Recommendations for comfortable masks?

[jducoeur]

Kate and I have plenty of masks, technically. We have a few high-quality ones made by friends, and we have a big pile of cheap-but-adequate ones that I bought off of Amazon. The cheap ones are actually pretty good for just running into somewhere for a few minutes. But none are great for long-term use: the homemade ones tend to be a tad tight (my nose gets a bit squished with long usage), and the Amazon ones are somewhat floppy in their center section, especially after washing a couple of times (so I wind up chewing on the fabric after a while).

So I put it out to the lazyweb of my friends: any recommendations? I'm specifically looking for masks that are adequately safe (I'm not worried about N95-level protection, but they should be at least multi-layer fabric), but also somewhat comfortable. That probably means somewhat shaped around the nose so that it doesn't press on it too much, probably not floppity t-shirt fabric, and ideally not excessively hot and stuffy. (And in a perfect world, snug enough at the top to not cause my glasses to fog too much.) Reusability is very strongly preferred: while I'm willing to consider disposables, I dislike them on principle -- something that can be washed would be much better.

Suggestions? Don't worry about cost for purposes of this question -- I want to get a better sense of the options, and am willing to pay a bit for something that's good.

Comments

[sichling]

What I have found works well for making them is to start with a rectangle of cloth (roughly 8.5" tall by 7" wide for the medium adult size). Do a dart at the nose. Do 2 darts on the bottom - for either side of the chin. The darts are each about 2" tall. I do a nose piece (can order on Amazon). Sew up the top and bottom seams, flip it right side out, and sew the nose piece in a channel. The metal nose piece means that it can fit around the nose and doesn't fog.

Then - pleat/ruffle the sides so that they are about 2.5' tall. I then sew a channel of fabric on either side that elastic or bias tape can be threaded through (bodkins are great). This gets the mask to puff out significantly from the mouth. For the ties, I like to use cord locks - so that it doesn't have to be tied and can be easily adjusted. I prefer that style for longer wear.

You can make this with as many layers as you like; I haven't noticed significant differences between 2 layers of cotton and adding a 3rd layer that is silk.

Feel free to drop a message if you'd like to wander by, visit, and take a look at an absurdly wide variety of masks.

[mermaidlady]

I think Glorious Pasties masks are comfortable and I generally don't like the ones with ear elastic. They're hand-wash, have a nose wire and a filter pocket. And she sells filters. She also sells rhinestoned masks. ;-)

EDIT: She *just* changed her business name to Canova Studio.

[jducoeur]

Intriguing! At least a few might be my style. Thanks!

[loosecanon]

I am told that Adidas athletic masks are good for long use in high heat, by a UPS driving friend. EShakti also has very good ratings for fit, comfort, and quality.

I like the Octagon with the filter slot lined up with the pleat. The trick is to make them to measure, being careful to match angles and lengths for nose, tip of nose to chin with mouth open, and under chin. I can wear it with a Filti liner for about 4 hours pretty well.

[laurion]

I have a handful of linen ones I snagged on Etsy. As a fabric it holds up well to washings well, and they have two layers. Still occasional fogs the glasses, but that tends to be more a function of temperature/humidity mismatches, e.g. when I go between A/C and outside and the glasses haven't changed temperature yet to match, so the humid exhalations fog the glasses.

[cvirtue]

I have some "oversized" cotton ones I made from a nurse's pattern to go over an N95. They have enough room in them that they don't press on my nose, and they go securely under my chin.
You can also buy plastic frames that will tent your mask out from your face.

[alexxkay]

If your glasses are fogging, wash them in soapy water, then let air dry. Simple, but astonishingly effective. Lasts for several days, typically.

[cellio]

Not an answer but might be helpful. I saw my ophthalmologist recently and kept having to interrupt the reading test due to steamed-up glasses. She wears glasses too and mentioned that she'd been in surgery recently, so I asked what she does about that. She said everyone in the OR uses a bit of surgical tape at the top of the mask, on the part of the cheeks right below the glasses.

I tried it once and it kept them from fogging up but yowza the removal was not fun. So I shan't do that again, though I grant that one might get used to it, especially if one's livelihood depends on being in an environment where you can't just reach up to adjust things or stop what you're doing and wait for your glasses to clear.

[asdr83]

I find these ones really comfortable and fit well even if I don't add the nose wire (though better if I do)
https://www.irisluckhaus.de/wr/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/IrisLuckhaus_HybridMask_Pattern_US_V5.pdf

I don't like ear loop masks so I use a semi-stretchy ribbon and make a big loop that tightens behind my head with a cord lock. Links to pictures of me wearing one i made below.
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPaO4zkS2pF7775d1uyNMagwN1m9z67btm_terT
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipPCMhSPrjEC_D_nSvGJotkRnLeigWjx79elpLa5
https://photos.google.com/photo/AF1QipO0yDVVLPFmULuwkFzrWIiUZzNEI6KlVy6R_GO4