Just heads up, I ordered a MindFold mask direct from the company and it arrived defective (light definitely gets through). I contacted them and they said they would send a replacement but I have to send the original back at my own expense and they will replace it once they’ve received the return (I’ve gotten burned this way before when a company insisted they never received the returned item). There are other similar products out there, “competitors” if you will. I just wanted to pass this on if anyone is thinking of getting a mask like this. It’s also simple enough in construction one could pretty easily make their own (with better materials)… If anyone is interested in trying to do that I am happy to take some pictures of mine to show how it’s put together.
I ordered one off Amazon. Agree with you about the construction part. Also about the light, I thought it was just that my eyes sockets were too big for the mask. I have to have mine positioned perfectly for it to work and when it is the mask digs into the outside corners of my eye lids. I have multiple sleep masks and I have to say the nice soft ones for under 10 bucks on Amazon do the same thing. With this style of mask they have to be positioned well and have the correct tightness on the band for there to be no light that comes through though.
If you don’t mind the big cushiony ones they are great for blocking light, I can’t sleep as well with that style but they work the best for blocking out light from my experience.
I wonder if you can leave a review on Amazon or something mentioning what happen. If they send you a defective product they should either ship you a new one or pay return shipping in my opinion.
I have two of those, one from 2018 from Andrew’s retreat, and one recently ordered from the company. Both are fine but Amazon should have a free return. If the company expects you to pay for sending it back, then I will not encourage anyone else to purchase it.
I would absolutely do this!
@_Barry @mbready I didn’t order mine on Amazon, but directly from MindFold. I glanced at Amazon’s offerings briefly (in hopes they sold them, but it looked like they were all from third party sellers that don’t take returns rather than Amazon directly with returns). The area where it leaks light is through the plastic itself in front of the eyeball area, not around the edges - which actually fit very well. The plastic is apparently not as solid as they expect- there is an area where there is pinpoint light permeability, like the plastic is thinner. My plan if they refuse to pay for return shipping is just to paint over the front with black acrylic paint which should provide a nice, opaque and occlusive layer. As much as I hate to “let them win”!
Yeah, just did a 45 minute meditation in my totally dark walk-in closet, in the evening, quite dark. About halfway through I checked with my hand to see if I could see any shadows or movement or anything and I could. It was slight, but perceptible. Not a big deal because there is nothing else in the closet except clothes, but I wanted to test it out. I like your plan, I’ll bet some nice black acrylic paint will do the trick, but it will be a little heavier. I can’t seem to locate my original, but I remember sleeping with it for weeks and it was quite good.
I’ve been using mine for a few weeks and have had no problems. How about you?
Sorry for the delayed reply, I somehow missed your comment I think. I haven’t used mine much but finally got around to painting the exterior with black acrylic latex paint today and that helped with the pin prick light coming through. I need to do another layer or two of paint.
The place finally did send me a replacement for free, so now I have two- but the replacement had the same problem!
I don’t find it very comfortable. It’s so cheaply made. I am interested in figuring out how to make a super light weight (maybe fiberglass) mask custom fitted to my face. I could make a plaster cast of my actual face as a mould, then would have to use the inside of it to make a model of my face that is right-side-out. The on top of that I could apply the fiberglass. I need to find a good material that is comfortable enough to make a cushion between my skin and the fiberglass- something better than the scratchy/itchy foam of the MindFold mask. Of course I’d have to shape “bug eyes”- convex goggle eye areas so I can easily keep my eyes open while wearing it. It can be my craft project for the coming months to figure out how to do all this, but a quick google search makes t look like all these techniques are (relatively) easily done in the home studio setting, one doesn’t need a specialized shop, lab, or training.
Do you all recommend getting this mask or no?
I typically will just use a t-shirt to cover eyes, but that always falls off.
I wish someone invented a Dream Helmet, that 100% blocked out light and sound, and was comfortable to sleep in. Wishful thinking though 
, no company wants to touch that liability nightmare.
It’s the only thing I’ve tried- at least that has the function/purpose of blocking out 100% of light and enabling you to fully open your eyes while wearing it. I got this one because it’s what Andrew recommends/mentions. Not sure if there are “competitors” on the market but I am lackluster enough about this specific brand that I would just assume try a different one.
Rather than doing the acryllic paint to cover the holes, Duct take might be a cheaper and faster remedy. Wont look as pretty, and depended on the tape, might leave a scent, but I figured the paint might leave behind a scent too.
I like the design of these masks, covers more surface area than most. Will order and post a review here in a few weeks.
I used my original one (2018) as a sleeping mask for a few weeks, as well. I generally like the mask, having purchased maybe 10 different types of sleeping masks over the years, but it is a consumable product. I find this one useful for dark meditations given my personal environmental circumstances, though it may not be suitable for everybody.
Acrylic paint is odorless and adheres with no problem to plastic. I am an artist and have all manner of art supplies on hand- including black acrylic paint!- so it was a convenient way for me to do it. The tape sounds more occlusive as a single added layer, but it won’t be winning any fashion shows! 
(So many jokes come to mind…)
Ah I did not know it was oderless, thats definitely the better way to go, most tapes have either a subtle or strong odor.
LOL 
Love to see pics of your artwork if you are ever in the sharing mood. 
Let’s hear a few . . . . . .
I got mine this week. Same problem, light gets through, I think from the cheap (smelly) spongey material that cushions it to the face.
Wanted to throw it in the wash machine or run water over it to try to get rid of the chemical smell. Its minor, (but still noticeable) but not sure if the water or wash will damage it.
Overall though I would give it an A-, or 5 stars.
For the price of lunch at McDonalds, you can get these, so the quality for the price I think is spectacular.
With a cheap pair of blinds from walmart,and this pair, I can get pretty close to complete darkness, and at night can do eyes open shamatha with these on and get total darkness which is really cool.