[CPAP] New or 2ndhand ResMed APAP advice (S8 or Airsense 10)

[SarcasticDave94]

IMO just mentioning you're shopping for best price may make that local medical supplier fear losing the money you represent in sales from the machine and/or supplies. Maybe they make a deal that's acceptable. Of course it could be maybe they don't as well. I say it's worth a shot to try. As long as the machines are exactly the same, you have basis to judge varying prices and who's offering the better deal.

[mtsandersen]

Just looking at the price from Supplier #13, I don't think that's terribly good value. Check out Supplier #36 - $200 cheaper including mask and 5 year warranty. Of course they're in Perth which may not be your neighbourhood, but it gives you a pricing benchmark. These machines cost a lot of money, so it's really best to shop around a bit - even if you end up going with your local guy, you will have some leverage to get the price down a bit.

Well I'll hope to price match, certainly. When the clinic I went through sent some pricing info for me, it was just a brochure from a company called Air Liquide, and the upshot was a ResMed Airsense 10 Autoset with a mask is $1,969; I don't know if it was a special I found through Google, but there was a package with mask that was about $300 cheaper. It might have been The CPAP Clinic, similar logo, not sure now, will have to check my notes. There are a few places claiming to have deals, some online only, which make me nervous, like Aussie CPAP (sounds corny). Claims to be discounted from $2678 (haven't seen anywhere sell it for that) down to $1297 (machine only). But of course nowhere to take the machine for service, or pick up supplies. They sometimes claim it comes with free filters worth $400 as a bonus; no idea what spare  filters cost, but hope not that much. 
The Perth one has a similar deal as one I remember coming across, with the 5 yr warranty, mask, etc. 
As it's all new to me, I'd prefer someone closer that can advise me on the setup. Ideally once set up, I won't have to worry about all the terminology, although it's good to be able to adjust the humidity level or the like. I'm a bit worried about being taken for a ride just because it's a medical device I don't know how to set up. I'm not sure how much value the included yearly monitoring is. But it's good to know I can get the data off it myself and get advice here.
Incidentally, I have a 16Gb SD card that came with my camera that could hopefully fit the bill (I bought a fast 64 Gb card for the camera).

[mtsandersen]

IMO just mentioning you're shopping for best price may make that local medical supplier fear losing the money you represent in sales from the machine and/or supplies. Maybe they make a deal that's acceptable. Of course it could be maybe they don't as well. I say it's worth a shot to try. As long as the machines are exactly the same, you have basis to judge varying prices and who's offering the better deal.

Well in the email they (Healthy Sleep Solutions) sent when I asked for price info, he added this to the end: 
"Important when looking around cheap CPAP machines with online importers they come in a box not setup up and there’s no care or support provided long term along many other things like prescription info, local shops etc, we can set up the machine following the Sleep Physician recommendations so you can get the best out of your CPAP therapy"
which told me they were losing business to cheap online stores, which a lot of stores like bookshops etc are, but I prefer buying electronics from a physical place I can get warranty and get it seen to or replaced in case of issues. Some shops get special models (e.g. mattresses) made just for them, or use unique model names, just so people can't price compare without knowing if it is the same thing.

[Osiris357]

I used to feel the same way about buying electronics online but it’s been many years since I got tired of paying a lot more money to get it “in store”. I call it the “I don’t wanna wait tax”. As long as the machine has a warranty from the manufacturer then you’re good to go. Any extended warranty they would offer you is a waste of even more money. Here in the states it is anyway. A used machine is a different story but from what I’ve heard everyone is completely satisfied with there purchases from the supplier list. And at a fairly steep discount. The chance of having To need it serviced before it’s end of life is slim IMO. As for support, you have all you need right here in the forum. Which is much more than you’ll ever get from the brick and mortar.

[SarcasticDave94]

Allow me to mention that regarding machine setup, you have that service free for being an Apnea Board member. Here's how it works: get the clinician manual for your exact machine via the CPAP Setup Manual link in the top banner, read up on your machine, access the settings, and edit them with the titration guide that can be found. Some like Sleeprider already have the titration guides, probably as a PDF, and have posted this info in the past. We will assist in the setup; that is not something that supplier has to do for you to use your machine. You can do this yourself, and it always ends up with better results for you.

[jaswilliams]

The 16GB card will be fine you don't get detailed data unless you sleep with the Sd card in the machine, just make sure you format it first before placing in the machine

[DeepBreathing]

You do need to be careful that if you're buying a machine in Australia it's actually supplied by Resmed in Australia. Aussie CPAP (note there's no .au in the web address) states: UN-BEATABLE DEALS ON CPAP MACHINES & MASKS USA DIRECT TO AUSTRALIA. What this implies to me is that they have a low cost sources of machines in the States that they import and on-sell. You think you're getting an Australian machine but in fact it's a grey import, probably made in Singapore. Yeah, it looks cheap but you would really want to know what you're getting and on what terms.

I second the views of other members that you can probably manage your own therapy purely using this forum. Many hundreds of people have, and many people here haven't seen a doc or therapist in years. It's really not that hard, and we will hold your hand every step of the way. But at the end of the day it's your money and your health (mental as well as physical) and I can fully understand why somebody would want to buy the machine in their local community and get ongoing support there.

[holden4th]

Ok, didn't realise it was quite that old; I was just wondering if I was silly for wanting a new machine when a free 2ndhand unit was available (apart from hose and mask). 
While I have come across mention of Supplier #2, I don't really want to import, and with the cost of importing along with the exchange rate, the saving is probably not so great; over the years, I've come to realise importing expensive electronics is a bad idea when a local supplier is available, even at some extra expense; not just because of the cost of postage and chance of breakage in post, but specifically for support. ResMed is an Australian company anyway.
Supplier #13 (Australian supplier) has come up in my search, it is near the top of my Google searches and has a good price; they also list an interest-free payment plan. But speaking to my dad today, he says he will help me out. So I will ask the clinic I did the trial with if they will price match (they've already got my initial sleep test and 1 month of data and set it up), or consider seeing what Supplier #13 can do for me. If it requires another trial, it wouldn't be worth it, though.

Thanks of the advice.

Edit: I gather the Airsense 10 uses a regular SD card (or 'compatible' SD card). I can't imagine the specs need be that great for it, but what are the compatibility requirements for it?

 If you have a look at my post you'll see that I am a fellow Aussie. I did my homework before I bought from Supplier #2, comparing various Aussie CPAP suppliers, and came to the conclusion that buying a gently used machine from the US via them, including postage, would cost me less than half the cost of buying one from the cheapest Aussie outlet.

I used Air Liquide for my initial loaner machine when I was deciding if CPAP was for me. Their approach - supercilious, all knowing and unwilling to consider options left me with a bad feeling. Avoid like the plague. Also, avoid any supplier who asks you for a prescription, you don't need one under the TGA here in Australia. You should be able to stroll in and buy what you want.

[mtsandersen]

Allow me to mention that regarding machine setup, you have that service free for being an Apnea Board member. Here's how it works: get the clinician manual for your exact machine via the CPAP Setup Manual link in the top banner, read up on your machine, access the settings, and edit them with the titration guide that can be found. Some like Sleeprider already have the titration guides, probably as a PDF, and have posted this info in the past. We will assist in the setup; that is not something that supplier has to do for you to use your machine. You can do this yourself, and it always ends up with better results for you.

That's reassuring. Because it's all new to me, and it's viewed as a medical instrument that has to be set up by a guy possibly wearing a white coat, I felt wary not going through the people who did my trial. As long as you don't need special proprietary software to do it. I asked him what pressure I needed over the phone after the trial, he looked it up remotely (pretty neat, and a bit creepy perhaps, that clinicians can remotely assess your progress and adjust settings) and from what I remember he said the pressure varied between 7 and 11.

One I'm looking at is called NSW CPAP - which has 2 physical locations in Sydney and a nearly identical site design and the same deal ($1599 with mask and 5 yr warranty) as Supplier #36 from Perth, obviously the same people behind it. They have a store in Bondi Junction here in Sydney, so pretty local. I might give them a call tomorrow. 
Another Australian site is called "The CPAP Clinic" and lists 39 stores across Australia, though some of those are partner pharmacies, and not as close. They have free regular shipping and $40 same-day courier delivery. They have a "March Madness" deal identical to the one above, AUS$1599 with mask and 5 yr warranty.

[SarcasticDave94]

Because I'm not in Australia myself, I'll allow your fellow country mates comment on the aspect of the suppliers and pricing, etc. you've mentioned.

What I will say is if you're able to push a button or 2 and turn and click a dial on the CPAP and follow easy to understand directions both here on AB and in the clinical manual, you would be able to set your machine yourself, if you're willing to take on that small bit of work.

Typically, what is done is a patient buys the machine which is probably set to factory defaults. You unbox it, set it up to run by placing it on a bedside table, plug it in, and enter the clinical mode. You'll want to set the time and date first. Then you move on through the menus to set the therapy items like Mode and therapy pressures. Starting points are probably according to titration guidelines, unless you have settings that you're using on a current machine. You post OSCAR data and we look at the data and say stuff like this event or that means adjust this setting. Other than that, it's comfort things like the humidity level, and if you've got the heated hose, that setting too.

And if it makes you feel more comfortable about taking on the task of self setup, wear a white jacket while doing so.