beards are a no but compared to disposable N95s, the 7500s are much more resilient to stubble, and it's possible to self-test the fit to verify the seal
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this is a killer feature of non-disposable respirators IMO
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like it may or may not actually matter, but whenever i used to wear a disposable N95 mask, i would just have, like, constant Seal Anxiety
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as a bearded person I just hope my mask is protecting other people enough, because it isn't doing much for me.
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for you personally? idk, maybe consider a goatee? up to you.
for me, the prevalence of cloth masks, ill-fitted masks, masks over beards, masks over mouth only, etc, is why i wear a real respirator
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I keep my beard trimmed quite short and 7502 seals well as long as the straps are quite tight. I'm sure it's better clean shaven but I tested with bleach and I can't smell it with organic vapor filters + N95/N100.
Disposable ones don't work at all even with ~6mm trimmed beard.
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The only time I really needed it was when going to get 1st round of Moderna anyway. Love how the government decided it was best to pack everyone into a poorly ventilated old building instead of just doing it outside.