Mask Review: RFA's mask (post 4 of ?)

After a long hiatus, I'm back with another adventure in sports masks!

Along with t-shirts, sweats, and patches, clubs now have a new place to put their logo: in house-branded masks. Full disclosure: this one is from my home club. My coach found it through a wholesaler that designed this mask for use by basketball players: a sport that doesn't require a heavy mask worn over it.

So of course I had to test to see if it could work under the sweatier, messier confines of a fencing mask.

Specs:

Filter Pocket: no

Ear loops or ties: ties - extremely sturdy ties of doubled-over bias tape

Nose wire: no

Sizes: one

Fashionable? Plain, black, elegant, with logo in the corner, this goes with all your sports gear (but probably pairs best with other RFA-branded items).

How is it on the strip?

Test run: 100 lunges against target wearing this mask under my fencing mask. 

This mask has minimal shaping and 2 sets of ties make the fit easy to customize. Once I found a configuration that worked it had the best fit with the least interference with low-line visibility that I've tried yet! 

There's no filter pocket but the fit is tight enough to hold one in place - it didn't shift at all. The mask stayed tied on when I put on and took off my fencing mask. Still no nose wire, but when I added one of my stick-ons there was absolutely no fogging of my glasses, a definite plus in my book.

The fabric is thin enough that I recommend a filter, but I did have problems breathing through it. This suggests the fabric isn't designed to breathe, at least not with the extra filtering I require for confident use.

Verdict:

Pro: flexibility of fit, sturdy ties, subtle style

Con: thin fabric, no nose wire or filter pocket, breathing difficulties

Mask Review: Errea Italian Sportswear. Post 3 of ?

This guest review was contributed by Maggie Brasted, a club mate of Allison and Badger from Rockville Fencing Academy. Maggie found the sport of fencing and entered her first competition at age 50. Prior to that, she had never participated in competitive sports. As an oxymoron (a beginner in the “veteran” age category), she fell in love with fencing and the community of fencers . She has competed in Veteran and Senior foil and epee at local, regional, and national events. She is also a rated referee in foil and epee who, prior to the Covid-19 pandemic, worked frequently at events in Capitol and Maryland Divisions.

Mask: Errea Italian Sportswear brand

Purchased from: https://aofwear.com/products/errea-sport-face-masks/ for $20 plus shipping

I found through Facebook Veteran Fencing groups post from https://www.facebook.com/artoffencingapparel/

Specs:

Filter pocket: No

Ear loops or ties: Ear loops. Edge binding on mask form loops.

Nose wire: No

Sizes: Two—Adult and Youth. Very stretchy knit fabric could fit a wide range of face sizes.

Fashionable? In black or blue. I bought the blue, really blue and white, which looks sharp with coordinating colors. The black is solidly black and would match most fencing mask mesh.

Fit: Very stretchy single layer of knit fabric fits me snugly and comfortably. When it first arrived, I thought it was too small until I stretched it out in all directions. I think it can stretch to fit a wide range of face sizes. Youth size may also fit smaller adult faces. Nose wire does not seem needed to keep in place due to snug fit of stretchy fabric.

I have worn it both with and without a “mask bracket” or “lipstick protector” frame underneath. Either way, it fits snugly and stays in place. I very much prefer with the frame as that keeps the mask from sucking into mouth and nostrils. I find it easier to breath freely during exertion and my speech is easier to understand with the frame. The mask holds the frame in place very well without much fiddling once I have it on.

How is it on the strip? I have not been back in the salle to fence since the beginning of the pandemic. My experience with this mask has been while biking, working out, and doing solo footwork practice.

Biking is the most demanding of these. I biked over the same routes with home-made 3-layer cloth masks and the Errea mask, both with and without the frame. I found I could breathe best in the Errea mask with the frame. When climbing hills in the home-made cloth masks, I struggled for breath and had to rest and take the mask off much more than with the Errea mask on the same hills.

I also tried my Leon Paul Exchange fencing mask over the Errea mask at home to see how well the Errea mask is likely to stay in place during fencing. Donning and removing my LP mask was smooth and the Errea mask stayed put.

I note that while biking in the Errea mask my sunglasses fogged up quickly. I had to abandon wearing sun glasses when exerting myself. Thus, I would expect fogging to occur when fencing with glasses.

Verdict:

Pros:

• Stays put when putting on fencing mask and taking it off.
• Comfortable snug fit.
• Does not significantly impair breathing during exertion compared to home-made cloth masks.

Cons:

• Only one layer of fabric and no option for filter may impact the mask’s ability to act as a barrier to virus particles. Perhaps a layer of some kind (i.e., a coffee filter) could simply be placed between the mask and the separately purchased frame to enhance filtration.
• Glasses fog up.

Mask review (2 of ?) Radical Fencing's active dome sports mask

Radical Fencing is always at the forefront of innovative, stylish fencing gear, so it makes sense they'd be one of the first vendors to offer a mask. Sure enough, their mask offers high-tech antimicrobial fabric and secure straps. But how does it stand up in action?

Specs:

Filter pocket: yes, carbon filters included

Ear loops or ties: 2 elastic bands that go around the head, one adjustable

Nose wire: not at the time I ordered, though it's now an option

Sizes: one size

Fashionable? in basic black and white (as well as special colors to-order) it goes with just about anything. In my opinion, the white one looks like an old-fashioned "bullet bra" cup when worn with anything other than a fencing uniform, though!

Fit: the stiffer, rounded shape stands away from the face so it's not going to stick to your mouth and nose. The straps are more secure and the adjustable side is a nice touch. I have a small head and short hair so I couldn't tighten them enough to fit me but you may not have this problem. I will likely replace them with something tighter and wider, as the elastic is very narrow.

How is it on the strip?

I wore this with one of the filters that came with it and did fifty lunges. It didn't stick to my mouth when breathing, which was nice, and though thick it's not bulky or hot. As mentioned above the elastic was too long for me so I couldn't get as tight a seal as I wanted. Removing my fencing mask pulled Radical's mask out of place. The fabric boasts water resistance, but I don't sweat much so this feature ended up untested. Like the Adidas (and I suspect, all other masks) it cuts off your low line periphery.

Verdict:

Pro: dense but lightweight, comfortably "cups" your face without sticking to it, comes with its own filters.

Con: elastic may be too long for some wearers, nose wire costs extra

[Comments from Badger: Fashion-wise, the black version is VERY Darth Vader. Complete with sound effects, as with the filter in place, I find my breathing is somewhat obstructed. Because mask stands away from the face, it also blocks my downward field of view more than lighter, flatter masks. Like Allison, I find that the straps are too long, even at their shortest setting, but I've dealt with that by making a small knot in the strap.]

[Badger: Also, it's a little big on me.]  

Have you tried the Radical Fencing mask or other sport/fencing masks on the strip? We'd love to hear your thoughts!

mask review: the Adidas sport mask (1 of ?)

It didn't take long.

Well, I guess it took SOME time. Like many people I scrambled to make masks out of quilting cotton and whatever else I could find just to have something. But by five months(!) into the coronavirus pandemic, almost every clothing vendor offered some sort of mask. This includes fencing and other vendors of athletic wear.

I'm not ready to go back out onto the strip, but in anticipation of future days I've been slowly accumulating a collection of sports masks. This post is the first of several reviews of what's currently on offer. Keep in mind that anecdotes aren't data so your mileage may vary widely. Also none of these are paid promotions, so you're getting my unfiltered opinion. [Badger says: "unfiltered." Heh! I see what you did there.] 

The first to arrive via increasingly slow mail was Adidas' sport mask.

Specs:

Filter pocket: yes

Ear loops or ties: ear loops

Nose wire: no

Sizes: medium (top/blue) and large (bottom/black)

Fashionable? It's compact, sleek, and the logo, while visible, is subtle. It's minimal enough to be appropriate for strip, street, and restaurant (when they open back up).

Fit: I favor sport masks for every day because most are either shaped or made out of stretchy materials that give a tight seal around the face, and the Adidas mask is no exception. It comes in two sizes but I didn't notice much difference between them. However, my husband found the large too tight around his ears to be wearable.

The ear loops are just an extension of the stretchy binding around the edges. They hold the mask tight to my face, but I'm not sure how long they'll last before tearing or stretching out of shape.

The filter pocket is a nice touch. Adidas doesn't offer a filter but I strongly suggest you use something because the mask fabric, while tightly woven, is fairly thin.

My one reservation about structure is the lack of a nose wire. I haven't worn my contacts since the pandemic started and unless a mask conforms tightly to my nose I get the dreaded glasses fogging. I fixed this by adding my own nose wire, available from multiple vendors on Etsy. One side is sticky so no sewing is required.

How is it on the strip?

As a test run I wore the size small with a carbon filter and stuck-on nose wire under my fencing mask and did 3 minutes of footwork. I don't sweat much, so I can't say how well it holds up when damp. It didn't hinder breathing as much as I expected, and while I was huffing and puffing more than usual it was manageable. It cut off my low line peripheral vision, but I think this is probably a risk with any mask.

Verdict:

Pro: lightweight, snug fit, pocket for your filter of choice, can fence in without suffocating

Con: thin fabric, flimsy ear loops, no nose wire (this last one easily fixable), unknown endurance when wet

Have you tried the Adidas mask or another fencing mask on the strip? What did you think? We'd love to hear from you!