Ergodyne Balaclava with Removable Heat Exchange Face Mask for Optimal Protection

Anibal a.: The silk is very thinn, the mask does blocks the wind, love the fact that you can remove it and leave it hanging with the belcro. Company needs to improve it tho, this is designed for extreme cold. I would had returned it but I needed it.

United States on Nov 18, 2023

J Allsworth: I had my first Ergodyne N-Ferno 6970 Balaclava for several years now. I bought this second mask of this type 2.5 years ago (now it is 07/08/23).

Keeps your face toasty in even the coldest and windiest conditions. Been outside in -15ºF w/windchill down to -30ºF (and lower) for 30 minutes or more. Face kept warm. The breather filter keeps your breath warmed up on inhale so your lungs are not hit with a blast of freezing temps. My only minor issue is that the mask tends to fit a bit tight in certain areas around the nose. It's not much of a problem (a little tightness). Aside from that, it is well worth the extra cost of not freezing your face/nose. And if it is a bit warmer out, you can remove the breath filter for when you don't need so much protection from less frigid temps. Must have for cold temps!!

United States on Jul 08, 2023

david samuel: This product is not nearly worth $80 - it should be priced at $20, tops. I bought a RockBros face mask with the rhino-looking nose part, and it felt far better than this. Also, the RockBros one is made of legit softshell, which wind resistant -this is porous fleece. It's a good design, and I read about this mask on a blog prior to buying. Bottom line - if it doesn't fit your face perfectly, it cannot function as intended, and will be uncomfortable, in the -20C or whatever. Prevent disappointment, and losing $80 and don't buy. Definitely look at RockBros and buy their $25 one - it feels far better, to me, at 1/3 the price.

Canada on Mar 07, 2023

Dustin: Bought this because I started an outdoor job and my nose was constantly freezing. Regular balaclavas would just get soaked from my breath and make me even more cold.

This face shield keeps my face completely warm. It does get wet a bit on the inside but the warmth prevents it from being cold. So it’s just a slight dampness in a few areas where it touches the skin. This bring me to my complaint. I wish the female portion of the velcro area was bigger to allow for a more customizable fit. I find that since my face is smaller I need to attach the velcro a lot lower otherwise it will start to cover the bottom of my eyes. Also, i find the breather portion sits on the tip of my nose instead of fitting snugly against my face. I believe this is also because I have a smaller face.

Besides the issues with the fit, and the high price. This balaclava does the job and keeps my face nice and warm. There really is no other product as effective on the market.

Canada on Jan 31, 2023

Siraa Alshamari: It's a good 20$ max kinda product not 80$!!
I was very disappointed with the quality of the edge of the nose piece is very close to my eye the metal part does NOT keep the cloth on your nose, my glasses were getting fogged up all the time,
You can replace it with any n95 or whatever mask you want and you'd be better off
All in all A VERY EXPENSIVE GIMMICK

Canada on Dec 26, 2022

Jon P.: I bought this to wear while riding my bike in the winter. If the temperature is 20 F or above I wear a regular balaclava but when the temperature drops below 20 F, I wanted something warmer. The heat exchanger works wonders. I used this today when the air temperature was -9 F (-28 F with the wind chill index). I wore ski goggles over the top of the N-Ferno 6970 and I tucked the neck of the balaclava into my ski jacket. With this combination of gear, I did not have any exposed skin and I could both see and breath just fine.

While riding my bike I was exerting a lot of energy and breathing heavy at times (going up inclines). The heat exchanger warmed and humidified the air so my lungs never felt like they were getting blasted with cold air (the weather advisory on the radio was warning people to not breath deeply and to minimize talking if they had to be outside today). The ONLY thing I didn't like was that some of the moisture from my breath was condensing and dripping from the mask. That is a really minor problem and I don't think there is any way to avoid it. I would HIGHLY recommend this mask to anyone who rides or works outside in extreme cold.

United States on Jan 31, 2019

Kyle C: I absolutely love this Balaclava, I have only tested it at -10 with the wind chill factor and my head was completely warm, I just assume as it gets colder you may wanna put something on your head as well.

I currently work in the Private Security field and most likely will get another for my mother who does the same job as well.

This item was also suppose to be dropped off tomorrow but it came in today so I'm even happier :)

Also the item shown in the picture is exactly what it is and so far everything described matches 100%

***ADDON***
If anyone knows a good pair of goggles that work weel with these please do tell me.

Updated August 29, 2019

Still works, actually I work in a minus 25 freezer now and this still keeps my face warm. So nearly three years and this bad boy is still kicking, buying another though.

Canada on Nov 22, 2016

Miller Brantley: I bought this for hunting, as the other one I own really crushes my nose. This one with a molded nose looked like it might work better.
PROS:
- Is long enough at the neck to reach shirt/coat. Some I have had are pretty short and leave a gap when I don't want any skin exposed.
- Material is quite warm and feels good on the head/neck
- I can hear well through the material. This is often an issue with these for me. I am color blind and really try to hear things to help me pick them up visually in the woods.
CONS:
- As others have noted, glasses fog up, regardless of how much you tweak it. I found the only good way to use both was to slide the face piece off of my nose. Big trade off, as the nose gets cold, but at least I could see.
- The nose piece is still not super comfortable. Maybe there is no perfect mask or maybe I have a sensitive nose. Different for each person, I suppose, but it does help that it is adjustable to fit your nose.

The mild CONS are the only reason I did not rate it at five stars. I will continue to use it, knowing nothing is perfect, but its the best I have used for this purpose thus far

United States on Dec 23, 2015

R Nakoneshny: I debated purchasing this for some time, not sure if it was as good as it was said to be. I finally had a chance to try it out on our snow blowing route today. The temperature was about -16˚C but there was an extreme wind warning making it feel about -30˚C. Many of the other baklavas and extreme weather face masks fell short with excessive condensation, fogging up my goggles, or simply plain hard to breath through. Although on the expensive side, this cold weather face mask is worth every penny. I am very pleased with my purchase. I read a review of someone using this for running in the winter and I understand now that this would be perfect for running. Heavy physical exertion or movements that would increase your breathing are not a problem with this mask. There was little to no condensation even in extreme cold and the nose piece is formable and fit perfectly around my nose. No foggy goggles! My only disappointment with this face mask is having to smell my own bad breath! I highly recommend this product and wish I would have purchased it sooner.

Canada on Nov 19, 2015

D. Collier: I've started doing outdoor running in the winter and have gotten sick and/or had to do deal with my asthma, which I hardly notice expect for rare occasions and the cold seems to be one of them. Anyway, this mask is great! It's very easy to take on and off the mask part, so you can talk to people more easily or get a break from the mask. It keeps some of the air you exhale, which helps heat new cold air that you breathe in. It also heats up the plastic spongy air filter, which is another way to heat up the air as you inhale. So the air I breathe in is closer to 60 degrees than whatever insanely cold number it's at outside right now. I haven't had any problems with getting sick or asthma since I started using the mask. The only downside I can see is that if I have the mask snug on my face, then the top of the mask pushes into the bridge of my nose a little. But that is a small price to pay for staying healthy while running outside in the winter.

United States on Feb 19, 2015