What Is The Current Top Rated Leak And Noise-Proof Mask?

Based on industrial rating and your own individual experiences, please what would be the your top-rated, leak and noise-proof mask? Just be clear to everyone here, Iam referring to your own individual experiences. I do not care what kind of face you have or but will care whether the mask is full face or nasal.



mcpascaln

The one that best fits the patient.
Different companies have different size and shape guidelines; and a variety may have to be tried.
All faces are different. (This way we pick up the right children after school)

Froggie is right. Your question is like asking what are the best shoes... (by the way... I think Ariat makes the best cowboy boots... but that's just me...). The "best mask" is one that is comfortable to you and fit your face structure. Sometimes folks find a comfortable mask, but cannot tame the leaks, and vise versa. Some of the biggest arguments here besides gun control and politics, are mask arguments. My mask is normally a "last resort" mask. I wish I could wear a nasal mask because it's less intrusive. I can't because my left nostril is plugged and I am a severe mouth breather. My second choice would be a full face mask, but the knot on my nose will not allow me the tighten the mask enough to stop the leaks. You may think I'm ugly, but my face is sleek like a young Greek warrior... . To me, the secret to successful cpap treatment is to find the right mask for you that is comfortable and doesn't leak. It can be a frustrating journey and going thru a half dozen masks to find the right one is not unusual. Best of Luck

The Sleek, Young Greek Warrior.... Sheriff

Hard question to answer. Very subjective. Fit is individual but noise at least can be quantified.

You need to be more specific -- full face, nasal, or pillow mask?

I will say one thing. Of the various masks I have tried, the fewer the number of vent holes a mask uses, and the smaller the area of venting, the louder the vent tends to be. Especially if the airflow is directed into your bedding, arm, hand, etc.

Your DME would be a good resource and CPAP.com and other sites that sell masks often have user ratings included. And many rate for vent noise. Plus several youtube reviews exist for various masks.

My Resmed masks have had relatively quiet vents. The Quattro for me has been extremely quiet, as have the Quattro FX and nasal Activa. My V2 and FullLife, however, have been relatively louder.

There is no such thing however, as a completely silent mask vent. One's own breathing makes noise, after all.

The fabric masks, including my own, are exceptionally quiet.
--Depending on various factors, leaks may be challenging to eliminate.
You may click on the blue text or mask picture in many of our profiles
to see details about the masks worn by us here.

You can get a lot of info about how certain masks and machines are trending for CPAP.com sales at this link:

https://www.cpap.com/cpap-user-preferen ... umerTrends

chunkyfrog wrote:The fabric masks, including my own, are exceptionally quiet.
--Depending on various factors, leaks may be challenging to eliminate.
You may click on the blue text or mask picture in many of our profiles
to see details about the masks worn by us here.

If I have to choose, it would be the fabric mask, and of these, the Elan. Its hard to choose, since as stated already, it depends on the person, face shape & preferences.
Jen

chunkyfrog wrote:The one that best fits the patient.

/thread

Does insurance pay for new masks until the best one is found? I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars to find the best fitting mask if I can get my insurance to pay for it. I have good insurance and did not have to pay for my machine or first mask. The mask they gave me was the one used during the sleep test of which I had a choice of two to use. Does not seem right that there are so many masks available, but I only got to try two and was assigned the one that was the best of the two.

I also started out with 2 masks, neither of which was a really good fit. (bad DME)
Over the last 2 and a half years, I have tried over 20 masks, using cpap.com's
return insurance, meaning I got most of my money back on the ones that didn't work.
Except for some I assumed would work!
As it turned out, most of my masks have been out of pocket, since my deductible is rotten.

bmktown wrote:Does insurance pay for new masks until the best one is found? I don't want to spend hundreds of dollars to find the best fitting mask if I can get my insurance to pay for it. I have good insurance and did not have to pay for my machine or first mask. The mask they gave me was the one used during the sleep test of which I had a choice of two to use. Does not seem right that there are so many masks available, but I only got to try two and was assigned the one that was the best of the two.

I think, you have a 30-day trial period during which you can return back and re-order another one. For each and every order, I would presume, 30-day trial period kicks in. You may end up with much experience to find one that is good fit for you.

mcpascaln wrote:Based on industrial rating and your own individual experiences, please what would be the your top-rated, leak and noise-proof mask? Just be clear to everyone here, Iam referring to your own individual experiences. I do not care what kind of face you have or but will care whether the mask is full face or nasal.



mcpascaln

You don't care what kind of face I have? I'm crushed.

It all adds up to face shape, nose shape, if your sinus are open or you have to breath through your mouth.

No one's mentioned the nasal pillow kind of headgear. See the Opus 360 below. If you don't have trouble breathing through your nose, try one like this. I like the 360 because the hose is out of the way. It falls down over the top of my bed pillow to the floor (no headboard) and runs under the bed to my machine on the floor. It has a good sized area and lots of holes so the venting air flow is quiet. It makes some noise on inhale but very little on exhale.... and my hearing is quite sensitive. If you like to read or watch TV in bed, the Velcro can be released at the top and the hose can move freely to any position you want.

https://www.cpap.com/productpage/fisher ... -Mask.html

And as others have previously mentioned... be sure your DME has a 30 day exchange. That is very important in your quest for the right mask that works!
All the best,
Cindy

During last night I suddenly realized that the "noise" my mask makes varies on where the mask is positioned relative to the bed-clothes. If it is in the wrong position, the flow of air will wake me (it did!) and possibly my wife. Also, the level of noise that is created in this situation will vary according to the pressure. Thus, how is it possible to define a mask as noisy or quiet, without knowing how you sleep, what your pressure is, and what leaks you are getting? Obviously, finding a mask that fits your facial structure is the most important thing, but don't forget the level of leaks that you have throughout the night when deciding whether it is the right one for you.

[quote="Sheriff Buford"]Froggie is right. Your question is like asking what are the best shoes... (by the way... I think Ariat makes the best cowboy boots... but that's just me...).

So true.

A couple years ago, my sister and I were looking for hiking boots. I didn't see anything on the displays that I liked. My sister found one and asked the clerk to get her size. We sat down, and a lady across from me was trying a pair of boots that I really liked. The clerk must have been getting them for her when I checked the display as I never saw them. She took them off and said they didn't fit at all. I asked to try them, and they fit like they custom made for me. I still wear them on all my days off because I love them. I never intended to spend $200 for a pair of shoes, but they were so perfect for me that it was a great investment.

Just like shoes, some don't fit at all, some are okay, some are good, and some are absolutely perfect. The hard part is finding that perfect one.