A lot of people are still reaching me and asking me to advise them on which masks should they purchase as they want to protect from the COVID-19 disease without breaking the bank, as some of the masks out there are quite expensive.

Aropec is a great solution for individuals and companies that invest in their employees protection. The mask offers 3 key features; It is water repellent, washable (very important for me), and antibacterial thanks to Swedish Polygiene © an anti-virus and odour technology.

The mask offers 3 layers of protection.

• 1st Outer Layer: Water repellent fabric with Polygiene “ViralOff” treatment. This is certified to kill 99% of viruses (like hepatitus, Influenza, Corona) and other bacteria. It has been tested against Influenza A, BirdFlu, Norovirus and Corona (SARS) over the years, and in all cases, have achieved 99% levels of reduction. It is certified to the ISO18184:2019 standard, which makes it legit and it is not just a claim.
• 2nd Middle Layer: Non-woven fabric with dust and particles filtration. Non-woven fabric is used generally in masks and is proving to be effective at capturing respiratory droplets and filtering PM2.5 particles.
• 3rd Inner Layer: Soft, moisture-absorbing and breathable fabric treated with Silver Ion Polygiene. Again, the Polygiene treatment captures and breaks down unpleasant odours, and is certified antibacterial, meaning it can protect the user from bacteria and transmission of droplets.

My experience

As I have mentioned at the beginning, the mask is washable, and this is the first thing I look for in a respirator, nowadays. We can’t rely on disposable products, they pollute the environment more than anything else, and we should ban them, completely. Fortunately, the mask lasts for 50 washes, approximately 5 months of regular use.

The metallic nose wire is flat, long (25cm), and very soft as a result, it allows you to mold it nicely around your nose shape, I was able to breathe out without the air escaping from my upper nose.

I have donated one mask to a cameraman who works for a local TV station. During the lockdown, he had to work as an essential worker in many difficult situations covering the pandemic from a closer point of view.

He finds the mask comfortable, and he points out that it is very important to adjust the nose wire well in order to avoid air from leaking in or escaping out.

Conclusion

To be honest, I wouldn’t recommend a product that doesn’t meet my expectations. Aropec is very comfortable, and especially during summer with high temperatures, I want to wear a mask that won’t suffocate me or make me sweat like crazy. Great filtration for general particulate matter pollution and a great respirator against SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19).

In case you wonder where to find the mask, I got mine from craftcadence.com, a UK company that resells them.