If you DO like the idea of a mask and reducing the transmission of contagious airborne diseases, well maybe this info will be helpful.
I ordered cloth face masks from three different companies to see which I liked better. I'll name them here, picture the mask I got from them, the price, and how long it took me to get it along with my opinion about the masks themselves as far as comfort, durability, and wearability. Again, not engaging on the subject of disease control further than to tell you about the materials used and how many layers there were.
My first masks I ordered were from GhostCircus Apparel.
I ordered two of them, a black one and a white one. Right out of the gate I'm going to say they were comfortable the minute I put them on. The material breathed well and my face didn't get too hot. I work in a factory and it's warm in there. They DO fog up my glasses though. You can see they're big enough to cover my mouth and nose. I can chew gum while wearing them without pulling the mask down until my nose pokes out over the top. The cloth straps were comfortable and sized right for my head/face. I could wear them all night without my ears hurting or being pulled forward do I looked like Yoda. These are dual-layered masks with a cotton blend for inside and outside and they wash well and hang dry quickly. I wash them after work and they're dry the next day when I put them on again. (UPDATE: I see from their site they now have masks with wires in them.)
- I ordered these May 12th and received them May 18th. 6 days, under a week. I can live with that. Amazon Prime isn't shipping that fast for me most of the time lately.
- Total cost of order plus shipping was $37.31 which comes to $18.65/mask.
The second company I got masks from was Electric Styles.
These had a metal piece that was helpful for keeping my glasses from fogging up. When I would breathe the air would go past my ears through the sides rather than up my face into my glasses. This came with a pocket inside as well for a disposable charcoal filter that's good for 8 hours. My shifts are 12 hours so I didn't use them. These were also double layered masks, I guess triple where the filter pocket is. The material on the outside layer is sort of shiny synthetic. Someone at work said it looked like I was wearing panties on my face. This was the hottest of the three masks because the material definitely didn't breathe as well and my face was overly warm and sweaty all night. But my glasses didn't fog up. I REALLY liked that part. The nose piece thing was applied with a sticky glue-like backing on the metal and it came with three of them. I don't think they'd survive a wash and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to keep buying them. The mask came with three metal strips that you could use, but once you do they're done, and three of the charcoal filters I didn't use. Breathing in the air seemed to come IN through the mask itself, but breathing out I could definitely feel it was going past my ears. Do with that information what you will. Since I work in a factory and they don't like us having jewelry or bits that can fall off us I only wore this one to work the one time. If it'd been hotter or more humid I'm not sure if the metal piece wouldn't have fallen off.
- I ordered this May 18th and received them May 23rd. So, 5 days, quicker than the first company.
- Total cost of order plus shipping was $22.95 which comes to $22.95/mask.
Lastly were Daisy Masks.
These were triple-layered masks which was nice. I wondered how well I'd be able to breathe through them. As you can see from the pictures, they're smaller, significantly smaller than the other two mask companies, and that was telling right away. First they pulled my ears forward. You can see that somewhat in the picture on the left with the black and gray mask. These LOOKED the best. I mean, as far as variety goes? Daisy has a HUGE variety of looks and styles and I hoped to like these the most because they were also comparatively inexpensive. But they just didn't fit me. The straps were too small and when I tried to stretch them a little, seriously, JUST a little would've made them tolerable, the material made a tearing sound and was sort of frayed, unraveled in the middle. If you have a tiny head these are fine. But it's not just the ears. See where it hits my chin? When I would talk, or chew gum the mask would pull itself down my face until my nose was out. Because it was so short it rode low on my giant nose after just a few minutes of having it on and then I was just breathing around it and not through it at all. Sadly, this triple-layered mask, with cotton inside, against the face, layer, and attractive and huge variety of outside materials that weren't QUITE as shiny and "panties" looking as the one from Electric Styles, just didn't work for me in any way. I wouldn't wear it just to pop into a store and out again because it wasn't comfortable and wouldn't perform as a mask for me. It'd be uncomfortable ornamentation and that's too bad because they really do have some nice looks. I just wish they were more effective.- I ordered these May 18th and received them May 29th. 11 Days. Longest of the lot.
- Total cost of order plus shipping was $24.99 which comes to $12.50/mask.
Summary:
I loved the masks from GhostCircus Apparel and have already ordered more. I have some coming with the wire for the nose. This mask is super comfortable. I wear it for my entire 12-hour shift in a factory setting without complaint and while they're warmer than no mask would be, they're not so hot as to bother me. They allow me to talk and/or chew gum without moving around on my face, and they clean easily to be worn again and again. If you're in the market for a reusable, comfortable, cloth face mask the ones from Ghost Circus are the best I've found. I'm not getting paid to say this or anything. I just genuinely love the masks, the cost is a little high, but these aren't disposable. I've worn mine a LOT and they're still in good shape even after daily washings.
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