Thanks to Totobobo customers who agreed to share their feedbackBob Edwards, Texas wood turner from San Antonio, USA. Bob has been a demonstrator at SWAT "Wood turning has been my hobby for over 30 years but for some time now I have been concerned with a safety issue inherent with our hobby, dust. The older I got the more I noticed that after a day at the lathe without some sort of protection I developed a bad sinus headache. I figured if it was getting up my nose it was also getting into my lungs. I do several things in my own shop to keep my lungs safe but nothing is as important as wearing a dust mask. After a lot of research and trial and error I started using a rubber face mask with disposable filters. It wasn't too expensive but it was heavy, hot, and not very comfortable. Three months ago I stumbled on a new light weight inexpensive mask (TOTOBOBO) on the Internet. I talked to the manufacturer and discussed my particular needs and agreed to give them a try. After using them for several months I am convinced they are the most efficient, least expensive, most comfortable dust mask I have ever used." Danny K. Wells, LA, USA "Bob Edwards is a friend of mine. He lives in Texas and I live in Louisiana, but we meet about once a year at a woodturning symposium. Two years ago he gave me one of the totobobo masks. I had not used it until my powered respirator had problems and I had some turning that I had to get done. I really liked it because, as others have said, breathing through it is easy. It seals well and is very effective. I liked how comfortable it was, and I could use it easily while wearing my glasses. Thanks for a great product!" Leo Lichtman, woodturner, Califonia, USA  "The TOTOBOBO mask is very comfortable. Because the material is flexible and clingy, it’s easy to get a good seal. It’s easy to feel the negative pressure while breathing – unlike some other masks the back pressure is not noticeable. I think this contributes to the quality of the seal–less pressure, less leakage." Jim Waldron, Alamo Woodturners association "I wear glasses and I have allergies. I have tried many different masks, switched to Totobobo a year ago. Yours is the best by far. It is comfortable, efficient and easy to clean." Vincent Welch, Louisville, KY  “The totobobo is so easy to wear and comfortable that I forget I am wearing the mask…It is absolutely incredible how much dust particles these filters pick up. I no longer spend 2 days blowing dust out of my nose after working in the shop.” Debbie Witter, author of www.freehelpforcancer.com. USA Dabbie's daughter Kayla was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. She is now cancer free. "Kayla has worn the Totobobo mask every day since January 2009 and she has not been sick in any way since that time. She attends school every day and no sickness. This despite still being immune compromised. The doctors said that her immune system will not recover from the chemo for another six months. Your mask is our safety net that has proven for us its workability. When Kayla did not have the mask and went to school she ended up in the hospital for two weeks, every month, for three months, totaling 45 days. With the mask -no sickness, no hospitalizations, no colds, nothing. Your mask is far superior to any other mask on the market. Period!" "One day I went to Kayla's school and it seemed as if all the kids were sniffling and coughing. This was during Flu season. As usual because of your mask, Kayla stayed healthy the whole time!" "I wish we knew about your mask last winter (2008) because Kayla got the flu from another patient in the hospital. I just was not prepared. This was a lesson for us." "Your mask is the ONLY mask that fits the way a mask should. It is also the most economical product on the market. The other masks are hot, poorly fitted and have to be replaced repeatedly. I love your product and keep one of the masks in my purse, in case it is needed for Kayla. I am never without it." - Debra Witte - USA Read more about Debbie's experience of Totobobo mask in Free-help-for-cancer Goska Romanowicz and Hervé Bonnaveira, eco cyclists, from France to ChinaGoska and Hervé cycled across Asia from France on a year long eco-cycling trip in 2008
 "The TOTOBOBO anti-pollution masks came in very useful in India! We’ve tested the masks in Delhi, the Indian countryside and Calcutta – used one filter for a day’s cycling in each place – and we got varying shades of brown. The masks were comfortable for an hour or two, when we used them longer periods of cycling they were ok but started to get wet inside (especially that it was very hot here) and became less comfortable. But that’s still preferable to breathing the air of Calcutta or most other Indian cities." "I’ve attached a photo of the filters after 6 hours’ use in Delhi, Calcutta, the Indian countryside and Bangkok. The countryside one was especially shocking – even far from cities and factories the air is very polluted." We show the masks to school and university students when we stop to give our ’sustainable development presentation.’ It usually has a strong effect and communicates the problems of pollution well. They sometimes ask us where we got the masks – incidentally, we last gave your website address to students at a Bangkok university. Kenneth Koh, Advanturenomad, SingaporeKenneth is a travel and adventure writer and photographer, and a former airline pilot. "I had a chance to use the Totobobo mask during my recent bicycle tour of Vietnam. Weighing just 20g, the mask is both lightweight and compact, making it easy to pack. It is made of soft plastic and doesn’t absorb sweat or moisture and is easy to keep clean. The soft plastic conformed well to the shape of my face, creating a good seal that is needed for the mask to be effective. Once in place, it is also very comfortable, and breathing resistance is very low. The replaceable filters are electro-static charged and filters out very fine particles (0.3 micron or even smaller)." Don Ketchek, Wet Canvas forum guide, pastel artist The first thing I noticed was that there seemed to be more air coming through the Totobobo mask than the previous mask that I have been using. In fact, I took the mask off to check and make sure the filters were in place, because there was no noticeable decrease in air flow! (Yes, the filters were in place!) The mask seems lighter, too. The straps were also more comfortable, and even better, they are adjustable. You can tighten or loosen them with a little clip that is attached to the strap. The mask seems to do a fine job – no coughing or clearing my throat after working with the pastels. One of the nice things about it is that the filters detach and are replaceable, so the mask itself is more environmentally friendly. You only throw the filters away – not the entire mask. The filters will probably last a good long time, I guess I don’t know how long yet! I’ve used it twice and the filters aren’t dirty at all. I definitely recommend this mask. I know many of you are hesitant about wearing a mask, and believe me, so was I. In fact, I pretty much had to give up pastels for about 20 years, only doing them occasionally and then stopping due to coughing issues. Finally, I decided that using a mask was something I could get used to – and I did. I think it would have been an easier decision if this mask had been available then. It seems very unobtrusive compared to the others. "“I totally agree with Don. It’s extremely comfortable, does not fog up my glasses and fits well.” Devonlass – Chelmsford, Massachusetts “This is the only mask I’ve been able to get used to. I cut it to the first mark for it to produce a good seal.” Adriana Meiss, Syracuse, NY Read more about Don's review. Nagaraj Pudukotai, urban cyclist, Bangalore, IndiaTotobobo Mask - what I like:1. Simple and largely effective design. What I mean by that is, the mask is not complicated but at the same time forms an very good seal on your face and nose thereby cuttting out a lot of crap (essentially sub micron particulate matter) which otherwise you would breathe. There is no other mask made in India (A.F.A.I.K) which does this. The important thing is a mask should form a very tight seal for it to start being useful. The filters on the totobobo mask do a very good job. Claire mask in this regard is a piece of crap, essentially for me it has no design at all. Probably it is the best known mask of Indian make. 2. totobobo is light weight so almost don't feel its weight on your face. 3. The breathing resistance you experience (versus say Respro) is very little. Which means your efficiency of riding/breathing is largely not affected by it. 4. It is cheap (versus Respro), the filters are very cheap (versus Respro). This is with a caveat, see more of my review to understand what I mean by this. 5. Last but not the least, Rohan (BOTS) will sell the filters when I run out of my stock. Totobobo mask - what I DON'T like 1. It does not cut out the CO and other harmful exhaust gases because it does not have a Dynamically Activiated Charcoal filter like Respro. Francis correct me if I am wrong on this one. 2. It takes a little bit of time (you need to ride with it a few times) to get the fit right from the perspective of avoiding condensation (big time) inside the mask. What I mean by this is, the only way what you breathe out gets out of the mask is through the boundary of the mask with your facial skin. This happens if you wear the mask tight enough (but not too tight) so that the pressure built up in the mask from your exhaust pushes the mask out just enough from the skin so that the exhaust escapes out and hence water vapour (and hence condesation) does not build up inside the mask. If you wear it a little too loose, then you defeat the very purpose of wearing it. 3. The filters get dirty (they turn black) with about 3 to 4 hours of usage in Bangalore. This means I am not sure if this can be used as a signal to change the filters, so Francis your comments are welcome here. Assuming it is a signal enough, then the filters need to be changed probably once or even twice a week for regular commuters like me. 4. The ties on the mask which hold them onto your face are a little flimsy and not very convenient to adjust to your face. A strap and a velcro mechanism (like Respro) would have been far more effective. The current ties as they are DO WORK, please don't get me wrong. ilable then. It seems very unobtrusive compared to the others. "wow .. pretty much the same thoughts. ..I have used the TOTOBOBO mask the last 1 week of commute i.e around 110Km and like Nagaraj mentioned the filters are kinda Gray now. man Bangalore is polluted ! Not good. When I got the mask - it looked flimsy (esp the chord) but with daily use I can see that its not an issue. It is pretty strong. Initially had no idea what a good fit was, but within a day I was able to figure it out. " ROhan Kini, blogger and cyclist, blog.bumsonthesaddle.com, Bangalore, India Read more about Nagaraj's review comparing Totobobo mask against Respro mask. Copyright ©Dream Lab One Pte. Ltd. 2003-2008 All rights reserved. |