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Instagram served me an ad for the Komax face shield, and it looks interesting.
Komax says their face shield is glasses-friendly, fog-free, anti-dust, and seals tightly from all angles and sides.
At first glance, it’s got my attention.
They’re also offering a limited time offer where you get “30% off.”
At this time, the ad has been viewed over 886K times, and has more than 800 comments.
Looks good, right?
Over at the Komax website, the price is $39.95, from $49.99.
Buy 2 or more, and get extra 25% savings for “a total discount of 45%.” The numbers don’t add up, but let’s ignore that for a moment.
Where’s the safety certification?
If you buy the Uvex Bionic face shield, which is less than $30 at Amazon right now, it’s clearly advertised as meeting ANSI Z87 and CSA Z94.3 safety standards.
The Uvex Bionic has a polycarbonate visor. What type of material is the visor of the Komax face shield made from? They don’t say.
Not all face shields clearly list their visor materials.
The visor material for the Jackson MaxView, which is also around $30 at Amazon, is listed on the company’s website, but not their Amazon listing. In both places, it’s clearly described as meeting or exceeding ANSI Z87.1 and CSA Z94.3 safety standards.
Looking over the Komax product page, I can’t find any mention that it complies with safety standards.
Safety products that don’t mention safety standard compliance? That’s a huge red flag to me.
Here’s a front view of the Komax face shield from their website.
Here’s an angled view of it, as it fits over a user’s face.
Here’s what comes up on Amazon in a search for “anti-dust face shield.”
You can get a 2-pack for under $20. Multiple vendors are selling 2-packs for under $20. Some have it at $10 each. Others have it for $12 each.
Amazon product pages advertise that the Komax face shield – with some listings using the same brand name – can be be used for all kinds of applications, from “anti-oil fume” to “outdoor cycling.”
There are some positive reviews on Amazon, but also plenty of customer complaints, such as about how it doesn’t fit over prescription glasses very well, and how it fogs up, and there are also complaints about poor face seals.
For me, this product is a huge “NOPE!”
First, as mentioned, there’s no safety rating. If I’m going to wear safety glasses, goggles, or a face shield, it has to meet or exceed ANSI Z87.1 standards.
Second, this looks to be a generic product manufactured by who-knows which company. “Komax” is advertising it on social media as being discounted by 30%. Amazon has listings at a quarter of the price. You can two of them for less than half the price less than Komax is selling just one for.
I find it incredibly difficult to trust companies that do this. A $10 face shield that’s being sold “on sale” for $40? I feel they’re trying to pull a fast one.
Even worse, Temu has it for less than $3 with free shipping, not that I would order anything from them.
That’s more than a 1600% markup, from $2.44 to a “discounted” price of $39.95.
Komax is selling what looks to be the same exact face shield at 16X the price. And people are apparently buying this face shield, which doesn’t advertise meeting any safety standards, because they’re seeing it advertised on social media.
Alibaba has an identical-looking face shield for $1.18 each if you order 100-999 pairs, and a little less with higher order volumes, excluding shipping. In other Alibaba listings, it’s as low as $1.72 for 100 pieces including shipping.
This happens a LOT on social media. I get all kinds of tips and “hey this looks interesting, can you check it out” requests from readers and followers. With increasing frequency, the advertised products are simply generic tools already being sold via no-name and alphabet soup brands on Amazon at much lower prices.
I see the same ads many of you do, and like to think that I can quickly recognize when it’s just another no-name tool or gear being sold at inflated pricing. That didn’t happen this time until I took a closer look.
Looking closely at the Komax store, they advertise 24/7 support. But they also say their office hours are 9am to 5pm GMT, and that most emails are responded to within 1-2 business days. There’s no phone number or physical address, just a generic email address and web form.
I’m not buying eye and face safety gear that’s not tested to safety standards. That Komax is selling it for 4X the price of identical-looking non-rated face shields on Amazon, and 16X Temu’s price – with shipping – makes it seem like an unbelievable ripoff.
The pricing isn’t as much of an obstacle for me as the lack of safety certification. You get one set of eyes, and one face. Protect them smartly.
