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brin_bellway[mild cw: illness]
I have acquired a 3M model 7502 respirator base unit, plus two sets of P100 filters!!
I've fitted the straps, and have successfully made an airtight seal! When the filters aren't attached and I plug the holes-where-the-filters-go with my palms, I can't breathe in; when the filters *are* attached and I plug the exhalation valve†, I can't breathe out. I can't directly test virus filtration, but when I open the food-scraps bin for the government compost program, all I can smell is the plastic of the respirator. (And I assure you, the scent coming from that bin when opened is normally very noticeable.)
It's a *little* tricky to position my glasses, and they officially recommend not even trying to combine respirators and glasses, but I seem to have managed it without breaking the seal and with *most* of my field of corrected vision still available.
It seems pretty easy to breathe through, and while claustrophobes might find it psychologically problematic I personally quite enjoy small spaces.
There's not a *whole* lot of research on how P100s stand up to plague conditions, but from what we can tell in the short term they filter about as well as you'd expect (which is to say extremely well) and if you're only up against germs, the filters generally last somewhere between a month and a year depending on how desperate you are to conserve resources and how well you can avoid getting them wet or dirty.
Sixty-one CAD and worth *every* fucking penny! \o/
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If you decide to buy these things for yourself and to do so through Amazon-US, I ask that you please use The Prepared's affiliate link to compensate them for doing the research on respirator models for us.
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Shoutout to![[tumblr.com profile]](https://www.tumblr.com/favicon.ico)
nuclearspaceheater for writing a post that was like "why are y'all still putting up with cloth masks when reusable P100s have been back in stock for months". I had pretty much given up on finding one, figuring that if even *groceries* are still this rough that respirators would be impossible, but I took another look around and you actually *can* easily get them at a pretty reasonable price now.
Well, sort of: the sturdier filters with the plastic casings to protect them from dirt and disinfectant are still unavailable, so I had to buy the soft filters whose surfaces cannot be cleaned. I suppose I'll keep them in the quarantine section of my bedroom, next to the other uncleanable parts of my work uniform (nametag and evening cleaning to-do list).
(Also I *was* a little concerned about buying 2020-made respirators given how fucking awful 2020-made surgical masks were, but OTOH those surgical masks were from random no-name brands and plastered with efficacy disclaimers. 3M is a very reputable brand and recent reviews remain good. And honestly, even if they *did* cut corners on the filters it probably *still* beats cloth: the airtight seal *alone* should count for something.)
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†obviously I'm going to have to tape some cloth over that, since it's not designed to factor in *other* people's safety: even with this I can't *completely* rule out the possibility that *I'm* the unclean one in this interaction, especially since my brother's a line cook ↩'
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(edit: part 2)
I have acquired a 3M model 7502 respirator base unit, plus two sets of P100 filters!!
I've fitted the straps, and have successfully made an airtight seal! When the filters aren't attached and I plug the holes-where-the-filters-go with my palms, I can't breathe in; when the filters *are* attached and I plug the exhalation valve†, I can't breathe out. I can't directly test virus filtration, but when I open the food-scraps bin for the government compost program, all I can smell is the plastic of the respirator. (And I assure you, the scent coming from that bin when opened is normally very noticeable.)
It's a *little* tricky to position my glasses, and they officially recommend not even trying to combine respirators and glasses, but I seem to have managed it without breaking the seal and with *most* of my field of corrected vision still available.
It seems pretty easy to breathe through, and while claustrophobes might find it psychologically problematic I personally quite enjoy small spaces.
There's not a *whole* lot of research on how P100s stand up to plague conditions, but from what we can tell in the short term they filter about as well as you'd expect (which is to say extremely well) and if you're only up against germs, the filters generally last somewhere between a month and a year depending on how desperate you are to conserve resources and how well you can avoid getting them wet or dirty.
Sixty-one CAD and worth *every* fucking penny! \o/
---
If you decide to buy these things for yourself and to do so through Amazon-US, I ask that you please use The Prepared's affiliate link to compensate them for doing the research on respirator models for us.
---
Shoutout to
Well, sort of: the sturdier filters with the plastic casings to protect them from dirt and disinfectant are still unavailable, so I had to buy the soft filters whose surfaces cannot be cleaned. I suppose I'll keep them in the quarantine section of my bedroom, next to the other uncleanable parts of my work uniform (nametag and evening cleaning to-do list).
(Also I *was* a little concerned about buying 2020-made respirators given how fucking awful 2020-made surgical masks were, but OTOH those surgical masks were from random no-name brands and plastered with efficacy disclaimers. 3M is a very reputable brand and recent reviews remain good. And honestly, even if they *did* cut corners on the filters it probably *still* beats cloth: the airtight seal *alone* should count for something.)
---
†obviously I'm going to have to tape some cloth over that, since it's not designed to factor in *other* people's safety: even with this I can't *completely* rule out the possibility that *I'm* the unclean one in this interaction, especially since my brother's a line cook ↩'
---
(edit: part 2)
