Had the most pleasant shopping experience yesterday--

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Originally Posted by Bill Dufour

I bet it wasn't really that hot. Probably below 100 there. The box stores were counting people in and out with limits on how many inside at any time before masks were required. Now with all indoor public spaces masks are required and they no longer count folks in and out. I went to othe rstore sand came back if the line was too long. and it was over 100 that day. It was over 100 most days in late June and July so far.

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Your location show California which is usually very dry and has low dew points. Dew point was in the 70s here on Saturday with a temperature of 90 degrees. I was outside for less than five minutes in long pants and my shirt was soaked with sweat when I came in. (Long pants because I always wear long pants when working in my basement shop.)

I would much rather be outside in dry 100 degree heat than in humid 90 degree heat. The problem with Minnesota is for more than half the year it is either too hot or too cold to do much outside.

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Originally Posted by Andrew Seemann

Minnesota has the reputation of being cold, but it gets hot and humid here in the summer, just not as long as most places. Last week it was as or more hot and humid in Minneapolis than Orlando, Charlotte, Dallas, Nashville, etc. Dewpoints were in the upper 70s, just plain miserable, and hard to breathe, even without a mask.

Actually one of the highest verified dew points ever recorded in the USA was 88F in Moorhead MN, 150 miles south of Canada. The heat index was 134F.

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Around the cities is horrible. Hot in the summer, cold in the winter. It's much better along Superior.


we do, however, have people who come to vacation die here every year.. because they think it's cooler than it is.

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Originally Posted by Brian Elfert

I doubt you'll find any mask available for purchase that has any real particle filtration. N95 masks are mostly going to medical use and any that actually make it to retail are snapped up immediately. If a mask was as good as an N95 medical facilities and/or the public would be buying them up. There are some KN95 masks out there for purchase.

Cloth masks are not intended to protect the wearer. They are intended to protect others around you from getting the virus from you if you unknowingly have it. The idea is that the spittle and such that comes from your mouth and nose will be filtered by the mask.

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Brian,
my cloth masks have an inner pocket for a layer of non-woven polypropylene similar to what’s in the n95 masks. There’s a company in Leawood, KS named Filti that’s selling the stuff by the yard to us mask makers.

i would add that the protection offered by masks seems to be related to their design. Pleated surgical masks are to protect other people from you. The form fitting n95 masks with a vent are to protect you from other people. Those do no good in protecting others.

It gets interesting when you think about a group of people wearing a combination of types. Let’s assume that all masks are 100% effective for their designed purpose. A sick person wearing a vented n95 mask might as well be wearing nothing. In fact it might make more sense if they weren’t wearing any mask because others would stay away. A surgical masK on a well person also serves no purpose. But if everyone were to wear the same type of mask, the virus would be stopped. This is where national leadership would be so effective.

Roger, the masks that Professor Dr. SWMBO made also have the pocket and a non-woven filter insert. These masks are essentially three layers with that.

I am in shops a lot less now than pre-Covid but of course, always wear a mask. It is brutally hot and humid here in Central TX right now. We have accumulated several styles since the beginning of all this but my favorite so far as these KN95's (from China) that we buy in bulk. They come in a flat envelope and have an aluminum nose strip you can somewhat mold. They fold open like an origami and seal pretty good around the face. Some type of polypropylene, I guess? You get a little bit of a "snout" look, since the crease runs vertically, but the extra breathing space they give you around your nose and mouth makes a huge difference. The issue with the cloth face-hugging types was that they were just stifling to wear in the shop. I keep one of these KN95's hanging from the mirror of my wagon plus a few extras always in the tool kit.

Erik

Erik, how many uses do you get out of the KN95’s?

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Originally Posted by Bruce Page

Erik, how many uses do you get out of the KN95’s?

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Bruce, they've been surprisingly durable for me. I discard them right away if it was used in a customer's shop. Mostly due to dust (I have bad allergies) but the one I keep in my vehicle for trips to lowes and whatnot, I've been using for weeks and still works fine. They're actually quite nice for being a cheap mask.

Erik

I believe that ToolNut currently has KN95 masks available for folks who want them.

Thanks Erik & Jim. I ordered a few packs from ToolNut @ $7.99 for 5. Amazon wanted $20 for 5.

I have some, I will state. Clearly. That there is no mfg lot # on these. So I would not advise using them as PRIMARY PPE in environments that require n95/p100 or equivalent.


I use these as one would normally use irritant dust masks, and they work well for trips to the store and are comfortable. But, I do sill have a p100 respirator, and use it when required.

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Originally Posted by Bruce Page

Thanks Erik & Jim. I ordered a few packs from ToolNut @ $7.99 for 5. Amazon wanted $20 for 5.

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We ordered them during the initial panic period. My boss probably paid $20 a mask, LOL. Along with $75 for a gallon of hand sanitizer. :D

Erik

Eric’s N95 ask sounds like one I picked up yesterday at a local hardware store. Made in China. Although marked on the material as N95 I wouldn’t trust it to be a true N95 mask but assume it’s better than the paper masks I’ve been using. It does feel less constricting. Local ordinance started Monday for masks. As far as I could tell on my trip to the big box store everyone is complying. Of course there are a few wearing them improperly. I hope for a drop in the spread.

Thanks everyone.
I just ordered some KN95 masks.
This site has good comparison to N95 data: https://smartairfilters.com/en/blog/...nd-kn95-masks/

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Originally Posted by Jim Koepke

Shaking my head &

Attachment 437078

:cool:

jtk

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Haha, that’s me Jim, thanks for the laugh, Rod.

Robert, the mask isn’t to protect you, it’s to protect others from you...Rod