Fun Sustainable Transport
TOTOBOBO air masks
a pack of masks and extra filters
comparing a used-mask vs a fresh one
A quick review by a fellow biker, Nagaraj, who commutes to work and gave TOTOBOBO a shot.
What he liked
1. Simple and largely effective design – at the same time forms an very good seal on your face and nose thereby cutting out a lot of crap (essentially sub micron particulate matter) which otherwise you would breathe. There is no other mask made in India which does this. A mask should form a very tight seal for it to be useful. The filters on the TOTOBOBO mask do a very good job. Claire mask in this regard is a piece of crap, essentially for me it has no design at all. Probably it is the best known mask of Indian make.
2. Light weight
3. The breathing resistance you experience is very little. Which means your efficiency of riding/breathing is largely not affected by it.
4. It is reasonably priced, the filters are very cheap.
what he was not too happy about
1. does not cut out CO and other harmful gases (it does not have a Dynamically Activiated Charcoal filter)
2. It takes a little bit of time to get the fit right – the only way what you breathe out gets out of the mask is through the boundary of the mask with your facial skin. This happens if you wear the mask tight enough so that the pressure built up in the mask from your exhaust pushes the mask out just enough from the skin so that the exhaust escapes out. If you wear it a little too loose, then you defeat the very purpose of wearing it.
3. The filters get dirty (they turn black) with about 3 to 4 hours of usage in Bangalore.
Thank you Nagaraj for the valuable feedback. I have used these masks over the last month or so with a pretty consistent experience. Would not dream of commuting in Bangalore without a mask.
Pricing
Mask: Rs. 950
Filter (1 Pair): Rs 75
Some points to remember about the mask
- The preferred breathing pattern is Mouth in – Nose out. The TOTOBOBO filter is much more efficient to filter out fine particulates than our nose. Breathe in with the mouth is less resistance and opening the mouth further improve the face seal- it gives a bigger margin for the strap tolerance to achieve the one-way-valve effect as you describe here
- TOTOBOBO filter currently don’t have an active carbon version.
- Turning dark is a signal to change filter – the filter won’t change color by itself, turning dark is a pretty solid indication that it has done it’s job.
If you commute on a bicycle in the city its high time you get a mask and check out the difference yourself !
Comments
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This is nice and the price looks very decent as well catch you soon
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I am using the masks and they are good. - One scenario where the seal is not good is when you have a beard (not necessarily a full one, but anything beyond a stubble). Tightening the strap does not always work in such a case. - The mist formation inside the mask takes a little getting used to, but it aids in improving the seal.
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Is BOTS stocking these masks? If not, where is avlb in Bangalore?
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yup. Available only at BOTS ;)
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It gets black in three to four hours?? That's really scary.
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Hi, Can somebody give me the contact # for the shop? I have been trying to get it all over the net and called just dial, and they gave me the number to ramakrishna hospital :-)) I need to buy the mask. Thanks, Pradeep
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Hello Pradeep, you can email us at admin@bumsonthesaddle.com and drop in and pick up the mask from us.
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Hi Rohan Am from Hyderabad... Where can we procure this product?? Hve to doonline or can we shop in hyd? pl. give details My mail id is maharaj.saran@relianceada.com maharajsaran@gmail.com Ph: 09394088844
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Hi Rohan Am from Hyderabad... Where can we procure this product?? Hve to do online or can we shop in hyd? pl. give details My mail id is maharaj.saran@relianceada.com maharajsaran@gmail.com Ph: 09394088844
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i had severe cough after i started cycling to work then i asked Rohan he asked me to use this mask ....what a difference !!besides i have a habit of opening my mouth while riding so this is a lifer saver on roads like Old Madaras road which i frequently use! but must say the avg life span of the filter aint gr8 meaning i gt to go to the shop to pick one up again....! dude have any super saver packs?they maybe useful coz the rate at which the filters get "balck" ita mkes sense to buy in some saver packs!
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hi guys I'm in Delhi from Canada and love biking but to be honest i'm afraid... I used to bike to and from work every day when in Montreal. I'd like to do the same here in delhi and the issue is i can't seem to find a single person in delhi who can point me to a good cycling mask or shop. Now, I bike fast - avg 30kmph peaking around 50kmph - for 2 seconds ;) - so i can get a work out to and from work about 20mins each way per day. So I have 2 questions. 1 Will this mask protect me if that's what i do? 2 Depending on that answer, can you tell me how i'd get one over to me in delhi? if not can you point me to where i can get a repro mask shipped to me? Cheers, thecanadian
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Hi Andre, I am from delhi too and would like to get my hands on this mask. Do let us know if there a source in Delhi
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Hey Andre and Vikas,
we are the sole distributors for the mask at the moment. Lemme know if you would like us to ship a mask to you. We can courier the item. -
As someone who knows a thing or two about respirators, let me say something: The filter getting black on the mask is *NOT* a bad thing! Nor does it mean the filter is going bad. What it DOES mean is that the "black" you see there is everything you would have been breathing in had you not been wearing a mask--in other words, that's all the crud that's been filtered out! Physical filters work better the more full of crud they get since they work on friction, electrical charge, etc. Unless you're using it against infection (bacteria, viruses, etc), it's a waste of money to replace the filter until the breathing resistance goes up to the point of it being uncomfortable to use or the scent from whatever is caught on the filter gets extreme. (Remember, smoke is coated in organic compounds, most of which will vaporize over time and give a "scent".) In the case of protection from germs, you have to remember that, not only the mask, but your entire uncovered body is contaminated and will need disinfection: this is the reason why governments (or at least our CDC here in the USA) have said masks are useless unless you know what you're doing). I agree that a carbon filter should be the next addition to the mask when used as pollution prevention. Still, as he says, particulate IS the more dangerous factor since smoke gets trapped in your lungs, especially the smallest particles, which may end up in your alveoli: hence smokers with "filtered" cigarettes having just as many problems as normal smokers. (Hint: any filter that shows a deposit on the "clean" side isn't doing a very good job--it means stuff is getting past the filter media. Hence "coffee filter" is a misnomer as it's really just a holder for the ground up beans.) Mike
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Hi Please let me know if I can get this shipped to Mumbai. Please let me know price and likely duration and preferred payment modes. Please reply here or on my email address at the earliest. Thanks Manisha
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Hi, I'm in Bangalore and want to purchase this mask , to whom should I contact ? Is this available in any shop in Bangalore ?
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Am planning to get this. Am in Hyderabad currently. Please let me know how can I get one for me. Waiting for your reply!
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I’m an Italian student in Milan. I’m currently carrying out a research report about urban sustainability and people’s sensitivity to health problems due to air pollution especially in metropolis. I’d like to ask you if u have any data or survey results to share about this topic or about air pollution facemask consumption, wich can be a good proxy to understand the problem, since facemask starts to appear even in the Italian market.
May you help me?
Write me back. Thanks
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where can i pick this up in mumbai
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where can i pick this up in mumbai
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where can i pick this up in mumbai
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where can i pick this up in mumbai
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where can i pick this up in mumbai
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where can i pick this up in mumbai
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hey guyz for all those who have problems in buying the mask in delhi… plz contact gaurav wadhwa… his shop is located in yusuf sarai mkt its called supreme cycle co. n is the best place to buy stuff they deal with leading brands like giant trek cannondale firefox kona etc… !! he may even offer u a 10% discount..!!
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Where I can get this in bangalore… Can you give a phone number to contact
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Hi I live in Bangalore and would like to purhcase this for my family – please let me know where to contact. Thank you – Sri
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Hi I live in Bangalore and would like to purhcase this for my family – please let me know where to contact. Thank you – Sri
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Hi,
I live in bangalore and I would like to buy mask for cycling purpose. Please give me the contact number/address where I get the TOTOBOBO mask... Thanks... -
Have been using this mask for some last 2 weeks.. its great.. I really feel horrible having cycled in bangalore traffic for some 2 months. If u are commuting in city. This mask is pretty good and mask is a must in the city.
