With the pandemic lot of Indian and international companies started to think better and went to the drawing board to build better masks and breathing products. One such company is Philips that innovated and come out with a new digital face mask. It is called Philips Fresh Air Mask and we have been using it every time we step out of the house. What is its main USP? It has a rechargeable exhaust fan within. This is our review of the Philips Fresh Air Mask and should you buy it?
Philips Fresh Air Mask review: Design
The Philips Fresh Air Mask comes in a perfect square navy-blue box. When opened, the first thing you see is a black mask with a silver contraption attached to it. Next, you will find the interchangeable air filter, a USB Type-C charging cable and a manual. The main front end of the mask is built of a mesh-like tough cloth material, which is washable. The silver contraption we spoke about earlier is actually the removable exhaust fan unit. This is connected to a small rechargeable battery inside. The battery compartment also has a USB charging port on it.
The filter you get with the Philips Fresh Air Mask is very easy to fit into the main head of the mask and comes with an adjustable nose pin. You can plug the circular exhaust window (in the filter) over the fan magnetically and the sides get attached neatly to the hooks on the left and right sides of the inside of the mask. The straps on this digital face mask are adjustable and you can tighten and loosen them up with ease. The material used all around the Philips Fresh Air Mask is very nice and has a premium, rich feel to it.
Philips Fresh Air Mask review: Performance
Now, coming to the performance of the Philips Fresh Air Mask. We found it to be fine for women but slightly small for men or people with large faces. A square inch larger would have been perfect. Nonetheless, that does not mean that the face mask is not good. It is very-very good. It does what Philips intended it to do. It pushes out all the CO2 and hot air from within.
The fan has 3-speed modes, which can be accessed with the LED-lit button on the fan panel from the outside. Sweat is the biggest problem of any facemask, but with this one (thanks to the fan) you hardly find any sweat drops on your face even when you are in hot temperatures. Charging the Philips Fresh Air Mask is also very easy and one can do that with any USB charger using the supplied cable.
The Philips Fresh Air Mask can filter out 95% 3um particles, as the company says, and we did feel a difference when we started using this mask over the regular masks you get in the market. To clean the mask, one must remove the battery with the fan unit, which pushes out easily. The same way you can place it in, which again clicks in easily. If the filter (which by the way is 4 layered) is getting old and dirty one can purchase more from Philips for Rs 2,990. The battery of the mask lasted us for 3.5 hours at medium speed. Even without the fan, the mask is very useable, as it is light in weight and well built. But it will not push out the hot air and carbon die oxide as easily.
Verdict
So, is the Philips Fresh Air Mask at Rs 6,990 (available on Amazon) worth buying? On most counts yes. It is the latest in face mask technology, hence Philips is asking for a premium. Put it this way, you cannot put a price on saving yourself from the deadly coronavirus. And in the process, if you can keep your face cool and fresh then it is a good deal. With the black version, a pink version is also available for the ladies. It can be a good gym companion as well, as it will keep your face cool during a hot workout.
Pros
Comfortable
Exhaust pushes out CO2 swiftly
Washable and reusable
Cons
Slightly small for people with large faces
Some might find it expensive
Battery life could have been better
