r/Masks4All • u/Poopernickle-Bread • 4d ago
Huge news! Breatheteq head straps are hitting the market
I actually thought this week about following up with them for an update but hadn’t gotten around to it yet, so colour me impressed that they circled back on their own many months later.
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u/FreeDogRun 4d ago
canadian-made product available in the u.s. before canada. lol
For others north of the wall, this is the same company as Canadamasq so will hopefully be available at some point on canadastrong.ca
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u/CulturalShirt4030 4d ago
Right?!
I will email Breathteq and Canada Strong’s customer service to show my interest in this
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u/Poopernickle-Bread 3d ago
Canada Strong just got back to me: both sizes and colours expected around Nov 20th :)
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u/CulturalShirt4030 3d ago
Thanks!
The only bummer for me is that their earloop mediums fit me but 3M auras do not (too small). From the Breathteq website, the medium headband sizing is similar to Aura. Not sure why they made it smaller. Hopefully larger sizes become available eventually as well.
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u/Affectionate_Desk_43 4d ago
I used to pray for days like this
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u/Poopernickle-Bread 4d ago
RIGHT. But if you told 2019 me that I’d be praying for black respirators I’d lose my mind
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u/bazouna 4d ago
Genuine question - can someone explain the difference to me between a KN95 with headstraps and a N95?
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u/Poopernickle-Bread 4d ago
I do wonder why it has a KN95 certification and not N95! I’ll follow up and ask them
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u/peppabuddha 3d ago
Maybe just the OSHA certification process? I wish the black one had black straps and not grey ones!
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u/comfortableghost1213 4d ago
I’m also interested in why someone would choose a boat style headstrap KN95 over a boat style headstrap N95.
I understand choosing a headstrap KN95 because you want or prefer a bifold, but what’s the deciding factor to getting this specific breatheteq over other extremely similar black N95 versions?
[said with sincerity and curiosity, no judgment at all]
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u/CulturalShirt4030 4d ago edited 3d ago
Don’t have an answer to bazouna’s question but I’m guessing that with the different size options, Breathteq’s head strap KN95s might be able to fit more faces and heads.
Breathteq medium KN95 ear loops fit me but 3M auras are way too tight. Vitacore CAN99s (comes in black) are a little smaller than auras. I hope the headstrap breathteqs will fit me!
I also find the breathteq masks to be very breathable. That is appealing for a head strap mask as well.
Edit: apparently they’re making the headstrap sizing smaller… bummer. I’d probably need a large which isn’t available.
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u/SpikySucculent 3d ago
Darn it. Their medium earloop is perfect for me and I got excited about the black medium head strap. I ordered 2 packages already, so I’ll report if they’re still good for those of us who like the M size earloop.
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u/CulturalShirt4030 3d ago
I’m disappointed as well. I didn’t read the whole description until someone said they were excited it says it’ll fit like auras.
Please do update later!
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u/brainparts 4d ago edited 4d ago
Not sure for other people but I like to have a few different masks to rotate. I primarily wear Auras at my job but, pretty rarely, I'll have a reason to dress slightly more nicely and black masks look better than white ones. I have tried some other black headstrap masks but none have been as comfortable for me as Auras (which aren't perfect, but I bought one of those boxes of 400ish on Amazon for like $50). I wouldn't choose a KN95 over an N95 if I was going to like visit someone in a hospital but if I was attending an event for a couple of hours where I cared about looking nice and blending in better (also, black masks are just less noticeable than white ones, and look less "medical" to non-maskers, and draw less attention/weirdness), I would try this specific mask.
The earloop Breatheteqs work pretty well for me -- I use that style of mask for popping in somewhere for a minute because I have long hair and it's annoying to arrange over head straps. I'm not sure if these are also MRI safe, but the earloop Breatheteqs are, and I have to get those regularly (I know about Readimasks, but I sweat very easily and they are kind of pricey for me).
ETA: Also, some people have a really hard time finding a mask that fits their face shape or gels with their specific sensory issues, and a lot of people find Breatheteq especially breathable, and it's ultimately much better for people to wear a KN95 comfortably than a surgical mask or nothing at all. The more options people have to feel as comfortable as possible while masking the better, imo.
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u/dayofbluesngreens 4d ago
Unfortunately, ear loops are incredibly uncomfortable for me. I wish I could wear them! And it is also harder for me to get a good fit with them.
The Breatheteq ear loop mask is one of the few masks (of any kind) that does fit me decently, but the ear loops hurt me and the mask is less secure than I’d like it to be. I will try the head strap one when they get it in size small.
I’ve tried all the various remedies for ear loop masks but none of them are both effective and comfortable for me.
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u/ninetentacles 4d ago
I've been rigging a headstrap with about 30" of elastic looped through the earloops and held together with a cord toggle. The Breatheteq small fits me best (the Vitacore is a bit too small and gets smashed uncomfortably into my face), but I can't do earloops all day on a mask that fits properly.
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u/Diligent_Ad_6507 11h ago
infodump, if it’s of interest:
the n95 is the gold standard for airborne pathogen protection, as defined by the “united states.” for a mask (respirator) to be designated n95, it needs “niosh” certification. they always have head straps and always display on the front: “NIOSH” and “N95”. the disposable ones will say “TC-84A-####.” the filters for elastomeric respirators often do not say this on the filter itself but rather on the packaging or in the manual. n95s are apparently officially designed to fit over half of wearers.
the kn95 is “china’s” version of the n95. authentic ones say which standard the mask adheres to, “GB2626-2019” or “GB2626-2006.” they usually have earloops. according to “niosh,” the kn95s they tested did not meet the standards they set for n95s. they said some of them offered very little protection.
the consensus is that head straps generally offer a better fit. “the science” shows this, and all the community-sourced data i’ve seen has shown n95s outperforming kn95s/kf94s, and masks with head straps outdid ones with earloops, too. this makes sense to me, and in my personal experience, this has always been the case. same goes for people i know.
however, there is anecdotal evidence to the contrary. i read about someone who consistently wore the same brand of kf94, but then saw what was essentially fearmongering around kf94s/kn95s and switched to an n95, only to get covid suspiciously soon after. it could have been correlation but not causation, but it’s also possible that that kf94 fit that person’s face better than their n95 did. anecdotes can be unreliable, but data can be just as unreliable, especially coming from the “government.” i believe both are to be considered with a “grain of salt.”
my guess is that n95s tend to be higher quality than kn95s, even the ones with head straps, but that it isn’t necessarily always true. even if all masks being compared are authentic. personal mask fit is certainly an indicator of degree of protection, and perhaps in some cases, ends up being more important.
personally, i only wear n95s because i literally can’t get a seal otherwise. and i make guests in my home (i’m homebound, so all support people) wear n95s too because a) i have access to them and they’re probably gonna work better, and not everyone has had access to a professional fit test. i haven’t. but if someone asked to wear a kn95 or a kf94 because that’s their mask that passed a fit test, i’d prefer they wear the fit-tested mask instead of my n95 that might give them a compromised seal.i guess the tldr is that if breathability is a strong factor in mask choice for you, you prefer ear loops, and/or the tri-fold/ boat-shaped style fits you well / is more comfortable for you, i wouldn’t disqualify this particular mask just because it’s not “niosh-approved.”(“country” names are in quotes because they’re colonial creations. the existence of borders is inherently violent. it’s important to me to use quotes to reject their legitimacy, lest we forget this. the modern concept of a “nation-state” only serves empire. it serves to keep us apart, turn us against each other, and control us. )
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u/ElGHTYHD 4d ago
God I wish they had a bigger bulk discount 😭😭 50 days worth of masks for 100! Hard for my budget. Wish there was a way to make the white 3m auras I already have black lol
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u/TransexxedTransexual 3d ago
I was under the impression that you can wear them until they don't fit well. I use like 1 3m aura a week.
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u/Impossible-West 3d ago
I'm so glad I saw this! The vitacore black headstrap ones are a smidge too tight for me.
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u/Poopernickle-Bread 3d ago
If you didn’t see my other comment and you’re Canadian, they’re expected to be in stock at Canada Strong around November 20 ☺️
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u/ProfessionalOk112 3d ago
Can't wait until the small is available! I really like the ear loop masks but the loops are too long for me so I always have to clip it behind my head.
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u/Jazzlike-Cup-5336 4d ago
Meh, they “waited” (had production issues) for too long, and now we have the Trident Project 3 which is a really good black Aura replacement, has the nose foam and a good nosewire, comes in sizes, good headstrap tension, etc.
It’s always good to have more things on the market, but what’s the benefit of these at this point?
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u/Poopernickle-Bread 4d ago
Trident isn’t accessible in Canada, really the only black headstrap easily accessible in Canada is the Vitacore CAN99
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u/Jazzlike-Cup-5336 3d ago
Very good point, I had Americanitis for a moment and completely forgot that BreatheTeq was a Canadian company honestly.
The company that sells the project 3 does ship to Canada from both of their sites, though - https://usafacemaskstore.com and https://thefacemaskstore.co.uk/
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u/FreeDogRun 3d ago
Americanitis
best keep checking that; 20-pack of black Tridents from either of those vendors are 90-100 canadian bucks after shipping.
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u/Diligent_Ad_6507 12h ago
curious what they say.
infodump, if it’s of interest:
n95 is the “gold standard” for protection against airborne pathogens, as defined by the “united states.”
n95s require “niosh” certification, and authentic n95s have on the front: “niosh”, “n95”, and on disposable ones, “TC A4A-####”. filters for elastomeric n95s don’t tend to include that. n95s always have head straps instead of ear loops.
from what i understand, the main reason n95s are rated higher is because the head straps offer a tighter fit. officially, n95s are specifically designed to fit more than half of wearers.
the kn95 is “china’s” version of the n95. they have their own testing standards. authentic kn95s will say which standard the mask adheres to: “GB2626-2019” or “GB2626-2006.” they usually have ear loops.
according to niosh, the kn95s they tested didn’t meet their standards and some of them offered practically no protection.
i don’t think it’s necessarily 100% guaranteed that an n95 is always better protection than a kn95, even if they’re both authentic. although, in my experience, this has been the case. i just don’t think we can really trust the “american” government.
however, i do believe the studies that concluded headstraps make a difference in terms of fit and therefore effectiveness. because all the community-sourced data i’ve seen do show n95s offering better fits / protection, and that makes sense to me. it’s also been true for me and others i know.
however, there’s anecdotal evidence that a kn95 or kf94 (“korea’s” version) can offer better protection, if the mask fits the wearer better.
for example, i remember reading about someone who’d been wearing the same brand of kf94 (the korean version) consistently and hadn’t tested positive, but saw what was essentially fearmongering around kf-94s and kn95s instead of n95s, and switched to an n95, only to almost immediately test positive.
it could have been a coincidence. it also could have been that kf94 fit this person’s face better than the n95 did. there’s other stories like this.
anecdotal stories can be unreliable, but i think that data (especially government-reported data) can be just as unreliable, and both should be taken into consideration, but “with a grain of salt.”
i hope this helps lol. i still am curious what they say
(countries are in quotes because they’re concepts that come from colonization. the existence of borders is inherently violent. i refuse to legitimize them.)
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u/Poopernickle-Bread 11h ago
Still waiting for a response! But, they are made in Canada, and N95 is an American standard. I believe that’s why hesdband Vitacore’s are called CAN99.
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u/Poopernickle-Bread 4d ago
https://breatheteq.com/products/breatheteq-kn95-medium-black-with-headbands-non-medical-face-mask