It’s goodI'm a CMT (I work in healthcare) so I wear a mask for 8-16 hours/day. I don't care for the cloth masks, I have a round face and they tend to cling, so I prefer the surgical type (plus they're more effective). My employer provides them at work, but I wanted my own stock for home use and for my children as they are going back to school.These masks took a little longer than advertised to ship, I think all in all about a day shy of 3 weeks. So not a terribly long time, but since they didn't arrive on the date promised I gave them 4 stars. Yes, they are made overseas, there's a sticker stating they are made in China. The packaging is a mix of Japanese and English, I had the box translated, and it translates to almost the exact English text that is on the other side of the box.Now for the actual review. The box came opened and slightly worn, but the masks inside were still vacuum sealed in plastic. The masks themselves are 4 ply, which is a step above my usual 3 ply blue surgical type (another reason for my purchase). They feel substantial and I believe will last my kids a full day at school.The material used isn't any rougher than other masks, but of course isn't as soft as cloth if that's what you're used to (I saw a complaint about the material being rough). The elastic ear loops feel like they'll hold up fairly well and will stretch to fit most head sizes.These have the metal nose piece, which when you apply the mask you should squeeze to form around your nose as you pull the bottom of the mask down below your chin. I didn't notice them being any baggier than other masks (I saw a complaint about this too), and the bottom portion will tuck under your chin the way its supposed to. It is a more 'one-size-fits-all' mask, so it might be larger on some faces than others. But so long as you pinch the nose piece and pull the bottom down under your chin simultaneously, it should provide the necessary security.I can't comment on the effectiveness of the carbon layer. It's thicker than the other layers, so whether it filters smells or not, it's still an added layer of protection that I appreciate.If you're looking for a mask and can wait three weeks or so (seems like we'll be needing them for the foreseeable future), I think these are a decent buy. Good product for a good price.First I got them I was not very happy. The box they came in was badly damaged and I was not impressed at all with that. And the masks are super thick, they are stiff, took some time to get a hang of them.But once I gotta hang of them, they ares super tight. That maybe personal reference, my asian flat face make them easy to fit. Especially nose around takes a few tries to get them fit good.Once they fit, they feel business. You can feel the air you are breathing is filtered, I might have to say they're not easy to breath, they may not be a good mask for jogging or athletic activity. But for the everyday life - going to store or restaurant, super market and stuff, they feel very safe.As I said before. I was not very happy to start with, yet now I think they are one of the better masks in the market.The good:The fourth layer, made from pressed polypropylene fibers, has activated charcoal powder sprayed and hot-pressed onto plastic. The coating is a a bit uneven with some black blotches but still, it does seem that it should offer significant additional absorbing power to the masks (just about everything sticks tightly to activated charcoal, and virus is no exception).The bad: Some details of the construction can be better.1. Face-side layer is a bit rough; I have some masks that are appreciably softer.2. Nose-adjustment piece is not sufficiently soft - no matter what, it always unbends a little bit back, creating a slight gap around the nose (that's the problem with 95% of all cheap masks).3. Fourth layer adds some rigidity to the mask, making it difficult to adjust for a gap-less contact with chins. This can be remedied by careful wrapping the side edges inside.4. Slightly larger overall size (a few more mm in both dimensions) would go a long way of making the mask stay in place without the need for occasional adjustment.All in all, I'd give it 3.5 out of 5.It's a great mask. I ordered 3times. The most recent ones are not the same. The first 2 orders looks like it was sent directly from Pattoa(orange and yellow boxes). This third order was from another seller, Max Protection. It is a 4layer mask, but no where on the box does it state activated carbon/charcoal. These ones are wrapped in 10pks though, that's nice.Slightly smaller than the brand I used to purchase (Amazon does not sell anymore). There is not as much activated carbon as the other brand — when held up to the light you can see “thin” parts. Also, very slightly scratchy, but not uncomfortable. Overall very good, but not 5-star good. I will buy these again unless the other seller pops back up.They were very stiff when I got them and didn't fit very well but they fit and felt much better once I washed the whole batch in cold water, gentle cycle. They held up really well, too!! Not one was damaged/unusable after I took them out the dryer and put them back in the original plastic for storage.Pros: 1) stops toxic fumes such as perfumes and cigarette smoke rather well IF you press the mask on to your face with your hand 2) decent priceCons: 1) poor seal 2) fogs up your glasses 3) blows your respiration onto your eyes 4) shreds is you talk or chew under it. Takes about five minutes before you are sucking up tons of fibers into your mouth. Two to four hours if you keep your mouth shut. 5) ear loops can be uncomfortable