I'm a 21yo guy, and I've been considering masking more regularly for a while now. Since mask mandates were lifted, I basically have only masked if I am symptomatic or someone in my household is. However, I have multiple people in my life who are more vulnerable to infections (a brother and a close friend who both have long-covid, grandparents who are sick, etc), I generally don't want to spread disease, and, somewhat selfishly, I am very active and hate having to take a break from training when I get a cold. The main reason I have not started is the garbage, but the more I read, the more I realize that masks can be reused far more than I thought. With the amount of time I'd need them, I would probably only need about 1 per week.

My final straw was a piano student coming in sick yesterday. I work at a studio with very small, windowless rooms and questionable ventilation. A 6yo girl came in for her lesson, and after coming into the room, explained she had a cough (she did, and she sounded sick, not just one of those coughs kids have for weeks after illness) and started struggling to put on a (far too big) mask. I helped her tie the earloops shorter and put it on and found my own KF94 in my backpack, which I kept on for the rest of the time I was in that room. I have yet to find out if that was enough.

Anyhow, all that to say, I have some questions that I haven't found satisfactory answers to by searching the sub.

1. SIP valves: yay or nay? What I've gathered is sort of "not ideal, but if you won't be able to get out to drink, it's better than lifting your mask or being dehydrated." I am thinking I will install one on a mask if I will be in such a situation where I need to drink but can't do so safely (eg gym, museum), but I will use an unaltered mask in situations where the valve is unnecessary and/or the risk is higher (eg I am symptomatic or someone around me is.)

2. SIP valves: waterbottle recommendations? I am thinking I will go with u/qwirkier 's solution they shared here, but I am curious if anyone else has tried it or has other suggestions.

3. What exceptions do you personally make to the general rule of masking indoors outside of the home? When do you think it is worth it to take the risk? The main situation I am thinking of for myself where I will not mask (unless someone is symptomatic) is when I'm at the house of the family I nanny for. If I go on outings with the kiddo, I will, but at her house I want to be able to eat, drink, use facial expressions, and generally make us both a bit more relaxed. Yes, kids are experts at spreading germs, but I need to be able to eat/drink indoors around her, and while I have no sources saying masking stunts social-emotional development, nor do I think it inherently does, I don't want to risk impairing communication with a young child that I spend so much time with. If someone does have sources regarding the impacts (or lack thereof) of masking on communication with young children, I'd be super interested to see them!

4. Is there anything to know about removing, briefly storing, and re-donning a mask? For example, put on the mask to get on the bus, take it off for a drink of water after getting off, on to go into the library, off for a snack at the empty, outdoor bus stop, and on for the bus ride home. From during the mask mandates, I feel like I recall that you are supposed to wash/sanitize you hands before and after every time you touch your mask? And how do you recommend storing it?

Sorry if these questions are asked frequently, and thank you for your time answering!

ReadiMasks are no longer NIOSH approved. And haven't been for over a year.

Voluntary Rescission of ReadiMask's NIOSH approval was granted March 25, 2025 at the request of Global Safety First, LLC.

This applies to both the small N1901S and the large N1901L models currently sold on ReadiMask dot com under the no longer valid TC-84A-8133 approval number.

Screen shot of the published NIOSH Voluntary Rescission notice for ReadiMasks.

https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/media/pdfs/2025/10/NIOSH-CA2025-1092-GSF-Final.pdf

ReadiMask continue to claim NIOSH approval on their website homepage and elsewhere. However, ReadiMask quietly memory holed their 2019 NIOSH approval letter that they used to link to on their website's disclaimer page. And their link to the NIOSH approval on the CDC website is now 404.

https://readimask.com/pages/disclaimer

It’s unknown at this time why GSF requested the voluntary rescission. It’s common for companies discontinuing a single model of respirator, or for companies getting out of the respirator market entirely to request a rescission. It's possible they are working on a replacement, such as the ReadiMask365 announced in 2022, but they haven't made any announcements about that mask since then.

The rescission does not necessarily mean the unapproved masks are bad, but they no longer qualify as OSHA compliant for workplace use.

Background

I was writing a post wondering if we'd still be able to buy ReadiMasks in the aftermath of the closing of ReadiMask reseller Aliant Biotech. When I tried to look up the original NIOSH registration for ReadiMask I couldn't find it on the NIOSH Certified Equipment List search page. NIOSH just memory-holes rescinded approvals and you get no returns when you try to search the number or even the company on the CEL search page. But the rescission notice turned up in a Google search of the TC number.

The no longer approved masks are still offered on the Global Safety First (GSF) / ReadiMask website, along with 2 sizes of full face masks that were never approved and not subject to rescission.

Screen grab from the ReadiMask dot com home page.

People have had issues with the ReadiMask adhesive no longer sticking well enough to give a good seal. That has lead to speculation that GSF / ReadiMask hasn't made any new production runs in years, and has instead been selling off outdated stock. Given that the masks haven't been NIOSH approved for over a year, that seems like a safe bet.

ReadiMask Warranty

Back in 2023 Aliant Biotech published a letter clarifying that they don't make ReadiMasks, there is no expiration date on them, NIOSH doesn't require one, but that Aliant Biotech would warrant them to be good for 3 years after date of purchase.

https://preview.redd.it/tjhyqu6dqd2h1.png?width=1474&format=png&auto=webp&s=25576f910749d4da45defadf49b2145bbb5a3cb0

The GSF / ReadiMask home page says "GUARANTEED TO FIT" and "Warranted to last 3 years on shelf". But it also still says "NIOSH Approved" even though that hasn't been true for a year. Will they still honor that warranty?

Has anyone had luck with getting that warranty honored? And, if so, did Readimask offer a refund? Or a replacement that worked?

I'd love to know when the last production run of ReadiMasks was made.

Did the Apparent Downfall of ReadiMask Start in 2022?

GSF entered a new nano filter version of the ReadiMask mask, the ReadiMask 365, in the US government's BARDA Mask Innovation Challenge. And they won Phase 2 in 2022.

ReadiMask's prospects seemed very promising, and that they were succeeding at continued innovations that would keep their business vibrant and healthy going forward.

Screen grab from the ReadiMask blog about their BARDA Phase 2 win for the nanofilter ReadiMask365 prototype.

GSF described the new nanofilter mask as "a fantastic mask" that "exceeds the moonshot criteria". And they said they were going to make the masks even better before selling them.

https://readimask.com/pages/readimask-wins-barda-niosh-contest

Crickets

It's been 4 years since they won but the ReadiMask 365 is nowhere to be seen, and hasn't even been so much as mentioned by GSF since then. 4 years of crickets.

That silence on the new product makes me wonder if GSF has made a single production run of original ReadiMasks since 2022. It feels like they have been coasting ever since that win, as the market for niche N95s radically diminished.

Conclusion

ReadMasks are a vital tool for respiratory protection that provide fit and functionality for people and situations where other respirators cannot be used. There is litterally nothing else like it.

It is extremely disappointing to find out more than a year after the fact that the ReadiMask NIOSH approval has been rescinded and that GSF may be leaving the market entirely, and doing so without notifying the public in a timely fashion..

Many mask companies have left the market as demand has tanked. This is likely especially the case for makers of niche masks such as the ReadiMask that are popular with people who need them, but are not necessarily successful in the general market for filtering facepiece respirators.

I still have some hope that maybe GSF / ReadiMask have something new and better in the works that they hope to get approved. But they haven't made any announcements about new masks in the last 4 years, so I don't have any confidence that is the case.

I should add that GSF / ReadiMask can legally make all the new masks they want, in any style or color even after the voluntary rescission. They just can't call them "NIOSH Approved" or "N95".

---

Random Observations

The ReadiMask website says "average filtering efficiency of 99.7%" for their current mask.

Screen grab from the ReadiMask homepage.

But the nano ReadiMask365 tested at 98% filtration efficiency according to their blog page. The prototype mask was supposed to be better, and presumably more breathable at "<9.6mmH2O", but it doesn't filter nearly as well according to their own statements.

Screen grab from the ReadiMask blog on their BARDA win.

There may have been too many hurdles to cost effectively bring the ReadiMask 365 to market. Maybe they put too much hope into the 365 as the game changer that would finally make ReadiMasks mainstream.

and if so does it last? i’m trying it out rn because i ran out of fashion tape and i’m unsure if it’s going to last the whole day (7 more hours)

My coworker's son apparently tested positive for covid. The coworker isn't here today and is testing (not sure which one/how accurate). I am hoping he gets an accurate test or has symptoms so he stays home....but I can tell it won't be long enough to make sure the virus can't transfer.

I haven't been masking at this workplace because there's only 3-4 people, I am outside a lot and alone a lot so I felt okay with that risk. But I have POTS and have seriously been messed up by prior covid infections (my last one gave me vasovagal syncope and i've passed out 6 times this year). Im also recovering from a bad concussion/whiplash injury, AND I am moving to a new state next week for a new job and I need to be as well as I can (already struggling). I also don't have health insurance right now.

So I can't take chance of ANY risk of covid/viral infections. I would rather wear a mask and get comments/weird looks or have people think I'm paranoid than risk my health right now at this fragile time.

I have 6 workdays left excluding today. I can guarantee this coworker will be here next week...he might take 2 days off MAX unless for he's hit hard with symptoms.

Would you mask all the days left if it turns out he's positive? And would you mask even if he says it was negative (is there a chance its false/virus isn't active yet to test?) It is gonna be weird to mask next week cause no one believes covid is more than a cold, but I know it is.

Also i am certain my other few coworkers/boss won't touch a mask or take precautions around this guy if he comes back. So should i act as if they are ALL infected?

Sucks having to deal with an extra stress at this time :( My boss at least knows i have POTS so would understand if i am extra cautious. Coworkers dont know but i would tell them, i dont care now.

genuine question bc online reviews for air purifiers feel SO fake now

i mainly need help w pet hair, dust, and that weird stale air feeling after my cat spends all day in the room lol

dont really care about smart features or app control tbh. just want something quiet that actually works

what ended up being worth the money for you??

ALLIANT BIOTECH IS A DISTRIBUTOR OF MASKS. WE DO NOT MAKE THE MASKS. REDIMASK IS NOT SHUTTING DOWN.

I HAVE BEEN INFORMED THAT WE WILL FULFIL ANY ORDERS WE CAN PLACED THROUGH 5/19/2026. WE WILL OFFICIALLY SHUT THE WEBSITE DOWN TODAY. WE WILL BE IN CONTACT REGARDING THE DONATIONS SOON!

Hello,

Alliant Biotech is in the process of shutting down and we have 20 pallets of RediMasks that we will end up tossing out. They are all larges, so if anyone would want them, please let me know and we can set it to be picked up. All we will need is for you to set up the truck and we are giving them away.

We officially shut down in 2 weeks and we will be clearing our warehouse by the end of June,

Also, apologies for all the delays as we have been in a long strenuous process of shutting down and we have very limited staffing.

Thank you

I've been masking since 2020, haven't gotten sick since 2023 and hopefully will keep this streak of luck going, but despite this I've never had a masks that fits well and comfortably.

I just tried a gerson duckbill and was so disappointed. It's so hyped but barley fits my nose :(...! The metal piece broke off and fell while i was outside. This happens with every duck bill i try. I've tried many different masks, envo, Ausair, and haylard. Haylard fits the best, but doesn't last long, they either press too tightly against my nose and snap under the pressure or, since i have a small face overall, don't fit at all. My nose bridge is very high and wide. Any high nosed girlies can help me out?

My girlfriend is going away for three weeks which is deeply depressing or would be except she asked me to recommend some masks for the flight there and back! I'm so excited. I'm going to offer her:

Air Queen: Admittedly not as capable as meltdown polypropylene, but it has to be comfortable or she won't wear it.

Korean SafeAir KF94: Obviously the best filtration, but it has to fit well.

Generic Boat Shaped KN95 from AliExpress: Last resort.

N95 3M Aura: I'm not going to advise these. They are so tight that they hurt. There is no way she can wear them for a whole flight. But if she wants them, she can use my Canadian Tire points.

Hi all!

Im due to go onto immunesuppressants around the time I begin university. With freshers flu and everything i want to make sure ive got a back up mask just incase I find i really need that extra support.

That being said, im very conscious of judgement. Id love a mask that looks nice or can be made to look nice. Like a fabric cover? I understand it may not work as well but some mask is better than no mask imo :)

I want to work out and obtain a better looking body and drop fat. Should I go to the gym and if I get a membership what kind of mask should I wear and can be sustainable for to work out high intensity? I don’t really have space or money to make a small gym at home at the moment and I live with three family members who refuse to mask. What should I do to workout in a Covid safe way and what kind of mask should I use to avoid getting sick still. Also if I get sick how long do I stop working out to not cause further damage to myself. Any advice would be appreciated guys.

After a few months without wearing my mask, I cleaned the inside of it with an alcohol swab and wore it again. I noticed a little sound while I breath out, and found that it was the exhalation valve which was moving a bit while I breath. Is it normal? Did I touch something while cleaning my mask and should I fix it?

More details: it’s a Secure Click, I use the negative pressure check each time I wear it and it always seems correct.

For starters: if you don't want or need to buy your PPE off Amazon, great. This is not the point of the post.

The point is that there are people with financial barriers to masking, under the impression that they should avoid their cheapest option of Amazon for masks because "a lot can be counterfeit". It's to address this oft-stated yet rarely-substantiated axiom, which has permeated the "covid-aware" population such that even people not on social media have adopted it as truth. As always, this includes an invitation for evidence not listed here of the belief being accurate, if such exists. Read the post before simply voicing a contrary opinion.

*Because words matter, and because words mean different things to different people, I'll start by saying whatever specific terms you do and want to use is besides the point—which is: while there are likely tons of listings on Amazon falsely claiming to be respirators, actual evidence on this sub of fakes OF SPECIFIC REPUTABLE MODELS (like the 3M Aura) is minimal, and the scale of the problem is blown out of proportion based on the current state of affairs.

(for the purpose of this post I'll use the terms "fake" to mean "something purporting to be a legit respirator" [e.g. just claiming to be a KN95], and "counterfeit" to mean "something pretending to be a specific respirator" [e.g. a 3M Aura]; as such: all counterfeits are fakes, but not all fakes are counterfeits.)*

———

First, some context:

Once upon a time, there was a massive PPE shortage and respirators were in very short supply. In these days long past, money could be made by deceitful enterprisers by counterfeiting trusted makers' (3M, Honeywell, etc.) products.
But then the pandemic "ended", and while counterfeiting of anything can happen any time, the massive need disappeared – and theoretical large sums of money to be made along with it.

It was bad enough that the NYT wrote about it...in Feb. 2022.
The u.s. CDC hosts a page of counterfeit and misrepresented (basically their word for "fake") respirators...with no examples from beyond 2021, most of which are misrepresentations, not counterfeits.
In 2024, 3M issued an alert about "Fraudulent/Counterfeit Product Offered Online"...which doesn't even mention disposable respirators. Clearly the situation has changed since Sept. 2022 when they launched the Verify platform, such that an entire type of respiratory PPE doesn't even need to be mentioned in a bulletin specifically about counterfeits.

Good for us to keep in mind when discussing Amazon.

People would rightly be wary of not being protected in the early days should they have found a respirator. As mentioned, there are plenty of posts mentioning fakes on Amazon here dating back several years. But digging into the posts, almost all of them are just worrying about the possibility, not actually evidence of an occurrence.

The one single actual example of a known counterfeit I found on this sub (which, based on comments, may have been the first at that point) was about European Auras in October 2023. The oldest "proof" I found, which didn't even specify where the mask was actually bought, is a March 2021 post "Don't order N95's from eBay/Amazon/Etsy. One of these is real and one is fake, can you tell?", where the mystery mask was claimed to filter at 94.1%.

That post was cited three months later as evidence of the risk of 3rd-party vendor buying in "Do not buy masks from Amazon, Ebay, Etsy, AliExpress, Walmart.com, or other multi-vendor marketplaces", largely due to info in a linked YSK Reddit post about now-ended commingling practices (which yes, five years ago, when counterfeits were more likely to be prevalent, was an issue).

The commingling thing resurfaced a year and a half later, citing the same then-two-year-old YSK post, but it had already taken off, evidenced in a July 2021 post worrying if N95s on Amazon are legit (recommended against due to commingling), a July 2022 one wondering if Aura 1870+ on Amazon are legit, and another by someone else a few days later.

By Dec. 2022, people were throwing away hundreds of euros' worth of masks without verifying them, "getting crazy" about their Auras in Mar. 2023 because the seller on Amazon wasn't 3M; by that August, someone asked if there had ever actually been fakes received (recall that one proven case hadn't yet happened). But the sheer scarcity of evidence didn't matter – in Jan. 2024, someone assuming non-authorised sellers' masks must be counterfeit; in Feb., someone else aggressively warning against Amazon (due solely to commingling).

That March, u/SkippySkep decided to thoroughly test some u.s. Amazon Auras, provided by someone who "was pretty certain the Auras are counterfeit" as they had issues with a whole batch's nosewires which also had an off smell. The conclusion? Since only 3M can confirm a counterfeit, the assessment was that they were "a superior tri-fold mask in terms of construction and performance, and are similar to the reference Aura by every comparison I performed".

Last September saw an even more intense batch of tests on one of those ultra-cheap boxes of 440 1870+s that were around, measuring the strength of the headbands, nosewires, and electrostatic charge on top of filtration efficiency. A similar conclusion: "I do believe the Auras in the case of 440 are almost certainly genuine."
And yet...still this January, people in doubt about Amazon (yet seemingly not checking the actual listed seller was Amazon), being referred to that same ysk post.

It is 2026, and while many of us say we still "live like it's 2020", there are ways in which that doesn't help. Perpetuating a belief that a (for better or worse) very accessible way to get respirators should not be trusted is not helpful, and is misinformation.

———

Now...returning to the whole language point from the start: not all masks on Amazon are legit. Obviously.
Amazon's problem is not that it's full of counterfeit disposable respirators (those tend to be seen among reusable elastomerics). The problem is that it's full of likely-fake ones. Here are the first results on the u.s. store when searching "N95":

Eight Amazon results for \"N95\"; half are not N95s

See how half of these are not even claiming to be N95s, but KN95s? This is the problem with Amazon now, and it has always been the primary problem; in late 2020, ECRI found "that 60 to 70 percent of imported KN95 masks do not filter 95 percent of aerosol particulates", and those were masks being purchased by health systems, thus almost certainly from less nebulous sources than Amazon.

KN95 masks were(/are) troublesome because unlike N95s, they follow a self-attestation system—they don't need to be approved before marketing. Makers just need to be able to prove they do what they claim if a CCP regulator came knocking, which seems much less likely to happen if they company isn't selling their wares domestically in China. Thanks to Amazon, they have access to a global, unregulated market.

But none of these masks are trying to fool you into thinking they're a reputable version of a known and trusted product. They're just generic "masks", the granular details of which (performance standards, certification, proper fit, etc.) the average person knows nothing about. Saying Amazon is a bad place to buy masks full stop is like saying it's a bad place to buy air purifiers full stop, on the grounds that the site is flooded with dodgy no-name machines with no information about their performance or ability to verify their performance certification.

*This may be edited once I re-read it and/or if I'm met with a surprise wave of verified Amazon counterfeit respirator accounts

EDIT: Thanks so much for the help guys! I’ve signed up for donate a mask and since processing times are long in the meantime I’m gonna go check out the mask bloc!

Hey, I’m from Quebec Canada and I like to mask with n95s on public transit & indoors as my immune system is very weak I get sick easily, and people just be outright nasty and not caring especially on transit.

I am VERY low-income though (young adult with no parents to rely on), like I make less than 15K a year and pay rent + bills, fully independently.

The cheapest solution is Amazon but I’ve heard a lot can be counterfeit and I shouldn’t trust them. Other than that all of them are so incredibly expensive and I genuinely can’t sustain paying for them repeatedly but to me it’s a necessity.

What are places I can get authentic n95 masks for a cheap price?

Looks like the Andes Hantavirus is getting ready to party down.

That awesome newer group Positive Deviance has another in person event tomorrow with DJ Bobbito Garcia in Brooklyn NYC/New York!-kn95/n95 required, covid pre-testing, hepas, sip masks!! Sunday Funday: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/positive-deviance-nyc-presents-all-vinyl-all-love-tickets-1980165025897?aff=erelexpmlt

Looks like it may even be a recurring, monthly event now! I see another DJ set in June (https://www.eventbrite.com/e/positive-deviance-nyc-presents-all-vinyl-all-love-tickets-1988014015436?aff=erelexpmlt) and they had one in April too!

(It sounds like they may have a livestream/recorded option to participate virtually with a ticket too, from the FAQs on that page-im not certain, but sounds like they might (theres an faq about being in another time zone & getting the recording later). Let's sell these events out, if you're able to buy a ticket even virtually, so they'll keep putting more on in the future!

More upcoming events can be found here: https://www.eventbrite.com/o/114374408471

Another specific one: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/positive-deviance-nyc-presents-sip-play-boardgame-hang-registration-1987698599017?aff=erellivmlt

Hi everyone! I'm hoping you can help me find a more breathable mask to try for spending time outdoors in hot weather.

I normally wear a 3m aura everywhere, and it fits me really well. However, it can get a little hot and feel less breatheable outdoors in the heat. I've tried the 3m vflexes, but the regular is too big, and the small is too small. Does anyone have recommendations? Thank you!