The Mask

I've been wearing my mask pretty faithfully whenever I've left the house for the past couple of years or so. And after this and that -ing for awhile (surgical, cloth, KN95), I finally (greatly influenced by my #1🌞)  stuck with Bona Fide Masks' Powecom® KN95. 20 masks for $23 - $2.30 coupon code + $1.24 tax = $21.94, for a per unit cost of $1.10, good quality, made in the U.S. of A., allathat. And pretty comfortable to wear as well.

But then I had to go into quarantine with my #2🌞, and I went from wearing a mask for a few hours a day to wearing a mask 16 hours a day. And those ear loops started wearing troughs in the space above my ears. 

I was willing to put up with that, but I hadn't counted on needing more masks than I had on hand (no one expects the Covid Inquisition), and when the order I put in to Bona Fide didn't show up as soon as I needed it to, I had to find a substitute. So I went to Walgreens and looked to see what they had on hand.

There weren't a whole lot of choices. The best of the few seemed to be the 3M Particulate Respirator 9205PH-3-DC N953,  $9.99 for 3. Well...$3.33 per ain't cheap, and 3 masks wasn't nearly enough, but I thought that it looked like it would be worth it. 

When I got home and opened the box, I was a bit distraught. 

Clearly I had misunderstood, because this thing wouldn't even cover my nose and mouth. Damn it. There hadn't been a Face Wearing Mask picture on the cover, and I was sure that I had bought the wrong kind. But I opened up one of them anyway, and lo and behold, it did unfold to a full size mask. And it seemed sturdier than the Bona Fides I'd been using...and better fitting...and...oh, what's this?

No ear loops? 

Well la DI dah.

I started thinking that this was going to be the way to go. So I Googled around a bit. Ended up on Ama(spit)zon.

3M Aura Particulate Respirator 9205+, N95, Pack of 20 Disposable Respirators, Individually Wrapped, 3 Panel Flat Fold Design Allows for Facial Movements, Comfortable, NIOSH Approved List Price: $33.67 Amazon Price: $27.44...which is $1.37 per mask. I hate to say anything nice about Amazon, but that seemed like one hell of a deal. Barely more than the KN95s I'd been using.

However...

I kept looking and found a listing on Office Depot (of all places) for the same thing...but for $24.99. Problem being that they add $9.95 for shipping and $2.10 for tax, bringing the grand total to $37.04. But wait! If you buy two 20 packs, the shipping fee goes away...the tax goes to $3.00, making the overall price $52.98...which pushes the unit price to $1.32. 

There are two things I like about that: (1) it is cheaper than Amazon and (2) it is not Amazon.

So yes, I did order two 20 packs. 

My quarantine will be over long before I make a sizable dent in that order, but I'm planning on wearing masks until people my age and condition (heart disease, a hair away from diabetes, etc.) stop dropping dead from Covid, so I'm pretty sure it will be money well spent.

Just thought I'd share.

P.S. I placed my order to Bona Fide on Saturday, 8/6. I got an email that my order had shipped out on Sunday, 8/7, but every time I checked to see how far the package has gotten I am given no information whatsoever...and it's now Thursday, 8/11. Which isn't TERRible, I know, but get this: I placed my order to Office Depot today, 8/11, and got an email saying I would receive them tomorrow, 8/12. It may be a moot point anyway, since there are many things to recommend the Office Depot mask over the Bona Fide, but everything else aside, I tell you this: if the Office Depot order arrives before the Bona Fide order, I will never order from Bona Fide again.

And you know that for sure.