NBC face mask??

[The Heretic]

Is this a decent mask & price?

Reportedly it comes with a real NBC certified filter

https://www.amazon.com/Respirator-SuperView-MIRA-SAFETY-filter/dp/B08KR7JF81?fbclid=IwAR015bQwH4w1r-X8VBs6SBp2OBienG0tKF5XbjjMwGFmUAzC2v4RhXNNSQ4&linkCode=sl1&tag=1174829-20&linkId=bb07e67766f0acb15566f724354fe15a&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

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[RobMa]

What are you using it for?

 

[Blackwatch]

Looks good...although I don't think you'll be allowed on a plane with it!

 

[Ghoul]

What are your applications?

 

[The Heretic]

What are you using it for?

SHTF - if there is, for any reason whatsoever, a need for an NBC rated filter mask.

I have filter masks for painting/etc., but I do not believe they are rated for NBC, and they are not full face (for that reason alone they are probably not good for NBC). I do have chemical biohazard rated tyvek suits - I use those for spray painting/etc.

 

[Ghoul]

Is this a decent mask & price?

Reportedly it comes with a real NBC certified filter

https://www.amazon.com/Respirator-SuperView-MIRA-SAFETY-filter/dp/B08KR7JF81?fbclid=IwAR015bQwH4w1r-X8VBs6SBp2OBienG0tKF5XbjjMwGFmUAzC2v4RhXNNSQ4&linkCode=sl1&tag=1174829-20&linkId=bb07e67766f0acb15566f724354fe15a&language=en_US&ref_=as_li_ss_tl

Your into prepping if memory serves me, so Im gonna assume its for SHTF.
At that price point Id get it.
It takes NATO standard 40mm filters so thats easy plenty around.
It's not designed for fighting so Id shoulder my weapon, see how it feels moving around on my face, is it gonna be durable enough, I dont know.
Its amazon you can send it back.

 

[titsonritz]

Ain't going to much in an NBC environment without out the whole suit and decon capability.

 

[The Heretic]

Ain't going to much in an NBC environment without out the whole suit and decon capability.

My next shop will have a decon room - I will tell the contractors that it is in case I get battery acid on me (it happened to me once; a battery exploded in my face and covered my torso) or something like that.

 

[Howard1955]

If you have any facial hair, you'll need an air-fed hood.

 

[The Heretic]

If you have any facial hair, you'll need an air-fed hood.

I usually do not. I was trained in OBA use in the USCG and could still get a decent seal with a full beard, but any more I only grow a beard during the winter for a few months to give my face a break from shaving. If SHTF I would keep it very short like I do in the summer (I shave about once a week or so out of laziness).

 

[Soli]

If you have any facial hair, you'll need an air-fed hood.

No hood here. You'll know toxic environment S has HTF by my scab and band aid covered visage.

 

[Ura-Ki]

With out means of detecting NBC threats, let alone risk areas after the fact, a mask is kinda like praying, it might feel good, but is of little practical use without the MOP suit and access to a full decon!

I would grab one of these if your going to be dealing with dead people/animals, or there are natural disasters your dealing with that have effected your A.O. or you need to travel through effected areas to get home or where ever your going! Invest in hard core muck boots and heavy ten cloth chaps and a good tin cloth jacket to protect you from scratches or punctures, the bigger threats in a SHTF situ are going to be bacterial or other types of contaminates, including airborne! A good bleach down will be needed after any adventures in SHTF land!

 

[Ginocide]

Hey, something I actually have some info on! Text wall inbound:

MIRA has something of a low reputation among gas mask collectors; it makes a lot of claims about new, unique, or innovative products when in reality it is a wholesaler/reseller of usually central European gear, and they are known for making somewhat inflated claims in general. Their reps have also have gotten caught up in forum namecalling on a few occasions, so overall not extremely well regarded. That however is not to say they're a junk product, their NBC-77 filter in fact has an astonishing 20 year shelf life from the factory. So not junk, just maybe not the high-tech, innovative, earthshattering technology they claim they are and a bit overpriced since they have to get their taste and markup after they buy and import the goods. On the other hand you are generally getting brand new from MIRA, which can be reassuring to some.

As for alternatives that are beginner and budget friendly, the Fernez/Wilson Sperian/Panoramasque has a good reputation; it's a little heavy on the face but has a good suspension. It's a combination industrial/military contract mask and is considered excelent for the price. The seller "Arcisa" that I linked has a good reputation and will meet their deliver deadlines, they were doing so even during peak COVID shutdowns. Looks like they also have a Belgian BEM-4P for sale, which are kind of neat because their filter adapter can be switched from side to side on the fly, so they can be quickly changed for right or left hand weapon operation without sacrificing cheek weld much. Here are some particulate filters at a good price too.

Another great option but not as reliably found is the surplussed S.E.A - S.M.F., which is a 100% copy or (if not a full OEM made by) Scott Promask. These are even lighter and comfier than the Fernez and are configured to be able to be run left side filter, right side filter, or dual filter. A ton of these were retired or otherwise hit the market last year and they were a STEAL at $36 after shipping but that well may have been pumped dry by now, all the ones I'm seeing on ebay are asking in the hundreds now.

I have never done business with kommandostore but I've heard from people who have as it being good. Here is a Scott M95 at a competitive price, it is essentially a dual lens derivative of the Scott Promask. They also have an MSA Millenium on there which are very cool masks but have a reputation for the lenses yellowing over time.

Finally, weird stuff shows up on Goodwill's website with some consistency, could always stay on the lookout for a surplus M40 or MSA Millenium on there.

Here's some other general advice I got:

• The big commercial names in the USA are Scott, MSA, Avon, Scott, and 3M in no particular order and I'm sure I've missed one or two.
• Milsurp is pretty neat but the masks are old or used, like any milsurp gear they will often have a lot of life left if properly cared for.
• Milsurps are generally going to be the easiest to find accessories for, such as communication adapters, voice amplifiers, water drinking tubes, and lens outserts (like sun or laser protection) as these features aren't usually considered a necessity on the commercial market.
• There are two 40mm mask standards, RD40 and Gost, they are not cross compatible. There are people out there that market their masks as compatible with both, and some people report success, but this is rarely the intention of the designers and it is done at the risk of the user.
• GOST NBC filters have a nasty reputation of containing asbestos, even when their governments say they don't.
• Some NATO masks got a reputation for leaking chromium-impregnated charcoal, it's an easy check though, just hold a piece of fresh paper over the user side of the filter and give it a shake, if nothing comes out you're good.
• It can be difficult to get multichem GOST filters in the US, so RD40/NATO spec is recommended. Since milsurp filters frequently only hit the market as they expire, you can get loads of filters new from industrial safety sellers. ABEK is a common standard and if you take something like A2B2E2K2 Hg P3 filter is essentially what you're getting from milspec NBC filters.
• On the note of NBC, they aren't protecting you from the actual radiation, they're just stopping fissile particulate fallout from getting into your lungs where they'd continue to radiate and cause much more serious damage. The filtering action though isn't anything special here, just regular particulate filtration.
• On that note, filters are often combinations of paper/fiber filters and activated charcoal, and a few other chemicals for special threats; just kinda neat food for thought.
• NBC/multichem filters have expiration dates, it's mostly from air slowly seeping through and potentially filling out the cavities in activated charcoal. Much like everything else milsurp, they may have a much longer life, but the expiration dates are what they are guaranteed to work within. If I was more serious I'd probably keep some current filters for real emergencies and use expired or surplus filters to use for training, workshop, or light usage.
• Particulate filters are usually just the paper/fiber components and will last essentially as long as the glue that holds it in place and will work until they are difficult to breath through. This will be enough to protect you from most non-chemical issues, including pepper spray, CS gas, etc as they are actually aerosolized particulates.
• Silicone material is often very comfortable and flexible, however, it quickly degrades when exposed to blistering agents, which is why you should avoid any mask that has exposed silicone for SHTF/NBC scenarios where you think this is a possible encounter. Several military masks had exposed silicone but worked around that by giving the mask itself a covering or hood, and converting them to rubber over time. Specific examples that come to mind are the M40 and the MCU 2/P (predecessor to the MSA millenium).
• https://gasmaskandrespirator.fandom.com/wiki/Wiki that has some interesting info. I take stuff on there with a grain of salt since it's all user-contributions but it can be interesting.
• Keep an eye out for masks with design quirks or materials that degrade over time, a quick google of the model is often enough to discover potential problems. The most common one that jumps to mind are lens yellow/clouding based on time and sun exposure (French ARFA and MSA Millenium).
• The mirrored/tinted MSA Millenium outserts make you look like a cool spaceman
• The picture below is a neat guide regarding common milsurp filters. It is also frequently contested online so it is more like a suggestion or food-for-thought than a concrete guide. Bear in mind that as I said, the skull and crossbones is really not as bad as it looks, just give them the charcoal leak test.

I hope that wasn't information overdose!

 

[Camelfilter]

Maybe consider surplus??

Currently $46 at Sportsmans Guide ($41ish for members club):

French Military Surplus ARF-A Gas Mask with Bag and Filter, New

Sportsman's Guide carries top-quality discount Outdoor and Hunting Gear, Guns, Ammo, Fishing Supplies and more - all at great low prices!

www.sportsmansguide.com

New, unissued. Description states "Collectible only, not for safety use". Suppose you could make your assessment of such (fitment/damaged etc).

So, then the only thing would be more filters & a mopp suit (or some type of homemade deal - tyvek jumper???)

-personally don't see any use for stocking NBC gear, persay. ie - not for use in event of "attack". However MAY BE useful in the event of some true die-off type horrific event, for folks to "reasonably" safely scavange & or respectfully responsibly deal with deceased. If needs be.

 

[40Garand]

What are you using it for?

Probably his bathroom in the morning.

 

[The Heretic]

Maybe consider surplus??

Currently $46 at Sportsmans Guide ($41ish for members club):

French Military Surplus ARF-A Gas Mask with Bag and Filter, New

Sportsman's Guide carries top-quality discount Outdoor and Hunting Gear, Guns, Ammo, Fishing Supplies and more - all at great low prices!

www.sportsmansguide.com

New, unissued. Description states "Collectible only, not for safety use". Suppose you could make your assessment of such (fitment/damaged etc).

So, then the only thing would be more filters & a mopp suit (or some type of homemade deal - tyvek jumper???)

-personally don't see any use for stocking NBC gear, persay. ie - not for use in event of "attack". However MAY BE useful in the event of some true die-off type horrific event, for folks to "reasonably" safely scavange & or respectfully responsibly deal with deceased. If needs be.

The problem with surplus is I would not be sure of the shelf life of the product, especially the filter, which has a definite shelf life.

I went ahead and ordered the MIRA mask w/ filter. With my reward points I paid $89 and the filter has a shelf life of 7.5 years.

Later I can get one of the 20 year shelf life filters, which would last past my expected lifetime and still be useful for my kids.

I do have two different suits - one a Tyvek suit for painting, another a better suit rated for chemical hazards IIRC (I have to go look at it to see for sure). Better than nothing.

I am mostly concerned about chemical and biological hazards from accidents, not attacks, also issues from wildfires, volcanoes, etc. I am guessing that if we have NBC attacks then it will be a LOT worse than anything I can prep for, but still, something is better than nothing, and I can improve with better gear later.

 

[Ginocide]

One more piece of useful info I forgot from my bulleted list: don't overlook masks being surplussed from the commercial/industrial markets, it's fairly common for companies to stock and issue them "just in case" they're needed, but in fact simply sit in their container their whole life until they expire and are replaced. Just because it's not a milspec mask doesn't mean it isn't great on its own or even a copy of a milspec design!

 

[WheatNuts]

I would trust that over a Chinese made one any day

 

[Certaindeaf]

My next shop will have a decon room - I will tell the contractors that it is in case I get battery acid on me (it happened to me once; a battery exploded in my face and covered my torso) or something like that.

Tell them they have to dig a 6' hole right before they leave.

 

[Certaindeaf]

One more piece of useful info I forgot from my bulleted list: don't overlook masks being surplussed from the commercial/industrial markets, it's fairly common for companies to stock and issue them "just in case" they're needed, but in fact simply sit in their container their whole life until they expire and are replaced. Just because it's not a milspec mask doesn't mean it isn't great on its own or even a copy of a milspec design!

I'd trust a 3M mask/filters.