Oh wow, Razer was selling masks? Seriously? That’s wild, I must’ve missed that completely. What’s even wilder is that a bunch of people apparently decided that their best option for respiratory filters is, of all things, a gaming company. And one with a shaky QC history at that.
I was very interested in buying one; the details looked OK, and it wasn’t a use-once product like those flimsy blue face masks. This was early on when no end was in sight so it seemed like a decent move, and was at least interesting visually.
I ended up not buying one since they took forever from announcement to actual public sale, and I’d talked myself out of it.
I think i saw the masks on display inside one of the casino lobbies in Vegas when I was there last year. It looked “fine” as an accessory unit, too tacky for most people, but i didnt think it was advertised as an N95.
I got mine from MIRA. Though now i am getting their end of the world news letter…
Good thing I’ve already found a replacement.
I think you could have worn this to a supermarket during a pandemic and no one would have been startled
The “LOVE LOVE” skullfuck handles are a nice touch.
They actually just meant it was suitable for use with the Nokia N95 phone.
Damn that was my favourite phone. sigh ‘Twas a simpler time.
“It was never our intention to mislead people.”
Then why make false claims?
I bought one of these masks for the novelty, as well as the influence to buy it during the Great Lockdown when not much was known about Covid and we were wiping down our groceries. By the time the product launched, we already knew how Covid spread and had a vaccine. Despite the advertising saying that it has N95 filters, it was clear that this was not an N95 product. Razer generically stated that it is not a certified N95 mask, but the advertising and product pages were certainly misleading and the FTC’s fine is valid and justified to protect the health and safety of consumers. I would not have used the Zephyr in place of my actual certified N95 masks.
The Zephyr was heavy, but overall quite comfortable, but I never took it outside and wore it for something like a grocery trip (since I knew it was not an N95 mask, and masks were very divisive where I live in a Red State. The last thing I wanted was to potentially be attacked by an anti-vax/mask Freedom Lover). It was heavy, and the fans were loud - very loud. What was disappointing was that the production version did not come with the two features I wanted that were initially advertised: the sanitising case, and the voice amplifier. Imagine how much more fines Razer would face if they advertised an included UV case that came with blue lights rather than UV lights!
I didn’t end up keeping the Zephyr, although I wish I did just to keep a small, unique memory of an uncertain and dangerous time. I do wonder if they could have launched this product sooner and certified it as an N95 mask, if gaming culture could make wearing masks when you’re sick popular. Selfish people might put aside their “freedoms” if they could look cool with gamer RGB and get attention from others (the motivation for selfishness). Of course the Zephyr would need to go through several years of revisions until it became culture.
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Cost of doing business
I remember making fun of it in some discord, imagine spending so much r&d into some RGB gadget instead of contributing to research during COVID, the only certificates they had were for electrical products, none for health stuff
This is from the E3 (or whatever that events name was) announcement
So…do we have reusable respirators that block >=95% of particles 0.3 microns in size yet??
That still uses disposable filters. So maybe it reduces the amount of waste by 10%?
Do we have one that has reusable filters? I mean a filter you can use for at least 10 years.
I mean, use for 10 years by what metric? A woodworker is gonna block up that filter in a few months, someone who works in a hospice might get a few years, and triage nurses might burn through them in half that simply due to moving fast. Also I think 10 years might be a bit of a stretch in general, I’ve never known a mask filter to last that long in any model I’ve used
I’m referring to the pandemic. Use for 10 years by a nurse breathing average hospital air 40 hours per week.
I want something washable, not disposable.
I’ll take “Product Categories That SHOULD NEVER EXIST” for $1000 Alex!
Covid? I thought gamers were rising up!
The fact it uses clear plastic for the mouth has to be a crime, surely.
Just as much a crime as apple vision pro with their LED eyes
Could you imagine a world in which both products catch on? I shudder just to think about it
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It says they used N95 meltbkown filters.
I don’t understand how that would not make the product N95, then
Because the seals on the mask itself weren’t rated and they didn’t go through FDA authorization. You HAVE to go through FDA clearance if you want to claim your product meets medical standards.
It wasn’t though, I was specifically researching it and the Xupermask from Will.i.am and neither promised N95 capability, in fact, they both specifically stated they WEREN’T N95.
Pages are down now, so there’s nothing to link to, but if it had been N95 I would have bought one. They weren’t.
What’s Inside
Razer Zephyr with adjustable head straps 3 sets of N95 grade filters for 9 Days of usage USB-C Charging Cable Anti-fog sprayFANS
2 Speed High (6200 RPM) / Low (4200 RPM) Dual intake fansFILTER
N95 grade meltblown filters* 99% BFE rating Able to filter at least 95% of 0.3 microns particles *Sold in special refill packs on razer.comhttps://web.archive.org/web/20211025004539/https://www.razer.com/gear-accessories/razer-zephyr
