News Razer Pulls N95 Mentions From Zephyr Face Mask Sites

[Admin]

Razer has pulled mentions of "N95 grade" protection from the web pages for its Zephyr face masks following online criticism, but still suggests the mask provides protection.

Razer Pulls N95 Mentions From Zephyr Face Mask Sites : Read more

 

[tom2u]

To show someone with a beard trying to get a good seal is ludicrous. First rule of masks is no facial hair where its trying to seal. Ever worn a diving mask with a beard? Good luck with that.

 

[Historical Fidelity]

Shave your beard, then try….might solve your fitment and sealing issues…..

 

[hotaru251]

i wonder if this will lead to a lawsuit to ppl who claim to of bought it for the protection listed then but now not.

could be taken to court as a false claim and buyer didnt get what they wanted ;o

(as in us ppl are lawsuit happy)


i avoided it as its razor but the concept is good and hope someone else makes a proper version.

 

[Deleted member 2783327]

What a ridiculous device. I'd be seriously concerned over a person's mental health if I saw someone wearing such a device.

 

[TechLurker]

What a ridiculous device. I'd be seriously concerned over a person's mental health if I saw someone wearing such a device.

RGB aside, it had potential for being a valid intermediate solution to letting the deaf who lip-read better understand the wearer given the clear mouth part, and the voice amplifier would have been perfect for those who already have trouble speaking loudly and clearly through a mask (or two, if they double masked with a basic surgical mask in front of or behind). As well, if the filters and fan system worked properly, it could have also been used to help alleviate some of the "sweaty mouth" issues that a sizable number complain about (either to avoid wearing a mask, or not wanting to wear a mask for long) by forcing in a steady supply of fresher, filtered air while still forcing exhaled air through other filters to inhibit spread (one of the reasons valved respirators were not recommended, even if N95 or better).

Sure, it's no certified N95 or P100 PAPR unit (many of which start around 800+ USD), but it had a few valid niches it could have been ideal for, and hey, if someone was willing to wear this instead of nothing, that's already a win. Even if the RGB is set to some obnoxious color pattern and their amplified breathing makes them sound like Off-Brand Vader.

 

[david germain]

we have people walking round with odd bits of fabric. which are not even close to N95. and masks have not been proven to make any difference to the transmission. The science is very much undecided. And it looks like there are no peer reviewed papers as of August 2020.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02801-8

 

[Unolocogringo]

we have people walking round with odd bits of fabric. which are not even close to N95. and masks have not been proven to make any difference to the transmission.

Please do not spread incorrect information.
Masks DO make a difference in spreading Illnesses.
A simple cloth covering does not protect you a lot. If it fits properly it helps more.
But it protects other people around you.
So that the droplets you exhale do not travel as far. when they escape the mask but many more are caught inside the mask.
A simple google search can enlighten you.

 

[david germain]

Please do not spread incorrect information.
Masks DO make a difference in spreading Illnesses.
A simple cloth covering does not protect you a lot. If it fits properly it helps more.
But it protects other people around you.
So that the droplets you exhale do not travel as far. when they escape the mask but many more are caught inside the mask.
A simple google search can enlighten you.

i have updated the post to reflect what seem to be the current testing of masks. article with references. the other study i am reading is currently looking at limited statistical evidence, and that is also not peer reviewed yet. that one is been run by the Dutch.
Some masks seem to make thing worse. and there is no incorrect info in my post.

 

[Giroro]

Is there a word for a product, that while it technically exists, is exclusively sold to people with millions of followers?
For me Razer's mask is in that category of garbage created to squeeze free advertising out of clickbait factories. It became pretty obvious when you needed to prove you were a popular influencer before being allowed to buy the "beta" product.
It's like the KFC 'console', Philly Station 5, or Nike shoes. .. basically anything that uses the "drop" model to create false buzz around a product that is meant solely to promote brand image, and not actually be mass produced.
It's like when a company makes a fake product for April Fool's day, but then actually makes a few of them, for all those sweet sweet clicks.

"Paper launch" doesn't seem quite right, but a "cynical viral marketing stunt" is too broad of a term.

 

[TJ Hooker]

we have people walking round with odd bits of fabric. which are not even close to N95. and masks have not been proven to make any difference to the transmission. The science is very much undecided. And it looks like there are no peer reviewed papers as of August 2020.
https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-020-02801-8

Your own link contains references to multiple peer-reviewed studies on mask-wearing. And of course there have been more studies done in the ~18 months since that article was published.

 

[Chung Leong]

I seriously don't know why people think the entry point to our digestive system is cleaner than its exit. Our oral cavity is full of germs. There they're relatively harmless there--by necessity. The diet of our animal ancestors, after all, consist of rotting fruits and decomposing corpses. That's why we have a nose, so that the air we breath isn't contaminated by nasty bateria that regularly rot our teeth. Yet people think breathing in stuff coming out of their month for hours on end keeps them healthy. They might as well wipe their ass with a piece of rag then wear it over their nose all day.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

You can't market something as having a certain feature and then walk that back after people already bough it for having said feature.

A GOOD company would properly handle this situation through refunds, recalls, etc. This tells you a bit about what kind of company Razer is. Although I have never liked them to begin with for making objectively overpriced items. This looks hideous as well.

 

[BFG-9000]

LoL it's gas mask styling, only with thin ear-loop string as the straps. And I would hope anyone would realize it's not N95 if it doesn't feature the prominent NIOSH markings saying so.

Any mask is better than no mask because its primary function to you is to keep you from forgetting and touching your nose with your contaminated fingers. It would work even better with goggles that prevent you from touching your eyes too.

The holes in the filter are actually 100x larger than virus particles so you can breathe through it--it's an electrostatic charge that allows it to filter 95% of particles 0.1-0.3 microns in a single pass. That's why they don't recommend washing them as the charge gets removed entirely, when it normally would degrade gradually as more air (and charged particles) passes through it. As mentioned they protect other people, by absorbing most of the large virus-laden spittle droplets that can fly out surprisingly far when you talk to contaminate everything they land on. The better the mask, the more of these are stopped and the better you can protect others. If you don't care about that then an easy-breathing exhale valve probably makes an N95 about as effective as a cloth.

Fun fact: clean-shaven for men became popular in WWI because soldiers who didn't wish to die shaved to get a better gas seal on their gas masks (although the US Army didn't mandate shaving until 1930). It appears that beards are making a comeback in the 21st century though.

 

[TJ Hooker]

I seriously don't know why people think the entry point to our digestive system is cleaner than its exit. Our oral cavity is full of germs. There they're relatively harmless there--by necessity. The diet of our animal ancestors, after all, consist of rotting fruits and decomposing corpses. That's why we have a nose, so that the air we breath isn't contaminated by nasty bateria that regularly rot our teeth. Yet people think breathing in stuff coming out of their month for hours on end keeps them healthy. They might as well wipe their ass with a piece of rag then wear it over their nose all day.

So by that logic, having a close, face-to-face conversation with someone is equivalent to what, having them fart directly on your face? Eating a meal with others must surely be a hazardous event, as all that chewing and mouths opening/closing would undoubtedly result in the air around the table being "contaminated" by everyone's mouths? Playing in an orchestra/band must be also risky, with all the wind instruments (and/or singers) around you expelling "contaminated" air?

And yet, somehow the people who have to regularly wear masks as part of their jobs have managed to do so for decades without ill-effect.

But if you're concerned, just breath in and out through your nose? Now you're not inhaling air that's coming out of your mouth. Unless you're talking I suppose, but then you'd only be exposed to your own "contaminated" air rather than the other person's (as you would without masks), which kinda seems preferable if I had to choose.

 

[david germain]

Your own link contains references to multiple peer-reviewed studies on mask-wearing. And of course there have been more studies done in the ~18 months since that article was published.

"For now, Osterholm, in Minnesota, wears a mask. Yet he laments the “lack of scientific rigour” that has so far been brought to the topic. “We criticize people all the time in the science world for making statements without any data,” he says. “We’re doing a lot of the same thing here.” "
Peer review does not mean proof of efficacy as the above quote shows. read the studies.
Almost all references are from 2020.

April 2020 BMJ
2In their editorial to the BMJ,[1] Greenhalgh et al. advise that surgical masks should be worn in public to prevent some transmission of covid-19, adding that we should sometimes act without definitive evidence, just in case, according to the precautionary principle. The Authors quote a definition of the precautionary principle found on Wikipedia, “a strategy for approaching issues of potential harm when extensive scientific knowledge on the matter is lacking.” "

Most other article on the BMJ site seem to be focus on downside a gender and race not the efficacy of the mask wearing itself.

https://www.bmj.com/content/350/bmj.h694
2015
"The lack of research on facemasks and respirators is reflected in varied and sometimes conflicting policies and guidelines. Further research should focus on examining the efficacy of facemasks against specific infectious threats such as influenza and tuberculosis, assessing the efficacy of cloth masks, investigating common practices such as reuse of masks, assessing compliance, filling in policy gaps, and obtaining cost effectiveness data using clinical efficacy estimates. "

Please note the use of the word 'respirators ' these are not cloth home made face masks or the surgical n95

 

[Chung Leong]

But if you're concerned, just breath in and out through your nose? Now you're not inhaling air that's coming out of your mouth. Unless you're talking I suppose, but then you'd only be exposed to your own "contaminated" air rather than the other person's (as you would without masks), which kinda seems preferable if I had to choose.

That's a common and tragic misunderstanding. Many people believe that if their own bodies produced something, then it's harmless to them. Scientifically that's non-sense, of course. Bacteria living in your body doesn't have your DNA. It has its own DNA. If you're infected by COVID the viruses coming out of you are going to be genetically indistinguishable from those coming out another person. They're fully capable of infecting you some more.

 

[Historical Fidelity]

That's a common and tragic misunderstanding. Many people believe that if their own bodies produced something, then it's harmless to them. Scientifically that's non-sense, of course. Bacteria living in your body doesn't have your DNA. It has its own DNA. If you're infected by COVID the viruses coming out of you are going to be genetically indistinguishable from those coming out another person. They're fully capable of infecting you some more.

Absolutely correct on that, another point of evidence is that vaccinated people’s immune systems are very active in the lungs but almost non-active in the nasal passages so vaccinated people are many times carriers of Covid in their nasal pathways which makes me angry when I see all these people with masks on but covering their mouth only.

 

[drivinfast247]

Shave your beard, then try….might solve your fitment and sealing issues…..

I'd just remove my lungs instead and not need to wear such a stupid device.