Thread by @noxygen

🧵Zimi Air 支米空气 (@zhouliang_mask) Respirator write up 😷

Disclaimers: Not a review but personal thoughts & observations after some exploration. I do not have access to a PortaCount. Not affiliated with Zimi Air.

*Photos are from Zimi Air website & my phone camera.

1/20

So when I first heard of Zimi Air, I took a closer look and got pretty interested because there was so much information and data available on the respirator type.

Little did I know that I was about to embark on a full-on journey with fit customisation and flexibility!

2/20

Preview factors

✅Comfort
✅No fogging of spectacles
✅HIGHLY customisable for individual fit
✅Array of sizes
✅Breathability
✅Audio projection
✅Structural Integrity
✅Black colour option!
✅KN100 option
✅Braided adjustable straps

3/20

✅Comfort: Lightweight bracket frame. Lightweight filter material. Soft sealing fabric ring. With the right size frame, the respie should sit nicely on your face with no pressure nor noticeable weight.

Fabric seal material details here -

4/20

https://x.com/zhouliang_mask/status/1840364433555759480

✅No fogging of spectacles: Without any customising (yet) I didn't experience any fogging of my spectacles. The fabric seal and the inherent nose bridge shape is effective at preventing water vapour/fogging leakage.

5/20

✅HIGHLY customisable for individual fit. This is going to be fun to dig into. 🤓

Part 1: Nose bridge customisation on fabric seal ring. You can order guide stickers or print out your own, to cut the fabric seal to your desired individual fit.

6/20

✅HIGHLY customisable for individual fit.

Part 2: Comfort or fit customisation using foam/sponge strips on the bracket/frame. You can order two different types - flat or wavy (ridged). The various combinations to achieve specific individual fit, are ridiculous!

7/20

Part 2 (cont.): Photo showing first modification attempt. 1 wavy (ridged) foam strip on the nose bridge. 3 flat foam strips in total lining the sides and chin area. Nose fit was enhanced but needed improvement on cheekbone areas.

8/20

Part 2 (cont.): Photo showing 2nd modification attempt. 1 wavy (ridged) strip split up to improve cheekbone fit. Small piece flat strip to improve nosebridge. Added padding on chin area to suit my desired requirement. Thanks to some of you for the idea to split foam strips!

9/20

✅HIGHLY customisable for individual fit.

Part 3: Bracket/frame customisation. You can also adjust the frame by cutting and modifying certain sections. I have not explored this yet, but you can find some ideas on Zimi Air website's About page.

10/20zimiair.com/about/

✅Array of sizes: There are currently 4 sizes available, XXS, S, M and L. And Zimi Air is working on providing XS and XL sizes in the future.

*Size options + filter model numbers table and sizing chart from @zhouliang_mask

11/20

✅Breathability: The breathing resistance is quite low, but I've only tried the 8210 valved version. After the modifications, the breathing resistance (feel) is just under what I get with my Dräger X-Plore 1920. I am also waiting to compare with the ZM100 model.

12/20

✅Audio projection: I do not detect any noticeable audio impairment when speaking with the respie on.

✅Structural Integrity: Needless to say, the frame promotes the retention of the filter integrity, which means little to no donning and doffing "wear & tear".

13/20

✅Black colour option!: A good black colour option, at last! Pictured - The black colour option for 8210 valved. Black colour option also available for these models (for now) - 7711, 9541, 9233 and ZM100

14/20

✅KN100 option: For those of us who require the higher filtration grade because of risky scenarios / circumstances, the KN100 filters are available in M (9233) and L (ZM100) sizes.

15/20

✅Braided adjustable straps: I always prefer braided straps. And Zimi Air straps for both earloop and head straps are comfortable and adjustable. Great flexibility for the extreme ends of the head size spectrum.

16/20

At the end of the day, everybody’s face shape, size and jawlines are different. Not everyone is lucky to have an out-of-the-box fit. We are fast approaching year 6 of this on-going pandemic, there's more knowledge of the variety of respirator options available to us.

17/20

Fit and seal are paramount when it comes to respirator protection against aerosols. Zimi Air @zhouliang_mask provides a solution that strives to achieve a high probability of great individual fit with the size variations, customisable parts and accessories.

18/20

If you have issues finding a well fitting respirator that fits out-of-the-box, or are looking to improve on certain problem areas, e.g. chin leakage, nose bridge fit or spectacle fogging – give Zimi Air a try.

19/20

Thank you @zhouliang_mask for developing these respirators and continuing the hard work at developing/improving your filter techology.

Thanks to @ParentMishmash and @AdvancedTweaker for foam strip modification ideas.

/End