“Dogs are always going to come up short if you insist on defining them as a weird kind of cat.”
So to begin with, reviewing the AirFanta Wear as a mask or mask replacement is completely unreasonable. It’s an air purifier, not a mask.
We generally define a “usable mask” as one with a fit factor from maybe 30 to 100, with the upper end of that obviously something we all try to aim for with a reasonable level of comfort. This means the air inside the mask, is 30x-100x cleaner than the air outside it.
The only infrastructure-based non-mask measures that even get close to masks are in operating theaters and industrial clean rooms. Measuring an air purifier you can fit in your bag using mask criteria- again, is not reasonable. The only reason we are using Fit Factor here is the measurements were taken with a Portacount and that’s the easiest way to do it.
Background:
Portable HEPA and portable Far-UVC both aim to do the same thing: address the fact that, so far, nearly all public places have poor air quality and are unwilling to spend money to improve it.
It would be great if we had a few high-CADR air purifiers in the room and had Far-UVC lighting installed throughout the ceiling- but we don’t. So we try to make those rooms better with what we can carry with us- understanding that it will never be as good as proper fixed installations and infrastructure measures.
The big problem with any portable air-purifying device is that air is a fluid that constantly mixes and mixes aggressively. Any sort of “bubble of protection” is incredibly difficult to achieve and, unfortunately, has become the hallmark claim of fraudulent products. Once the pee is in the pool, it’s hard to filter just one part of it and create a pee-free “bubble”. In the case of portable HEPA you have to be physically very, very close to the source of clean air- just a few centimeters. This is something @Engineer_Wong has always been clear about.
Unfortunately, many people buy portable air purifiers as either a mystical ward against masking, “I don’t have to mask, I have this tiny HEPA filter/Far-UVC thing here” (we won’t get into how weird it is to care about warding off requests to mask more than warding off infections). Other times they are used with the best of intentions, but without understanding just how inadequate the power of the device is for the size of the space, or just pointed vaguely in the direction of their face with the thought that if they feel a breeze it must be doing something.
@Engineer_Wong told people how close his product had to be; they frequently didn’t listen, and my guess is that at some point, he basically said to himself, "Fine then, if you won't get closer to the filter, I'll attach the filter to your head". Which is good engineering- if people keep using your tool wrong, make a tool that's harder to use wrong. I can relate- I had customers who bought a Torch kit, split it up, and gave each of the four Far-UVC emitters to one of their friends. So the next product has to be a single emitter, even if that’s quite a bit harder to make work properly.
So to begin with, reviewing the AirFanta Wear as a mask or mask replacement is completely unreasonable. It’s an air purifier, not a mask.
We generally define a “usable mask” as one with a fit factor from maybe 30 to 100, with the upper end of that obviously something we all try to aim for with a reasonable level of comfort. This means the air inside the mask, is 30x-100x cleaner than the air outside it.
The only infrastructure-based non-mask measures that even get close to masks are in operating theaters and industrial clean rooms. Measuring an air purifier you can fit in your bag using mask criteria- again, is not reasonable. The only reason we are using Fit Factor here is the measurements were taken with a Portacount and that’s the easiest way to do it.
Background:
Portable HEPA and portable Far-UVC both aim to do the same thing: address the fact that, so far, nearly all public places have poor air quality and are unwilling to spend money to improve it.
It would be great if we had a few high-CADR air purifiers in the room and had Far-UVC lighting installed throughout the ceiling- but we don’t. So we try to make those rooms better with what we can carry with us- understanding that it will never be as good as proper fixed installations and infrastructure measures.
The big problem with any portable air-purifying device is that air is a fluid that constantly mixes and mixes aggressively. Any sort of “bubble of protection” is incredibly difficult to achieve and, unfortunately, has become the hallmark claim of fraudulent products. Once the pee is in the pool, it’s hard to filter just one part of it and create a pee-free “bubble”. In the case of portable HEPA you have to be physically very, very close to the source of clean air- just a few centimeters. This is something @Engineer_Wong has always been clear about.
Unfortunately, many people buy portable air purifiers as either a mystical ward against masking, “I don’t have to mask, I have this tiny HEPA filter/Far-UVC thing here” (we won’t get into how weird it is to care about warding off requests to mask more than warding off infections). Other times they are used with the best of intentions, but without understanding just how inadequate the power of the device is for the size of the space, or just pointed vaguely in the direction of their face with the thought that if they feel a breeze it must be doing something.
@Engineer_Wong told people how close his product had to be; they frequently didn’t listen, and my guess is that at some point, he basically said to himself, "Fine then, if you won't get closer to the filter, I'll attach the filter to your head". Which is good engineering- if people keep using your tool wrong, make a tool that's harder to use wrong. I can relate- I had customers who bought a Torch kit, split it up, and gave each of the four Far-UVC emitters to one of their friends. So the next product has to be a single emitter, even if that’s quite a bit harder to make work properly.
AirFanta Wear findings:
It’s reasonably quiet- about 42dBA at 1m on low.
It has two speeds, but its filtration efficiency is higher on the low setting, and it can still meet about 40L/min (roughly peak inhalation rate during light activity). So I don’t see a good reason to put it on high, which is quite a bit louder.
It offers a fit factor of between 3 and 5 in real-world use- trying to keep it 1cm from your face for any amount of time is quite tricky. You can count on a solid fit factor of 3 within 10cm of your nose, 8cm leaves enough room for eating if you are careful, and that’s what I would aim for. Table of power, distance, and fit factor below.
It does seem to improve mask fit test scores, but only during some movements. I’m going to leave that up to @ghhughes to interpret.
Thoughts:
It is certainly no less obtrusive than a mask. I don’t really see why anyone would wear this instead of a mask and you really should not. At fit factor 3 to 4 it’s equivalent to a surgical mask at best. Remember we normally look for at least 30 and higher whenever comfort allows.
That said, you can think of fit factor 3 or 4 as very roughly equivalent to a room with good filtration- only unlike with handheld or desktop filters, with the AirFanta Wear the size of the room does not matter. You will get that level of protection regardless of the size of the area you are in- which is quite a nice trick. The air will not always have the same level of bioaerosols though- that is a relative, not absolute number.
I imagine there are a fair number of people still thinking “It goes on the head, it's a mask replacement." Or hoping to use it as a new kind of mystical ward/excuse against masking. It’s not that, and as far as I can tell, not intended to be.
The AirFanta Wear seems to be aiming for “portable HEPA that works". It's not anywhere near a decent mask, and that’s not a reasonable target given the reality of physics, but it roughly equals a room with good filtration, even if the room you are in does not actually have good filtration- provided you use it correctly (quite close).
I think that for me, because I am accustomed to masking and get decent fit factors with them, it’s most useful for eating. There’s honestly nothing better for planes at the moment, and I think for that alone it’s worth the price. Likewise, for those who have to eat at their desks, in cafeterias, etc.
I’m small and did not find it heavy; the way it sits, the weight is more on my shoulders than my neck. For hours and hours might be an issue for some? But as I said, I don’t think that’s an optimal way to use it- but that’s just me.
It’s reasonably quiet- about 42dBA at 1m on low.
It has two speeds, but its filtration efficiency is higher on the low setting, and it can still meet about 40L/min (roughly peak inhalation rate during light activity). So I don’t see a good reason to put it on high, which is quite a bit louder.
It offers a fit factor of between 3 and 5 in real-world use- trying to keep it 1cm from your face for any amount of time is quite tricky. You can count on a solid fit factor of 3 within 10cm of your nose, 8cm leaves enough room for eating if you are careful, and that’s what I would aim for. Table of power, distance, and fit factor below.
It does seem to improve mask fit test scores, but only during some movements. I’m going to leave that up to @ghhughes to interpret.
Thoughts:
It is certainly no less obtrusive than a mask. I don’t really see why anyone would wear this instead of a mask and you really should not. At fit factor 3 to 4 it’s equivalent to a surgical mask at best. Remember we normally look for at least 30 and higher whenever comfort allows.
That said, you can think of fit factor 3 or 4 as very roughly equivalent to a room with good filtration- only unlike with handheld or desktop filters, with the AirFanta Wear the size of the room does not matter. You will get that level of protection regardless of the size of the area you are in- which is quite a nice trick. The air will not always have the same level of bioaerosols though- that is a relative, not absolute number.
I imagine there are a fair number of people still thinking “It goes on the head, it's a mask replacement." Or hoping to use it as a new kind of mystical ward/excuse against masking. It’s not that, and as far as I can tell, not intended to be.
The AirFanta Wear seems to be aiming for “portable HEPA that works". It's not anywhere near a decent mask, and that’s not a reasonable target given the reality of physics, but it roughly equals a room with good filtration, even if the room you are in does not actually have good filtration- provided you use it correctly (quite close).
I think that for me, because I am accustomed to masking and get decent fit factors with them, it’s most useful for eating. There’s honestly nothing better for planes at the moment, and I think for that alone it’s worth the price. Likewise, for those who have to eat at their desks, in cafeterias, etc.
I’m small and did not find it heavy; the way it sits, the weight is more on my shoulders than my neck. For hours and hours might be an issue for some? But as I said, I don’t think that’s an optimal way to use it- but that’s just me.
Caveats:
Fans and bioaerosols, are not a good combination.
Turbulent Airflow Costume Compromises Occupational Safety and Infection Control: A Hospital Risk Management Case Report
sci-hub.ru/https://doi.or…
If you are wearing this on a plane and have an asymptomatic infection, everyone in your row is getting whatever you have. The fan supplies a good volume of air- enough for light activity, but that means it fires exhaled bioaerosols out the sides like a railgun. It’s a little hard to see, but using a smoke generator I was able to get three or four times the distance with the AirFanta Wear as with exhalation power alone. That’s an ethical choice that you have to make your own call on.
Fans and bioaerosols, are not a good combination.
Turbulent Airflow Costume Compromises Occupational Safety and Infection Control: A Hospital Risk Management Case Report
sci-hub.ru/https://doi.or…
If you are wearing this on a plane and have an asymptomatic infection, everyone in your row is getting whatever you have. The fan supplies a good volume of air- enough for light activity, but that means it fires exhaled bioaerosols out the sides like a railgun. It’s a little hard to see, but using a smoke generator I was able to get three or four times the distance with the AirFanta Wear as with exhalation power alone. That’s an ethical choice that you have to make your own call on.
TLDR:
AirFanta Wear- not a mask, not close to a mask, great portable air purifier (best HEPA one), perfect for meals and flying, you may get other people sick with it.
Disclosure:
This was not done in a proper third-party lab, just some off-the-cuff tests- I defer to @Engineer_Wong wherever he has lab data (we use the same lab, they are trustworthy). I make IAQ products, though I often recommend competitors that do specific things better.
AirFanta Wear- not a mask, not close to a mask, great portable air purifier (best HEPA one), perfect for meals and flying, you may get other people sick with it.
Disclosure:
This was not done in a proper third-party lab, just some off-the-cuff tests- I defer to @Engineer_Wong wherever he has lab data (we use the same lab, they are trustworthy). I make IAQ products, though I often recommend competitors that do specific things better.
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