Here are my suggestions based on a ton of research and the ones I personally use.
N99/FFP3 - Venus V2930 - Very hard double layered shell, comes with sturdy adjustable straps and a breathing valve. It is CE certified and FFP3 rated, no way for air to leak through the sides. Can be worn relatively comfortably for a maximum of 1 hour, after which it feels like the nose bridge is about to collapse. Only worn it once with a surgical mask on top to go to the hospital. Set it aside in a paper bag to reuse later.
N95 without valves - Most don't offer a tight seal, unless you really conform the nose seal correctly. Buy ones that have NIOSH certification. I recommend buying only Venus, 3M, Honeywell or Magnum brands. There are a variety of types, most common being shelled ones like 3M 8210, Honeywell H801, Magnum MH3D cup, Venus CN95 etc. and flatfold ones like the Venus V4400 and the Magnum N95001 / Magnum MH3D.
4 Ply/3 Ply Surgical masks - Go only for ones that are certified. Filtra is the only one that I trust - Buy FILTRA 3-Ply Ear Loop Surgical Mask BFE>99% (Pack of 100 Nos.) Online at Low Prices in India - Amazon.in and Filtra 4 Ply Surgical Mask with Activated Carbon (Box of 50 Masks)
If you are buying from Amazon, only buy from Cloudtail or Yugan sellers. They are authentic from my experience. Yugan seems to be a reputed wholesale medical outfit from Pune called Bhairavi Surgicals And Distributors. The most important thing to understand about buying masks from Amazon is that reviewers don't know jackshit and will claim everything to be fake. Do your own research.
All this obviously seems ridiculous and overkill, but my reasoning is better to spend a few hundreds on masks than a few lakhs in a hospital.
The above is useful only if you are serious about masks and hand hygiene, if you are the type that pulls down your mask below your nose often, then seriously the money is wasted, a cloth mask will do just fine.
N99/FFP3 - Venus V2930 - Very hard double layered shell, comes with sturdy adjustable straps and a breathing valve. It is CE certified and FFP3 rated, no way for air to leak through the sides. Can be worn relatively comfortably for a maximum of 1 hour, after which it feels like the nose bridge is about to collapse. Only worn it once with a surgical mask on top to go to the hospital. Set it aside in a paper bag to reuse later.
N95 without valves - Most don't offer a tight seal, unless you really conform the nose seal correctly. Buy ones that have NIOSH certification. I recommend buying only Venus, 3M, Honeywell or Magnum brands. There are a variety of types, most common being shelled ones like 3M 8210, Honeywell H801, Magnum MH3D cup, Venus CN95 etc. and flatfold ones like the Venus V4400 and the Magnum N95001 / Magnum MH3D.
4 Ply/3 Ply Surgical masks - Go only for ones that are certified. Filtra is the only one that I trust - Buy FILTRA 3-Ply Ear Loop Surgical Mask BFE>99% (Pack of 100 Nos.) Online at Low Prices in India - Amazon.in and Filtra 4 Ply Surgical Mask with Activated Carbon (Box of 50 Masks)
If you are buying from Amazon, only buy from Cloudtail or Yugan sellers. They are authentic from my experience. Yugan seems to be a reputed wholesale medical outfit from Pune called Bhairavi Surgicals And Distributors. The most important thing to understand about buying masks from Amazon is that reviewers don't know jackshit and will claim everything to be fake. Do your own research.
All this obviously seems ridiculous and overkill, but my reasoning is better to spend a few hundreds on masks than a few lakhs in a hospital.
The above is useful only if you are serious about masks and hand hygiene, if you are the type that pulls down your mask below your nose often, then seriously the money is wasted, a cloth mask will do just fine.
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