V6 mask – stiffness an issue?

[TehShrike]

Got my V6 masks today. Big fan of the breathability.

I'm a bit concerned by the stiffness of the edges, though – I'm having a tough time getting the edges to fit to the shape of my face, there are gaps that air gusts through, especially around my nose.

This was a minor issue with the V3 masks, though with some work I was able to get a pretty good fit.

This has not been an issue with the flannel V4 masks, which have had a surprisingly good fit around the edge of the mask.

How are the V6 working out for anyone else? Do they make an easier fit after a couple wears, or after washing?

Looking at the marketing photos, perhaps I should experiment with folding the fabric in.

[Darcy]

I am sure others will share some thoughts/feedback here @TehShrike but in the meantime I wanted to offer a few tips:

1. The mask, when worn as intended, should look pretty much exactly like the photos and, specifically, have the fold as shown in the photos. This is a little difficult to describe, so bear with me: the V6 Mask, when new, doesn't have that fold. When you wear the mask, and form the conforming nose piece, it creates a fold that's more customized to your face. While other mask designs have a sewn-in fold, we found in our own personal testing that the V6 style fold (though it does require customization/nuancing the fold for your face shape) actually resulted in a better seal. (Interestingly, some of the sewn-in folds actually felt like they pulled the mask away from our faces. However, it's important for us to note that one thing we've learned is that all of us folks have a wide variety of face shapes, and some mask designs that work great for one person may not work as well for another.)

2. We do recommend machine wash / machine dry (per CDC washing instructions) for the V6 and, after a few washes, the mask will soften a bit.

Hope this helps!

[TehShrike]

Awesome, I'll start experimenting with folds. ��