Trying out masks

[andyed671]

I just spent my second night with a full-face mask and so far so good. But I'm wondering if there's a way to try out the different kinds of masks without buying them all. If I order online and try one I don't like, can I return it?

[chunkyfrog]

I take you are paying out of pocket.
Our forum hosts (cpap.com) offer 30-day return insurance, sometimes free.
I hope you are not in Canada, because this does not work well for Canadians.

[tortoisegirl]

Or, locally, you could find a DME with a good mask exchange policy. Some give you 30 days without a limit on the number of swaps you make, and often they let you keep the old one since they would just trash it anyways. You may have to call around to find one that does that. DMEs can fill out a form for the manufacturer to give them a refund on a returned mask. Their cash prices will be significantly higher than online, but a good one would spend time to determine the proper size, adjust/fit it, and give you specific advice about it.

If it was a place close to your house where you could easily get appointments, that could be quicker than waiting for a mask to arrive from online, then having to pack it up and send it back, wait for another, etc. A mask selection at an average DME may be about equal to the number of masks which CPAP.com offers free return insurance on. Agreed its hard to know whether a mask that seems fine is really the best one, without trying more. I've decided not to try any more for the time being since I don't have any big complaints about mine and haven't seen any others that I think would work better. Best wishes.