My family recently visited the world’s largest ball of paint, near Anderson, Indiana. (No, I didn’t coordinate the color of my shirt–that was just a happy coincidence.) At the core of this massive ball of paint is a baseball, that Mike Carmichael and his family began painting in 1977. Over the years, over 25,000 layers of paint cover the ball, which now weighs in at over 4,000 pounds, as attested to by the scale from which it now hangs. As the ball grew, Carmichael constructed a building to house it, and showed us the steel beam frame from which it hangs.
The ball is open to the public, and Carmichael is eager to show it off. In fact, visitors are often invited to add a coat of paint. We arrived at a time when the ball was wet from an earlier coat of paint that morning, so we weren’t able to contribute this time. He suggests that visitors contact him in advance, to ensure an opportunity to paint. He can be contacted through the ball’s official website.
Carmichael is a veteran and, not surprisingly, a house painter by trade.
Admission is free, although free-will donations are welcome. It’s open to the public 7 days a week from 9:00 to 5:00. We became aware of the existence of the ball of paint due to seeing hundreds of smiling sun lawn ornaments on lawns throughout the region. All of them were created by Carmichael, who explained that he began making them in 2020 during COVID as a way to bring a bit of joy to the community. They are also for sale. Of course, we purchased one, which will soon be on display at OneTubeRadio.com world headquarters.
She came of age during World War II, and it’s not surprising that her first public speech was on the radio. In 1940 at the age of 14, the Princess addressed the children of Britain, especially those who were far away from home, having been evacuated to the countryside or the Empire or to America.
You can hear that speech here:
One of her last addresses was during the early days of the COVID lockdown, when she referred to that speech, and closed with the words of Vera Lynn’s “We’ll Meet Again.”
Most N95 respirators are intended to be disposed of after a single use. However, during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were insufficient numbers of respirators for healthcare workers, and strategies for preserving the supplies were necessary. Therefore, the Centers for Disease Control published strategies for reusing masks, rather than disposing of them after each use. Those strategies were published online.
As of May 2021, that agency reported that the supply of approved respirators has increased significantly, and most healthcare facilities should resume conventional practices, namely, disposing of masks after one use.
However, with the increased availability of N95 masks, many consumers are using them for protection outside of the healthcare context. We have previously published a review of some of the available N95 and KN95 masks.
While they are now readily available, the cost might be prohibitive if a whole family wears them all day and then has to dispose of them. Therefore, many consumers may want to employ the same strategies to be able to use a single mask for more than a single use.
I rarely wear an N95 mask for more than a few minutes at a time, and it’s usually in relatively low-risk situations, such as a supermarket. Therefore, it would be extremely expensive to discard it each time. Therefore, I store the mask and re-use it at a later time. I use a procedure similar to these instructions from the North Dakota Department of Health, which show the approved procedure for re-use. Basically, I carefully remove the mask in a brown paper bag until the next use. This video from the University of Nebraska is a good overview of the procedure:
If you are looking for particular masks, I have used and recommend all of the following, all of which are made in the USA. You can view my full review of these masks at this link. (Note that availability varies, but all of these are usually available at Amazon. You may need to search for different colors or different size packages.
Some links on this page are affiliate links, meaning that this site earns a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on the link.
Bottom Line: The AccuMed BNX N95 mask is a high quality protective mask, meets USA N95 standards, and is made in the USA. Even if this pandemic is over, it’s worth keeping some on hand for the next public health emergency. Update 12/26/21: When this review was written, Amazon carried the 10 pack shown above. At this time, only the 50 pack is available in white. The other masks reviewed on this page are available in smaller quantities. Update 12/29/21: The 10 pack is available again in black at this link.
I like to believe that I’m reasonably well prepared for emergencies, and the COVID-19 pandemic generally proved that I was prepared. We never ran out of toilet paper, although early on, we did have to be careful with our limited supply, and at one point we were rationing coffee. Curiously enough, the first thing we ran out of was lightbulbs, although we could have gotten by quite a bit longer by scrounging them from other rooms in the house. Even when riots hit the area, we were fully stocked with all the necessities of life, other than having to use powdered milk for a few days.
In a few cases, we had to make substitutions. We didn’t have very much hand sanitizer, but we solved that problem by washing our hands. And even though sanitizing wipes were unavailable, bleach was readily available and we were able to use it for sanitizing items.
But there was one shortage that made me angry at myself: In 2019, I could have walked into any hardware store to buy an N95 mask that was made in the USA. And unlike most people, I actually knew that an N95 mask would be a useful thing to have around in a public health emergency. But at the start of the pandemic, they were totally unavailable. And early on in the pandemic, we were told that it was practically unpatriotic to wear a mask, especially an N95 mask, because the limited supply was earmarked for healthcare workers.
A few weeks later, the official advice flip flopped, and we were told that it was unpatriotic not to wear a mask. But the N95 masks (in other words, the ones that were actually effective in preventing the spread of disease) were still off limits, since they were still reserved for healthcare workers.
During those early days of the pandemic, I rarely wore a mask, because I was rarely in a situation where I needed one. I didn’t go into other buildings, period. And I believed (and still do believe) that the risk outdoors was extremely small. I did all of my shopping with curbside pickup or home delivery. So I didn’t need a mask, because I wasn’t going into stores or other buildings.
The Need for a Good Mask
But eventually, there were unavoidable situations where I did need to go into buildings. So after about three months, despite the official guidance to the contrary, I decided it was time for me to be selfish and buy an N95 mask. Unfortunately, there were none to be had. The best I could find at that time was a KN95 mask, and even those were hard to find.
“N95” means that a mask meets the U.S. Government’s NIOSH standards. “KN95” means that the mask meets the standards of the Communist Chinese Government, and almost all of those masks were made in Communist China. The irony wasn’t lost on me: I was buying a Chinese Communist mask to protect myself against the Chinese Communist virus. I wasn’t happy about it, but I only had myself to blame. After all, in 2019, I could have walked into the hardware store and bought an American-made mask with the U.S. seal of approval. I didn’t do so, and I was stuck having to rely on the Communist Chinese Seal of Approval.
The mask I bought was the one shown at the left, and it served me very well. It was made in China, but it was imported by a reputable American company, AccuMed. At the time, there were a lot of dubious products on the market. I researched AccuMed and found that they were a medical supply company with an excellent reputation. Frankly, their name on the product meant more to me than the certification from some Chinese lab. The company was also in the process of gearing up to produce masks in the USA. (The same mask, made in the USA, is now available. Even though it is now made in the USA, it has the KN95 designation, probably because it uses ear loops instead of bands that go behind the head.) Those masks served me very well for a couple of months. On the occasions when I had to be inside the same building as other people, I was protected.
True to its promise, a few months later, AccuMed came out with a mask that was made in the USA, and I previously reviewed that mask, the duckbill-style A96 mask, similar to the one shown at left. This mask was made in the USA, but it was sold as meeting the Chinese KN95 standard, because the American N95 certification was still pending. It’s odd to have an American product that’s advertised as meeting the Chinese standard. But the virus doesn’t care about the paperwork. It was made in the USA by a reputable company, it seemed to form a tight seal, and I have no doubt that it provided protection. And after I purchased it, the mask was approved, and now has the U.S. N95 seal of approval.
Edited to add (11/16/21): The AccuMed A96 no longer appears to be available on Amazon, but this Kimberly Clark N95 mask, shown at left, appears to be identical.
This mask, like most N95 masks, was a bit more difficult to put on than the KN95 mask, because the elastic goes around the back of the head, and not just over the ears. But even though it’s slightly harder to put on, it’s much more comfortable to wear, since it’s not constantly pulling on your ears. If I had to wear a mask all day, this would be a huge advantage.
Like most other N95 masks, the straps go around the head, which makes it slightly more difficult to put on. But the advantage is that it’s much more comfortable once you have it on. It seems to form a good seal. If I had to work for hours with this mask on, it would cause very little if any discomfort.
Both of the AccuMed N95 masks, the white one and the blue duckbill style one, are comfortable to wear, and both make a good seal. For me, the white one is a little easier to put on, although the blue one seems to be easier to ensure a good seal once it’s on my face. Either one, though, takes only seconds to put on. One thing to keep in mind, though, is that the blue one seems to fit better on a smaller head. My daughter had a hard time getting a good seal with the white mask, but it was much easier with the blue mask. So if you are buying for a family, I would recommend getting both.
On the other hand, I now rarely have to wear a mask for more than a few minutes. Therefore, I will probably continue to use the AccuMed KN95 mask in those situations. It seems to have a good seal, and if I’m just going into the store for a few minutes, it’s somewhat more convenient to put on.
Especially at the beginning of the pandemic, and probably still now, there were a lot of fake masks hitting the market, and it’s important to buy from a reputable source. Fortunately, AccuMed/BNX is a real company, selling a real product, from a real bricks and mortar location in Houston, Texas, shown here. You can probably find something cheaper at the dollar store, but it’s more important to buy something that will really protect you, rather than trying to save a few pennies.
Ongoing need for a mask
From my personal point of view, the pandemic ended on March 15, 2021. On that date, the immunity from my second dose of the Moderna vaccine officially kicked in. There’s still a possibility that I’ll be infected, but the risk of serious illness or death are practically nil. The day after my immunity kicked in, I went from never going inside buildings unless absolutely necessary, to taking teaching jobs which put me in close contact with hundreds of kids. (I secured an early dose of the vaccine as a teacher, and I felt it was my duty to resume teaching at the earliest possible moment.) In my opinion, the need for a mask is now mostly gone. Chances are, I will rarely wear the new N95 mask. Because it was required this school year, I wore a mostly symbolic cloth mask while teaching. With my vaccination, I didn’t feel the need to wear the N95 mask all day. But if I had to work close to other people and was not yet vaccinated, I would certainly wear one of the N95 masks.
Even though I don’t believe it’s is necessary because of the vaccine, I have noticed that I didn’t get any colds or flu during the pandemic lockdown, because I wasn’t in a position to be infected. On my first few trips back to Walmart after a long absence, I realized something: There was a certain amount of truth to all of those “People of Walmart” memes. Many of my fellow shoppers don’t look particularly healthy. They might not be infections with COVID-19, but it’s likely that they’re infectious with something. Wearing a mask for my own protection probably isn’t a bad idea, and since I have some of them, I’ll probably slip on the KN95 mask before going in there or similar environments.
Even though all of my masks are disposable, there’s no reason why they can’t be used many times. I store mine in a paper bag labeled with the date. I have links to official guidance on reuse of masks at my earlier review. So when you order your masks, don’t forget to order a supply of brown paper bags.
At this point, I no longer have an immediate need for an N95 mask. From my point of view, the pandemic is over, because I am vaccinated. However, I didn’t need an N95 mask in 2019, and I’m still kicking myself for not going to the hardware store and buying one then. It would have made the early months of the pandemic less stressful knowing that I had this supply if needed.
And the next pandemic might be worse, and during that pandemic, I might need to come into contact with other persons. Even though it proved deadly to many, coronavirus was not as lethal as many anticipated. But the next plague might be worse. Having an N95 mask on hand for such an emergency is a low-cost way to make sure I’m prepared. I hope I never have to use them, just like I hope I never have to use my potassium iodide. But I feel a lot better knowing I have them.
During this pandemic, I never ran out of toilet paper. And in the next pandemic, I won’t run out of N95 masks, because I bought some when they were still available. I’m not making the same mistake I made in 2019.
I recommend all three of these masks. The duckbill style mask in the middle seems to be slightly easier to get a good seal, although it’s slightly more difficult to put on in the first place. If necessary, it would be comfortable enough to wear all day. Of the three, it probably is the best choice for children.
The white mask on the left is slightly easier to put on, and would also be a good mask if needed for all day use.
The white mask on the right seems to be very good quality, although it does not have the U.S. N95 approval. It is made in the USA, but has the Chinese KN95 approval. The reason is probably the fact that it uses ear loops rather than head bands. It is the easiest to put on, but the ear bands would be uncomfortable for all day use. It’s the easiest to use if you have to go into a store for a few minutes.
Since they all have slightly different uses, I’m glad I have a supply of all three for the next pandemic.
The product was supplied at no charge by the manufacturer in exchange for an honest review. Some links on this page are affiliate links, meaning that this site earns a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on the link.
On Thursday, June 10, 2021, much of North America will experience a sunrise similar to the one shown above. As we previously reported, on that day, there will be an annular eclipse of the sun. Normally, this isn’t a really big deal, since enough of the sun remains visible so that it doesn’t get noticeably dark outside. But this one is an exception, since it takes place at sunrise. Depending on your location, as the sun rises Thursday morning, the sun will be either a crescent or a ring.
The map below (courtesy of Michael Zeiler, GreatAmericanEclipse.com) shows approximately what the sun will look like at sunrise. In some cities, such as Minneapolis and Chicago, there will be a noticeable chunk missing from the sun as it rises that morning. Other cities, such as New York, Philadelphia, Washington, and Toronto, will have only a tiny crescent sun come over the horizon.
As the sun is rising, it’s as safe to view as any other sunrise. But as it goes above the horizon, if you want to keep watching, you’ll need eclipse glasses or an indirect viewing method. If you still have glasses from the 2017 eclipse, you’re all set. You can also use indirect methods, as we discussed in 2017.
Similarly, if you’re in Chicago or Detroit, it’s worth the drive to Sault Ste. Marie to view the crescent sunrise. And if you live in New York, Philadelphia, Toronto, or Washington, all you need to do is set the alarm clock early, and find a good place to watch the spectacular sunrise.
This previous weekend was Winter Field Day. While this event is billed as an emergency preparedness exercise, it’s also simply a fun opportunity to get on the air from a portable location, and make the most of limited resources.
As happened with ARRL Field Day this past June, the event was affected by COVID-19. Since the pandemic generally prevents operation as a group, many who would have otherwise participated stayed home. But in my opinion, being part of a group is not what defines this event. The event is not called “Group Day,” it is called “Field Day.” The focus is operating from out in the field somewhere. And while groups of people can be dangerous because of COVID, there is absolutely nothing that is unsafe about a field. I was completely socially distanced during the entire event. I saw a few other campers and said hello to some of them from 50 feet away. As I’ve previously written, camping is an excellent safe way to travel during the pandemic.
As an emergency preparedness exercise, it seems to me that it was best to adapt to the actual emergency conditions. Because of COVID, it wasn’t possible to do it as a group. But in many emergency situations, a group of helpers might not be available to set up a station and get it on the air. It seems to me that the ability to get a station on the air, even a minimalist station, without outside assistance, is a valuable skill in an emergency.
For summer Field Day, my wife and I operated for an hour or two from a city park, shown here. If it weren’t for all of the naysayers lamenting that they had to stay home for Winter Field Day, I probably would have done something similar and just operated for a while from the back yard, or maybe again from a city park. But since so many people were lamenting that it was impossible to truly go out and operate away from home, I decided to do a winter camping trip in our popup camper.
I made reservations for William O’Brien State Park, which is only a 45 minute drive from home. The temperature never got below 20 degrees, and it was actually a very nice weekend for camping. There were several other campers in the campground. I spotted three RV’s, as well as three family groups camping in tents. Also, I believe at least one of the park’s cabins was occupied. So at least a few non-hams were undaunted by being in the field in the middle of winter, in the middle of a pandemic.
Even though it’s not insulated, the popup camper stays quite warm inside with electric heaters and/or the furnace running. Since I was paying for the electricity anyway, I used two electric space heaters. One was plugged into the outlet in the camper, which was hooked up to the campground’s 30 amp circuit. The other heater was plugged into a separate extension cord going to the campground’s 20 amp circuit. Therefore, if needed, I could run both heaters full blast. When I needed the electricity for cooking, I temporarily unplugged one of the heaters. There was a light dusting of snow Sunday morning, but the camper’s canvas was bone dry by the time I folded it up.
I didn’t set out to make hundreds of contacts. In fact, after making the first one, which happened to be with Rhode Island, I felt like I had proved the concept. But I was on the air for a total of about three hours out of the 24 hours of the contest, and made 27 contacts with 14 states.
Only eight of those contacts were with other portable stations. Six were outdoors, and two were indoors but at temporary locations. I’m grateful for the other 19, who were operating at their home stations, since they gave me someone to make contacts with. But I feel a little sorry for them that they didn’t figure out some way to operate in an actual field for Field Day, even though they couldn’t do it as part of a group. Also, I was a little bit mystified to hear home stations working other home stations, while calling it Field Day. For previous Field Days when I’ve stayed home, I’ve often made some contacts, but since it’s Field Day, I’ve made a point to seek out stations who were actually in a field. There are contests almost every weekend that are geared up for home stations to work other home stations. I guess I don’t see the point of ignoring those opportunities, and then getting on only for a weekend called Field Day. Again, I was grateful that I had stations to work, but I really didn’t get the point of home stations spending the whole weekend working other home stations.
My original plan was to use dipoles for 20 and 40 meters, along with a quarter wave wire for 80 meters. The 80 meter wire was a bust, and didn’t really get out, due undoubtedly to its very low height and lack of much of a ground system. But the dipole for 20 meters did a great job, and I made all of my contacts on that band. You can see (just barely) that antenna at left. It’s held up at the center, inverted-vee style, with my telescoping golf ball retriever, and the ends are tied loosely to some bushes that happened to be at about the right spot. I was running low on wire before the contest, so I ordered a roll of speaker wire that did the job. I cut it to the proper length of about 16-1/2 feet, and then unzipped it when it was in place. I thought I had forgotten to bring a tape measure (it turns out there was one in the toolbox), but I used a six-inch ruler to measure the table, and then used the table to measure the wire.
My original plan was to put up a 40 meter antenna as well, but when 20 meters closed in the early evening, I decided to simply call it a night, and made a few more contacts Sunday morning. As with most of my NPOTA activations, I operated mostly CW, but also made a few SSB contacts. I also made one PSK-31 contact using my tablet computer and the DroidPSK app.
My station consisted of my Yaesu FT-817 powered by a fish-finder battery, which still had plenty of charge left at the end of the contest. The one digital contact was made possible with the Signalink USB interface, which performed flawlessly with the inexpensive RCA tablet computer. For some reason, the tablet’s keyboard didn’t work very well with the DroidPSK software, so I had to use the touchscreen, which seemed like a rather laborious process to me. I probably could have made the process much easier by setting up some macros in advance. But for the first time using it, I was glad that I was able to make my first ever portable digital contact.
As you can see in the picture above, I needed something to prop up the radio on the table, and a box of matches did a perfect job with this important task.
Am I going to save any lives with my ability to operate a portable station? Almost certainly not. On the other hand, if there is ever an emergency, large or small, that makes other forms of communication impossible, I know that I am able to send messages to friends and relatives in other states. I can do it formally by checking in to a National Traffic System net, or I can do it informally simply by working someone and asking them to make a phone call or send an e-mail for me. I can also do that for neighbors who want to let their friends in other states know that they’re safe. I’m also well equipped to receive information from the outside world simply by knowing that I can power up a broadcast receiver to listen to either local or distant stations. It’s unlikely that I’ll ever have a need, but it’s good to know that I have the ability.
The point of exercises like Field Day is to show that hams can adapt to emergency situations and still be able to communicate. COVID has shown us that there are some emergencies where you are cut off from the group that normally helps you establish communications. Can you adapt and still communicate if you are cut off from both this group and your normal station setup? Field Day and Winter Field Day during COVID gave me the opportunity to show that I can.
Here’s a short video tour of my setup:
Some links on this page are affiliate links, meaning that this site earns a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on the link.
The Eighteenth Amendment, was ratified in 1919, and by 1921, according to this article in the January 1921 issue of Popular Science, home brewing was “among the favorite indoor sports”.
It was perfectly legal to make beer or wine at home, with one minor caveat: The final product could have no more than one half of one percent alcohol. Fortunately, however, the magazine provided information about some tests that can be done to measure alcohol content, concluding “the householder has within his reach means by which he can tell where he stands in his domestic brewing and therefore can find scant excuse for pleading ignorance of the strength of the potations made under his roof-tree.”
Curiously, though, while the magazine describes some of the tests, it doesn’t go into excruciating detail as to exactly how they should be carried out. It seems to me, however, that if the householder had a copy of the magazine, and perhaps some of the instruments described therein, he might be able to plead good faith, even if he couldn’t plead ignorance and the official test revealed a result greater than half of one percent.
Even after Prohibition, the 0.5% limit on homebrewing remained in effect until Jimmy Carter signed a repeal of those restrictions in 1978. Curiously enough, if you go to Google and type in “homebrewing during”, it will suggest “homebrewing during prohibition,” but it will also suggest “homebrewing during COVID” and “homebrewing during lockdown.” According to this article, for example, homebrewing supplies are flying off the shelf.
Bottom Line: The Opinel is a very inexpensive and unpretentious high quality knife for your everyday carry needs.
Pre-pandemic, I very rarely carried a pocket knife. When I needed a cutting tool, I looked around the garage or kitchen and found something suitable. In the car, I would find a cheap utility knife in the toolbox which would usually serve the purpose.
But with the pandemic, it seemed that I needed a knife multiple times per day. More often than not, it was to open a box from Amazon or Walmart. I like to do this outside, so that I can immediately discard the outer packaging into the recycling bin. Thus, it became convenient to keep a knife in my pocket. I had several around the house, many of which had been given to me as gifts over the years. The first one I stumbled upon was the Opinel No. 6 Stainless Steel folding knife.
As you can see from the picture, the Opinel is a nondescript knife with a wooden handle. It looks like a tool, which, of course, is exactly what it is. It doesn’t have a camouflage handle. It doesn’t have a built-in screwdriver or can opener. It’s benign looking, and designed for cutting things, a goal which it accomplishes remarkably well. It’s well made, and it seems to keep a cutting edge well. I’ve sharpened it a couple of times with a whetstone, and the edge seems to last.
My version came in stainless steel, and the knife is also available in carbon steel. Apparently, the carbon steel blade holds an edge a bit better, but is more prone to rust. The stainless steel (marked on the blade in French, Inox, short for inoxidable) seems the more practical choice.
The Number 6 in the product name indicates the length of the blade, the number 6 being 2.87 inches. The sizes range from a tiny Number 2, up to a Number 12 with a 4.84 inch blade. The number 6 seems to be the perfect size for the occasional jobs I use it for. In addition to opening boxes, I’ve used it to cut food while camping, strip wire, cut cords, and do the normal variety of tasks for which one would use a pocket knife. It’s big enough to do the jobs I need it for, but as it weighs only about an ounce, I hardly notice it in my pocket. The blade meets the “under three inches” standard which is important for some regulatory purposes. (On the other hand, at such time as it becomes safe to fly commercially, I’ll have to remember to leave it at home or in my checked baggage.)
The knife has a simple locking mechanism, which allows the blade to be locked open or closed. It’s simplicity itself–namely, a notched ring which can be twisted to hold the blade in place. In my opinion, most locking mechanisms are annoying and dangerous. If you’re using a knife in such a way that the blade might inadvertently close, then in my opinion, you are using it wrong. And most locking mechanisms I’ve seen require some contortion to disable them, such as holding down a button while moving the blade toward your finger. In most cases, in my opinion, the “safety” feature of a locking blade makes the knife less safe. In the case of the Opinel, however, the locking mechanism needn’t be used at all. In fact, I carried the knife around for quite some time before even realizing that the blade could be locked.
On the rare occasions when I might want to lock the blade on the Opinel, the mechanism and easy and safe to use. You merely rotate the ring to lock or unlock the blade.
Joseph Opinel began making knives in 1890 in Savoie, France, and the knife has always been the quintessential working man’s knife. Picasso reportedly used one as a sculpting tool. Today, about 15 million knives per year roll off the company’s assembly lines.
The Opinel knife is quite inexpensive, but high quality and useful. It’s unpretentious and looks like a tool, so it won’t draw the ire of those who are squeamish about knives. It’s the perfect knife to keep in your pocket. You’ll find you wind up using it several times per day.
Some links are affiliate links, meaning this site receives a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking on the link.
For Halloween, I am doing a special broadcast for the neighborhood. If you discovered this page from that broadcast, welcome to OneTubeRadio.com, a blog covering mostly radio history, but also other eclectic topics. If you are outside of our broadcast range, you can listen to the full broadcast by clicking the play button below:
We are transmitting with our InfOspot Talking House transmitter, which I previously reviewed at this link. It is an FCC-certified transmitter for the AM band and operates with 100 milliwatts to a 3-meter antenna. Tonight, we are broadcasting at 1610 kHz on your AM dial. It has fairly solid coverage for about two blocks, and in a few spots, can be heard over a mile away. During COVID-19, I have used this transmitter for drive-in educational programs for my continuing legal education business. It is also suitable for other socially distanced activities, such as church services and meetings of community organizations. It could potentially be an important community resource in emergencies. And tonight, I hope it’s providing some Halloween entertainment to the neighborhood.
Reception reports are welcome. You can contact us at como-radio@usa.net.
Update: When this review was published, the N95 approval was still pending. It has now been approved, and qualifies as a NIOSH N95 respirator. Becuase the mask is now approved, it has a new listing at Amazon. To order, use this link rather than the links below. I also have reviews of other Made in USA N95 masks at this link.
Bottom Line: The the AccuMed BNX Model A96 Respirator appears to be an effective measure to protect yourself from coronavirus. While N95 masks remain unavailable to the general public, this mask appears to be one of the best available alternatives.
“Masks Don’t Work”
As my anti-mask friends often point out, masks don’t work, and most people wear masks incorrectly. Those statements might very well be correct. Where I differ with my anti-mask friends, however, is what to do about that information. Their conclusion is that since masks don’t work, and since most people don’t wear them correctly; therefore, one shouldn’t bother wearing a mask.
It seems to me that this isn’t a very logical conclusion. If most people wear masks that don’t work, and most people wear masks incorrectly, then it seems to me that the logical conclusion is that I should wear a mask that does work, and I should wear it correctly.
The prevailing wisdom is that I should point out to my anti-mask friends that a cloth mask isn’t designed to protect the person wearing it–it’s designed to protect other people. But I won’t waste my time doing that–I am essentially a selfish person, and I want something that protects me. That it also protects those around me is a pleasant side effect, but it’s not my primary motivation.
My anti-mask friends often offer the criticism that I am blindly following orders. That’s surprising, since almost all of them wear a mask more than I do. I very rarely wear a mask. My average time per day of wearing a mask is probably about five minutes. Very few of even the most avid anti-maskers can make that claim.
This is because I prefer to simply avoid situations where I might have to breathe the same air as other people. For example, I have never been inside a Walmart wearing a mask. I’ve never been inside a bar wearing a mask. I’ve never been inside a church wearing a mask. I’ve never been inside a school wearing a mask. Most anti-maskers can’t say these things, because they’ve been inside one of these places, and they were wearing a mask at the time. I’ve avoided all of these problems, because I haven’t gone inside these places in the first place. My anti-mask friends often point out the fact that Walmart has the official government seal of approval of being a safe place. Well, they might believe the government’s pronouncement, but I don’t. I generally stay outdoors, where there are billions of cubic feet of air, and it’s unlikely that anyone else has breathed the same air as me.
The Occasional Need for a Mask that Does Work
Even though I try to stay outside, there are increasingly common situations where I need to go inside and breathe the same air as other people. On one occasion, I had to go inside the bank, and there was no way to do this particular transaction online. I’ve had to go inside the post office lobby to get my mail from my P.O Box. And occasionally, I’ve had to use the restroom (although when possible, I prefer the vault toilet.) So on these occasions, I need to wear a mask, because the government tells me that I need to wear a mask. And since I need to wear one anyway, I may as well wear one that works, and I may as well use it correctly.
Changing Advice from Government
We can debate all day whether the government should tell me what to do. But since I need to wear a mask anyway, again, I may as well wear one that works. If you remember back a few short months, the government hasn’t always told me to wear a mask. In fact, the initial advice from the government was specifically that I should not wear a mask.
For example, this March 2 Washington Post story quotes the Surgeon General’s recitation of the then-conventional wisdom: “One of the things they shouldn’t be doing, the general public, is going out and buying masks. It actually does not help, and it has not been proven to be effective in preventing the spread of coronavirus amongst the general public.” It also quotes a February 29 Tweet from the Surgeon General: “Seriously people- STOP BUYING MASKS! They are NOT effective in preventing general public from catching #Coronavirus, but if healthcare providers can’t get them to care for sick patients, it puts them and our communities at risk!”
(The editors of the Washington Post have since added an editor’s note saying that the official advice has changed.)
The Surgeon General actually had a point back in February. There was a severe shortage of effective masks, and it was best to reserve the remaining stock for health care workers, who really needed them. So I dutifully followed the official government guidance and refrained from trying to buy a mask. It was the right thing to do. In the meantime, I simply stayed away from other people, let the health care workers get the masks they needed, and gave American industry time to ramp up production.
On the other hand, I can’t stay away from other people forever. In July, I decided that I had given American industry sufficient time to start making masks in sufficient volume, and the time had come to buy myself an effective mask, namely an N95 respirator.
According to the FDA website, an N95 respirator is “a respiratory protective device designed to achieve a very close facial fit and very efficient filtration of airborne particles. Note that the edges of the respirator are designed to form a seal around the nose and mouth.”
The official government advice from that same website is still that I shouldn’t get one, because they are still in short supply:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) does not recommend that the general public wear N95 respirators to protect themselves from respiratory diseases, including coronavirus (COVID-19). Those are critical supplies that must continue to be reserved for health care workers and other medical first responders, as recommended by current CDC guidance.
I’ve given American industry plenty of time to produce respirators. While I am sympathetic to the plight of healthcare workers, I’m also selfish. In July, I decided to ignore this official government advice. (Ironically, it’s the anti-maskers who are obeying this government edict.) I decided that it’s been long enough, and I should buy myself a mask for my own selfish purpose: Reducing the possibility of infection if I need to use a public restroom or go inside a building for some other reason. So my anti-mask friends will be glad to know that I’ve decided to selfishly ignore government recommendations.
A year ago, I could have walked into my friendly neighborhood hardware store and, for a couple of dollars, bought a genuine NIOSH-approved N95 respirator, proudly made in the USA. And as someone who likes to be prepared for emergencies, I should have done exactly that. But I didn’t. And in 2020, you can’t buy them, because there aren’t enough, and the entire national supply is earmarked for healthcare workers.
There aren’t even enough for healthcare workers. For that reason, the FDA has relaxed its standards, and has issued an emergency use authorization for American healthcare workers to use imported respirators meeting other countries’ standards. This includes, ironically enough, Chinese-made respirators meeting the Chinese KN95 standard, which is similar to the American N95 standard.
I’d prefer not to have to use a Chinese-made mask meeting the standards of the communist Chinese government to protect myself from a virus that originated in communist China. So I’m still kicking myself for not going to the neighborhood hardware store in 2019 and buying a supply of American-made masks. But beggars can’t be choosers, and as of July, the best that I could do was get a Chinese mask. There were KN95 masks available in July, and I bought one similar to this one from a reputable medical supply company in Texas. Even though it was made in China, it was better than nothing, and it met the FDA requirements for healthcare workers. So I decided it was adequate for my rare ventures into public buildings. The one that I purchased was marked that it met the KN95 certification, and the seller had available the lab report showing that it had the better-than-nothing Chinese certification. The one that I purchased did (at least for me) have a good fit. (The CDC website contains instructions for putting on a mask and ensuring a proper fit.) The mask must be tight against the skin all around so that all of the air passes through the mask, and not around the gaps. While this mask fits me, it doesn’t fit my kids very well, and it’s difficult to ensure a proper fit on them.
Re-using Disposable Masks
These masks are disposable, which makes perfect sense if you can walk into the neighborhood hardware store and buy a replacement. But since there’s a shortage, the FDA has addressed the crisis by allowing re-use. For example, these instructions from the North Dakota Department of Health show the approved procedure for re-use. Basically, you remove the mask carefully and store it in a paper bag until the next use. This video from the University of Nebraska is a good overview of the procedure:
I use a similar procedure with my masks, which are normally worn for less than five minutes at a time. I store it in a brown paper bag until it’s time to re-use it.
Even though the Chinese-made KN95 masks seem to be effective, and they are certainly better than nothing, I am somewhat dubious having a Chinese mask protect me from a Chinese virus. Fortunately, there is now an alternative, namely the BNX Model A96. They are available at Amazon from this link, although I bought mine directly from the manufacturer, AccuMed of Houston, Texas. They are made in the USA, and they originate from the brick and mortar location shown here.
“A96” is simply the product’s model number. They are, however, certified KN95 masks, meaning that this American product has the Chinese communist seal of approval. If that’s all I knew, I might not be particularly impressed. But more importantly, the manufacturer has applied for N95 certification, and that NIOSH application is pending. All of the documents in support of certification are linked on the AccuMed website. I would feel even more comfortable if the N95 certification were already granted. But again, what I should have done in 2019 was gone to the hardware store and bought a NIOSH-approved mask. I didn’t, so now I have to make the best of the situation. This mask has met the KN95 requirements, which makes it at least as good as the previous mask I purchased. And it’s made in the USA, which in my opinion makes it better. And it seems likely to me that it will meet the N95 requirements. At such time as it is certified, I suspect it might become unavailable for purchase. So it seemed to me that now was the time to buy.
I tried this mask on at home, and I made one trip to the post office with it. My initial reaction is that it is a good product.
It is smaller than my previous Chinese mask. As far as I know, all N95 masks have straps that go over the head, so that one is worn at the crown of the head, and the other one at the neck. Most of the KN95 masks have ear loops. In my opinion, the head bands make the mask much more comfortable, since it’s not constantly pulling on the ears.
This mask is smaller than my previous Chinese mask. That does make it somewhat more difficult to put on and take off. However, the straps, even though a bit tight, were still comfortable. More importantly, they ensured a tight seal against my skin. Once I had the mask on, it took very little adjustment to make a tight seal. The Chinese mask, even though it did make a seal, required more adjustment to get it just right. (With both masks, it is quite obvious that there is a seal, since I can see the material bellow in and out with each breath.) I did a self-test, and there were no leaks around the edges.
The smaller size also means that it’s a better fit for children. Both of my kids (14 and 16 years old) were not able to get a good seal with the Chinese mask. With this mask, the seal is much better, and when they breathe, the mask fabric visibly bellows in and out.
Just as soon as it becomes possible, I plan to walk in to the friendly neighborhood hardware store and buy myself an N95 mask that rolled of the assembly lines of the 3M corporation. You can even view them on Amazon today, where you are told that civilians aren’t allowed to buy them, even if they had any. But I suspect it will be a long time before I’m able to buy one. I’m reminded of the line from Alas Babylon where one character opines that he’ll probably never be able to buy gasoline in his lifetime.
Eventually, they’ll be back in stock at the hardware store, and at that time, I plan on stocking up. But in the meantime, the AccuMed BNX Model A96 appears to be the best choice.
Note: Some links on this page are affiliate links, meaning that this site receives a small commission if you place an order after clicking on the link.
As John F. Kennedy famously said, we do some things not because they are easy, but because they are hard. We previously documented the hard way to start a library. And we recently discovered the hard way to decorate a baseball.
Most N95 respirators are intended to be disposed of after a single use. However, during the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, there were insufficient numbers of respirators for healthcare workers, and strategies for preserving the supplies were necessary. Therefore, the Centers for Disease Control published strategies for reusing masks, rather than disposing of them after each use. Those strategies were 
The mask I bought was 
True to its promise, a few months later, AccuMed came out with a mask that was made in the USA, and 
Fortunately, the time has now come when it’s once again possible to buy the thing that I should have bought in 2019: An N95 mask made in the USA, the 
Even though all of my masks are disposable, there’s no reason why they can’t be used many times. I store mine in a paper bag labeled with the date. I have links to official guidance on reuse of masks 
We are transmitting with our 
Just as soon as it becomes possible, I plan to walk in to the friendly neighborhood hardware store and buy myself an N95 mask that rolled of the assembly lines of the 3M corporation.