Pros/Cons-Nuance Gel/Airfit P 10 Nasal Pillows

Pros/Cons list would be helpful from the knowledgeable board!
I know everyone is different with what works for them but would appreciate some thoughts.
Thanks in advance!

I really liked the Nuance, so soft, but the P10 fits better, so I had to go with the one that fit me.
Our faces are all different, so we have to sleep with it before we can choose.
(Please excuse me for sounding sl*tty. )

I completely understand, we do have to get *very* well acquainted with our mask bedfellow

Okay...I have used both the Nuance Pro and the P10. Obviously the P10 is my preferred mask but I liked the Nuance well enough to keep it and I don't keep masks that I don't like or won't ever use. I paid for both masks out of my own pocket.

You have to bear in mind that I have this thing about preferring as little on my face and head as possible so I am always going to lean towards a mask with more minimal headgear given everything else is the same.
For that reason the main con (for me) to the Nuance is the headgear...and it's also a pro...because the fact that it isn't so minimal means it is a bit more stable and not as likely to move around. I prefer the P10 even if that back strap slides up every now and then...minimal head gear wins over stability in my book but it may not win in someone else's book.
It's not like the P10 isn't stable because it is...it just isn't maybe quite as stable as one of the other masks. About once a week I wake up with the back strap sitting on top of my head and I have to pull it back down..funny thing is that the nasal pillows are usually still stuck in my nostrils and leaks aren't bad. For a once a week minor thing I will gladly take that trade off when the headgear is next to nothing to wear.

It's up to each individual to decide just where they lean on things that are important to them and what aren't maybe so important.
Things that aren't important to me could very well be super important to someone else and that's fine.
So my pros might be someone else's cons and my cons could be someone else's pros. It's just the nature of masks and us humans as individuals.

I like light weight and minimal. If I could figure out some way to attach nasal pillows to my nose and not use anything else to secure the pillows...I would do it in a heartbeat.

I recently purchased the nuance pro. I have some trouble keeping the headgear in place and keeping the mask in place. The gel cushions are touchy. In one position they close up and in a slightly different position they leak. I wake up a couple of times a night and have to reseat them. The reseating issue seems to be getting better. The pillows are comfortable. In spite of the leak blockage issues, I am getting good results with the mask.

It also has a foot of unheated hose on it that causes rain out.

I don't have any experience with any othe type of nasal mask.

I am considering something like the nasal aire ii but it looks a little like a torture device.

I have no experience with the P10. I have very high deductible medical insurance and haven't seen anyone offer a used P-10 at a price I can afford, and there is no way I can afford to buy anything new for my CPAP therapy. I use the Nuance Pro mask with the gel, or Swift FX. The Nuance Pro nasal pillows slide/seal unseats some if face is not squeaky clean all night long (and my face manufactures oil while I am sleeping), but is comfortable. The back upper strap and bottom strap move around some in my hair. It is easy enough to recreate the seal. I use a Baby wipe to clean the mask & pillows, and wash my face or wipe it with a baby wipe from CVS (for sensitive skin) right before bed. The Swift FX headgear & nasal pillows don't seem to displace as much but is not quite as comfortable. The Swift Fx top strap needs to be very loose in order to work. I can put two three fingers under it, otherwise get that "pig-snout" feeling, and that hurts in the morning. Either one of these masks is a lot more comfortable than any full face,nasal or hybrid masks I have tried. I am used to readjusting either of them if whistling noises occur after unseating waken me briefly, & it doesn't really disturb my sleep. Before I started using CPAP, I could sleep thru a lot of noise, so it really doesn't bother me. The only way to know which mask you will like the best really depends on what you are able to try. Find one that is comfortable, and you will get used to the minor interruptions to your sleep. It is still better than not using a CPAP if you have OSA. I find nasal pillows are the most comfortable for me. Try used (but cleaned) masks if you can get them less expensive, just 'til you find the one you are most comfortable with. Sometimes you can try masks with a satisfaction guarantee you can purchase with certain mask providers.

Thank you everyone for your responses so far. I am completely in agreement that there is not a one size fits all solution but hearing about everyone's experiences and what their preferences are certainly helps!

Pugsy, I am with you on the minimal items on my face. But then many people would agree i'm sure I also have extremely sensitive skin (rosacea) and so when the DME suggested the nasal or ffm yesterday I stopped him in his tracks! Also, I am a confident nose breather (for the most part) and feel that for me personally a nasal mask is a step back for what I can personally tolerate, besides the skin issue.

Codinqueen, appreciate the info on the nuance and can sympathize with the sensitivity with skin. It does help to hear about skin oils affecting the efficiency of the mask.

Cnaumann-it is helpful to know about the reseating and closing up piece. This is what I am experiencing now with the Opus pillows and as I don't move too much during sleep (right side sleeper) I feel that this should not be too much of an issue unless I have a particularly toss and turn night. My current problem is having to reseat and adjust the closed off feeling while avoiding leaks.

I appreciate everyone's feedback on both-I'm leaning towards the P10 based on comments here and reviews of both. My DME seems committed to working with me so I take that as a plus since not everyone's experience is like that! I do need to try something different as last night should have been a breeze for sleeping. I had to take a muscle relaxer and ibuprofen for an old neck muscle injury (which generally knocks me out for the night) but one hour in I was yanking at the mask to re-position, two hours in I woke up again to do the same, by three hours I was done and the mask came off completely

About the Opus...the biggest problem I had with it was the headgear thing and not because it was uncomfortable either. I just couldn't get it to stay in place once I fixed it.
Now granted my experience with the Opus was when I was maybe 3 months after I began cpap therapy and I hadn't yet tried all the various nasal pillow masks. I might do better with it now but I simply couldn't get the headgear anywhere near stable and like you I was always seeming to have to be fiddling with it during the night. I don't like to fiddle with a mask multiple times during the night. My sleep is fragile enough without adding that into the mix.

I woke up this morning with the P10 back strap up on top of my head but the nasal pillows were still seated well in the nostril and I just now looked at the leak graph for that time frame and the leak was maybe 3 L/min. It's so small of a blip on the leak graph that I can't really tell how far off 0 it is. I have no idea how long it was like that. I didn't wake up because of the mask...I woke up because there was a cat fight outside my bedroom window and the cat fight (probably the feral cats that frequent my homestead) caused the dogs in the house to go wild with barking.

Given what you said about skin issues and your preference for minimal headgear and stuff on your face... I would suggest the P10 be your next trial. The straps are next to nothing on the face and less likely to aggravate the rosacea.
Should you ever want to maybe try a nasal cushion mask...look at the ResMed Swift FX Nano cushion. I actually had great success with it and that surprised the heck out of me. It uses the same headgear as the Swift FX nasal pillow mask. Just a thought should you ever want to go down that road. You may not ever want to...it took me probably 4 years to even be interested in a nasal cushion mask enough to try one. I just wanted to mention it just in case you get to a point where you might want to experiment further.

The P10 is a great little mask...I got probably 9 months out of 1 nasal pillow and I got 10 months out of the headgear before it got to the point that it was stretched out so much I couldn't get it to shrink back up (hot water wash and rinse) enough to fit securely.

tireddaisey wrote:Cnaumann-it is helpful to know about the reseating and closing up piece.

I am wondering if the closed off feeling is caused by the pillow size being too small. Has anyone tried the next size up pillow when that happens?

I tried going from the medium to the large on the P10. My breathing was less restricted but I had a problem with the pillows properly sealing. On the other hand, due to an "Oops!", I tried using the small size one night. They sealed very well but I had very labored breathing and had to switch to another mask.

I find that the largest pillows you can use are best for seating and air flow.

Thanks for the input everyone!

Pugsy, I appreciate the info on the nasal mask. It is good to know there is an option that could be workable. I do occasionally have congestion issues (private school director-surrounded by the germs!) in the winter so wonder if a nasal mask would be helpful if/when that happens? I agree with what you're saying about the Opus, it is the constant fiddling of 3 separate strap velcro areas that bother me because no matter what I try it slips when I adjust OR is too tight causing issues. I don't know if this is the best choice for newbie cpap users

Guest-I have tried the next up size pillows but then they were too big, lots of leaks, I am thinking that its time to trial something else.

Update: I ordered the Airfit P10 for Her after some review and comments here. I called the DME mid afternoon and it arrived at home the next day.
First night in:
-I LOVE the lightness of the mask, what a huge difference from the heaviness of the Opus (and I'm guessing the Opus is not heavy comparatively to others)
-the straps loosening or tightening was great, minimal disruption while adjusting during the night
-small size was already in, tried the medium which seemed too big, put the small back in
-no swivel hose as with the Opus but was easier to lay flat across me as I moved side to side (have not yet found a good system for anchoring in the night since am still trying out masks)
-the mask hose was very lightweight
-no air venting!
-extremely quiet

So far, I am liking the P10. Last night I still took off the mask in the night (and remembered doing so) but a quick glance at the clock showed around 4am, much better than 2-3 hours on previous nights!

I have been best friends with the P10 for about 3 months, so when for 2 nights I wrestled with leaks, I was getting grumpy. I thought it must be time for replacement headgear and new pillows when I noticed one pillow felt thinner. And then I remembered a former post by Tattoo Lady about checking the inner sleeve and making sure both were pointing toward the nostril. When I checked sure enough the inner sleeve was facing toward the tube. When I had washed it, somehow it flipped. I straightened it out and now it works as before. I hope to pay it forward and this helps someone else.

OkyDoky good to know! These things always seem to get me too probably because I'm tired anyway! I will remember that for the future

Success last night! I jumped on here to say woke up about 20 minutes ago with the P10 mask still on! Got about 8 hours by my estimation. This is my first night going more than 4 hours since I first started therapy. Did have some readjustment of the bottom strap sliding up during the night, 3 that I remember but it wasn't a full wake up like with the Opus headgear!

Since my brain seems to be firing on all cylinders! (Not used to that!) from a halfway decent sleep I think I may have already solved the bottom strap issue.

Tonight I will try 1, possibly 2 ladies snap hair clips OR bobby pins to hold the bottom strap in place. I will add that even though the bottom strap slid up the pillows seemed to stay seated in the right position.

I really like the P10 but seem to get leaks after about 4 hours of sleep, then rearrange and all is well. The Nuance Gel is not quite as comfortable but less prone to mid sleep leaks for me.

I'm now trying the F&P Pilairo which seems to be more stable but more cover.

Like Pugsy says its each to his or her own choice. And I also pay out of my own pocket for the masks, and I will probably end up using all 3 until they fall apart and then settle on the one that i like best, as at the moment there isn't a lot of real difference comfort wise between them. As I sleep with meds, once I'm asleep it takes a lot to wake me and it takes a while for the leaks to register in my brain.