To paraphrase the immortal words of Michael Corleone, ‘Just when we thought we were out, it pulled us back in:’ Just as we thought we were getting the better of the Delta Covid-19 variant and would soon be able to rid ourselves of facemasks, along came Omicron, and face masks are once again becoming mandatory in many places around the world. We have reviewed several masks here at TrvlTrend. A couple of our favorite face masks for travel are the EasyBreathe face mask and the FrontLine virus elimination mask from LCP Medical. The FrontLine mask recently won the prize for the best safety and health solutions at the 2021 SmartBrief Innovation Awards in the Business Travel category. We aren’t the only ones taking notice of these masks.
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EasyBreathe face mask: washable and no fogging of glasses
The EasyBreathe is a washable cloth face mask with an embedded air chamber but no need for replaceable filters. We found the mask to be comfortable and stay firmly in place without slipping off or leaving a gap at the edges. This feature prevents unfiltered, unprotected air from slipping in. What’s more, the EasyBreathe face mask will enable you to adjust the seal on your nose bridge, and with a perfect seal around your nose bridge, the hot air you breathe out isn’t slipping up through your mask and causing condensation on your glasses. Avoiding condensation on glasses, as anyone who wears glasses will be aware of, is a considerable advantage and thus a major plus point for the EasyBreathe face mask. Another selling point is that the EasyBreath creates an air chamber that pushes the cloth away from your face, making it a much more comfortable mask than regular cloth by removing irritation and itching.
The LCP Medical face masks are easily washed by hand with a mild detergent and, according to the manufacturer, will last from 25-50 washes depending on use. The mask fabric allows it to dry quickly, but we recommend that you travel with two pairs so that you can dry out one while you have another available for use.
EasyBreathe face mask features
- Enhanced, Stiff Polymer Frame that Stays in Place – No Bunching or Face Contact
- Polymer Stiffener Blocks Airflow from Edges & Directs Breathing through the Embedded Air Chamber
- High Air Flow Polyester Outer Layer
- Cotton Interior
- Quick Drying Hand-Washable Fabric
- Elongated Cheek Area and Ear Loops with Easy Adjustments
- No-Flow Neoprene Nose Bridge Panel Wiring for Adjustable Seal to Prevent Fogging of Glasses & Improve Protective Seal
- No-Flow Neoprene Chin Panel
FrontLine Mask: Advanced anti-viral technology
The FrontLine face mask, similar to the EasyBreathe, prevents fogging on glasses and has an air chamber that makes it more comfortable than other masks. While the EasyBreathe comes with filtration built into the mask, the FrontLine face mask has a filter compartment. It has three replaceable filter options, depending on use: a standard N95 compliant filter; LCP Medical’s proprietary technology PathoGen Filter made from multiple layers of pure elemental copper, which can eliminate 99.9% of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19; and a unique sport filter specifically created for exercise, sports, outdoor activities.
The filters are easily removed with the FrontLine face mask when washing. As with the EasyBreathe mask, the FrontLine mask is washable – with a mild detergent – and will quickly air dry.
FrontLine mask: Travel Award
In giving the award to the FrontLine mask, SmartBrief noted that “the face mask is innovative and a major upgrade to standard masks ultimately making traveling easier and safer for the wearer.”
FrontLine facemask features
- Enhanced, Stiff Polymer Frame that Stays in Place – No Bunching or Face Contact
- Polymer Stiffener Blocks Airflow from Edges & Directs Breathing through Filters
- High Air Flow Polyester Outer Layer
- Cotton Interior
- Hand-Washable Fabric Mask (do not wash filters)
- Elongated Cheek Area and Ear Loops with Easy Adjustments
- No-Flow Neoprene Nose Bridge Panel Wiring for Adjustable Seal to Prevent Fogging of Glasses & Improve Protective Seal
- No-Flow Neoprene Chin Panel
LCP Medical – a hi-tech history
Let’s get into the manufacturing background. LCP takes its name from crystal polymer, a thermoplastic polymer used for fabricating high density printed circuits and complex injection-molded components used in the electronics industry. It leveraged technologies employed in the printed circuit board industry developed at HSIO Technologies by James Rathburn, an accomplished inventor with over 80 patents who founded both companies.
When COVID-19 hit, Rathburn and the folks at LCP started looking for ways to use their state-of-the-art technology to create a better mask for the frontline health community, like the n95mask, for instance. LCP Medical initially created the PathoGen Respirator, a transparent, optically clear mask for front-line health care workers requiring reliable protection in high exposure environments. The PathoGen was based on LCP’s precision circuit fabrication embedded with anti-viral copper elements. LCP then took its advanced technology to apply it to more accessible consumer products and created its custom-fit washable FrontLine and EasyBreathe cloth face masks.
LCP Medical- Leadership at the forefront of technology
LCP Medical is led by CEO James Rathburn, an experienced and successful inventor, engineer and manufacturer with over 80 technology patents and patent applications and many years of experience in semiconductors and electronics.
No matter the phone or computer you use, the game you play, the TV you watch, or the car you drive, there is a chance that at least one of the chips in those products was touched in some small way along by one of Jim’s inventions.
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EasyBreathe and FrontLine masks: Affordable and available in five sizes
Both the EasyBreathe face mask and the FrontLine masks come in five sizes suitable for ages 5-years-old and up.
The EasyBreathe sells online on LCP’s website for $24,99, while the FrontLine face mask sells for $45.99 and comes with five N95-compliant filters. A pack of three Anti-PathoGen copper embedded filters sells for $39.99, while a 5-pack of sports filters costs $23.99.
