Zovator (Harley) N95 Mask NIOSH N95 TC-84A-6973

Overall Result

Filtration

Breathability

Standard

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Why did this mask fail?

Review

Video Transcript

All right. Hey, everyone, welcome back to the place where you use this guy to help you fall asleep at night. Or something. Actually, I don't know why you're here, but I'm here to test this mask. The, what the heck is the name of it? Zobitor? Is it what you said? It's literally not on here anywhere. I guess it's called Zovator N95. It's got the NIOSH symbol many times on the box, so it's got to be legit, right? Right? Zovator. I guess we'll see, let's open this up and get it in the clamper. We bought it on Amazon. Or someone did. All right, this is super interesting. This is made by the Guangzho Harley Commodity Company Ltd. Plant A1. That's like the first plant. All right. Look at this, it's just shoved in here.

Okay, this is very interesting. Harley, oh, it's a Harley mask. Okay, I do know Harley. There's only 400-some N95 folks so to not know them ... weird. So there's a couple things going on here, we'll talk about it in a second, but I'm going to get it in the clamp machine first. Okay, so they're individually wrapped, which is great. But they're all smudged in there. Wow, that is not a good look. This is the least organized NIOSH mask I've seen. Also, this is the first video that I'm recording today, so if you're just joining me, this is going to be a ride for sure. Six minutes clamp. What about seven minute clamp? All right, this is a PFE machine, particulate filtration efficiency machine. If you want to find out how this thing works, check out that link that we'll probably put there, at some point.

All right, let's talk about this mask. Okay, so I'm going to go on here ... A lot going on here that's making me say NIOSH is not going to like this. So I don't know if you guys know this, N95, probably the most regulated masks term. The reason why N95 is the gold standard of masks is because NIOSH is this incredible organization that really cares about everything. They are that kid that you partnered with in high school that wouldn't let you do any work because he knew that you weren't going to do the right job, Johnny. I'm looking at you. Yeah, I was that kid. Anyways, that's NIOSH. They care, really a lot. And so here we go, we've got the Zovator N95 mask. Not Zobitor.

Breathable, disposable ... Disposable breaths. Just think about that. Face masks, genuine foldable. You can genuinely fold these. Universal fits. Approval number TN1 ... What? TC is the number that you're looking for so let's see, is that coming in there? So TC is what the NIOSH approval number. You want a TC to TC number on the mask. If it says it's an N95, you're going to see a couple of things. You're going to see the name of the manufacturer, which is Harley in this case, which is a Chinese manufacturer, they make a lot of N95s, the TC number and NIOSH N95. You got to see all of those things otherwise it's not a NIOSH mask. It's not an N95 mask. And they're saying, but look, they've got the picture on here. So, okay, legit. And I think what Harley is doing is trying to have a white label-ish mask. But if you look at the actual box here, Zovator is nowhere on here. It's just not on here.

What's interesting about this, though, is ... And again, interesting if you have mental problems, like me. NIOSH lets you do one of two things. You can either submit the box for their approval, and then you have to have all of these cautions and limitations, and all of this stuff on the box that they care about. Or you can have an insert. But it's weird to me that Harley's trying to do a white labely thing and not put their manufacturing name on the box. It's weird that NIOSH would approve that. So all N95s are going to have a head strap, it provides a better seal around the face. If you have a beard, like me, you're [inaudible 00:04:47]. It means you're not going to get a good seal. Look, everything's all wrinkled. They've got the nose wire on the outside or the nose on the outside.

And then look, it just folds over. See that? That's just sloppy. And this is their design? It's in their Photoshop photo, so yeah, that was the plan was for it to look this way. I mean, it just strikes me as someone that just doesn't really care that much. I mean about their design. It's got this great nose foam, though. And that actually feels pretty good, so I mean, look, I'm sure it does a good job. I'm sure it's going to pass the test here because it's NIOSH. Let's put that on. Holy plastic. That's what I'm going to name the smell of this, Holy Plastic. Not like [foreign language 00:05:33] way but just like, it smells a lot like plastic. Okay, so very plasticy smell. Actually, not a terrible fit. This is the most duck respirator, though, I've ever seen. Look at that, that is just ... The snout on this thing is just aggressive.

Good nose wire. Actually the fit and the seal is phenomenal for my face. If you look like a 40 year old white dude, like me, this thing's going to fit you really well. All right, let's check the straps. Actually, when I was putting it on, I heard it crack a little bit. So I'm thinking that ... Yeah, that's not too good. And with NIOSH, the head straps are actually a big part of the fit. If it breaks like that ... But I think they're already breaking all sorts of things. All right, but does any of that crap matter? Did you show up here to watch me ramble? Probably, at this point. I mean, if you didn't just skip to the end, does this mask protect you? Survey says, yes. There you go.

99.351. 99.351, so after all that BS, pretty good mask. Pretty good mask. Don't like the smell, pretty sure they're violating some NIOSH things by putting it in a weird box. Doesn't look great, a little sloppy, but great percentage. Great percentage. All right guys, thank you so much for joining me on this rambling adventure. I hope you like this, and if you do, there's a way you can pay me back. It's to come to my house and give me a crisp high five. Or just give me a like or subscribe and I will catch you on the next test. Thank you.

Description

The Zovator (Harley) TC-84A-6973 duckbill-style N95 mask passed our particulate filtration efficiency machine test with a score of 99.35%. A defining characteristic of N95 masks is they have either head straps or head ties (no ear loops).

Mask breathability is determined by airflow resistance, which we measure in pascals. The target for adults should be around 150, and the target for children should be close to 100. The airflow resistance of this mask is 88.

This mask has a strong odor that smells like plastic. The fit and seal are great. The shape means there's plenty of room to breathe. The product design and construction leaves much to be desired though.

We found this mask on Amazon. Its country of origin is China. Check out our video review for more details.

Mask Construction

Mask Smell

Details

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Product Name

Manufacturer

Country of Origin

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Color

Blue

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1 comment

I’m interested into why this model failed the N95 Standards portion. The masks I received have all required markings (Manufacturer Name, NIOSH logo, Approval Number, Model Number, and Filter Designation)

Was it due to the omission of the “Guangzhou” at the beginning of the name, which makes it harder to find on the CDC website?

It shouldn’t be due to lot number not being printed on the mask since that’s not a required field.

For what it’s worth, the product does seem fairly legitimate, even though it’s hard to verify that for random Amazon sellers. The packaging has a QR code and authentication number that seems legitimate since you can correlate the manufacturer’s Alibaba profile with the website that has the QR code. Unfortunately, the login portal is publicly available, which lowers my confidence.

Joshua January 28, 2022