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Razer has removed all mention of its Zephyr and Zephyr Pro face masks having N95-grade protection from its website, and there’s a new addendum specifically clarifying that the masks aren’t N95-certified.
As we noted in our hands-on review of the fancy mask from October, the Zephyr was originally billed as having N95-grade filters, which might’ve technically been true, but a fairly damning breakdown from Naomi Wu in November accurately notes that Razer’s mask hasn’t been N95-certified and very likely wouldn’t meet the requirements for such certification.
Razer’s reference to N95-grade filtration was likely referring to the small disc-shaped filters included with the mask, which very well may have been made from N95-grade material, but that doesn’t mean the mask as a whole offers similar levels of protection, and according to Wu, it almost certainly doesn’t.
On January 8, seemingly in response to Wu’s critiques on YouTube and Twitter, Razer tweeted out a link to a webpage explaining how its filters work to “offer greater protection over standard cloth masks and daily disposable masks.” Included in the explainer is an addendum that reads: “The Razer Zephyr and Zephyr Pro are not certified N95 masks, medical devices, respirators, surgical masks, or personal protective equipment (PPE) and are not meant to be used in medical or clinical settings.”
Over the weekend, Razer scrubbed all instances of “N95-grade” from its website and marketing materials for the Zephyr and Zephyr pro, and in a statement via PC Mag, it said it did so “to avoid any confusion.” The company also said it would be reaching out to “clarify” exactly what the masks should be used for.
Wu isn’t satisfied, continuing to call for Razer to withdraw the product and issue refunds for what she considers “false advertisement.” But perhaps the most important takeaway for you personally is that Razer’s Zephyr masks don’t appear to offer N95-grade protection from COVID-19 and shouldn’t be used as a replacement for certified respirators.
Cheers, Kotaku.
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After scoring a degree in English from ASU, I worked in – *shudders* – content management while freelancing for places like SFX Magazine, Screen Rant, Game Revolution, and MMORPG. Now, as GamesRadar’s Arizona-based Staff Writer, I’m responsible for managing the site’s western regional executive branch, AKA my apartment, and writing about whatever horror game I’m too afraid to finish.
