Customer Reviews Outdoor Research Essential Face Mask Kit

I use tape to hold the filter in place but not a great solution. I purchased three masks plus replacement filters so I feel stuck with the product. The mask itself is great, but the filter retention design is poor.

The good: it is reasonably breathable and the material feel like good quality. The bad: having the filter against your face is a terrible idea. I don't think it is particularly healthy (you can breath in small fibers) and it causes the filter to get sweaty and clogged with facial oils. The filter really should be in a sleeve. Furthermore, the filter doesn't stay in place and it moved around and sticks out from the mask making you feel like your underwear is showing. The ear straps are too narrow and really start to hurt after 45 mins to an hour. Lastly, it is a little big on my face and doesn't fit snug. This was the first "professional looking" mask I bought but it didn't compare to ones I found later. Better options are out there but it is still my backup mask.

We like the way these fit and look but they are itchy!

I use this mask every time I walk inside a building or restaurant. I love the fit. Unfortunately the filters That come with the mask DO NOT stay in place. Causing you to constantly touch it to get it to stay put, defeating the purpose imo.

Good fit and adjustment. The filters fall out as you wear them though

This mask has a lot of potential, but OR still needs to do some work on it. I got this mask to wear while working out since I don't want to get an off the shelf KN95-type mask wet with sweat at the gym. Getting a mask wet causes N95s/KN95s/FFP2s to lose the charge that helps them protect you from tiny particulates. With that in mind, I was looking for a mask with water-resistant features. While this mask is better than a regular paper mask, the replaceable filter is still exposed directly to the wearers face, meaning it will get wet with sweat and humidity from breathing. This mask would feel much safer if there was a layer of fabric between the filter and the wearer's face. My other complaint is that the filters themselves are often difficult to impossible spread open, rendering them either useless at worst or heavily manhandled--and potentially dirty/broken down--at best.

Mask fit just OK. Would like the added filter to fit more securly

Very difficult to get the filter to stay in place. If that problem were solved, it would be a great mask

I love the fit of the mask, but the filter is useless. It bunches up and has to be discarded. This is a major design flaw of the mask.

I wish the filter was one piece instead of two pieces.

This product is way too large for women's faces. I am a 5'3'' person with a small face and the mask leaves a huge gap at the lower parts of it. I wish I could wear it because it was one of the most breathable masks I've ever worn.

1. There isn't enough fabric to cover the filter so that the filter bunches up and/or falls out. It would be better with a pocket in the middle so that you could insert the filter into each side from the middle. 2. Having the filter against your face is uncomfortable. A soft cotton layer over the filter would be much better. 3. The overall fit, in every respect, is great. Being able to tighten the ear loops is excellent. 4. I am going to try to add fabric over the filter opening but resent having to pay such a high price for a product that doesn't work well and then I have to fix it.

The filter moves inside the poach and requires regular adjustments.

Mask is good in that it uses a filter, but it would be much improved by using graphene to kill virus. Alternatively, filter more virus out by using hepa filter or Goretex as virus seem to be borne on water droplets or aerosol.

Nice fit and very comfortable. Would get 5 stars if there was magnets to hold the filter in place. Ordered some to sew in and try.

Great mask, looks good, easy on, easy off. The only issue I have with these is the filters. Mine don't seem to stay in the 2 side pockets. I have a habit of grabbing the nose and pulling it off, which might pull out the filter, but even when I take it off by the ear loops the filter always seems to move out of those pockets.

Comfortable, good fit. Unfortunately the filter insert "bunches up" very easily and rubs against your mouth. Can't take it off to straighten filter without finding somewhere to sanitize hands first. Need to find a better way to " lock in" the side wings on the filters so they won't bunch up and cause wrinkles. I would also like to see OR take the lead and publish scientific test data on effectiveness with various particle sizes. We obviously can't expect n95 mask effectiveness, but it would be good to know if they even work at all. Without scientific data it is all just sales hype.

It's the new normal. Everyday use. I love it... but I cannot recommend it if no filter packs are available. I've been waiting for months for the 25 or 100 filter packs to be back in stock. Due to the Miami humid weather, the filters need to be replaced regularly.

Filters are too much

The mask fits well and is comfortable to wear for extended periods. However, it will not provide much protection without the filter. You can see right through the material when the filter is not inserted. With the filter inserted, it passes the light test. Just be aware you need to invest in extra filters.

Ordered 2 masks and recieved two different sizes. One was 1/2" bigger than the other.

The mask fits pretty well, is one of the most comfortable masks I've worn, especially for long periods of time and exercise, but the biggest problem, as many have pointed out, is the filter system. The filters just do not stay in place and end up bunching up and pulling out...especially when wearing for extended times and/or any light physical movement. It's a deal-breaker. I'm shocked that with all the critical feedback, OR hasn't re-designed this system for improvement. It's a shame, I purchased two for myself, and two for my partner, but I simply can not recommend this mask until this problem is fixed. It should be a simple fix OR, get on it!

The filter doesn't stay in place. I am constantly having to reseat it in the slots. It would be useful, although I get super difficult, to have some sort of wire or tab built into each wing to hold the filter in place.

It is still unclear how useful this is to prevent spread of the COVID-19. Nowhere can I find out what the filter is made of and what tests the mask itself and the filter have been submitted to to evaluate particle size (in microns) that are effectively blocked. Furthermore, the filter tends to slip out. The backside of the mask needs to have more cloth to contain the filter.

Because the filter is only held in on the sides with two little slots, it comes loose and bunches up around your mouth. Also, the metal at the top of the mask does not conform as well as the cheap hospital masks, and it actually makes my glasses fog up worse than the cheap ones I was using.