3M Aura Particulate Disposable Respirator 9211+ with Cool Flow Valve, N95, NIOSH APPROVED, Smoke, Grinding, Sanding, Sawing, Sweeping, Woodworking, Dust, 10/Pack

I wanted to find the best mask for the terrible air pollution in Beijing China. After several days of research, I narrowed the choices down to 3 brands: 3M 95N, Totobobo (Singapore) and Respro Techno (UK).pm2.5 refers to particulates smaller than 2.5um (A hair's diameter is 30 times of pm2.5). They are extremely harmful to lung and heart as they can penetrate deep into the lung and blood. 3M 95N stands out in terms of its technical superiority. It can remove 95% of super fine particulates (down to 0.3um). In comparison, totobobo does not filter out as many particulates according to a fit test done by Hongkong University, and Respro can only filter out particulates down to 1um (according to the very little technical spec.on its website).Any of 3M 95N has the same technical ability to filter out fine particulates. So the key is to find one that fits the best and wears the most comfortable. A basic one would be 8210V (V stands for breathing valve which lets the moisture out). 8511 is a step up that has better elastic band and a bit more rigid form. It is more durable than 8210V.I find the best to be 9211+. It is fold-able and individually packaged (great for travel or storing away). The nose band (made of foam) runs across the whole length. When formed around the nose properly, it provides a very good fit to the face. The mask fits both my husband (Caucasian) and I (Asian) very well.Understandably, the air flow is reduced while one wears the mask, but I don't find the mask overly suffocating or hot to wear. I am willing to sacrifice some comfort to protect my lung. Since I own the mask, I finds it also to be quite useful when doing some house cores.In short, I highly recommend it particularly if you are traveling to countries with bad air or working in a very dusty setting!Update: I recently spent 2 weeks in BJ and wore 9211 daily. It had a snug fit to my face and felt comfortable to wear. In comparison, 8210V is less fitting and also its rubber band less comfortable. In spring, air quality is better than the heating season. Still I found that the mask became blocked after one week and I had to replace with a fresh one.

I have serious allergies and had to finally buy a mask for mowing and yard work. Received these today and tried one out for about an hour. Very happy with this purchase, they fit perfect, they seal around the face but breathing is easy with mask in place. Glasses do not fog up. Elastic is band is comfortable. For a women these are a great fit, not too big and bulky. They are sealed in flat bags which keeps them clean until opened for first use. I highly recommend this mask for comfort and keeping pollen out.

Bought these for elderly relatives and myself to wear to doctor's appointments during this flu season. Now, you may think that an N95 respirator is overkill for a doctor's office, and maybe you're right. But these are still less expensive than Tamiflu/ER visit/lost income. Given the low efficacy of this year's vaccine and the new warnings/research findings about influenza virus being transmitted simply by breathing, a mask seems prudent for sitting around in a health care setting, and these are more effective than earloop/surgical masks when it comes to droplets and aerosols.Between this and the 8511 (another 3M respirator with an exhalation valve), I found this one more comfortable for breathing and exertion, and easier to maintain its placement on the face once on. It also was more comfortable with glasses, with less fogging. The 8511 was more comfortable for the older folks although one of them refused to wear it and mostly held it in their hands and cupped their face with it. I guess that's still somewhat helpful...

1. straps are nice, i hate ear straps2. mask seems a bit small but I got use to it.3. the metal nose seal works fine.4. the vent releases air and keeps mask from getting hot or fogging up my glasses5. mask being a tri-fold takes awhile to put on.

The noseband is too tight, no matter what I do. There is not enough padding on it but it also does not pull out (away from the face) far enough to have room for a nose without smashing it. So when we had a problem with the furnace that put stuff into the air that really got to my lungs (I have asthma), and I had to wear the mask for about 20 hours, by the time I took it off I had enormous pain, redness, and swelling across the bridge of my nose. I've realized my frontal sinuses are really inflamed as a result, too. It's too bad, because the respirator itself worked great. It cut out the particulates and saved my bacon (and, in that regard, a sore nose and congested frontal sinuses are a LOT better than burning and dangerously congested lungs). And it allowed me to breathe easily in terms of the in and out through the mask. But even the elastic straps were too tight; I had a severe headache by the time I took it off, too. I had read where others said the mask was "too small" and I guess this is what they're referring to. It's a great design otherwise. I wish they made it with more padding over the metal across the nose, more room to pull the nose part out away from the face (to literally make room for a sticking-out nose -- and mine is not at all large so I don't see how this works on anyone), and "knots" in the elastic that can adjust the fit around the head. Those changes would make this a perfect mask. I would be quite willing to pay a little more for them -- even twice as much as these masks cost now. It's that important to not only have a mask, but to have one that does not create different medical problems from the ones you're using the mask to prevent. I am a woman, 5'4", with pretty average facial features. So if it's too small for me, it's probably (statistically) too small for at least half of women and nearly all men.