Recently got in a new, small shipment of KN95 masks. N95s are far too expensive, even if you manage to find a legit source for them. Most of the time, it's either a scam, horrendously expensive, you end up waiting months to get your order, or you get half your order; and then the seller vanishes off of the internet with your money. Or, some combination of the above if you do get your order. (Honestly, same thing happens with KN95s too. Just to a lesser extent and they tend to be less outrageously expensive.)
Sadly, plenty of ghouls, scammers, and pandemic profiteers out there selling fake KN95s all over the place. Thankfully, there is a simple test. Though it does mean sacrificing a mask from your order. Still worth it to tell if you got sent the real thing though.
Open the flat KN95. Put it on your face, take it off. Hold the mask hanging down by one ear-loop, put the other ear-loop in your mouth and use that as a 3rd hand. With your other hand, pour some water into the mask's inside layer. Hold it there for at least two minutes. Don't move! You don't want the water spilling out the sides. And it's so easy for that to happen. Should be standing in front of a mirror while doing this. Look at the seam down the middle of the mask. There should be absolutely no water droplets at all. No drips. The fakes will often start dripping as soon as a minute in.
After that, cut a patch off of the mask with scissors. Older ones had 5 thin layers inside. Newer ones that are still good will have 4 inside. Take the white layer inside, there should be two and they're usually pressed together so tightly it looks like only one. Take a lighter to that filter layer. It should just melt. If it catches on fire, you've been cheated!
Yeah, you sacrifice a mask during the testing process. No way around that. But you have peace of mind knowing the order of several masks you received is made up of real KN95s.
Nothing but little men behind a curtain.
