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Gaming firm Razer ordered to pay over US$1.1 million in US for advertising Zephyr mask as N95-grade

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/world/razer-zephyr-mask-n95-grade-covid-19-pay-11-million-4302036

"We disagree with the Federal Trade Commission’s allegations and did not admit to any wrongdoing as part of the settlement," said a Razer spokesperson in response to CNA's queries.

Gaming firm Razer ordered to pay over US$1.1 million in US for advertising Zephyr mask as N95-grade

55 comments

Gormadt

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They got to weasel out of admitting wrong doing as part of the settlement?

What a joke

aleph

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That's how it goes all too often with these settlements, sadly. Remember when Fox News got to settle with Dominion over the fact that they knowingly pushed election fraud claims that they privately knew to be false? They just paid their fine and went right back to business as usual.

Lupus108

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Well at least Tucker was fired over it?

MeatsOfRage

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Sometimes in chess you sacrifice a pawn

Blackout

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Good thing I've already found a replacement. weeb warrior

Obi

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Strolling into the supermarket like whadup.

Damage

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Well the straps say LOVE LOVE

iAvicenna

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I think you could have worn this to a supermarket during a pandemic and no one would have been startled

PM_Your_Nudes_Please

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The “LOVE LOVE” skullfuck handles are a nice touch.

onlooker

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Oh wow, Razer was selling masks? Seriously? That's wild, I must've missed that completely. What's even wilder is that a bunch of people apparently decided that their best option for respiratory filters is, of all things, a gaming company. And one with a shaky QC history at that.

wreckedcarzz

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I was very interested in buying one; the details looked OK, and it wasn't a use-once product like those flimsy blue face masks. This was early on when no end was in sight so it seemed like a decent move, and was at least interesting visually.

I ended up not buying one since they took forever from announcement to actual public sale, and I'd talked myself out of it.

Bbbbbbbbbbb

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I think i saw the masks on display inside one of the casino lobbies in Vegas when I was there last year. It looked "fine" as an accessory unit, too tacky for most people, but i didnt think it was advertised as an N95.

WraithGear

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I got mine from MIRA. Though now i am getting their end of the world news letter…

CatZoomies

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I bought one of these masks for the novelty, as well as the influence to buy it during the Great Lockdown when not much was known about Covid and we were wiping down our groceries. By the time the product launched, we already knew how Covid spread and had a vaccine. Despite the advertising saying that it has N95 filters, it was clear that this was not an N95 product. Razer generically stated that it is not a certified N95 mask, but the advertising and product pages were certainly misleading and the FTC’s fine is valid and justified to protect the health and safety of consumers. I would not have used the Zephyr in place of my actual certified N95 masks.

The Zephyr was heavy, but overall quite comfortable, but I never took it outside and wore it for something like a grocery trip (since I knew it was not an N95 mask, and masks were very divisive where I live in a Red State. The last thing I wanted was to potentially be attacked by an anti-vax/mask Freedom Lover). It was heavy, and the fans were loud - very loud. What was disappointing was that the production version did not come with the two features I wanted that were initially advertised: the sanitising case, and the voice amplifier. Imagine how much more fines Razer would face if they advertised an included UV case that came with blue lights rather than UV lights!

I didn’t end up keeping the Zephyr, although I wish I did just to keep a small, unique memory of an uncertain and dangerous time. I do wonder if they could have launched this product sooner and certified it as an N95 mask, if gaming culture could make wearing masks when you’re sick popular. Selfish people might put aside their “freedoms” if they could look cool with gamer RGB and get attention from others (the motivation for selfishness). Of course the Zephyr would need to go through several years of revisions until it became culture.

PriorityMotif

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I still don't understand how nobody knew Covid was a respiratory disease. Even my parents were saying they wore gloves to the store and not a mask. I had 95s from doing work in the attic and sent them over to them. My wife was pregnant at the time and I had to beg her to wear one when we went to her checkups at the hospital. Not even the doctor was wearing one at the time and we got a lot of strange looks. By the time she had the baby they had strict rules in place, those first few months were wild.

fulcrummed

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They actually just meant it was suitable for use with the Nokia N95 phone.

Damn that was my favourite phone. sigh ‘Twas a simpler time.

Rx_Hawk

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Cost of doing business

uriel238

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Note that n95 is the minimum grade for biohazard and industrial work. It meams it'll get large particulates (like corona viruses) but not small ones and aerosolized oil (such as spray paint) will fuck your mask.

RampantParanoia2365

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Fuck up your disposable fabric mask?

uriel238

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Yes, as in render it unable to filter air, either by blocking it, or by punching holes in it that admit larger particles.

inlandempire

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I remember making fun of it in some discord, imagine spending so much r&d into some RGB gadget instead of contributing to research during COVID, the only certificates they had were for electrical products, none for health stuff

This is from the E3 (or whatever that events name was) announcement

anon987

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"It was never our intention to mislead people."

Then why make false claims?

delirious_owl

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So...do we have reusable respirators that block >=95% of particles 0.3 microns in size yet??

stoy

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Yeah, there are plenty of P3 and N95 filters for reusable respirators, here are some for the 3M 6000 mask series:

https://www.3m.com/3M/en_US/p/d/v000057466/

delirious_owl

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Don't those use disposal filters?

stoy

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So?

You still reuse the respirator

theareciboincident

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Mate there’s no such thing as washable healthcare items unless it can survive an autoclave lmao

(In the context of infection prevention and sterilization)

inclementimmigrant

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Yes.

delirious_owl

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That still uses disposable filters. So maybe it reduces the amount of waste by 10%?

Do we have one that has reusable filters? I mean a filter you can use for at least 10 years.

yokonzo

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I mean, use for 10 years by what metric? A woodworker is gonna block up that filter in a few months, someone who works in a hospice might get a few years, and triage nurses might burn through them in half that simply due to moving fast. Also I think 10 years might be a bit of a stretch in general, I've never known a mask filter to last that long in any model I've used

delirious_owl

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I'm referring to the pandemic. Use for 10 years by a nurse breathing average hospital air 40 hours per week.

I want something washable, not disposable.

Kanzar

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The 3m 6035 filter only has a replacement schedule for infection control reasons, implying the outside may become too contaminated.

It was the original pandemic filter (there is a model up that does organic vapours too), marketed as being used for at least one pandemic wave.

No filter will last 10 years of daily use, at some point even your washable car filters or cleanable air purifier filters clog up and break down. But these are very long lasting for what they do, and I can see someone being able to stretch them out to one every six months, if in a hospital setting.

Zoot

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You do understand that all materials degrade right? Something that needs to block put particles so incredibly small isn't going to be reusable. In a medical setting you would likely not want to have to handle the contaminated filter anyways, so being able to replace one with 100% efficiency would sound like the right move.

n3m37h

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Create a copper/silver mesh that is 3 micron and breath to your heats content.

Ragnarok314159

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*now for only $199,999.95!

delirious_owl

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Does something like that exist?

n3m37h

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X to doubt

NigelFrobisher

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They should be fined for still being stuck in that awful 90s aesthetic after all this time.

HEXN3T

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I thought everyone forgot this existed. Apparently not.

snowsuit2654

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This and xupermask are just cringe consoomer mush. It's honestly shocking to me the trust that people put into celebrities and tech companies. Capitalists "disrupting" a regulated industry should be a big red flag.

feoh

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I'll take "Product Categories That SHOULD NEVER EXIST" for $1000 Alex!

Gabu

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The fact it uses clear plastic for the mouth has to be a crime, surely.

ObsidianZed

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The original point was to make it easier to understand people as you could actually see their mouth. A problem sure, but it solution it wasn't.

arin

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Just as much a crime as apple vision pro with their LED eyes

Gabu

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Could you imagine a world in which both products catch on? I shudder just to think about it

Linkerbaan

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Covid? I thought gamers were rising up!

delirious_owl

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It says they used N95 meltbkown filters.

I don't understand how that would not make the product N95, then

naonintendois

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Because the seals on the mask itself weren't rated and they didn't go through FDA authorization. You HAVE to go through FDA clearance if you want to claim your product meets medical standards.

electricprism

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ChannelNewsAsia -- nahhh

jordanlund

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It wasn't though, I was specifically researching it and the Xupermask from Will.i.am and neither promised N95 capability, in fact, they both specifically stated they WEREN'T N95.

Pages are down now, so there's nothing to link to, but if it had been N95 I would have bought one. They weren't.

TachyonTele

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The complaint alleges that Razer only stopped the false advertising following negative press coverage and consumer outrage at the deceptive claims,

Unless you saved a picture of the thing, they stopped advertising it almost immediately. I'll take investigators words over your story though. No offense.

Ganbat

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The article brings that up.

"The complaint alleges that Razer only stopped the false advertising following negative press coverage and consumer outrage at the deceptive claims," said FTC.

In fact, after a little bit of research of my own, I found an Engadget article with quote from a Razer representative stating, "To avoid any confusion, we are in the process of removing all references to ‘N95 Grade Filter’ from our marketing material."

pyre

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lol "to avoid any confusion" ...

yeah, it's your fault you were confused, you stupid baboon. what part of 'N95 Grade Filter' made you confuse this mask for an N95 alternative?

jordanlund

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The filter may have been N95 grade, but the mask itself was not and could never be.

sukhmel

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Yeah, it makes a nice deception, and is legally ok, or at least they thought so

randombullet

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What's Inside

Razer Zephyr with adjustable head straps
3 sets of N95 grade filters for 9 Days of usage
USB-C Charging Cable
Anti-fog spray

FANS

2 Speed High (6200 RPM) / Low (4200 RPM) Dual intake fans

FILTER

N95 grade meltblown filters*
99% BFE rating
Able to filter at least 95% of 0.3 microns particles
*Sold in special refill packs on razer.com

https://web.archive.org/web/20211025004539/https://www.razer.com/gear-accessories/razer-zephyr