Transcend CPAP machine

Hi all.
I'm thinking about buying a backup machine that's compatible with a solar charger. My everyday machine is a Resmed S9.
I'm leaning toward the transcend but don't know which model would most closely resemble my machine. There's an auto, an EZEX, and a regular Transcend. I tried asking my respiratory therapist but he's useless. If anyone has any info about these machines or thoughts on solar batteries, I'd appreciate your input.

Thanks!

I wanted to get a Transcend CPAP but decided to pass as an awful lot of the reviews said they were too noisy to sleep with. I settled on the DeVilbiss Auto with Smartflex. Very quiet, though not as small.
The base Transcend CPAP doesn't have EPR.
The Transcend Ezex CPAP has EPR.
The Transcend Auto Ezex has EPR.
SecondwindCPAP.com currently has the Transcend Auto Ezex for $359 (refurbished by manufacturer).

when referring to the resmed s9 series it's important to say WHICH one you have, there are 14 different basic s9 models that I've found so far, and they're wildly different in what they do.

sleepnasta wrote:Hi all.
I'm thinking about buying a backup machine that's compatible with a solar charger. My everyday machine is a Resmed S9.
I'm leaning toward the transcend but don't know which model would most closely resemble my machine. There's an auto, an EZEX, and a regular Transcend. I tried asking my respiratory therapist but he's useless. If anyone has any info about these machines or thoughts on solar batteries, I'd appreciate your input.

Thanks!

I recently purchased a Transcend EZEX as my backup machine. The EZEX is a CPAP machine (as yours) and it has the exhalation relief Transcend calls EZEX. The standard Transcend II is also a CPAP machine but it does not have the exhalation relief.
Here are my thoughts and opinion. Overall I am very happy with my decision to have purchased this machine. The size and transportability make this an ideal machine for camping and overall traveling. Having taken it on a camping trip and other trips the smaller size makes for easy transportability. The Transcend has very little in its user controls but it capabilities is equivalent to my full size CPAP machine. You would use software to make changes to its settings. I also purchased the P8 multi-night battery and for my setting of 12 cmh2o and breathing pattern I got two full nights of use (8 hours each). That battery option is what really sold me on this unit in the first place. For my full size unit I have a Respironics System One (460) CPAP machine and I use a 12 volt 22ah lead acid battery for camping which gives me three full nights of use (humidifier off). But the size and weight of all of that hardware makes travel a real pain. The Transcend EZEX exhalation relief does work but it seems not as effective as my System One unit. I find that for my pressure setting I really don’t need that relief function for the Transcend and I leave it turned it off.

Nothing is ever perfect and the Transcend CPAP does have its negative aspects. I think the most negative of the Transcend EZEX is the sound transmission of the air movement. I use a Resmed Activa LT nasal mask and the dead space within the mask acts like a speaker. The “Darth Vader” breathing sound seems amplified to the user since those sound waves are hitting your face. This is probably due to the direct air path from the machine to your face. To someone listening externally, they may not find it very loud, but I found it somewhat noisy and distracting. As an experiment I plugged the Transcend EZEX into my System One humidifier and that breathing sound was reduced to almost nothing at my face. I then tried running my System One 460P CPAP machine without the humidifier and the sound level was almost as loud as the Transcend machine by itself. This would indicate that by disrupting the sound path (in the humidifier chamber) to the dead space of your mask the breathing sound is reduced. Looking for a simple fix I purchased some viral/bacteria filters, which plugs into the air path, to see if that would help. The filter actually cut that sound level in half. The other benefit of having the plug-in viral/bacteria filter is cleaner air for us allergy sufferers. I would recommend that Transcend users buy these filters not just for sound reduction but because the machine’s foam filters is only a coarse level filter. If you need humidification you can also purchase plug in a HME waterless humidifiers that will further dampen the noise level. The batteries are not cheap, the reason why they are expensive is because they have a built in charge control circuitry so that the AC brick can charge them. They are 14.4 Vdc lithium-ion batteries and require a max charging voltage of 16.8 Vdc, the AC adapter output is 19 Vdc. I also have the solar charger and you would plug the battery directly into the solar panel, its charging voltage is 16.8 vdc. I haven't had the opportunity to really checkout the solar charger and battery combination yet.

I think this is a great second CPAP machine for home and especially for travel. And I also would like to see the price of the battery packs come down, having more than one pack would be a real plus.
Sorry for the long writeup, this is actually an edited version of a product review I wrote for the Transcend EZEX. I hope this helps with any questions about the unit.

Hi sleepnasta,

This is the official account for Transcend. Here's a little clarification about the Transcend PAP devices:

Transcend II Travel CPAP is a fixed-pressure CPAP that does not have pressure relief.
Transcend EZEX is a fixed-pressure CPAP that has pressure relief.
Transcend Auto is an auto-titrating CPAP that has pressure relief.
All Transcend devices are fully featured with 4-20 cmH2O therapy pressure range and an optional ramp feature.

It's most helpful if you know what type of S9 machine you currently have (CPAP, APAP, expiratory relief features, etc.). We recommend contacting the CPAP.com customer support team, as they are very knowledgeable about Transcend products, and can help you determine which Transcend device is suitable for your therapy needs (1-800-356-5221).

Have a great day!
-Transcend

When I received the Transcend CPAP I was ecstatic.
I had waited for months to be able to get it through the World Trade Center Medical Monitoring dept. from 9/11. I am a disabled/retired Police officer that due to 9/11 I have breathing problems among other problems. I wanted this CPAP for traveling being lightweight and portable. That was 2 years ago and I am completely disappointed with it. I am now taking my full size ResMed CPAP with me instead. The Transcend with water chamber humidifier is just as big as any other CPAP with humidifier. I use the Transcend with the humidifier on 5 the highest setting and I still wake up with a dry mouth and nose clogged. Now for the biggest problem, the Transcend shuts off numerous times during the night waking me up because I can't breath due to it shutting off. I understand that it shuts off when the masks seal to the face is broken but most people have this happen several times a night. Why would this "feature" be on this machine, best part is that you are telling me that its not able to be disabled. Overall the Transcend doesn't work well for me traveling or at home. Very disappointed. And the couple of times I have contacted Transcend the customer service has been fair, couple of word answer, and have a nice day. Like when I called about programming or transferring information to my supplier from the Transcend and I was told its not compatible with Mac/Apple. Well thats all I have. I asked why and was told we are a small company and do I know how much it costs to make it compatible with Mac?? Get a Windows based laptop or borrow someones. WHAT, are you kidding me. Anyway, I'll chalk this up to life experience and sometimes you have to take a loss. Won't happen again though and I will be posting this to anyplace that has reviews on the Transcend. Thanks for your time.

Sgt. Edward Spinelli
Retired/PAPD

Just Ed wrote:When I received the Transcend CPAP I was ecstatic.
. . . the Transcend shuts off numerous times during the night waking me up because I can't breath due to it shutting off. I understand that it shuts off when the masks seal to the face is broken but most people have this happen several times a night. Why would this "feature" be on this machine, best part is that you are telling me that its not able to be disabled. . . .

Sgt. Edward Spinelli
Retired/PAPD

My old machine has the feature, but it can be (and is) disabled. It was very annoying. It seemed to go off at inappropriate times. Also, I like to "blow dry" the machine, especially when traveling.