Opti vs. Opie (Review)

mikemoran · Post by **mikemoran** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 9:23 am

In my never ending quest to find the perfect bed partner, my soul mate may have just been delivered to my nose. I am pleased to see that the mask manufacturers might actually been listening to us. No color coordinating gimicks, just light airy nasal pillows with headgears that stabilize. I am speaking of the latest generation of masks from Respironics and Fisher-Paykel.

Both the Optilife (Respironics) and Opus (F-P) are refined responses to the popular Resmed Swift. Unlike the Swift the hose placement allows for easy sleeping on both sides. Clearly these guys steal from one another. The head gear on the Opti and Opie are anorexic versions of the swift headgear. A little less plastic on the side support and fewer nike Swift marks on the face as a result. Where the Opti adds a stabilizing chin strap, Opie goes strapless.

Pillow shapes on both masks are very similiar. The Opti allows you to tilt the pillows forward or back for adjustment. Opie on the other hand relies soley on strap adjustment for getting the perfect angle. In regards to pillow softness, they are both soft but Opie is just a touch softer.

Hose management differs on both,. The Opti has a light tube that must be run down the front. They do provide the hose clip that you can attach to your pajamas or sheet to minimize mask tugging. If you want to run it over your head you have to increase hose length and run it down the front and back up like a J. I added the short hose from my Activa to give me the needed length.

Opie has this nifty ball joint swivel, that makes the hose more free floating. You can attach it to a velcro loop on the cross strap over your head or just let it free float. So you can run the hose any way you like best and no tugging. This joint makes the Opie just a touch heavier than the Opti, but a tradeoff well worth it.

Exhaust come out the front on both of them. It is a pure straight shot with Opti and, because the defuser is on the elbow, Opie pushes it out at a slight angle. Noise for both is about the same, but in my opinion quieter than the Swift.

I find I get the same seal on both maks and it doesn't seem to break when I turn from side to side. While the chin strap is made to stabilize on the Opti, I found it a bit constarining and wore it very loosely with no shange in mask seal or stability.

For readers and TV watchers, like the Swift, these mask offer a clear line of sight until you move the Opie hose over your head.

My nostrils are sensitive, so the selection of nasal pillows has usually been an endurance test for me. Will my nares toughen up or will I just give up on a mask. This is one of the reasons I stopped using the Swift, Aura and Breeze. Niether one of these mask causes the same level of irritation. I attribute this to the softness of the pillows. These masks are the first ones I can actually forget I have them on because they are so light.

In a comparison of the two, I have to say my new friend is Opie. That swivel gives me the freedom to turn over and not have to worrry about what the hose is doing. It truly free floats from over my headboard. More time will tell, but for me this romance is starting very well. Can't promise the same for you, but can say the options are getting better for us all.

WillSucceed · Post by **WillSucceed** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 9:27 am

So Mikemoran:
Why not Optus and Opus?

blarg · Post by **blarg** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 9:31 am

The longer I hang around here the more I think everyone should get an Activa. It's a good mask (and may just work for them), but more so they have the extender bit hanging around that's oh so helpful.

Good reviews.

mikemoran · Post by **mikemoran** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 9:33 am

WillSucceed wrote:So Mikemoran:
Why not Optus and Opus?

I think its because I watched TV during my Latin classes.

neverbetter · Post by **neverbetter** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 10:12 am

Mike-e, good luckie.

i'm waiting till next month to compare the bravo thingy

Linda3032 · Post by **Linda3032** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 11:37 am

blarg wrote:The longer I hang around here the more I think everyone should get an Activa. It's a good mask (and may just work for them), but more so they have the extender bit hanging around that's oh so helpful.

I didn't buy the Activa, but I purchased the extender separately. It's great to have.

Good review Mike.

TerryB · Post by **TerryB** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 3:07 pm

I just got off the phone with Apria and they weren't sure they had a number for ordering the Opus yet. I told them to get the Opus if they could if not the Otilife. So there should be a St. Patties day present coming soon.
I'm hoping for the Opus for the swivel.

TerryB

canuck88 · Post by **canuck88** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 3:19 pm

How did you get your hands on these? And, do you want to sell the optilife (as in - to me?? lol)

mikemoran · Post by **mikemoran** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 3:30 pm

canuck88 wrote:How did you get your hands on these? And, do you want to sell the optilife (as in - to me?? lol)

The Opti I got as part of product trials so it is well used. The Opus was out of pocket for me. Now that my brother is hosing up, he gets all my cast offs.

Now I am waiting for him to put out his hard earned bucks to send some back my way.

WillSucceed · Post by **WillSucceed** » Tue Feb 27, 2007 5:01 pm

Longshot here, Canuk88, but I'm guessing you are in Canada, no?
I'm told by the Respironics rep. that Optilife should be here in Ontario fairly soon. I'll start nagging her shortly if she does not pony up!

Hawthorne · Post by **Hawthorne** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 5:36 am

Can I ask - do you have slotted or round nares? I see. on the CPAP.com site, that pillows are not advised for slotted nares. If yours are slotted, have you found pillows to not seal well?

DreamStalker · Post by **DreamStalker** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:11 am

Good review Mike.

Like Linda, I too have the Activa extender hose and use it for many of my mask trials .... it is a good accessory for PAP users to have IMO ... especially if your prefer routing the hose over to the top of your head like I do. It's like the Ronco rotisserie, you just "set it and forge it!" ... and spin around in bed all you want.

I'm hoping to be in some $$ later today and plan to order the Opie later tonight if all goes as expected.

mikemoran · Post by **mikemoran** » Wed Feb 28, 2007 8:52 am

My nares are slightly slotted which has cuased leak problems in the past for nasal pillows. I solved this by moving to the larger size and adjusting the pillows so they slant slightly forward. This eliminates the front leaks but does cause some additional pressure on the front of my nose. This is why I get irritation. With the softer pillows the seal is better and the pressure is less.

The other thing to keep in mind is that with an APAP some leakage is acceptable because the machine does adjust your treatment for minor leaks. Provided the air isn't leaking into your eyes and not causing too much noise, this is something you can get used to. With my nose, I learned to do this so I could take advantage of the lighter nasal pillow systems.

Opti vs. Opie (Review)

Opti vs. Opie (Review)

Re these 2 new masks