Recommend me a mask

[BHappy]

I am after recommendations for a mask please.

For the last 3 - 4 years I have used the Philips dreamwear nasal gel cushion (with the protruding bits go into the nostrils) and the nasal cushion. 
 
The (flat)nasal cushion has been uncomfortable as its position keeps changing and I just get air blown onto the side of my nose or into the eyes. So I haven't used this for a few years now.

I have extensively used the nasal gel cushion but these days (especially in winters) I find its not the right fit for some reason. Either the shape of my nose is changing or my memory foam pillow is losing its memory-foam-ness or something else. The sizing has always been a bit weird fit for my nose. Small is too small and the medium is very tight fitting albeit bearable. I have alternated wearing the small and medium sized nasal gel cushions for a while now and they do seem to provide better fit for the first couple of days. 

I am a side sleeper and will get out of the bed at least once a night for a wee. So I want something non intrusive, I think. I have a huge beard and a moustache at the moment, which I will get rid of in a few months, if that matters. I am at the stage where my "Mask Fit" metric has consistently been below 80% for a few months (last few weeks has been less than 60%) and I can feel the difference in the quality of my sleep. 

So, what mask would you recommend? It should fit a Philips Dreamstation. From searching the boards I have looked on google at the P10 and N30i and they look like pretty similar to the philips nasal gel cushion so am unsure how much of a good fit they'd be.

[clownbell]

The P10 and N30i will fit your machine just fine. Masks are an individual thing. In my case, P10 works better than N30i -- probably because the headgear is so minimal. Will the P10 be best for you? Only you can tell. One man's trash is another man's treasure.

[SevereApnea]

I haven't used the P10 yet but another one to consider is the P30i starter pack: three size options to this nasal pillow (if you choose the Standard size) but only two headframe sizes.

I find this personally much better than the N30 or N30i, both of which get dislodged when I sleep on my side.

With the right size head frame, I now use the Small, this works well for me, and would be fine if I decided to grow some facial hair too.

Ideally I would want a size in between the Medium and Large cushion; both the Large cushion and the Medium work fine for me, so I can alternate them if I want/need to for whatever reason. 

Top hose mount works well. I don't really like the elephant-trunk-shnozzle-thing while sleeping.

Masks, cushions, headgear etc are all highly individual, the only way to find out it is to try it and see, but of course this can be a costly exercise. As you know it can also take a while to fine tune how you fit it and set it up for the night.

By the way I would be interested to know how long your Philips nasal gel cushions last before they go flat?

[srlevine1]

I keep returning to the ResMed Mirage Activa LT which is a nasal mask that works well with my beard, side-sleeping, and frequent movement.

I use a Dreamwear nasal cradle over pillows which I find iratating.

Like everyone else, it's trial and error and your mileage will vary.

Best of luck.

[Captain Howdy]

I haven't used the P10 yet but another one to consider is the P30i starter pack: three size options to this nasal pillow (if you choose the Standard size) but only two headframe sizes.

Agree. I've used heaps of masks. But the P30i is the business. I like it as I don't have to tighten the headframe much at all. I've found that less is more. The looser they are, the easier for the nasal pillows to move around and allow the gel/rubber to still maintain a perfect seal. When I first used them, the more i tightened, the more leaks i'd get. Assume due tot he gel/rubber inserts having less room to move an adapt to my position.

[NotADr]

I agree with the above remarks about the P30i. I used the P10 for years but found that the P30i works much better for me.

[BHappy]

Thank you for your replies. Before I take the plunge on P30i, I use a "large" frame on the DW, so a standard frame on the Resmed should be the way to go?
Also, the Resmed elbow will fit the standard heated tube on the DW, right?

[BHappy]

I haven't used the P10 yet but another one to consider is the P30i starter pack: three size options to this nasal pillow (if you choose the Standard size) but only two headframe sizes.

I find this personally much better than the N30 or N30i, both of which get dislodged when I sleep on my side.

With the right size head frame, I now use the Small, this works well for me, and would be fine if I decided to grow some facial hair too.

Ideally I would want a size in between the Medium and Large cushion; both the Large cushion and the Medium work fine for me, so I can alternate them if I want/need to for whatever reason. 

Top hose mount works well. I don't really like the elephant-trunk-shnozzle-thing while sleeping.

Masks, cushions, headgear etc are all highly individual, the only way to find out it is to try it and see, but of course this can be a costly exercise. As you know it can also take a while to fine tune how you fit it and set it up for the night.

By the way I would be interested to know how long your Philips nasal gel cushions last before they go flat?

I have never had any of my cushions go flat. So am not quite sure on that. 
Thank you for the starter pack idea - with so much noise around the masks I would have probably missed it.

[sunsaffron]

I can vouch for the P10 and P30i, and I have a rounder face with a goatee. The p10 out of the box vents terribly for me so I had to "modify" it with some pinholes on the mesh vent surface. the P30i vents fine but for some reason always slides off the back of my head. I haven't come across the holy grail mask yet, but those two are solid choices in my opinion. Like has already been mentioned, the hunt for the best mask is a personal journey.

[BHappy]

Thank you for your replies. I got the P30i starter pack with a standard frame and for the past few nights my mask fit has been a 100%. Hopefully the headgear doesn't fray as easily as the philips dw does hopefully this streak of 100% mask fit continues at least for a few months. The only concern I have so far is on cleaning the mask - the cheek-cover/strap-thing seems to be affixed to the frame. I wonder how well it dries out after washing.