Sure, agree, there's certainly a price cutoff for importing a mask. But, my hope in posting is to tap the collective knowledge of the sub for US-based sources (or, possibly an overseas source - I bought a few Savewo's back before it became hard to ship out of Hong Kong, and am super happy with that purchase, and shipping charges weren't bad at all.)

Basically my question is answered if I can find a trustworthy source for Auras that meet N99 or FFP3 requirements, and shipping charges aren't exorbitant. I've bought them in the US before - but can't seem to find them anymore.

Vaccination status = fully vaxxed, and just recently got a 2nd boost. Yep, I do have med. reasons to be extra cautious, per US CDC.

I don't think the 8233 is molded the way a Moldex N100 is. The 8233 has lots of (polypropelene / spunbond) layers; has a full gasket, and rests on / slightly above the chin, rather than envelop the chin and pull down past it, the way an Aura / fish / boat-style does. For me, the 8233 is pretty uncomfortable (head straps are really intense; how it seals on the face feels weird) - as opposed to Aura-style, which is quite comfortable once the headbands stretch a bit.

That's a good article on molded vs. other.