Kimberly-Clark Professional N95 Pouch Respirator (53358), NIOSH-Approved, Made in U.S.A., Regular Size, 50 Respirators/Bag, White

I am a medical professional and have been fit tested for and worn hospital grade N95 masks in the US (and FFP2 and FFP3 masks in EU). I was very happy to see these masks offered from Kimberly-Clark, a trusted brand of laboratory products. Even among reputable science suppliers, they have the highest quality for their other products. The masks come in a large plastic bag which is great because it reduces the environmental impact (versus individual or small group packaging). This is also typical of how many lab items come, and I am not sure why this would be of concern to some reviewers. The masks are duck bill style which are softer and give more room between you and the mask. The straps go over the back of the head and are more comfortable for extended use than the ear loops. The metal piece should be pressed over the bridge of your nose and cheek bones to get a good fit on the top, the bottom of the mask should go under your chin.The key to 95% filtration of the air (hence name "N95") depends on two key features:(1) Quality of the mask filtration: Many of the KN95 masks that have been tested in the US government and/or academic labs do not provide 95% filtration as they claim. Some are not even good as 30-40%. Thus, I was encouraged by the Kimberly Clark reputation and NIOSH testing for genuine N95 masks.(2) Seal around the mask and face: In order to get 95% filtration all of the air has to go in and out of the mask material (not through gaps between the edges of the mask and the face). In a hospital setting, one needs to be fit tested to make sure the N95 mask is the right shape and size for one's face. With the stiff dome style N95 masks, they typically leave an imprint in the face if there was a good seal. If you have a good seal, all the air should be going through the mask material and none slipping out the sides. If you have a good seal with the duck bill style, the mask material should go in and out as you breath. One reviewer mentioned difficulty breathing. If you are getting 95% filtration, your lungs have to work harder to pull/push the air in and out through the mask material. This can be claustrophobic for some people at first but most users can adapt quickly.Getting a tight fit: I found it difficult to get a seal at first below the chin. The extra long metal piece at the top gives me a good fit after I shape it to may face. If I stretch the blue straps a bit first and then tie a little knot in each of them, I can get a tigher seal. If still too loose, This works especially well if I put both straps at the top back of my head (above my pony tail). This is different than with the dome style N95 that I wore in the hospital where the lower strap when under my pony tail). If you are just going into a store for a short time, I found that by mouth breathing my chin was lower and I could get a good seal without messing with the straps. N.B. If you have a beard or facial hair, you need to shave if you want a good fit for any N95 mask (hospital rules). Note that turning your head, nodding, talking or other movements of the mouth or head can change the fit of any N95 mask.If you want the best protection and you work with the mask to get a tight fit on your face, this is likely the best you can do without getting fit tested and access to medical grade masks. It is also just over $1 per mask which is much cheaper than the other options I saw, with dubious providence.

I do not understand the negative comments on this product. I bought them for every member of my extended family. These are amazing masks.The design is brilliant and solves every issue with mask-wearing-esp. n95 masks which can get uncomfortable quickly.The design is a duckbill mask type n95. While I cannot test in a lab I feel confident based on how they are structured and their ability to filter the air I am breathing that they are probably the most secure n95s I have tried.The reason is their design. They are designed to stay off the face but instead form a seal around the bridge of the nose, sides of the face and over the chin. This means very little air is coming from the sides or top and most of the air you breathe is *filtered through* the electrostatic material.The straps are very light weight but very stretchy. You must position them well. Once you do, and secure the nose clip the mask does not move off the face. They work for both my husband and I and our teenager. They are probably too big for small children or people with very small faces but they work for my mom and she has a very small face.I have a big family and got them for everyone so seriously--they are not uncomfortable. My mom has a lung condition and hates n95s and only wears them because she is high risk. She loves these.The almost bandag- like stretch of the straps is also very ingenious because there is slight friction that holds them on your hair without slipping. It's quite tight. Moreover, there is *no ear pain* because they go around the back of the head. You literally cannot feel them yet they are extremely secure. They use the friction of this very light stretch fabric rather than tension to keep the mask extremely secure.The face is completely covered by the mask down to the chin because because it doesn't touch the face.So you don't get sweaty or uncomfortable and it is in fact easier to breathe than a cloth mask. Because only the sides of the mask rest lightly on the chin, sides of face and top of nose, it doesn't give you the claustrophobic feeling some report with masksThe nose clip is thick and secure. Very well made and comfortable and comforms well to the nose. It too is very comfortable and feels light on the face.The material is thin but the key advantage of the n95 is the electrostatic material of the papere. it traps particles so the layers are not as essential as the structure of the material. I have no way of testing these except informally (see below).There a couple of reasons I trust the design more than the standard thicker n95s . For one thing you will feel very little air coming in or out of the sides. My glasses do not fog at all.When you breath in the mask forms a *tighter* seal around the face. This means the mask is filtering air through before you breath it.The fact the mask is away from your face allows for breathability and comfort. Yes, it's not the most appealing look. I do not wear a second mask as I usually do because I have a lot of confidence about the filtration and the fact that the mask is clearly filtering the air flow rather than allow substantial air flow through the sides. This is clearly part of its intended design. However, you could wear a second maks --I'd wear this one on top though since it is designed to ensure air flows through the fabric AS you breath in.You will quickly see it is not necessary. This is very effectively filtering particles out of the air as you breathe.The reason for my confidence in the mask is that I've worn many n95s and respirators over this pandemic and I've always noticed that I can often smell through them easily. (I have an acute sense of smell.) In an odd way certain scents even become more potent possibly because background smells are filtered out.In fact, this is not an issue and doesn't mean your n95 mask doesn't work because many of the molecules we smell are .0004 um --so molecules we smell are smaller than the virus particle. They still get through.However, I've never had an n95 block my these molecules as well as this one. I was in a restaurant and could smell NONE of the food...when I sanitized my hands I caught the teensiest bit of alcohol scent but I barely noticed it.Usually when I go to the store I can smell the flowers, or the fish in the fish department, etc. With this--I smell nothing.It's crazy to take it off after all day wearing it--at first smell is very intense like my olfactory sense has been deprived the whole time and for a few minutes I smell *everything.*I think this is a good indicator this mask filters almost all the air you're breathing in. Your out breath may be felt slightly by the side but this does not indicate lack of filtration because as I said the inhalation pulls air through the mask so that the mask actually tightens slightly on your face and you are breathing nothing from the sides.For this all to work, you must be willing to take a minute to carefully adjust the mask. When you first open it you cannot see the straps. You have to separate out both sides of the duck bill and pull them out. You should hold them carefully with your hand, smooth your hair and put one on the upper part of the head and one closer to the bottom curve of your skull....make sure they are separated far enough apart to create separate tension between each side of the duck bill.It's really not hard! I'm just trying to imagine what peoiple are doing with the masks because they are OBVIOUSLY easy to keep on and comfortable. You literally cannot feel the straps *all day long.* There is zero pressure on your head from the straps. That's another amazing thing of this design. The straps are soooooo stretchy but light that you don't have any discomfort from them unlike the usual n95 elastic strap.I truly cannot get over how good these masks are! I cannot believe there's not a run on them on amazon!Kudos to whomever designed these.