Good Canadian online retailers?

[Julie]

Look at them all on Cpap.com - tons of info and reviews! Just because they host this forum is NOT the reason I'm recommending you do that... it really is because their variety and info is terrific (and the website prints ALL reviews of the products, not just the good ones). They have no knowledge or control of how I shop, so my advice re using their site to look at stuff has nothing to do with it.

How a few individuals here feel about individual masks is very subjective and everyone's face is different... you will be better off vetting masks on your own. Surely you've shopped for many things in your life... and walked away from places where service is bad. Don't imagine there's any reason you can't do the same when it comes to getting a mask or machine... why should there be?

[m13l1n1]

I'll get machine from local and mask online. Reason is they will do the government rebate for machine and will replace machine if it's defective in store. I had a defective Dreamstation replaced after a month of use. The store I went in Toronto allow me to try their masks. Then you can get masks online as they are almost a third cheaper online.

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[Hose_Head]

You've asked about buying online, so why not ignore the people you met at the store and go online at least to first check out what you want and go to the dealer only once you have a good idea of what that is (we can advise on most machines and masks). And if you get lousy service, tell them and go somewhere else. They're businesses like any other, and if salespeople are unpleasant, don't deal with them.

You can buy any mask any time you want to anywhere you want to. Period. What's important is that if you're trying a full face (vs nasal) mask you must do it lying down because your facial structure changes a lot vs sitting up and you'll have a hard time adjusting to the masks otherwise. But you also should be sure you have the right size and that it's fitted (adjusted) properly... many masks have videos with info on doing it properly.

As mentioned before, Cpap.com will let you try masks x 30 d. for a small fee... and you can look at them first on the site - huge selection - where you can see graphics, reviews, lots of info on all. I don't work for them but appreciate their choices (and prices when I have ordered things).

I've already decided on the resmed autoset 10 with humidair, climateair. So the top autoset model. I had a full list of masks written down before heading to the store and my plan was to try them all out. But asking to try even one mask I got stone walled.
The masks I wrote down are the following:
swift fx
air fit p10
naunce pro gel
opus 360
mirage quattro

You've not mentioned your sleep studies. A sleep study is needed to diagnose your sleep apnea. If the sleep study determines that you have OSA, then a second sleep study (called a titration study) is needed to determine the type of machine that you need and establish the pressure settings for it. Have you had them?

What was your experience with the mask that you used in your titration study? Did you mouth breathe? What was your final pressure setting? The reason this is relevant is that some masks do better at high pressure settings than others. Also, if you are a mouth-breather, then you likely will need to use a full face mask.

Whatever mask you chose to trial at the DME, it's recommended that you try it while laying down with a cpap machine connected and running at your titrated pressure. If you don't do this, then you may find that what felt great in the store is a miserable failure when you try it out at home.

A good DME is invaluable in helping you select the right mask. Online purchase of a mask, or other supplies, is only recommended AFTER you have found a mask that you like and all that you need is a replacement for it. Unfortunately, good DME's seem to be few and far between. I wish I could recommend one to you; it's been many years since I last saw a DME. It appears to me that the Ontario government's ADP program (they are the one's who pay for your initial equipment) have tightened the screws on prices to the extent that DME's profits do not allow them to provide much service.

I wish you luck.

[chunkyfrog]

Since the local DME's were not helpful with mask trials, I went online to find one that fit.
Deductibles and copays drove me online for ALL my masks and supplies for several years.
My employer was paying my premiums, (for less than stellar coverage), so I was all OOP.
Medicare let me go back into a DME, and I found a good one after a brief encounter with Crapria.
The good ones are unusual, as I have found.

[Pugsy]

A word about cpap.com return insurance policy on masks.
Please read it carefully. You don't get a full 30 days to try the mask. You have 30 days to return it and have it in their possession by 30 days from the original shipment data.
Shipping outside the US could be problematic because we never know how long something is going to sit in customs...going or coming.

It gives those of us in the USA plenty of time to figure out if we want to keep the mask or not but the time is going to be less due to customs and international shipping.

Also remember...ResMed and Respironics both prohibit the shipping of any of their products internationally. So no masks, mask parts, hoses, machines, humidifier, or even a water chamber from ResMed or Respironics can be shipped to an address outside the USA.
Now if Canadians happen to live close enough to cross the border into the US for a US post office address pick up it becomes doable.

Read the return policy carefully so that you understand it. It's not 30 days from the time you get it. It's 30 days from the date it was shipped and it has to back at cpap.com before that 30 days ends.

[chunkyfrog]

Canadians have a rotten deal with cpap, but their drug prices are sometimes worth us taking a road trip.
How much are Epi-Pens up there?

[BlackSpinner]

Canadians have a rotten deal with cpap, but their drug prices are sometimes worth us taking a road trip.
How much are Epi-Pens up there?

$100 but I believe $165 online

[Hose_Head]

Canadians have a rotten deal with cpap, but their drug prices are sometimes worth us taking a road trip.
How much are Epi-Pens up there?

"Canadians have a rotten deal with cpap,"? I'm not so sure. I'd say we're no better off than the USA, but depending on which province you live in and depending on your employee benefits package, we're no worse off, either. Just like in the USA, it depends on what insurance you have to pay for it. I'd argue that it's just different up here.

Ontario and Manitoba (I think) have government programs to assist in purchase of a cpap. The rules are a little restrictive but are workable. Those living in other provinces may need to rely on their employee benefit plan, with variable results.

Cpap prices do seem to be higher here. If you have to pay out of pocket, a better choice would be to buy in the USA. If necessary, a re-shipping company can help one get around the Resmed / PR shipping restrictions. Thus, it is possible for us to pay the same as Americans, with the added expense of exchange rates on the dollar.

For masks, hoses and filters, I've actually found that it's cheaper to buy from an online retailer located in Canada. For example, for the last several year's, I've been able to beat cpap.com's prices (with exchange) by ordering in Canada.