’d be curious what range of leakage people could typically expect for other designs such boat-shaped KF94 or flat-fold KN95 masks.
Fit seems important enough to deserve a mention in the intro paragraph at the top of the home page. A more detailed explanation, including the example you gave of how much it can vary for even one person, could go in the “Click here” link to the full testing methodology.
Thank you for doing this, by the way, rare to see a manufacturer test so far beyond their own masks. It clearly takes resources to do this and is a great service to all of us who have been relying on guesswork.
Change title to "Comprehensive Mask Material Testing" or "Comprehensive Mask Fabric Testing" or similar.
Similarly; "...that's why we're testing the filtration capabilities of every mask in our laboratory"
At some point (on the front page, above the fold) there could be a small notice box explaining the difference, or ?-link or tooltip to read more.
I think a lot of the suspicion you're facing in this thread wouldn't have been there if it weren't for that ambiguity, and the need to go into deep content to resolve it.
For someone who just browses to your site and spends 5 min finding "the best mask", they would never realize as it is today.
https://www.armbrustusa.com/blogs/news/mask-fit-vs-filtratio...
Oh, excellent update!
(It might be a good idea to break your database into two sections: one for N/KN/KF respirators and one for other masks.)
I also notice that you have a "collections" page
https://www.armbrustusa.com/collections/
That page has a very helpful section, "USA made N95 masks and KN95 respirators".
https://www.armbrustusa.com/collections/usa-made-n95-masks-r...
Exactly what we need. Two questions:
1. Aren't all N95 "masks" actually respirators? 2. Why do you offer "made in USA" KN95 (Chinese standard) instead of an Armbrust branded N95?
Thank you for doing this!
Hard to argue against that, but on HN I'm sure someone's gonna try :-)
