LG Puricare Mask – We tested a wearable air freshener

The ambitions of the Puricare mask are much more general. Have you ever told yourself that you really want to attach an air freshener to your face right now, whether because of high air pollution, allergens or other reasons? Korean electronics giant has a solution! While it will make you look like a Schroeder ninja states or an Assault soldier from Star Wars who switched to a light summer helmet, in general “air purifier tied to face” is the correct description for this product.

Puricare is a plastic mask with two HEPA H13 filters, the type of filters found in domestic air purifiers (and other products, such as vacuum cleaners). But breathing through this filter is not a particularly simple task, so between the filters and your face are placed two fans that help let air into the inner space of the mask. Attached to the fans is a sensor that aims to understand when you start taking a breath and turn them on.

It’s a bit surprising that LG is among the first companies to bring such a product to market, given the global obsession with masks, but the company claims that its development began long before the whole world discovered the benefits of incoming air filtration. Still, it has almost no competitors. The main competitor is Philips, with a mask with a similar principle but with an N95 filter, which is intended for the Chinese market. There are also local Chinese competitors, but most come without concrete promises and explanations about their filtering capabilities.

If you have now identified an opportunity and you are planning to make a mask from the HEPA filter in your vacuum cleaner to sell it, I am sorry to disappoint you: it is dangerous. Unlike medical masks, standards for HEPA filters were not developed with the thought of breathing through them. LG filters are breathable, others are not. In a conversation with Dr. Uri Lerner (PHD), the professional director of the Madat Association, he warns that filters that are not intended for breathing may contain substances such as glass fibers, which you should not put in your lungs.

The most surprising part for me at Puricare is its convenience. Relative to the fact that this is the first generation of a new product, LG did almost everything right. The mask weighs only 130 grams, the internal silicone component that touches the face is pleasant and not bothersome, and even after a few hours with it I did not feel that it particularly bothered me. All this is true, however, only when using the plastic strap that connects the two laces of the mask and comes in a kit. When I tried to put it on my ears only, it started to hurt after a few minutes. It is also important to note that it is a bit difficult to talk to this mask, especially if it is sitting tightly on the face.

On the surface of the mask you will find a single button that aims to activate it in one of the three modes it has: sitting, walking and sports activities. The difference between the modes is the amount of air the mask fans will put into its space when they detect that you are starting to take a breath. This operation, even at the highest intensity, is accompanied by very little noise, and the main reason not to leave it on this mode is the battery life. These range, according to LG, between 8 hours at low intensity and 4 hours at high intensity.

Using a mask requires some adjustment, because its fans, especially at the lowest speed, do not always manage to detect the onset of breathing. Sometimes, throughout one breath, they turn on and off several times. They will still bring you the air you need, but you should get used to ignoring it. Also, the lowest intensity of activity was not comfortable for me, and I preferred to use the middle one even when I was sitting.

Charging is done via a USB-C connection, takes about two hours and can be used during the mask, so if you want to take it for a long flight, you can simply charge it during use. Which brings me to trying to figure out the most important thing about Puricare: Who, in fact, is it good for?

In a conversation with Dr. Lerner, the use of the mask as an aid to the corona period was immediately disqualified. The purpose of the surgical mask and the N95 mask is to stop both adhesion and adhesion of someone else, whereas here what passes through the HEPA filter is only the incoming air, Passes through a permanent internal filter that functions mainly as a valve, and through a replaceable internal cover that does not guarantee filtration.In other words, it is a mask whose function is only to protect you from the environment, and not the environment from you.

Who can it benefit? First of all, for people who are sensitive to air pollution and environmental allergens. Standard HEPA H13 filters filter on average 99.95% of 0.3 micron particles, more than N95 masks. The Puricare can allow these people not only to roam the streets on days when industrialization or the local flora are trying to harm them, but also to breathe much more comfortably than with the N95 thanks to the fans. Secondly, I can see myself flying with this mask if I know I am healthy, just to avoid the diseases at the airport and on the plane thanks to its comfort over time.

If you are convinced, only the small matter of payment remains. The Puricare mask costs NIS 990. It will also require you to invest an additional NIS 70 when you want to replace the filters, which needs to be done once a month, and another NIS 70 when you want another 30 internal covers to protect the mask from saliva and dirt. Yes, it’s a lot of money, especially when surgical masks and N95 masks cost so little.

At the same time, I recognize that there will be people for whom the ability to walk outside and breathe easily even on days when the air is polluted or full of pollen will be worth that amount. Even people who fly a lot and are afraid of getting infected at airports or planes may decide that this is a solution worth the money.

And as my conversation with Dr. Lerner suggests, if there’s one good thing about all of us walking around with masks today (and maybe some of us will continue to use masks, which are not of course this mask, if there is a fear of transmitting “just” a cold), it is no longer strange Even in a country like Israel. Puricare is still eye-catching, but no more than a mask with a cool painting or a mask with a message on it. This means that the question about the viability of the mask is mostly financial, and less “what will the neighbors say”. Can answer.