full face mask recommendations

I'm due for a new mask. I'm currently using a full face ultra mirage. It's so-so. It seems like I'll sleep well with it for a week and then poorly for a couple days. Sometimes it's too tight, sometimes too loose. I can't seem to get the "perfect" fit (is there such a thing?). It's frustrating.

So I'm looking for full face recommendations. It's been about a year since I've read the various CPAP forums or looked at new products so I'm hoping there is something new out there that people are really liking and could recommend.

Thanks.

I've been having the same issue with the UMFF. It was great at first, and then went downhill fast. I can't sleep with it anymore for the most part, because it leaks so much and I have to tighten the heck out of it to stop the leaks, which ends up giving me a headache.

The Quattro is quite popular, as are the Hybrid and the Liberty. I personally had success with the Liberty but I had the large and it was uncomfortable, so I'm trying out the small now.

Good luck!

Don't know what to tell you if you don't like the UMFF. I've been using the same one (almost exclusively) since May of 2005 and other than trying a couple of others, this one is my favorite.....and my original one keeps fitting better the older it gets.

The Quattro is OK but the UMFF is my "main squeeze" (or maybe "main breeze").


Den

I'm pretty happy with the Fisher and Paykel Flexifit 432. It's not perfect, but it's the closest I've come to it. I like it better than the UM and the Quattro because it has only a small forehead piece. This comes in handy when I sleep on my side and burrow into the pillow.

I have a fairly long, narrow face and I think that's part of the reason the 432 works better for me. My husband has a more round face and it didn't fit him well at all. He went back to using the UM after trying several others...so it might be best for you. No harm in trying, though!

I personally have had the exact opposite of Den....my Quattro is my preferred mask,
with my UMFF for backup. As a mouth breather, was very fortunate to find
these two masks off the bat, in thanks to this forum, and have settled into therapy
rather well. Keep us posted how youre doing.

I started using the Hybrid full face mask over a year ago and with the modification recommended by Rooster, was okay with it. Liberty Medical Supply didn't carry it so I switched to the Liberty which had softer pillows but was a pretty flimsy piece of equipment.

I used the UMFF at the sleep lab and for the first two weeks of my therapy, but the forehead brace really bothered me. Yesterday I got the ZzzMask and last night had a comfortable night's sleep. I plan on doing an in depth comparison of all three, but I want to give the ZzzMask a bit more time. Right now I am thrilled with its small size, soft body and lack of forehead brace. I really like not having pillows up my nose!

I alternate between the UMFF and the Soyala. I prefer the soyala..it's less obtrusive for side sleeping.... but it took months for me to get it adjusted right to where it didn't bother the bridge of my nose. It's not as good as the UMFF at higher pressures....but it's totally quiet.

I'm a newbie using a Quattro, and it's not bad, but last night it sprung a leak I just couldn't fix (despite many adjustments, and even Macks earplugs, perhaps not terribly beautifully applied), going right into my eye. I may try CorgiGirl's suggestion for the F&P HC432, since my face structure seems to be like hers. It seems from the reviews that if you have a less-wide face, this is a nice solution. Plus it says the smaller forehead piece allows for easier side sleeping. Will be trolling the CPAP.com auctions....

san_fran_girl, you might try an F&P 431 first. The reason I say that is because it comes with all three sizes of seal inserts, so you can figure out which works best for you. MY RT was sure I would need a medium but that size ended up giving me a sore on the bridge of my nose. The large is a little bit too large and I sometimes get eye leaks, which I'm working on. My dentist (of all people) suggested trying weather stripping, but I haven't had time to get some and try it. Most of the time, I don't have eye leaks, though, because I have my face burrowed into the pillow....

Once you have the 431 and know your size, you can simply order the seal and cushion for the 432 to try it out. The 431 doesn't have a special groove for the cushion and it does work a little better in the 432, but I didn't have any problem using the cushion in a 431.

Thanks, CorgiGirl! That's excellent advice. I had gone to CPAP.com to check it out, and did my measuring so I could find the right size, and it came back saying the mask isn't a good "fit" for me, or whatever, and gave me lots of mask suggestions -- primarily for nasal pillows. I didn't think my face was that unusual!!

I'm on CPAP at a pressure of 19. My current favorite mask is the ResMed Liberty. It does have a couple of weak points that break easily; the hose elbow that connects to the mask and the connect points for the upper straps. I've broken both once each. I reduce the chance the elbow will break by wearing a PAPcap and attaching the hose to the top of my head. That takes all the pressure off the elbow. I broke one of the connect points for the upper straps by trying to reseat my mask to fix a persistent leak by pulling it away from my face (that always worked for my old ComfortGel). Now if I can't fix a leak by doing the Bewitched thing and running my finger around the seal I just pull the mask off and put it right back on again. NEVER pull the Liberty out away from your face. However, if you do break something, the plastic frame is US$60 and the elbow is US$30 at CPAP dot com.

So having said all that you can see I like the Liberty a lot to put up with all that.