Why do people choose Totobobo?
143+ users, in their own words
Ever since we started shipping worldwide, we have asked customers one question: why did you choose this mask? This page is the growing, unedited archive of their answers.
Cyclists in London traffic, families in Beijing smog, pastel artists, asthma sufferers, chemo patients — and the honest criticism too.
Reusable, trim-to-fit · Replaceable filters · Ships worldwide
F96 filter: 99.86% particle filtration efficiency at 0.1 micron, verified by Nelson Laboratories.
In a London traffic-pollution study (QMUL, BTS 2017), the mask reduced exposure to ultrafine particles under the study’s test conditions.
Every review below was posted by a customer, and remains published whether it praises or criticises.
Filter grades range from F92 to Pro99; figures above refer to the F96 grade. The QMUL result is from a conference abstract presented at the 2017 BTS meeting and reflects that study’s specific test conditions.
Browse reviews by use case
Readers choose Totobobo for very different reasons. Jump to the stories most like yours.
Cycling in traffic
Commuters in London, Paris, Jakarta, Bangkok, LA and beyond — the largest group by far.
60+ reviews
City smog and haze
Families and expats in Beijing, Shanghai, Delhi and other high-AQI cities.
35+ reviews
Asthma and allergies
Users managing airway triggers from traffic, pollen, spores and smoke.
14 reviews
Artists and workshops
Pastel artists, woodturners, scrollsawers and carpenters keeping fine dust out.
12 reviews
Children and family
Parents who needed a mask that genuinely seals on a small face.
11 reviews
Medical protection
Chemo patients, transplant recipients and others guarding a vulnerable immune system.
7 reviews
A doctor’s own reason
I am a doctor / physician in the UK at UCL, and bike daily in London to work using a Totobobo mask. I suffer from asthma… my cycling performance with regard to speed has improved. Previously I might cycle 6 miles in 1 hour. Now I cycle 6 miles in 50 minutes. Pollutants in the air, as in inner-city London, can trigger the airways to constrict. Totobobo masks prevent these pollutants reaching the airways and so help remove the trigger for asthma.
Cyclists in traffic pollution
The most common story on this page: a daily commute through exhaust fumes, and a search for a mask that breathes.
Since using the mask, both the sore throat and congestion have disappeared… Spread across the year, the cost works out at about US$6 per month. It’s quite alarming to see what the filters collect, that would have otherwise been in my lungs.
Just 35 minutes on my bike, and I was amazed to see it had already discoloured… I doubt I will ever cycle again without it! Just ordered my second mask to keep at my workplace.
I am using the Totobobo mask for over a year. I cycle to work in heavy traffic, and the mask makes my breathing much easier. I’ve tried other masks in the past, and none does its work like Totobobo.
It has been two years since I first used a Totobobo mask… very effective at reducing polluted air getting into my lungs, and light and compact enough to put in my work bag. I thank Totobobo for keeping me healthy through terrible traffic every day.
Living in polluted cities
When Beijing’s PM2.5 readings passed 800 in January 2013, Totobobo sold out across the city. Many of these reviews come from that winter.
I started wearing 3M carbon masks nearly 2 years ago — heavy, hard to breathe out, and not washable. After I tried Totobobo, I simply can’t go back. It is so light and breathable. In China, it is simply sold out!
Since 2006 I live in Beijing; choosing a Totobobo mask is quite the only option to breathe in this city… it suits my child too. We are a real Totobobo family. I lost mine in a cab yesterday and directly purchased a new one.
TOTOBOBO is recommended on the US Embassy in Beijing’s webpages — the same website giving out hourly pollution updates to everyone. I think this is worth a try.
We live in Chengdu and have used Totobobo masks for a couple of months now. The amount of dirt we are catching in the filters is unnerving, just by cycling about 5 hours per week. On the bright side: at least these masks do work.
Asthma, allergies and sensitive lungs
I have asthma and the fine sawdust created by the scroll saw affects it, but using the mask eliminates the asthma attacks. I was using disposable masks previously with limited results, but the Totobobo mask beats them all.
I now suffer asthma in heavy traffic, even when driving, so rather than taking powerful drugs I shall try to protect my lungs.
My son is highly allergic to practically everything environmental — grass, trees, weeds. His goal is to be able to play baseball without getting sick the following day. My goal is to see him happy playing with others outside.
Artists, woodworkers and workshop dust
By mid-week there is so much pastel dust in the air that you start to feel its effects. I am so happy to have found the solution to this problem with your mask. THANK YOU!
I do wood and acrylic turning which can generate a very fine dust. This is the most comfortable mask I have found.
I’m an engineering manager who analyzes every purchase. On specifications, description, and user reports this device is hands down a winner: less obtrusive, more effective, re-useable, and a reasonable price for an engineered product.
Parents and children
My 5-year-old daughter is on our motorbike with us all the time. Your mask was the only one I could find that would fit a child. I was very happy with how it fitted her small face, and she feels very comfortable wearing it. I have just ordered a second mask for myself.
I just ordered 5 masks for all my family, and I’m impatient to try them! Maybe the kids will have fun with these masks — “hey mum, I’m a superhero!”, who knows?
Washability, ability to fit both adults and children, reusability, comfort. Comments of others make it clear that this mask is likely to meet all our requirements like no other mask could.
The honest criticism
Not every review is glowing, and we publish those too. Condensation on long hard rides is the most common complaint — here is what users reported and how we responded.
While wearing the mask there were large amounts of condensation inside, and the filters became very wet and soaked… I believe this mask has a huge flaw for long-distance cycling.
Our response: the mask’s plastic does not absorb water, so condensation shows quickly — but it also wipes dry in seconds, unlike fabric masks that stay damp. Breathing in through the mouth and out through the nose (SuperCool version) carries most moisture out. On very long rides, a brief wipe with a tissue resets the mask.
I am finding it difficult to breathe with it on; it feels like I am trying to breathe in a sauna. Is this something most people experience but get used to?
Our response: a higher-airflow filter grade (F92) noticeably reduces breathing effort for stationary studio work, and the exhale-through-nose technique keeps humidity down. If a mask genuinely does not suit you, tell us — feedback like Sue’s is why the fitting guide now covers breathing technique first.
Add your story
This archive keeps growing. If you use a Totobobo mask — for commuting, art, allergies, or anything else — tell us why you chose it in the comments below. Praise and criticism are equally welcome.
Reusable, trim-to-fit · Replaceable filters · Ships worldwide