3M Personal Protective Equipment Particulate Disposable Respirator 8233, NIOSH APPROVED, Exhalation Valve, N100, Certain Non-Oil Based Particles (1 Piece)

Exactly what I wanted. Hood product!

This is the best mask I have used for when the wildfire smoke is really bad outdoors. With the mask on and fitted properly, I can't even smell the smoke. One mask lasts me one fire season each year of nearly daily use for 3-6 weeks.It's most important to make sure the nose fitment is as perfectly bent to your face shape as possible. That's where it's most likely to leak on the edge of the mask.

Good mask, already bought one. But the shipping time was way too long. Will not be using them again. Sorry..

It is absolutely true that respirators ONLY protect the wearer. They are ideal protection for medical staff working in non-sterile environments such as emergency rooms and EMT calls. This is true of ANY RESPIRATOR and hospitals and EMTs have been asking for respirator donations since the beginning of this pandemic.The fact that this particular respirator was not certified for medical use at the time it was sold does NOT mean it is of no value in such applications now and to suggest such, however well meaning, is to needlessly devalue a resource that is in terribly short supply. I suggest a few minutes research on evolving standards and recent findings in this area. Ongoing testing is being done to determine the efficacy of various respirators and masks not initially medically certified for exactly this reason.If you have some of these respirators still in unopened bags PLEASE DONATE THEM to ER staff or EMTs. I assure you they will be thrilled to receive your N100 respirators even though they are not, technically, certified for medical use. It’s very likely that at the moment many of them are having to work with makeshift masks, disposable masks that have been in use for weeks, or masks that offer the wearer far less protection than one of these would.

Did a lot of spray painting of items in my garage and this mask was a tremendous help keeping me from inhaling fumes and particles. This one worked a LOT better than a thinner mask I used in the past. I did only give it 4 stars instead of 5 because it is very hot/uncomfortable to wear - the straps are not uncomfortable...just it being on my face made me sweaty, but it's better than breathing in the fumes - small trade off. Very glad I found this!

These masks saved my life in China.I have serious asthma. The air in China is worse than you could possibly imagine - you think it will be like LA - bad sometimes in some cities. What you find is it's the whole country, and the clear days are the tiny exception.I took along several masks, and these were the ones that got me through. This is the first time I really could tell the difference, instantly - you put the mask on, and the air magically felt clear and clean. Whereas before - hoo boy.The key difference is that the others I took along either 1) lacked an exhaust valve (essential); 2) fell apart much faster; or 3) were too cumbersome to wear.You should know that they don't last that long. I used mine for 2-3 days at a time, but after a while I got concerned that in humid conditions, even that was courting mold problems (they get very moist in use of course). Also they get dirty and the metal piece at the now starts to separate.)So the take-away from that is, take enough along.BTW the US Gov't publishes very helpful information about masks and mask ratings; just Google "N-100 respirators".

In order for this to be 100% filtering, there's a rubbery 'skirt' around the inner edge of the mask so as to get a good seal on the face. After working for a while it became uncomfortable, so I've decided that for most uses I can do with N95 and don't need N100.

I bicycle commute all year round, and I live in an area prone to thermal inversions. Bad air quality due to particulates is of particular (no pun intended) concern. Hence, I originally purchased this respirator five or six years ago to filter out as many particulates as possible. It is light and while I will not say that it is totally comfortable to wear while bicycling, it is most certainly tolerable. And it is most certainly very helpful.The respirator was also helpful in the fall while I was raking up dry, dusty leaves.Then I developed allergies to pollen, and found that using the respirator while mowing the lawn and doing yard work significantly reduced the production of mucus (the body's mechanism for trying to clear particulates out of our respiratory system) with its accompanying cough and sore throat.Most recently, extensive wildfires spewed smoke for weeks into the valley; once again the respirator helped protect my lungs. I spotted my letter carrier wearing a similar respirator.Sure, I get a few wierd looks from people. But I get the last laugh; my doctor said she treats many, many people with respiratory problems during bad air episodes.I go through about one respirator per year, and in my opinion the health gains are well worth the expense and minimal hassle.