My Face Shield Experience
Reviewing the Axiom (Premium) Face Shield
So I decided to finally start wearing additional PPE when doing tasks outside, since the COVID cases are getting worse and worse. I almost always use a mask, but I decided now that it was time to get a face shield for extended safety for both myself and the people around me, especially in busier areas.
Most of the masks that our family gets is from Costco, since they sold them at a good price and the quality for the most part is reliable and solid. Long story short, I do not use reusable ones since the elastic parts on it puts my ears at an awkward position. So I decided to get the face shield from Costco as well, since they had a cheaper (reduced build quality) and a better one.
Ended up getting the Axiom Group Face Shields, in the box of 5 for $20 CAD. It was very nice, since I know I will be reusing these, I might as well buy the ones with the best build quality and probably comfort.
Assembly
These face shields are basically a 3–4 part assembly. The cardboard box was better presentation and storage compared to the slightly cheaper pack of 10 face shield. There were basically 4 parts: The frame, the foam, the visor, and the strap. All of them seemed to have excellent build quality. Looking at their website, it does indeed to be above-average quality, which is good, since it costs a lot and should last a long time.
The visor is barely flexible at all, and barely bends. A very high quality material. The foam is technically optional, since you do not really need it, but of course for comfort reasons, you do not really want to get marks over your face. The strap is a bit elastic, it will stretch, but not to the point of insecure fit. The frame is what holds everything together.
The assembly was relatively self-explanatory and quite simple, which is very good. It did take a bit longer than usual, since I needed to get a good fit with the strap. The holes on the strap took a bit of effort to get into the pinholes. But overall once it is in, the whole face shield structure felt really secure and built well.
Comfort, Performance, Review
Overall, wearing it for the first time, it took a bit getting used to, just like the face mask. However, the overall build and materials used makes it a comfortable fit.
However, my long hair and its disorganization made it a bit awkward since it was slipping around a bit sometimes, and did not have a perfect tight fit. But nonetheless, it was still secure. Also a bit unfortunate that I cannot wear a hat or cap with this, but there are other contraptions out there that can support it.
The face shield did fog up at times, and quite often. At the beginning, it was quite hard to see. But it did not fog up super duper much, nor was it permanent in situations (outdoor to indoor, breathing hard, etc). It took a few minutes to go away.
The dimensions were very nice and there is a constant reminder not to touch my face; wearing this mask made me realize how much I did so subconsciously. Sometimes though the face shield is quite big and wide so it was a very very very very minor obstruction.
Talking and breathing while wearing a face mask, then a face shield was not too much different, but now the breathing noises are a bit more audible, since more sound was absorbed through the plastic visor? But overall, I did not really find too many issues with that. I am an average young adult with decent cardiovascular health, so this was not a concern.
Overall, so far wearing the face shield with a face mask, it is quite nice. Although it makes you stand out a bit more and slightly more inconvenient, the comfort is still decent, and the visor does not really obstruct too many things or tasks. It makes life slightly safer! So far, so good.