New Fisher & Paykel Flexifit 431 mask review

[rgelston]

The old Flexifit 431 was my first mask that I used over a year. Time to get a new mask (sprung head gear and leaks) so my sleep lab let me try many other brands but there were serious leak problems with them all.


The sleep doc thought the new Flexifit 432 would work - it has a foam insert in addition to the plastic skirt. However, the insert sizes on this mask and the redesigned 431 and 432 do not match the insert sizes of the old 431! A small in the old 431 is a medium in the new masks.

I did not like the 432 because the foam insert not only touched a lot of my face, it pushed my cheeks together giving me a fish face if you could see it under the mask. Luckily for me, the redesigned 431 fit me perfectly, is comfortable, and doesn't leak. A big bonus for both the new 431 and 432 is that the redesigned exhaust is very nearly silent - way better than the old 431 and far ahead of all the other brands I tried. The downside is that the exhaust vents (a grid of small holes) are in the upper part of the mask and blow straight out onto your partner if he/she is laying near to you.

Bottom line is that the redesigned 431 is a great mask (for me)!.

[sleepyjane]

thanks for posting this. I am going to try a full face mask for the first time next week and the provider only has two masks the one you mentioned (431) and resmed optimal or somethig like that.

Did any of the others you tired fit a female face (smaller). My sister is going to buy me a mask in addition to the one I am getting from insurance and since I can't try on any but these two, I may order without trying online,,but worried about doing that as they are so expensive.

[rgelston]

The 432 with the foam might work well on a narrower female face!


Maybe you could change providers to one with a better selection of tryout masks. I would order a sight-unseen mask on the internet only as a last resort. They are expensive and as you know, not returnable.

[sleepyjane]

regelson,

I know..I hate to spend money and then it not fit. My doctor did suggest I change but I really like my provider. I had one other before them and they were just horrible and I may get one worse. \\Plus the provider has shown me how to change the setting and although I know they are not supposed too..at one pint I changed the setting higher. I could not convince my doctor the setting he lowered was wrong for three years and when they id the study again they discovered I was getting essentially no rem or stage 3 and 4 sleep. they did the study at night initially despite me telling them I slept in the daytime and the study wasn't right since I got so little sleep as I was not sleepy. They lowered it from 15 to 4 based on that faulty study.

Had the provider not shown me how to set machine higher and I not changed it I would have been even worse. since I was suicidal at the time, it was crucial I take steps to try to help myself as the doctor was closed to redoing the study or altering the pressure even though time proved he was wrong and I was right.

I am grateful to this provider for breaking the rules and I do not want to switch.

I did ask the doctor in a letter I just wrote if I could maybe go to their lab and try on masks (but I don't know if he will agree as my sister who is buying it wants to use her medical company discount (she owns a medical supply company) to order it directly and I doubt the sleep lab will give here the discount.

Since I can't purchase it from the people letting me try it as this is not in my control but my sisters, it is hard to think people will let you try on all their masks and then you don't buy.

But they do have two and if those two fit, I could wind up with those two (one from insurance and one from sister). But if they don't work, I am uncertain what to do. Luckily two of the one's people recommended are the same two the provider carries.