If you’ve been shopping for personal protective equipment (PPE) face masks, you know high prices and inventory shortages factor in what you can buy. Mask types vary in their protection level, comfort, and cost. Amidst the general market confusion, family-owned and Dallas-based Well Before (formerly Honest PPE Supply) has emerged with personal protection equipment (PPE) inventory in stock at the best prices we’ve seen, including the KN95-Everyday Use mask for only $1.95 each.

Well Before’s KN95 – Everyday Use mask is an affordable alternative for casual use to more expensive and harder to find certified KN95 masks. Well Before’s KN95 -Everyday Use masks are not recommended for medical use because they don’t have FDA and CE certifications. They do, however, give you better protection than square cloth masks or 3-ply surgical disposable masks. On sale for at $1.95 each in lots of 10 or more masks – marked down from $5 apiece – KN-95 Everyday Use face masks are in stock and ship in 24 hours.

The KN95-Everyday Use masks are made with four to five layers of non-woven, breathable fabric. The masks are skin-friendly and soft and appropriate to use as dust masks. They have elastic ear loops so they’ll stay in place, unlike many cloth masks that have two sets of ties that can easily come undone.

The most significant difference between KN95-Everyday Use masks and disposable 3-ply masks is the dual protection with KN95-Everyday Use masks. Three-ply disposable surgical style masks protect other people from the person wearing the mask because anything the mask-wearer exhales, through nose or mouth, has to pass through the 3-ply filters. The 3-ply masks, however, don’t have airtight seals around the edges to protect the wearer from inhaling airborne particles expelled by other people. You wear a KN95-Everyday Use mask to protect yourself and others, not just people who move close to you or walk through spaces you just left.

You can use KN95-Everday Use masks to protect against air pollutants, pollen, allergens, and dust particles, but they are not recommended for toxic environments. These masks are perfect for trips to the grocery store or pharmacy, walking outside, and running on errands around town.

KN95- Everyday Use masks are for civilian use, not as medical masks, and they don’t replace gas masks. You also shouldn’t wash the masks, which are intended to be disposable.

Well Before also sells FDA- and CE-registered KN95 masks at competitive prices – $2.95 versus the more typical $10 each – as well as 3-ply FDA and CE-registered masks and hand sanitizers.

According to Home PPE Supply, the company has a significant inventory of KN95-Everyday Use masks in stock. At the low $1.95 price per mask, however, it’s a good idea to order sooner rather than later in case demand outstrips supply.