After I Buy Israeli Civilian Gas Mask w/ Nato FilterAllow me to start off by saying that I absolutely love this mask. I have really ZERO COMPLAINTS about it. There are a few things that may bother others slightly, but not me. Nothing worth worrying about if you are ever in a situation where you need to use it. I will break my review down into categories:
-FIT/SEAL- 5/5
This mask fits very well to various adult head sizes. I have tried it on myself and several others. Everyone who tried it said it fit perfectly and had no complaints. This is due to the elastic straps that are used to tighten the mask. They are very easy to adjust while wearing and will not loosen while worn. It creates an airtight seal no matter if you are clean shaven or have facial hair. An easy way to test this for yourself is to put it on, adjust it to fit snugly, then cup your hand on the part where the filter attaches. Try to breathe, you will not be able to.
-LENS- 4/5
Let me start off by saying that the lens on this mask is made of a very sturdy, hard plastic. They are round however and do obscure your peripheral vision. Other than that, I have no complaints. Obviously, since they two eyepieces are sperated (its not one big mask lens) it does create an ever so slight cut off of your vision. Hardly noticable at all. Put your index finger parallel with your face along your nose, between your eyes. Thats how little it obscures your vision. Also, there is a rubber flap that goes across the bridge of the nose under the eyes that prevents the lens from fogging up. This is especially handy.
-EASE- 5/5
This mask is EXTREMELY easy to put on. It is also very easy to adjust the elastic straps around the head to tighten it and creat a seal. It has 5 elastic straps and one plastic strap that I suppose you tighten against your chin. I see little point in this plastic strap as it is extremely long and seems unnecessary. The 5 elastic straps are more than efficient to create a seal. it is also easy to get off once it has been fited, as it is elastic, as you have to do is pull it from your face and off. Perhaps the plastic chin strap is to have it hang from your neck down your back? xD
-COMFORT- 5/5
Not much to say here. As stated above, the mask fits well and is comfortable. It is made of rubber and does conform to your facial structure while creating a seal. It does not chaffor cause irritation. Also as I said before, you do not have to be clean shaven to wear this mask efficiently or comfortably.
-PROTECTION/FILTER- 5/5 *IMPORTANT*
This mask DOES CREATE AN AIR-TIGHT SEAL. It does not seem to allow leaks at all, so in that sense it provides supreme protection. HOWEVER, it is worth noting that the filter (40mm NATO filter) it comes with is quite old. The mask itself was made in the 80's and I can only imagine how old the filter is. Although, the filter does come completely sealed which means, even though it is past its expiration date by most likely about 20 years (I can't read the writing on the canister) it should be effective if used right when opened. However, once it is opened do not expect it to be usable several months from now. It will continue to absorb chemicals and particles in the air around it. If you use the filter right away, it should provide about 8 hours of protection depending on the level of contamination you are breathing in.
I have tested the filter. It does successfully filter low-scale toxins (Obviously). I do not adivse or recomend testing this for yourself. If you want an idea of how well the filter works and the seal of the mask, perhaps wear it around gasoline, fresh paint or sulphur from a just lit match.
Obviously I have not tested this on its NBC (Nuclear-Biological-Chemical) protection, so I am not sure if this filter will provide sufficient protection for that purpose. Again, for low-scale toxins and gases, for example, Tear Gas, this will provide excellent protection. Since the filter is quite old, and I couldn't find much info on it, I can't speak on its use for NBC protection.
***While this mask does provide protection as far as breathing goes, if the filter DOES in fact provide NBC protection, this mask and filter alone would be near useless without a full body protective suit. Your skin would still absorb radiation and chemicals from any biological weapons. *To be sufficiently protected in an NBC situation you will need a full body NBC protective suit ALONG with this mask.
Overall, I am very satisfied with this product and it does do everything it is supposed to. It is economical, comfortable, efficient, possibly scary looking to children, and just an overall great product! I highly recomend this mask!
Hope this review was helpful to you!
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