> Totobobo Mask - what I like:
> ---------------------------------------
> 1. Simple and largely effective design. What I mean by that is, the
> mask is not complicated but at the same time forms an very good seal
> on your face and nose thereby cuttting out a lot of crap (essentially
> sub micron particulate matter) which otherwise you would breathe.
> There is no other mask made in India (A.F.A.I.K) which does this.  The
> important thing is a mask should form a very tight seal for it to
> start being 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. totobobo is light weight so almost don't feel its weight on your
> face.
> 3. The breathing resistance you experience (versus say Respro) is very
> little. Which means your efficiency of riding/breathing is largely not
> affected by it.
> 4. It is cheap (versus Respro), the filters are very cheap (versus
> Respro). This is with a caveat, see more of my review to understand
> what I mean by this.
> 5. Last but not the least, Rohan (BOTS) will sell the filters when I
> run out of my stock.

> Totobobo mask - what I DON'T like
> -------------------------------------------------
> 1. It does not cut out the CO and other harmful exhaust gases because
> it does not have a Dynamically Activiated Charcoal filter like Respro.
> Francis correct me if I am wrong on this one.
> 2. It takes a little bit of time (you need to ride with it a few
> times) to get the fit right from the perspective of avoiding
> condensation (big time) inside the mask. What I mean by this is, 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 (but not too tight) 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 and hence water vapour (and
> hence condesation) does not build up inside the mask. 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. This means  I am not sure if this can be used as a
> signal to change the filters, so Francis your comments are welcome
> here. Assuming it is a signal enough, then the filters need to be
> changed probably once or even twice a week for regular commuters like
> me.
> 4. The ties on the mask which hold them onto your face are a little
> flimsy and not very convenient to adjust to your face. A strap and a
> velcro mechanism (like Respro) would have been far more effective. The
> current ties as they are DO WORK, please don't get me wrong.

> Respro mask - what I like and what I don't like.
> -------------------------------------------------
> 1. It does cut out the CO and other harmful exhaust gases (through a
> DAC filter) in addition to the sub micron particulate matter.
> 2. The design is very effective, it forms a tight seal as effectively
> as the totobobo mask. This too is light weight but a tad heavier than
> totobobo but not to the extent of being a bother. It has got a velcro
> strap to keep it in place on your face which works VERY effectively
> and also helps in forming the tight seal (which is so important).
> 3. There are one way exhaust valves on the mask which let out the air
> you breathe out (but don't allow air in when you breathe in); this
> feature greatly helps in avoiding the condensation issue inside the
> mask.
> 4. The filters seem to last much longer, it has been around 15 riding
> days i.e. 15 riding hours for me until now with my first set of Respro
> filter and the filter hasn't turned black yet. So from a cost
> perspective i need to do more to compare the cost of Respro filters
> and totoboto filters to conclusively say which is cheaper.
> 5. There is significant breathing resistance with Respro, if you want
> to see the good side of this, then it is that you can increase the
> training effectiveness (if you are training for a race or something
> similar) with this:-), otherwise this is a pain.
> 6. The discomfort or lack of comfort rather is a bit more with Respro
> versus totobobo.
> 7. As I mentioned earlier the initial cost of Respro is almost 4 times
> that of totobobo. Mind you I am not talking about the repetitive
> expenses of filters here, but just the initial cost of acquiring the
> mask itself with a set of filters or a filter as the case may be.

> So what is my final conculsion; I think both have a place, I intend to
> use both. Having said that, totobobo is VALUE for MONEY undoudtedly.
> Respro is a sophisticated design albeit expensive one. So take your
> pick.

> Cheers
> Nagaraj

> On Nov 3, 2:21 pm, totobobo <totobobom...@gmail.com> wrote:
> > Hi Nagaraj,

> > Thanks for the useful review. I think it is long overdue for a fair
> > and factual benchmark between different made of mask.

> > Do you have further comment after using the mask for a month now?

> > Best regards,

> > Francis

> > On Oct 2, 5:26 pm, Nagaraj <Nagaraj_Puduko...@satyam.com> wrote:

> > > I finally received myrespromask yesterday. I ordered it a few days
> > > ago from their website (www.respro.com).  It was shipped to me from
> > > the UK.  The whole thing including shipping burnt a hole worth 33 UK
> > > pound sterling on my credit card. There was no customs duty levied on
> > > it by the Indian authorities. It was shipped to me via. Royal Mail.
> > > The packaging was excellent. I ordered the techno model (blue colour,
> > > large size). I got to try it out this morning cycling for about 5 to 6
> > > km.  Here is my initial impression of it:-

> > > 1. Just like the totobobo mask it forms a tight fit over the nose and
> > > mouth. It is very easy to put on and take off. Very convenient. On
> > > this front it does have a slight edge over the totobobo mask.
> > > 2. It seems to be as effective as the totobobo mask in filtering out
> > > the sub micron particulate matter in pollution. And in addition it has
> > > two one way valves on it which ensure that as you breathe out, the
> > > water vapour in the breath goes out without condensing inside or
> > > without leaving a temporary cloudy layer on my spectacles. Because
> > > these are one way valves, when you breathe in, they lock up and the
> > > air passes only through the filter inside the mask.
> > > 3. The filter has a Dynamically Activated Charcoal Cloth (DACC) in it
> > > which adsorbs (note this is not absorption but adsorption) which is
> > > supposed to protect you from gases like CO and other gases in typical
> > > vehicle exhausts. I was very keen on testing this aspect of the mask
> > > as the totobobo mask does not have this feature. With the totobobo
> > > mask I can smell the exhaust quite clearly and they anyway do not
> > > claim that it protects you against gases in the exhaust.  Totobobo
> > > does claim that the mask filters out particulate matter (upto 94% i.e.
> > > 1% less than the N95 NIOSH standard) upto 0.3 micron size (i.e.
> > > anything greater than 0.3 micron size).  As I mentioned in my earlier
> > > review of the totobobo mask, the filters turned black for me with 2
> > > hours of usage. BTW I got totobobo on their website and it was shipped
> > > to me from Singapore. Back toRespromask now. The acid test for it
> > > was going behind a bus which just accelerated from a bus stop.
> > > Obviously the bus spewed out a ton of exhaust at that point. I could
> > > not smell the exhaust a bit. I just could not believe it. The damn
> > > thing is very effective andrespro'sclaim, at least for me, seems
> > > vindicated. I can't say the same about totobobo. Hats off and thank
> > > yourespro.
> > > 4. According torespro, the filter is expected to last for 30 hours at
> > > a breathing rate of 30 liters per minute assuming WHO guidelines for
> > > ambient levels of pollution. I don't know how many times is the
> > > pollution in Bangalore compared to WHO standards. Surely that factor
> > > must be more than 1. I intend to use myresproand keep a record of my
> > > usage to see how long a filter lasts in the pollution levels we have
> > > in Bangalore. BTW the replacement techno filter pack (2 filters in the
> > > pack) will cost you 16.5 UK pound sterling including shipping to
> > > India.
> > > 5. I was of course sweaty inside the mask but surely a lot less than
> > > the totobobo mask because of the one way exhaust valves.

> > > I agreeresprois very expensive (4 times almost) compared to the
> > > totobobo mask. I will post more about my feedback onresproafter I
> > > use it for a few weeks.

> > > Cheers
> > > Nagaraj- Hide quoted text -

> > - Show quoted text -