Need nasal pillows recommendations

Looking for recommendations for nasal pilllows.

I've used CPAP successfully since 2006. For many years, I've used the Swift LT nasal pillow system, but it was discontinued a while back. I'm almost out of my stock of pillows, so need to switch to something else.

I loved the over the head tubing of the Swift LT. I see that other over the head brands include the AirFit P30i and the Opus 360. But they both have a number of negative reviews. I'd like to hear more pros and cons of those. I'm willing to switch to a front facing hose connection, so also want to hear user's recommendations on those.

Most important to me is comfort of the headgear and good fit of the pillows. I want them to be quiet with minimal leakage. And I prefer the headgear not leave marks on my cheeks. I need the headgear to fit a small head. FYI - I'm mostly a back sleeper and don't toss and turn much.

Any words of wisdom or caution from any of you nasal pillow users would be very welcome. Thanks.

JZ

Maybe Nova Micro? Not over the head though. And of course there is the P10. And solo pillow version too.

Dreamwear/P30i might work for you as well. If your supplier allows returns, suppose try one, and if no good, return?

Out of the bunch, I guess the micro might be closest to what you want, small head/no face marks. If you are okay with a nose hose, that is. The over the head versions for me leaked a bit more and also weren't especially comfortable -- but a lot of others love them, so what any single person prefers is sort of meaningless.

Personally I find that pillows don't quite fit my nostrils right .. Solo is closest, but for whatever reason I don't sleep so long with it -- can be used in my rotation though. Micro is okay... retrying that one again myself ... although for me it feels like med is too small, large is a little too large... but that's very likely just a 'me' thing.

Micro also is a little different in that the 'prongs' sort of go more in your nose vs something like the P10. Plus or minus, depending on preferences.

I don't know where you read the reviews about the P30i, but it is one of the best selling (and favorite) masks out there.

Order a fit-pack and try it.

I've been using one for years, and it's been great.

You are just going to have to try them and make up your own mind. Just because someone else loves something doesn't mean the next person will.

I started my cpap journey in May 2009 using the Swift LT nasal pillow system. So I am familiar with it but I never bothered wanting to route it overhead. I always found the headgear a bit "annoying" because I just prefer as little on my face and head as possible but with Padacheek strap pads we made do. Those little "arms" bugged the crap out of me but at the time it was the least evil of the masks out there.

ResMed then came out (sometime in 2010) with the Swift FX nasal pillow system....nice little mask but the venting (and subsequent vent noise) was quite pronounced and noticeable but at the time it was all we knew and dealt with it.

Then ResMed came out with the AirFit P10 nasal pillow system. The redesigned the venting holes and made it so that the venting was NOT noisy or annoying. It's called diffused venting. No noise and you can't really feel the vented air unless you put your finger closer than an inch away from the vent holes. For me it was a game changer.
Good chance I might still be using it if the Bleep hadn't been released....and in fact the P10 just recently got moved out of second place by my recent trial with the F & P Nova Micro nasal pillow.
The Bleep Eclipse is my number one mask right now and has been for a few years now. Link in my Signature line if you don't know about it.

I did a very brief trial with the ResMed P10i but I found it so noisy I didn't even try to sleep with it.

F & P makes some nice nasal pillow masks but they don't really address the venting issues as well as the P10 does.
The Micro Nova venting isn't bad though. It's not noisy at all and I have to put my finger about 3 or 4 inches from the vent holes to just barely even feel the vented air. I have tried most of F & P's nasal pillows but none of them were something I would put on my "preference" list until I tried the Nova Micro.

If any mask causes dents on the face....Padacheek.com for strap covers will pretty much eliminate that issue.

Physical sizes.....the LT and Swift FX and P10 and the F & P nasal masks (except the Nova Micro) are pretty much all about the same size.

I couldn't find a LT or FX nasal pillow but I have 4 others here laid out side by side.
From Left to right....P10...Solo..Nova Micro and Eclipse on far right.

Dog Slobber wrote: ↑

Fri Apr 18, 2025 12:22 pm

I don't know where you read the reviews about the P30i, but it is one of the best selling (and favorite) masks out there.

Order a fit-pack and try it.

I've been using one for years, and it's been great.

I know it means nothing but I hated that mask so bad that I didn't even try to sleep with it.

It's like all masks.....lovers and haters out there.

I was encouraged and once again checked all the suggestions, to no avail. There are many options as long as you sleep on your back or are an upwards-facing side-sleeper, and the pressures are relatively low. Still no good options for me. I hate all those advertisement videos, where ultra-happy, smiling models show how well the mask fits while... standing up. Or happily rest in bed on their backs. What about the rest of us who don't sleep standing up (or in a comfy face-up position)? The tubing hanging from the front of the mask? Where would it go when I turn on my stomach? And most importantly - how will it stay straight so it doesn't yank the interface off my nose? On other masks, the headgear incorporating the airway (I know there's one on each side so that when one is obstructed by my face laying on it, the other should suffice... but it doesn't) can easily get blocked. And the exhaust port - always up front, easily blocked when facing down? And blowing air all over my face? How about the good-old tube going up the middle of the face? And why not have the air exhaust port going that way, too? Apparently, the market for those (people like me) is so small, no company wants to bother to make a mask that would work for us.

McSleepy

The best I have found is the Resmed P10. Minimal mask and seals good if straps are positioned properly.

I use both the Respironics DreamWear pillows and the ResMed P30i. They are very similar, there are things that I like about each. I sleep on my back and both sides, but not on my stomach.

Both are double vent, one at the top and another in the pillows. I don't have any problem if one side hose is crushed. I've experimented with partially blocking the lower vent, I have complex sleep apnea and tried it to increase CO2. It didn't help much but I didn't have any ill effects or depressed O2 as long as it was t least 3/4 open. I don't use it this way now, but did for quite a while.

The P30i is quieter, I like the diffused front. The air comes from a larger area, you can hardly feel the flow. I think it would work better than the DreamWear if face down because its a larger area of lower flow, but can't say for sure.

I like the accordion frame on the P30i, I think it helps keep the pillows in place when I move around.

The headgear on the DreamWear works a lot better for me than the standard P30i gear. The P30i gear constantly slipped up the back of my head. But the DreamWear gear fits the P30i quite well, I use the DreamWear headgear on the P30i with good results.

I like the quick hose disconnect on the DreamWear. If I need a full face mask temporarily I can easily swap between the Pillows and the full face DreamWear, just a few seconds in the dark. I use those two if I have a cold or sinus infection. The DreamWear full face uses the same frame but different headgear and mask.

I've used a lot of pillows over the years (20), most of which are no longer available. Finding the best one is always a bit of a quest.

I hope this is helpful.