34 Product Review
Mask Envy
PRODUCT REVIEW
Review by William Urbanski
F
or many years, I thought this whole idea of wearing disposable masks to protect against germs or air pollution was silly. Recently, however, due to a set of unforeseen circumstances, including an injury to my countenance, I was forced to accept that donning a mask for a few weeks was in my best interest. During this time, I noticed a strange phenomenon: A lot of the kids I taught had masks that looked better and were more stylish than mine. This case of “mask envy” not only made me realize I should stop comparing my accessory choices to those of ten-year-olds but also got me wondering about the intrinsic differences between masks. So, over a couple of weeks, I tried out a number of disposable masks and compared them across four metrics in an effort to answer the age-old question: Are all masks created equal?
The Ninja Mask
www.gwangjunewsgic.com
April 2020
At the low, low price of nine for 2,000 won, these black masks were overall not bad, but the place where the
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mask met the elastic ear bands was not fused together very smoothly. This very small area stuck out and rubbed my face in the exact spot where I had just gotten stitches removed. What I ended up having to do was to glue a piece of cotton on the inside, which greatly improved the comfort but was still a bit of an inconvenience. One might even say I traded a pain in the face for a pain in the neck. Pros: Great price, ninja-inspired style. Con: Rubs against face.
The Big Grey
Playing right into the hands of coronavirus paranoia, I decided to break out the heavy-duty gear. This tank of a mask would stop any germ that was not attached to a bullet, though just barely. Pros: Best build quality, tight fit. Cons: Condensation builds up, not ideal for jobs that require talking, kind of expensive.
Kitchen Towel with Elastic Bands
Tired of paying outrageous pharmacy prices and imbued with the DIY spirit, I decided to take matters into my own hands. All it took to put this bad boy together was a few common household items and 30 seconds of my time. The fit was surprisingly snug, and I feel that with a little work and design innovations involving a pair of scissors, it could be extremely comfortable. The other advantage of making your own mask is that you could draw cool pictures on it. Also, if you were going somewhere really crowded, you could add a few more layers of paper towels to keep yourself safe, I suppose. Pros: Rock-bottom price, fully customizable. Con: Makes wife question decision to marry a foreigner.
3/27/2020 2:43:08 PM
