resmed ultra mirage II and mirage activa

What is the primary difference between these two masks?

sleepyhead,

I assume you've already compared the two online. They are similar, but I can give you my very subjective opinion. When I was at my DME I did spend quite a bit of time trying on a number of masks, with pressure set at 10 and lying down in order to get the most realistic idea of what they'd be like.

I ended up getting the Ultra Mirage II. I felt that the Mirage has a softer, lighter, smaller feel to it for a nasal mask. The Activa felt a bit larger and although the outside cushion was very soft, the inner part felt much stiffer. I tend to move positions a lot and although the Activa says it's supposed to be the best for that, I still preferred the Mirage -- again, I think because of the feeling that it was smaller, lighter. Most of the other parts (headgear, clips, exhaust port, etc.) are the same. Since I want as little as possible on my face (other than nasal pillows, which is another story), my personal preference was to go with the Mirage II. They are both equally good -- it depends which feels best on your face.

I've owned both masks and still do. The UltraMirage nasal mask a long time favorite was improved and/or replaced by the UMII. The UMII comes with better forehead support/pads (both masks have the same forehead support/pivot), the skirted cushion on the UMII is the same design as the original UM, in fact if not mistaken the cushions on the UM/UMII are inter-changable.

The UltraMirageII nasal mask is very small and very light, during its time hard to be that is until the Soyala came out.

The Activa is a totally different mask. About the only thing closely resembling the UMII is the forehead support pads and pivot, everything else is different.

The cushion design is the highlight of the Activa, it took the base design of the UltraMirage cushion which has a softer inner-skin membrane that uses CPAP pressure to assist in the seal between the cushion and the skin. This cushion has a firm side skirt to support that softer cushion. Next it uses a bellows type cushion between the main frame and skirted cushion. This bellows is larger than the overall cushion and again it uses CPAP pressure to apply side skirt pressure to the cushion making contact to your face. This greater size gives the mask leverage to apply pressure to the cushion (as opposed to strap pressure on other masks).

If you have a lot of problems with nasal mask leaks, the Activa may help with those.

Only drawback to the Activa is it is larger and heavier mask compared to even the UMII. The Activa requires the least amount of headgear strap pressure, you actually wear it "loose" and it will still make sufficient seal. You want to make sure you do NOT purchase it too small, if you do the cushion will ride up and cut into your nose/nares. Most of us trimmed the inner flap below the nares to stop this.

The Activa uses the same swivel elbow systems as the Vista. This is a more noisy elbow system (in my opinion) than even the UMII. I preferred the UMII over the Activa, the Activa was too big and bulky for me, I really didn't have all that much problems maintaining a seal with the UM or the UMII.

Since then I've tried a dozen other nasal masks, the Soyala nasal remains my favorite, it is smaller and lighter than the UMII seals better and is much quieter. I've been using the Soyala nasal about 9 months now (same mask and cushion), it has been holding up great. I have a spare sitting in the drawer should it fail, once I have to pull out that one, I'll order a replacement.

The Soyala is SILENT compared to the the UMII, Activa or for that matter any other mask I've ever used, there is no exhaust/breathing hiss at all.

Soredog, sounds like the soyala is a great mask.I do like that it is quieter. Is the sizing the same as with the mirageII ?

Anonymous wrote:Soredog, sounds like the soyala is a great mask.I do like that it is quieter. Is the sizing the same as with the mirageII ?

Soyala runs a tad smaller compared to other masks from Resmed and Respironics, I found their Mediums to be very similar in size.

So it all depends on how the current mask fits you, I've only compared theirs to Mediums from the others, if your mask is small then you would be better off going with the larger size in the Soyala.

I wore a Medium in UM/UMII, Activa, ComfortGel and I went with a Large in Somnotech's especially the Full Face version, that one was a mile off on the small side for the FF. I wouldn't rely on Somnotech's sizing guide it is also on the small side (says Medium you need a Large, says Small you need a Medium etc.).

But if you need a Extra-Small or Petite then stick with the Small, you don't want it riding too low it will leave a divot on your nose and press on the exterior of the nose and cause congestion. I found all the Soyala's to be deep masks, my nose would bottom out on some of the Resmed masks especially the Vista, no problem with the Soyala's.