Update: 2026-01-26
Air Pollution Masks for Bicycling | ElectricBikeReview.com
Thank you! Because of all of you, Totobobo reached 500% of its funding. Amazing! Keep watch for our updates on the delivery dates.
After 2020, we all know the significance of wearing a mask and the struggle.
It’s uncomfortable, hard to breathe in, fogs glasses and can even cause pain.
However, not with Totobobo Mask.
“The Totobobo mask is super light, easy to breathe, comfortable and can be custom fit the user’s face.”
Francis Chu, Designer and co-founder
We know there is a better solution. After two generations of product refinement, we are ready to expand our market reach. That is why we initiated the Kickstarter campaign.
Yesterday, we are excited that our campaign was fully funded within 5 hours!
We use British anti-virus technology (BioCote) to stop the spread of viruses and bacteria on the mask. The range of filters (F96, F94, F92) has been tested by Nelson Labs (USA) and shown remarkable performance in terms of filtration efficiency and low breathing resistance. That is the secret behind the ease-of-breathe mask.
At 20 grams, Totobobo is the lightest reusable respirator mask. It comes in one universal size and can be trimmed to fit anyone, whether adult or child.
For more info, please visit our website or the Kickstarter page.
While we are all focused on the COVID-19 today, it’s important to keep in mind that it may not be the only reason to wear a mask. According to the WHO (World Health Organization), 9 out of 10 people breathe air containing an unsafe level of pollutants.
Even before the COVID-19 pandemic struck us, you probably have seen many people wearing masks in polluted cities. As you can easily understand, children need to be protected as well. In fact, they need them more than adults because their lungs are still under development. Some children with asthma need protection as well.
So, what’s the issue here? It isn’t hard to find a pharmacy that sells masks, but the question is, will they fit and protect your children?
What makes a good mask for children?
When it comes to masks, good protection means a good filter with a good face seal. After all, you need to make sure that the air your child is breathing can only enter through the filters and not through any gaps under the mask. Effective protection only exists when the mask forms a good seal on the user’s face.
Surgical masks, common cloth masks, and the well-known N95 masks are commonly seen these days. However, most people do not know that these masks may not fully protect them or their children. Here’s why:
Surgical Masks
To begin with, surgical masks are not designed to protect users from air pollution. Instead, they were specifically designed to “Protects others from the wearer.” It works as a loose-fitting barrier. While these masks do a great job at preventing droplets from the wearer, they don’t protect you from air pollution or airborne viruses. The gaps between the mask and the user’s face let pollutants and viruses enter easily.
Cloth masks
A cloth mask, similar to a surgical mask, is designed to be loose-fitting and serve pretty much the same purpose of “Protecting others from me.” It does not protect the wearer from airborne viruses or particles. Cloth masks are made of soft fabric, they touch the mouth and gets uncomfortably wet and smelly pretty fast. While it can be washed and reused, it takes a long time to dry.
N95 Masks:
N95 masks are made with proper air filtering material. They are also called “Respiratoryâ€. N95 masks do a great job of filtering out pollutants and particles, if, (and that is a big IF) they form a good seal on the user’s face.
It’s important to keep in mind that these masks are only available in adult size and certainly won’t fit children. Besides, there is another issue: there’s no way to check whether an N95 mask is providing a good face seal, unless with professional equipment which is costly and usually only owned by hospitals or big institutes.
Regarding hygiene, it is not an issue if the N95 mask is used one time only. However, consumers often reuse these disposable N95 masks. The germs and bacteria accumulated on the mask after each use can be a threat to health. A disposable mask can’t be washed and is tough to dry if wet.
Top 3 reasons why the Totobobo mask is better than the rest?
If you understand the issues explained above, you will appreciate the solutions provided by the Totobobo mask. Let’s go through them one by one:
#1: Flexible Size and Shape:
Some masks come in 3 sizes – S, M, and L. However, it is not easy to decide on which size to get without opening the package and letting your child try the mask on. Most shops do not accept returned products as it compromises hygiene.Â
What the Totobobo Mask offers is the flexibility to shape and/or trim the mask down according to the child’s face. There is even a template for you to print and construct a “dummy mask†for testing before getting the real mask.
#2: Hygienically Reusable:
The world is getting more polluted and we certainly don’t want to add to the problem by throwing away more disposable masks. The Totobobo mask body is embedded with BioCote®, a silver-based antimicrobial agent. BioCote® technology is known to work against bacteria, mold, fungi, and influenza H1N1 virus. Recently, it has been tested independently and proved effective against a virus from the coronavirus family as well. Plus, the plastic body is easy to clean and dry, reuse is effortless and safe for your children.
#3: Easy Seal Check:
Totobobo masks are made with a transparent material, unlike most masks in the market. With a transparent mask, the user can easily check the seal it provides with a bit of “watermarking”, a patented process. Here’s how: https://totobobo.com/blog/how-to-perform-a-seal-check-with-the-water-mark-method/
Here are some of our family users with their children:
Thanks to @Evelyn Liu from Hong Kong for sharing this lovely photo of her kids.
Her family has been using the Totobobo mask for a couple of years. The boys prefer the Totobobo mask over a surgical mask because they said: “Totobobo is more comfortable”. Thanks to the 3D structure, it keeps the filters away from the mouth and they don’t have to “lick” the filters while talking or breathing hard. In addition, they feel the Totobobo mask is easier for breathing as well, thanks to the high-efficient filters.
“The disposable surgical mask gets in their mouths when they talk sometimes, or if they’re touching their lips they will poke them with their lips trying to get it away from their mouth…Or when they’re talking, most kids just….. Have a lot of spit hahaha!” — Evelyn Liu explains problems with a surgical mask.
The Biocote Silver-ion embedded in the mask provides lifetime anti-virus property. That means the mask is safe to reuse even without cleaning. However, the grease from our sweat can degrade the mask over time. Therefore it is important to give it a quick wipe-down after use. Wash the mask with soap and water when changing the filters. With good care and regular cleaning, the mask will provide faithful service for years. Just change the filters and refresh the performance from time to time.
Get Totobobo mask here: https://www.totobobomask.com/
More features of Totobobo mask: http://totobobo.com/blog/features/
According to the United State’s Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), masks with one-way vents or valves do not help to stop the spread of COVID-19. Some users have asked us if Totobobo masks use these vents.
We would like to clarify that Totobobo masks do not have one-way vents or valves (complying with the CDC’s recommendations). Rather, they are actually fitted with replaceable filters (F92, F94, F96, or PRO99) which provide two-way high efficiency filtration of viruses, bacteria, and particulate matter.
These filters are also engineered to accommodate a low airflow resistance to help users breathe easily in them. The remainder of the Totobobo mask contains a soft, transparent, and silver-embedded plastic designed to resist viral and bacterial growth.
Altogether, this combination of features built into the Totobobo mask and filters provides users with comfortable long-term use and optimal safety for themselves and those around them.
Test reports of the Totobobo filters:
https://totobobo.com/blog/nelson-lab-filter-test-reports/
Today we just received a detailed review from Korea. More interestingly,
the blog “Breathe Safe Air” was started by Ethan Brooke, a New Zealander living in Korea. Ethan started writing about air pollution in his travel blog (Seoulinspired.com) and gets many interested. Early this year, as COVID-19 hit the headlines, he started to write about respirators for the virus. His writing is consistently well researched and objective. Below are some of the highlight from his review:
The first thing that stands out about this mask is the very unique look – it’s transparent with the exception of the filters. Some people love this look as it is more natural, however, there are also those who prefer the more traditional mask look.
What makes Totobobo stand out though, are the other unique features that it has. It’s made to fix one of the most common issues that reusable respirators have. That is the fit.
No mask is effective if it doesn’t fit properly. Not only is mask that leaks only partially (or not at all) protecting you, but it can even be detrimental in the sense of security that it provides.
This is where Totobobo shines. It is a mask that is made for the common user, someone who can’t get professionally fitted masks and doesn’t have training. It’s a mask that lets you perform your own fit testing.
Ethan Brooke, blogger Breathe Safe Air
The review is written in charpters. You can jump directly to where you most interested by clicking on the heading below:
Filtration Specifications
Filter Types
Fit & Seal
Fit Testing
Adjusting the Mask
Design
Comfort
Conclusion – Is Totobobo a Good Mask?
Totobobo FAQ
Here is the link to the entire review:
https://breathesafeair.com/totobobo-mask-review/
Disclaimer: The Totobobo mask is not certified as a medical device. The choice by the dentists /Doctors is based on their personal decision.
Following is the feedback from Dr. Tunde, Austia:
“We’ve noticed that we tend to feel more fatigued after work when wearing the Totobobo masks compared to surgical masks, so it may be helpful to incorporate short breathing exercises during breaks. That said, the Totobobo mask is still significantly more comfortable than standard FFP respirators, especially as it causes much less skin irritation.We’ve also been told that many of the FFP masks available to us are not genuine FFP3, and sizing is inconsistent. Often, we don’t know which size we’re receiving, and poor fit is common. This is one of the main reasons we prefer the Totobobo mask — the adjustable sizing provides a better fit and greater comfort for the skin.
In terms of sizing, most of the women are currently wearing size M/S, while the men are using size L. After taking measurements, it appears that some of the women could also use size L, although the smaller size still fits adequately.”
Dr. Tunde, Austria
In the video below I demonstrate and describe the Singapore made Totobobo mask (also available in pink) with its replaceable filters (94 and Pro99) finding it extremely comfortable for daily use and suitable for running if masks are required. It is cleanable and is customizable for a good fit.
I highly recommend this to anyone it without any hesitation.
Kent Soh, Singapore
Review by Kent Soh, from Singapore.
Date: 2020-05-06 after testing the mask since April 17th.
“I received the Totobobo mask and filters on Friday 17 April. The first impression was not impressed. It looked like a cheap flat plastic mask that would have a lot of leakage around the mask.
Took 2 days following youtube to getting the fitting of the mask right, without gaps. Remarkably, after putting it on and getting the right fit, the design and the quality of construction, and the instructions demonstrated it was the mask I had read about… Two thumbs up.
As a cyclist and jogger, I took the mask for a test run 10 km and test cycle 40 km on different days, been testing it for 14 days. My impression has changed.
Covid-19 impacted my life in many ways. We used to take the air that we breathe in for granted, but not anymore. It will change life as we know it in the world.
The Totobobo mask will be my choice. The mask with clear silicone with white filters. It is simple, well made, reusable, effective against viruses and other pollutants, and easy to breathe through. Simply, it is everything I could ask for from a mask that I use daily.
I highly recommend Totobobo mask to anyone without any hesitation.
I hope to test the new Totobobo mask with an integrated nose clip that comes with the PRO filter which is perfect for outdoor sports … it is out of stock currently. Appreciate it if there is a button for them to contact me when stock arrives.
Disclaimer – This is not a sponsored reviewer.
(editor: sign up to be informed of new stock:
https://drive.google.com/open?id=1QSeO5NY3SdhsLyN5mh7TqlDgK7lIKk6DntBiQTcxG1Q)
Sierena love her Totobobo mask
We are very pleased to receive this photo of beautiful Sierenan, from her aunt Theresa. Both of them are very happy with the Totobobo masks they received recently and decided to buy more. Theresa told us that the Totobobo mask is the best after trying many different masks!
Big thank to Theresa for permission to publish her comment as follows:
“I thought I’d like the nose clip better but I don’t. I like the one without the clip because I think it fits closer around my nose. I’m African American and have a small/no nose bridge. The clip sits really high on my nose. I’ve bought lots of masks since the pandemic started.
Theresa P. from Albany, California, United States
My niece and I love Totobobo the best. “
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