01-19-2025, 07:17 PM
(This post was last modified: 01-19-2025, 07:33 PM by DancesWithCats. Edited 3 times in total.)
RE: ResMed Equipment Quality
Well, I can confirm bad fake velcro strap attachments. The hook side appears to be legit, but the "loop" is just the fabric over the neoprene of the strap, and it failed throughly about a year into using the headgear - which would be less of an issue if my insurance/DME wasn't useless and abusive to the point I'm not using them anymore. Those are from 3-3/4 years ago though, not the last two years.
The rest of the mask I use is pretty good; got a year and a half out of the first facepiece before the thin silicone tore, over 2 years on the next one of those and still going, frame and connector are 3-3/4 years old and still work fine. That mask is labeled as made in Australia, which as far as I understand is where ResMed is based.
I'm unwilling to pay the inflated price for the same poor design to replace the strap, so I've taped it up, and will eventually either add some actual hook velcro or build a whole new strap. Or I might sew it in place.
The actual machine ("new" they claimed - funny about the 1168 hours on it when I had had it less than 24 hours) has been fine other than some fan noise that may or may not be normal, and is now over 12,000 hours. I haven't yet bothered to take it apart and see if I can improve the noise by cleaning out the remains of "Spirit Medical" filters it ingested. I'd rather do that with a spare machine on hand. The machine is from the only other place ResMed makes things, Singapore.
The humidifier (stainless steel rectangular bottom) has not had any problems other than the occasional need to de-lime it when I decided to stop putting distilled water in it. I guess there's an aluminum bottom version that's troublesome for leaks, but I haven't had one. Supposedly there's also a newer "round metal bottom" that's less prone to leak, but I haven't had leaks, so I haven't got one of those.
I have no idea how actual Resmed filters are, since my crappy DME never sold me one - only "Sprit Medical" ones that shed crud into the machine. Those [expletive deleted] things are labeled made in the USA. I posted pictures in a review thread. There's white dust deposited from the area behind the filter all the way into the humidifier. I now cut up N95's and put those in for filters, which works fine and doesn't shed.
Never had a Resmed hose, either. DME gave me some no-brand junk from Indonesia, with the machine set for slimline (by them) when they gave me full-size cause it was cheap junk and more profit to them. Stiff, noisy and distracting when trying to sleep. Cat eventually put too many holes in that and I bought some Philips slimline hose which was misleadingly pictured as rolling nicely, but in actual fact retains the memory of every bend it had in the package when it arrived. It is ever so slightly less stiff and noisy than the no-name junk hose, but not what I hoped for. It now has some tape over cat teeth holes as well. I wrap some fabric over the hose rather than bothering with the heated hoses, and that keeps it from raining out up to humidity 7. It also dulls the noise a bit.
I either found reviews or was told when I asked about hoses that flexed nicely (or both) that newer Resmed hoses were somewhat stiffer than older ones, and given they cost considerably more I haven't tried one. I'd hazard a guess that they removed certain formerly popular plasticizers from the newer formulation, but they don't even admit there's a difference or change. Multiple users did confirm that their replacement hoses were stiffer than the hose they had been using, though.
Board opinion last I recall is that the Airsense 11 is not better in any way than the 10, other than being more cheaply made for a larger profit margin. Haven't had one, don't particularly want one form the details I've read about the actual differences.
The other mask I have was made in Singapore and happens to be a design that hurts my face so I can't sleep, so it has however many weeks of exactly 4 hours of not sleeping it took until I got my DME to admit that they could give me a different mask, so I have no idea how durable it is, as it's been packed in the box since I got the mask I use now.
The rest of the mask I use is pretty good; got a year and a half out of the first facepiece before the thin silicone tore, over 2 years on the next one of those and still going, frame and connector are 3-3/4 years old and still work fine. That mask is labeled as made in Australia, which as far as I understand is where ResMed is based.
I'm unwilling to pay the inflated price for the same poor design to replace the strap, so I've taped it up, and will eventually either add some actual hook velcro or build a whole new strap. Or I might sew it in place.
The actual machine ("new" they claimed - funny about the 1168 hours on it when I had had it less than 24 hours) has been fine other than some fan noise that may or may not be normal, and is now over 12,000 hours. I haven't yet bothered to take it apart and see if I can improve the noise by cleaning out the remains of "Spirit Medical" filters it ingested. I'd rather do that with a spare machine on hand. The machine is from the only other place ResMed makes things, Singapore.
The humidifier (stainless steel rectangular bottom) has not had any problems other than the occasional need to de-lime it when I decided to stop putting distilled water in it. I guess there's an aluminum bottom version that's troublesome for leaks, but I haven't had one. Supposedly there's also a newer "round metal bottom" that's less prone to leak, but I haven't had leaks, so I haven't got one of those.
I have no idea how actual Resmed filters are, since my crappy DME never sold me one - only "Sprit Medical" ones that shed crud into the machine. Those [expletive deleted] things are labeled made in the USA. I posted pictures in a review thread. There's white dust deposited from the area behind the filter all the way into the humidifier. I now cut up N95's and put those in for filters, which works fine and doesn't shed.
Never had a Resmed hose, either. DME gave me some no-brand junk from Indonesia, with the machine set for slimline (by them) when they gave me full-size cause it was cheap junk and more profit to them. Stiff, noisy and distracting when trying to sleep. Cat eventually put too many holes in that and I bought some Philips slimline hose which was misleadingly pictured as rolling nicely, but in actual fact retains the memory of every bend it had in the package when it arrived. It is ever so slightly less stiff and noisy than the no-name junk hose, but not what I hoped for. It now has some tape over cat teeth holes as well. I wrap some fabric over the hose rather than bothering with the heated hoses, and that keeps it from raining out up to humidity 7. It also dulls the noise a bit.
I either found reviews or was told when I asked about hoses that flexed nicely (or both) that newer Resmed hoses were somewhat stiffer than older ones, and given they cost considerably more I haven't tried one. I'd hazard a guess that they removed certain formerly popular plasticizers from the newer formulation, but they don't even admit there's a difference or change. Multiple users did confirm that their replacement hoses were stiffer than the hose they had been using, though.
Board opinion last I recall is that the Airsense 11 is not better in any way than the 10, other than being more cheaply made for a larger profit margin. Haven't had one, don't particularly want one form the details I've read about the actual differences.
The other mask I have was made in Singapore and happens to be a design that hurts my face so I can't sleep, so it has however many weeks of exactly 4 hours of not sleeping it took until I got my DME to admit that they could give me a different mask, so I have no idea how durable it is, as it's been packed in the box since I got the mask I use now.
