Resmed Quatro v. F&P FF - my opinion

Lepeu63 · Post by **Lepeu63** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 8:23 am

I used a new mask for the first time last night. It was the Resmed Quatro. I had been using the F&P Full face for six months prior. Below are my initial thoughts in comparison. This is just my opinion and remember: Opinions are like armpits; everyone has a couple and sometimes other people think they stink.

Fit:

Both are FF masks. The F&P has a large, rather thick silicone skirt that relies on air-pressure to make a seal and fits below the chin. The Quatro has a thinner skirt backed with a thicker ‘padding’ and fits to the chin crease.

The Quatro is tapered from the nose to make a roughly triangular shape while the F&P is more squared off. Both have a swivel port over the mouth. Both have headgear that attaches to the mask at 4 points: 2 at the forehead support and 2 at the sides of the mouth. The F&P has 5 points of adjustment with their patented ‘slider’ harness, the Quatro 4 + the ability to adjust the depth of the forehead support.

My opinion: Quatro made a better seal to my face with no leaking at the sides of my chin (always a problem at least once per night with the F&P). The F&P was slightly more comfortable – but that might simply be a matter of getting used to the new contact points on my face. The extra adjustment point on the harness of the F&P was nice, but the adjustable forehead support of the Quatro more then makes up for it.

Quiet:

Both are pretty quiet masks. Both vent through a diffuser at the nose area. The F&P is a tad quieter then the Quatro but I understand that Resmed has made big strides since the Quatro’s predecessor. The biggest noisemaker in the Quatro appears to be the ‘emergency vent’ on the swivel. See Below.

Air Leaks:

Both are FF masks, both have diffuser vents over the nose and swivel intakes with ‘emergency vents’ over the mouth. The Quatro has a much larger vent at the swivel then the F&P – a delta shaped opening with a silicone flapper that closes it once the airflow is turned on. This does allow a bit of air to leak – but it’s directed away from the user so, aside from the sound, you’d never know. It’s a small amount, but detectable if you put your had near the opening. Based on the design and the fact the air is vented away from the user, I’m assuming this is intentional and is part of the mask venting.

The F&P has 2 small holes on either side of the elbow with flappers that close them off once the airflow is turned on. While this system makes for a slightly quieter mask then the Quatro, I always felt slightly suffocated with the F&P when the blower was off. I don’t feel that with the Quatro.

Finally: My F&P ALWAYS leaked at the junction of the skirt and the mask – AND the air leak would blow directly into my eyes – to the point where I was taping the juncture every night. No such problem with the Quatro.

Stay In Place-ed-ness

Did the mask shift while I was asleep? I’m a side sleeper. I usually have to readjust at least once per night. The ‘slide strap’ of the F&P was a nice feature and I did notice its absence last night. The Quatro did ride up at one point too – I had to tug it down. BUT even though it rode up it never lost seal! No leaks. The F&P would stay in place due to the chin piece, but would start ‘farting’ air out the sides towards morning – vibrating my cheeks and annoying my wife. No such problem with the Quatro.

Conclusion:

While the F&P was slightly more comfortable and quiet, I’m more please with the Quatro. Once I get used to the differences, I’m expecting my opinion to go up even more. I’d recommend it to someone looking for a FF mask.

Wolfmarsh · Post by **Wolfmarsh** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 9:06 am

I want a quattro badly, but I am cheap, and I dont get another insurance one until october....

Plus I dont know what size to get, and cpap.com told me they have no sizing guide yet.

BAH

DrowzyDave · Post by **DrowzyDave** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 9:25 am

What size F&P 432 were you using and what size Quattro does that compare to?

Dave

Guest · Post by **Guest** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 10:43 am

I picked up my new Quattro a couple of days ago. I would dare say that the Quattro is the perfect FF mask I've always wanted (knocking on wood). I have a beard and had always thought the UMFF was good... now it's in a bag taking up room with all my other masks. The seal is INCREDIBLE and after the teflon tape modification, there is virtually NO noise from the mask. Very quiet, extremely comfortable and leak free... what more could I ask for? Last night I actually heard a plane fly over for the first time in a very long time while wearing a mask. The usual noticeable hiss of the exhaust port is gone. The first thing my wife said after that first night was "that thing is really quiet."

ResMed really did their homework on this one (aside from the leaky elbow joint). But that was an easy, inexpensive fix (thanks to whoever it was came up with that one). I can't sing the praises of the Quattro loud enough... I love it, I love it, I love it!!!

And DrowzyDave, I don't know if this will help you or not, but in the past I've used both the 431 and the 432. The 431 was a medium and the 432 was a large. My Quattro is a medium.

Lepeu63 · Post by **Lepeu63** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 10:57 am

DrowzyDave wrote:What size F&P 432 were you using and what size Quattro does that compare to?

Dave

Flexifit 431 medium vs Quatro medium. I 'measured' a large for the Flexifit but the medium skirt leaked less.

matthew999 · Post by **matthew999** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 11:38 am

I just started using a CPAP machine about a week ago and this is
the mask my DME gave me.

It conforms to my face quite well.

The only problems I've had with it was one night I adjusted
the mask to fit very tightly on my chin and wound up with a
blister the next morning. The blister went away with in a day.
The mask also comes with a setup DVD that explains how to
disassemble the mask and fit the mask.

Being my first mask its a balancing act to know if it truly is the
right mask. My DME wants to know if I should keep the mask.

Jefe · Post by **Jefe** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 12:49 pm

I had the F&P 432, and got the chin leaks constantly. It was driving me nuts. I switched over to a quattro, using my DME's 1 time only unhappy mask swap.

I wish I still had the F&P. Leaks by the chin are nothing compared to the eye leaks I get with the quattro. Even with the forehead support on 1, it still blows into my eyes. I also feel the headgear doesn't fit right. I am bals, and have a large head, & the upper part of the head gear doesn't sit around my head. It keeps sliding up.

I think the 432 was a better mask. Either way, when I get a new mask in August, I'm getting a hybrid, if I can. Unfortunately, last time, the DME said they were crap and didn't stock them anymore, and were hoping to stock the Liberty instead.

Lepeu63 · Post by **Lepeu63** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 1:30 pm

[quote="Jefe"]I had the F&P 432, and got the chin leaks constantly. It was driving me nuts. I switched over to a quattro, using my DME's 1 time only unhappy mask swap.

I wish I still had the F&P. Leaks by the chin are nothing compared to the eye leaks I get with the quattro. Even with the forehead support on 1, it still blows into my eyes. I also feel the headgear doesn't fit right. I am bals, and have a large head, & the upper part of the head gear doesn't sit around my head. It keeps sliding up.

I think the 432 was a better mask. Either way, when I get a new mask in August, I'm getting a hybrid, if I can. Unfortunately, last time, the DME said they were crap and didn't stock them anymore, and were hoping to stock the Liberty instead.

sleepyred · Post by **sleepyred** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 1:33 pm

I took mine back (2nd one I've had) to my sleep center and the RT (very, very nice person) said the noise "was supposed to be there" But I disagreed. It is not an exhale port - it's a leak in the elbow! But she was very nice and gave me a used older style UMFF to use until the one she sent back is "tested" by Resmed.

Anyway - where did you put the teflon tape and does it still swivel? I too, love this mask! (I still have the 2nd one she gave me - same lot as the 1st one - so it is still hissing at me!)

Sleepyred

[quote="Anonymous"]I picked up my new Quattro a couple of days ago. I would dare say that the Quattro is the perfect FF mask I've always wanted (knocking on wood). I have a beard and had always thought the UMFF was good... now it's in a bag taking up room with all my other masks. The seal is INCREDIBLE and after the teflon tape modification, there is virtually NO noise from the mask. Very quiet, extremely comfortable and leak free... what more could I ask for? Last night I actually heard a plane fly over for the first time in a very long time while wearing a mask. The usual noticeable hiss of the exhaust port is gone. The first thing my wife said after that first night was "that thing is really quiet."

ResMed really did their homework on this one (aside from the leaky elbow joint). But that was an easy, inexpensive fix (thanks to whoever it was came up with that one). I can't sing the praises of the Quattro loud enough... I love it, I love it, I love it!!!

And DrowzyDave, I don't know if this will help you or not, but in the past I've used both the 431 and the 432. The 431 was a medium and the 432 was a large. My Quattro is a medium.

nomad · Post by **nomad** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 1:58 pm

Oops... the "guest" post above was me (nomad). I just forgot to log in before making it... DOH!

sleepyred wrote:Anyway - where did you put the teflon tape and does it still swivel? I too, love this mask!

Sleepyred

Yes, it still swivels... although not as freely as it did without the tape (it's just a little bit stiffer). It's not enough of a difference to really be an issue though. But like I said before... this little fix made my mask almost totally silent! That tape is really inexpensive so just experiment with how much you need to make it work for you. I wrapped mine something like 3 to 4 times.

sleepyred · Post by **sleepyred** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 3:10 pm

Thanks - great pictures - I will try that next!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sleepyred

nomad wrote:Oops... the "guest" post above was me (nomad). I just forgot to log in before making it... DOH!

sleepyred wrote:Anyway - where did you put the teflon tape and does it still swivel? I too, love this mask!

Sleepyred
Yes, it still swivels... although not as freely as it did without the tape (it's just a little bit stiffer). It's not enough of a difference to really be an issue though. But like I said before... this little fix made my mask almost totally silent! That tape is really inexpensive so just experiment with how much you need to make it work for you. I wrapped mine something like 3 to 4 times.

abysmillard · Post by **abysmillard** » Thu Jun 21, 2007 6:21 pm

Great photo, nomad! That's exactly how I taped the elbow on my Quattro, but not having a digital camera I could only describe what I did. Thanks!

Mask

Additional Comments: Aussie Heated hose for rain out/PapCap Headgear and chin strap