Pilairo!

[KimberlyM]

Tried the Pilairo for the first time last night.
Great seal, I could turn to my sides to sleep easily without the leakage. My Swift FX would tend to leak if I slept on my side and pressed on my cheeks.
....

Exactly my problem lately with the Swift FX. I really do have my eye on the Pilairo. If anyone see's a "sale" pop up on it or a good buy on a slightly used, please drop me a PM. thanks

This is what I have been experiencing with my FX also. It only started when I got my new nasal pillows. They do not look as sturdy as the ones I had used previously. My old batch came from someone on Ebay and lasted me a year. These new ones are thinner and more pliable.

[Suzjohnson]

Suz, I feel the same way about a chinstrap and wore one for about 18 months. Every few weeks, I'd sleep without it and try to keep my trap shut - but to no avail. Then a few weeks ago (almost 2 years into CPAP) decided enough was ENOUGH with summer being so darn hot. The first few nights I had a handful of 'desert-mouth' issues, but after about 4 days I could sleep the entire night without waking to this horrid feeling.

I think since the first week after giving up the chinstrap, I've had one or two cases where my mouth opened some time during the night. IMHO it was worth the effort to ditch the chinstrap, however it did keep my mask in place better.

Cheers,
xena

I've tried going without the chinstrap a few times but not for more than one miserable night at a time. I'll try your suggestion and see if I can't just wait it out and have your good fortune too. You're right, it does help keep headgear in place and that may be, in the end, the deciding factor. My thrashing makes keeping the chinstrap on a challenge so it will be interesting to see what happens with that tiny, little head strap on the Pilairo.
Suz

[kellygary]

Just got this unit. Seems great, but a big problem. Wondering if I have a defective unit. There is a very high level of air blowing out at/near the elbow. It is not leakage from the sides. Been on CPAP about a year with 4 different masks, so aware of some airflow.

Help?

[the_nap_ster]

Just got this unit. Seems great, but a big problem. Wondering if I have a defective unit. There is a very high level of air blowing out at/near the elbow. It is not leakage from the sides. Been on CPAP about a year with 4 different masks, so aware of some airflow.

Help?

Hmm. Interesting. Do you have a data capable machine? If so, can you use Sleepyhead (or another software) to look at the leak rate?

The Pilairo does vent excess air at the elbow, and because the seal is so great elsewhere, it might just feel like more air is coming out there. If so, that's just a sign of the mask working beautifully. Without leak data, it's hard to tell.

I suggest disassembling the mask and visually inspecting it. If you see no cracks or anything else amiss, it is probably working as designed. This is not a very quiet mask, so you might be hear/feeling more "exhaust" than you're used to. That is normal for this mask.

[Gerald?]

Pilairo:
-- NOT quiet. Can hear audible whooshing when you breathe in and out.
-- Hard to route over your head with included equipment.

Nap_ster thanks for the great reviews and comparisons. Very curious but worried about the above two points.

How loud is it compared to the Swift Fx? Also with the Swift Fx I find I can hear the exhale but my wife doesn't. Is the Pilairo noise the same or is it fairly audible to others?

I have my hose go over the headboard and find this nicely takes the weight off the Swift Fx hose section and allows me to roll over underneath it fairly easily with the Swift fx just swivelling. So it is not technically routed over my head (tends to be a bit off to the side usually). Do you think the Pilairo would work this way too or is the swivel not so acommodating?

Thanks

[cherylgrrl]

Several have commented on the Pilairo vs. the SleepWeaver Elan mask. I have not tried the Elan, but have had a wonderful experience with the SleepWeaver Advance Nasal Mask.The comments about the SleepWeaver blowing air into the eyes is not something I've experienced, so the rating on the SleepWeaver Advance Nasal Mask would be A+ from me. I'd be curious to try the Pilairo and compare it to the SleepWeaver Advance, but unfortunately Fisher & Paykel don't offer the same moneyback guarantee! And my DME doesn't carry Fisher & Paykel. Is there anyone who has used this SleepWeaver mask who can compare it to the Pilairo?

[the_nap_ster]

How loud is it compared to the Swift Fx? Also with the Swift Fx I find I can hear the exhale but my wife doesn't. Is the Pilairo noise the same or is it fairly audible to others?

I have my hose go over the headboard and find this nicely takes the weight off the Swift Fx hose section and allows me to roll over underneath it fairly easily with the Swift fx just swivelling. So it is not technically routed over my head (tends to be a bit off to the side usually). Do you think the Pilairo would work this way too or is the swivel not so acommodating?

Thanks

I'd say... it's a little louder than the Swift FX. I can hear the exhale, but my husband can't. Now, he's not sometime who is sensitive to noise, so your mileage may vary. But it is louder than the Swift FX, quieter than every FF mask I've tried.

Routing the hose over the headboard would be no problem. The swivel elbow can accommodate any angle. The headgear that comes with it is just not ideal for attaching the tube to the top of your head. I think this is true of most ultra-minimal designs, like the Bella Loops. But hose management systems would be no problem.

[TiredTooLong]

Last night was my first night with the Pilaro. Stats were basically the same: AHI-.4, Leak - 20. Not sure why the leak is 20, thought it would be lower. The strap fits fine. My nostrils are quite small, but it felt quite comfortable. This is the first time I didn't get up during the night to go pee. No problem turning from side to side. Breathing out does make a bit of noise. I do think that maybe I should up the flow of air...didn't feel like I was getting enough air. But I love it.

[the_nap_ster]

Last night was my first night with the Pilaro. Stats were basically the same: AHI-.4, Leak - 20. Not sure why the leak is 20, thought it would be lower. The strap fits fine. My nostrils are quite small, but it felt quite comfortable. This is the first time I didn't get up during the night to go pee. No problem turning from side to side. Breathing out does make a bit of noise. I do think that maybe I should up the flow of air...didn't feel like I was getting enough air. But I love it.

That's awesome! I'm glad it is working for you.

After Suz's experience, I wonder if this mask doesn't do as well on lower pressures. For her, it didn't fully inflate, and thus bumped her nose, but the same lack of inflation could feel like not getting enough air. TiredTooLong, what is your usual pressure setting? We'll have to see if that turns out to be a trend as more people use it. My husband has an Rx of 7-9cm, and I am going to see how he does with the Pilairo on his pressure. But that means waiting for my spare to arrive, since I'm not giving mine up for a night!

I'm going to laugh if this mask ends up being better suited for higher rather than lower pressures. Hilariously ironic given the fact that silly DMEs are telling people nasal pillows don't work well for pressures over 12.

[yulcdn]

I have been using the Pilairo since last Tuesday. My CPAP pressure is 15. My AHI has dropped to well below 1 all week...use to be around 1.5 The mask is incredibly comfortable. My only issue is that sometimes i wake up and hear the loud sound of the air moving through the mask. In order to get free shipping (order had to be over $99.00 and mask was priced at $88.00) i bought the light weight hose. I run the heavy hose over my headboard and the light weight hose which is 18" long connects between the heavier hose and the Pilairo. The quality of my sleep has improved and the ability to turn over without having my mask move is wonderful. My Pilairo came with a 30 day money back guarantee but for me it is going to be a keeper.
I really appreciate the fine comparison that Napster provided in her report.

[the_nap_ster]

I'm buying another spare one today. I absolutely can't live without the Pilairo now. If it was a man, I'd marry it.

Sylvie, you crack me up. But you can't marry the Pilairo, because he's also keeping house with me.

Seriously, I am SO happy it's working out for you. It's funny what a difference going from "good" to "great" makes on the mask front. If you're willing, I'd love to use this thread to keep in touch about how the Pilairo wears long-term. The only wildcard for me is how the silicone holds up. And truthfully, at this point, I'd probably be willing to just buy myself a whole new mask every so often to keep things this good. But it would be nice if I didn't have to!

Signed, your Pilairo sister.

[the_nap_ster]

I have been using the Pilairo since last Tuesday. My CPAP pressure is 15. My AHI has dropped to well below 1 all week...use to be around 1.5 The mask is incredibly comfortable. My only issue is that sometimes i wake up and hear the loud sound of the air moving through the mask. In order to get free shipping (order had to be over $99.00 and mask was priced at $88.00) i bought the light weight hose. I run the heavy hose over my headboard and the light weight hose which is 18" long connects between the heavier hose and the Pilairo. The quality of my sleep has improved and the ability to turn over without having my mask move is wonderful. My Pilairo came with a 30 day money back guarantee but for me it is going to be a keeper.
I really appreciate the fine comparison that Napster provided in her report.

Very much my pleasure, and I'm so happy it's doing great things for you! Please keep us up-to-date about your experiences with it in the future! I hope the goodness continues for all of us!

[KimberlyM]

I have been using the Pilairo since last Tuesday. My CPAP pressure is 15. My AHI has dropped to well below 1 all week...use to be around 1.5 The mask is incredibly comfortable. My only issue is that sometimes i wake up and hear the loud sound of the air moving through the mask. In order to get free shipping (order had to be over $99.00 and mask was priced at $88.00) i bought the light weight hose. I run the heavy hose over my headboard and the light weight hose which is 18" long connects between the heavier hose and the Pilairo. The quality of my sleep has improved and the ability to turn over without having my mask move is wonderful. My Pilairo came with a 30 day money back guarantee but for me it is going to be a keeper.
I really appreciate the fine comparison that Napster provided in her report.

Is it the Sleepweaver featherweight tube that you bought or a different lightweight hose? I ordered the mask, but didn't think about the short hose on the Pilairo. I will have to check into that.

[KimberlyM]

Last night was my first night with the Pilaro. Stats were basically the same: AHI-.4, Leak - 20. Not sure why the leak is 20, thought it would be lower. The strap fits fine. My nostrils are quite small, but it felt quite comfortable. This is the first time I didn't get up during the night to go pee. No problem turning from side to side. Breathing out does make a bit of noise. I do think that maybe I should up the flow of air...didn't feel like I was getting enough air. But I love it.

That's awesome! I'm glad it is working for you.

After Suz's experience, I wonder if this mask doesn't do as well on lower pressures. For her, it didn't fully inflate, and thus bumped her nose, but the same lack of inflation could feel like not getting enough air. TiredTooLong, what is your usual pressure setting? We'll have to see if that turns out to be a trend as more people use it. My husband has an Rx of 7-9cm, and I am going to see how he does with the Pilairo on his pressure. But that means waiting for my spare to arrive, since I'm not giving mine up for a night!

I'm going to laugh if this mask ends up being better suited for higher rather than lower pressures. Hilariously ironic given the fact that silly DMEs are telling people nasal pillows don't work well for pressures over 12.

I ordered the mask and my pressure is at 7 cm. I hope the mask works for all of us, no matter what the pressure. I should receive mine on Friday and I will report back. It will be interesting to hear your husband's luck with the mask too.

[sylvie]

I ordered the mask and my pressure is at 7 cm.

My pressure is at 7 and it still works like a champ. For those interested, this is what I did with the strap and it works perfectly. I put my Deluxe Style Chinstrap on first, the one that looks like an Ace Bandage and attaches with velcro. I cut the middle of the Pilairo strap and stitched a piece of elastic into it. I adjusted the strap to where it was comfortable in the middle of the back of my head, it was just barely snug. Then I took the short velcroed strap from a spare Deluxe chinstrap and attached it to the middle of the chinstrap now on my head. I looped it through the Pilairo headstrap and then attached the loop to itself, placing the headstrap in the middle of my head. I woke up this morning and everything was perfectly in place, and yet another great night and another great day is at hand. Great blessings to you all!