It doesn’t need to be N95. But I am just looking for masks that have comparable quality. I couldn’t find them at 7-11, Family mart, and Poya.
1 Like
Supposedly Kf94 masks are Korea’s version of them, filtering out 94% of particles as opposed to 95%. They are those 3D masks that people have wearing a lot more of lately. I bought a pack from Carrefour, they were right by the register with the other various masks. I don’t really trust that they’re legitimately filtering out 94% of particles though, as I used to wear N95s all the time on my scooter (pre 2020) and I couldn’t smell any cigarette or temple smoke while wearing them, but the Kf94 masks that I bought don’t even stop my glasses from fogging up, let alone keep out cigarette stench. With that very scientific assessment, I’d say they aren’t going to be keeping COVID out of your respiratory system…
2 Likes
Um. Ever thought of walking into any pharmacy?
4 Likes
I guess they are the ones with active carbon, they are more expensive and available in pharmacies, 2 for about 150NT$.
1 Like
N95 masks can easily be found at Teliwu特力屋.
Wow. Before COVID I might have spent ~US$1, give or take a few cents, per NIOSH-approved N95 mask. NT$75/mask is more than double that
Those are not medical grade. Good for painting and caulking but not for COVID. Check the code number before shopping.
Unfortunately N95s are harder to find these days. Before TSHTF you could still get them at local pharmacies. There are some nice locally made, the ones by Cheng Kung Hospital were very liked by my brother, a doctor.
Fortunately, there are still some N99 Made in Taiwan available. Bit of a trek but big pharmacies still carry some. And I do not mean Watson, but real stuff, only medicines, old school.
1 Like
How would you check if their claims are legit? I have seen a lot of masks (especially on Shopee) that say they are K94 or N95, but I have no way of telling beforehand that they truly are.
Real N95 masks have a code on them (see photo). I bought mine from a restaurant supply company in the US that sells directly to a lot of notable restaurants, schools, hospitals, etc., so if they’re not legit then everyone’s screwed. But that was in the years before 2020, so I doubt many factories would have much incentive to sell a fake N95 at the time. I wouldn’t really trust anything from Shopee or Amazon, especially since any factory could print text on the mask and claim they’re legit when they’re not.
The alleged Kf94 masks that I bought have “Made in Taiwan” stamped into them, so I get the feeling they’re not real, but I already knew that because I could smell cigarette smoke and my glasses fogged up.
2 Likes
N95 is NOT suitable for painting, especially spray painting. The carbon is more for odor removal and it offers no protection against organic vapor. You need 3M half mask (or full mask if you need eye protection along with it) and organic vapor cartridge.
3 Likes
The important thing I’d that if you look up in a 3M catalogue or any other big manufacturer, they will tell you which mask should be used for what. And those sold as N95 in HOLA or other hardware stores have other purposes, not epidemic prevention.
They also sell simple carbon masks here in Taiwan which were very popular during winter for air pollution. Those also should not be used for COVID defense purposes.
1 Like
Thank you! Fortunately, my girlfriend got a box of N95s recently, but I wanted to try the K94s once those run out. (They are more affordable and look more comfortable) But then I saw some “K94” masks that had a huge “MADE IN KOREA” in the box, but were shipped from…China 
. So I preferred to ask 
On some news report or other that I listened to about masking up with omicron, the “obvious” was pointed out that something actually manufactured in Korea would not be shipped to China before then being shipped off to the rest of the world, especially considering supply chain problems. One should assume that if it’s coming from China, it’s not a “real” kf94 mask, so buyer be warned. Actual effectiveness unknown. The Taiwan-manufactured ones I bought from Carrefour, for example, I think we’re 159 for a box of 10. That’s not much more than a fancy-patterned surgical mask. I’m thinking of it as a 3D surgical mask as opposed to something that’s really protecting me against 94% of all particles.
@icon, I’m so confused about the different n95s for different uses thing. If it filters out 95% of particles, how does it differ between a mask for pollution and a mask for medical use? I get that a lot of masks have “not approved for medical use” stamped into them, but how does that work? Shouldn’t 95% of airborne particles be pretty indiscriminate? I get the whole oil and blood splatter issues, along with vents, etc. I’m just confused about why they generally can’t be used interchangeably. I suppose for the general population they could be
1 Like
The N95 Vs. N95s explanation and lots of other info can be found in the older N95 thread:
2 Likes
N99? You need some pressured air to help you breathing?
3-4 times the price.
That sounds like a bad fit; can happen with real n95s as well.
1 Like
I feel like we’ve had this conversation before.
If it’s a real n95, you’re good to go, and it doesn’t need to be a medical n95. A standard or industrial n95 has the same filtration capabilities as a surgical n95; it’s the “95” portion of the NIOSH standard that specifies the filtration capability (95% of airborne particles). a n99 would have better filtration (99%), and n100 better than that (99.97%).
The main difference between the standard and surgical is that the surgical one is fluid resistant. Think a blood squirt, not respiratory droplets.
https://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/1839703O/surgical-n95-vs-standard-n95-which-to-consider.pdf
3 Likes
Those N99s are hard to breathe in , I have a few and do not wear them. I’ve had my booster shot and wear a medical mask. Enough for me, if I get it so be it.
The only ones I’ve been able to find lately are Laitest N95, available in some of those small pharmacies (e.g., Medfirst) that line the streets near major hospitals. (Not Cosmed or Watson’s).
I have no idea of how authentic or good they are. But they are made in Taiwan.
1 Like