CPAPtalk.com

123.Shawn T.W. wrote:I've glued the little hook back on for Blessed, have to wait 24 hrs for full cure ... we will see if it holds, I may try the velcro extension on it too ...

That little hook broke? That's what I'm waiting to do to mine. Think I will start washing the whole thing rather than take the side straps off. Bummer Shawn and I wish you well on the glue job. I've never been successful gluing plastic to plastic

Suz

Suzjohnson wrote:

123.Shawn T.W. wrote:I've glued the little hook back on for Blessed, have to wait 24 hrs for full cure ... we will see if it holds, I may try the velcro extension on it too ...

That little hook broke? That's what I'm waiting to do to mine. Think I will start washing the whole thing rather than take the side straps off. Bummer Shawn and I wish you well on the glue job. I've never been successful gluing plastic to plastic

Suz

Yeah, that's it! I've never been real successful either ... if it doesn't work, I'll just drill a hole through the end of the strap that is plastic, and run a piece of copper wire through it ...

I know it would make it heavier, but a clip like on the ResMed Mirage Quattro/Micro I have would be much better, and easier for the patient to use!

I wonder how many of these enginers actually use these ... ?

[quote="123.Shawn T.W."
Yeah, that's it! I've never been real successful either ... if it doesn't work, I'll just drill a hole through the end of the strap that is plastic, and run a piece of copper wire through it ...

I know it would make it heavier, but a clip like on the ResMed Mirage Quattro/Micro I have would be much better, and easier for the patient to use!

I wonder how many of these enginers actually use these ... ? [/quote]

You know, rather than use copper wire, you can use something called a jump ring. You can find them at almost any craft store in the jewelry making department. You open and close them using 2 fine, needle nose pliers. They are fine and light weight and would be perfect for what you need to do. The trick is opening and closing a jump ring properly. You don't pull them apart, which seems logical to do, but twisting each wrist in opposite directions to pull each end to the sides. Hard to describe!

Suz

I'm not sure what your talking about ... but ... Cyndi does, and actually has some, as she makes her own jewerly! We'll try that if the glue doesn't work ...

It just kills me that so many masks are made with "no bulky, uncomfortable buckles"
--like it's a GOOD thing! Wait just a minute, guys--
you are eliminating a part that makes these things EASIER
to use! --and extends the life of the headgear.
Oh, right! You are not making them for us--but the money mill. Aw, gee whiz!
---no fair...... (grumble, grumble)

chunkyfrog wrote:It just kills me that so many masks are made with "no bulky, uncomfortable buckles"
--like it's a GOOD thing! Wait just a minute, guys--
you are eliminating a part that makes these things EASIER
to use! --and extends the life of the headgear.
Oh, right! You are not making them for us--but the money mill. Aw, gee whiz!
---no fair...... (grumble, grumble)

AMEN!!! And I wish headgear and buckles were standardized, so you could mix and match to find your perfect mask interface and the perfect headgear to go with it. We're lucky enough if we find something that works for our face shapes. Throw in head dimensions/sleeping habits, and the odds of a single mask working with all those variables gets slimmer and slimmer.

Thought I'd post an update here.

So, this is the current state of my Pilairo:



Lasted about six weeks, used about every other day. Not bad, but not super. For the record, I wiped it down with cpap wipes every day and washed it with baby shampoo every week. My husband's Pilairo blew out after about six weeks of daily use (his chemistry is not as hostile to silicone as mine is).

CPAP.com still does not carry replacement pillows, but I've found them elsewhere online for $25+shipping.

How is this mask holding up for other folk?

Wow! That didn't last long ....
I would contact the manufacturer and report it to them as they may do something about it. I hope you can find cheaper replacements. It is costly to be changing them every 6-8 weeks....

the_nap_ster wrote:Thought I'd post an update here.

So, this is the current state of my Pilairo:

Lasted about six weeks, used about every other day. Not bad, but not super. For the record, I wiped it down with cpap wipes every day and washed it with baby shampoo every week. My husband's Pilairo blew out after about six weeks of daily use (his chemistry is not as hostile to silicone as mine is).

CPAP.com still does not carry replacement pillows, but I've found them elsewhere online for $25+shipping.

How is this mask holding up for other folk?

I'm going to give it another try tonight - though it's really hard for me to fall asleep because of how noisy the mask is compared to the Swift FX.

But if the pillow only lasts 6 weeks... Oh my. That's not good.

this is what f&p says about cleaning your mask. for best results follow mfgr directions. if you follow their directions exactly, you may have a case for replacement of a defective product.

http://www.fphcare.com/userfiles/file/O ... 7008_b.pdf

My washing was pretty much exactly according to F&P's directions (except mine was more gentle, I think, since CPAP-wipes don't require submerging, and I alternated between CPAP-wipes and baby shampoo). But the thing is... BOTH my husband's and my Pilairo blew out. So I'm not inclined to think this was one defective mask.

The Aloha wasn't my ideal mask because I had to replace the cushions so often, and it looks like the Pilairo might fall into that category too.

For whatever it's worth, the Resmed cushions seem to last a LOT longer for us, so Mr. Napster is back on his Bellas, and I'm using my Liberty Hybrid as my main mask. I might buy another Pilairo cushion just to double-check, but I'm not optimistic about it. Grumble.

I've been rotating 3 of them and wash them in baby shampoo every day (the one I just used). They are all in great condition. They better not change a thing in these pillows. They are perfect.

I gave up on the Pilario. I could not get over how noisy it was, and after we reduced my low pressure to 5, it didn't inflate enough to be stable.

I figured out where to put the hose for the Swift FX, and now I'm using that every night to good effect! Much easier than the FF Quattro, which was making my neck ache every morning. I am going to try the Amara, maybe next week, and maybe exchange my new Quattro for that.

The Pilairo is the second mask I tried, and I feel that I've lucked out compared to my BF, who has had to try a number of masks over the months and still hasn't found one that is the IT mask (though the latest is pretty good, thank goodness). I am sleeping through the night and falling asleep normally only two weeks after starting, and feeling well rested. It helps me breathe so much better. My numbers on it are 2.0 or lower every night so far compared to 4 with the other one. The only complaint I have is that sometimes as a stomach sleeper I mush my face against my pillow and so my nose cartilage is sore in the morning sometimes. And, reading this thread, I'm a bit wary on the durability.

I had high hopes for the Pilario, but ended up returning it. The one size fits all was way too tight for me. How they can think that one size fits all is beyond me. Since I can't sew, I ended up loosening it with a piece of ribbon. This kept the mask returnable.
It wasn't as comfortable as my Swift FX. More silicone pushed below my nose. It hurt the inside of my nostrils. My wife noticed it was louder and she did not even know I was trying a different mask. The elbow does not move smoothly like the FX. It did not rotate by itself, I had to rotate it with my fingers. The AHI and leak data were no better than my FX.
The FX is good. I’ll keep on looking for something better.