Ethan Brooke, Breathe Safe Air
The following is an excerpt from a longer article on breathesafeair.com.
ElastoMaskPro is a very different half-face respirator for a range of reasons. Firstly, it’s designed for medical use and therefore focuses on comfort first and foremost. While the mask doesn’t slouch on protection with an N95 approval, it focuses on remaining comfortable even after hours of wear. This makes it ideally suited for hospitals and other medical environments.
Secondly, it’s the priciest respirator on this list by a significant margin. Despite being one of the lightest respirators with a smaller form factor than the larger devices, ElastoMaskPro is neither cheap nor its replacement filters. However, the price is somewhat offset by the long-term cost of owning the product, which should come out much cheaper than relying on disposable N95 respirators.
ElastoMaskPro is not supported by a range of filter cartridges. As of the time of writing, this device is focused on being the most comfortable device in its class. To achieve this, N95 approval is a great middle-ground – it allows the filters to remain highly breathable while offering a good level of protection.
ElastoMaskPro follows Project BREATHE guidelines. Although these guidelines are not commonly followed, they were established around a decade ago to guide manufacturers to make more comfortable respirators that can be donned for hours without discomfort.
This half-face respirator has therefore focused on being extremely breathable (2-3x more breathable than most disposable N95 respirators), using comfortable materials, and having a comfortable mounting system. With all these focuses, I can safely say that ElastoMaskPro is the most comfortable half-face respirator I have tried.
Being medically focused, these respirators do not feature valves. While this can be an issue on some half-face respirators as exhalation resistance is significantly increased, it is not at all an issue on this product. Valves are simply unnecessary with the exceptional breathability already provided by the large, pleated filters.
The filter covers also allow the user to easily seal-check their respirator, similar to the Advantage 290. By simply pushing down on the seal covers, you can cover the filters and quickly identify any leaks around the edge of the device. This is a great feature when you don’t have access to fit testing or are in a rush.
If you’ve tried a 3M 6000 series respirator, you will find a similar fit with ElastoMaskPro. The biggest difference between the two devices is the softer seal on the ElastoMaskPro – a welcome addition. However, overall, the fit of the two devices is very similar; if one fits, the other should too.
My one worry with ElastoMaskPro was the strength of the elastic headbands over time. However, the team behind the respirator has extensively tested the longevity of these headbands and shown that they should last over 100,000 extensions.
Overall, ElastoMaskPro is a great half-face respirator where comfort is the priority. With N95 approval, the device doesn’t offer as much filtration as other products on this list. However, in most situations, N95 is adequate, and these are the situations in which ElastoMaskPro excels.
