Resmed Airfit P30i standard Vs. small

Just wondering if anyone has tried both the STANDARD and SMALL fit of the Resmed Airfit P30i mask system and can tell the difference between the two in terms of the frame size in cm or inches? I have searched Resmed's website, called several online suppliers, they show pictures of what a proper fit would look like, but that does not help me. I have purchased the standard fit frame, on the recommendation of an online agent saying if I don't have problems with hat size then standard would be my size. I find that the frame sits a bit loose on my head, I can fit two fingers between the frame and my head. In order to get a firm fitting I need to tighten the back strap so that the nose piece feels a bit tight, uncomfortable. I can live with it (I have lived with worse fitting masks), it is quite manageable, but not ideal. I am given the option of sending this back and exchanging the mask system, but I would like to know how much smaller the small is before doing so ? If the small frame is abt one cm smaller it would fit perfectly, but much more and it will be too tight for me. Thank you!

I have tried both sizes. I started with the Standard. I have a very large head. It was comfortable enough I thought. But sometime after I bought the 3rd one, on a whim I ordered the Small. It fits much better. It doesn't make sense to me because my head is bigger than a lot of men's heads. But it's a more comfortable fit.
I like this mask a lot. P10 slid around in my hair too much, and I'd get wound up in the hose. The thing I don't understand about the P30i is why is it completely silent most of the time, but other times I hear so much air running through the sides? A mystery.
Eliz25

Thank you Eliz25. This is interesting. Could you please explain why you think the small system fits better and is more comfortable? Can I assume because it is smaller but there is not a big difference between the two because obviously both the standard and the small system can work for you , one just better ? Which makes me wonder if the same might be true for me....
Since you used the same system for several years, can you please say why you replaced it on a yearly basis? Did the frame stretch and get looser in just a year ? I don't have an insurance coverage for this. So far I have changed just the mask on a regular basis but was able to use the same frame of my other system for several years until it got too stretched out.
Re: noise, so far I have not found the P30i noisy at all, but my husband tried it and commented that it was noisy, which is really odd because my hearing is much better, he is hearing impaired, wears hearing devices during the day, and I don't. A mystery indeed.

Today I pulled out the previous Standard frame. In comparing the Standard and Small, the Small sees about 1" smaller. Much less than I expected. Most of that additional inch is below where the blue/gray piece connects. I do not believe either size headgear stretched out while in use. And unlike the P10, the stretchy piece in the back doesn't seem to stretch out either. I'm thinking that is because there is a lot less pressure on it.
Sorry I can't be more help in saying why it fits better. It was an unlikely choice for me. I thought the air going through the sides would be too noisy. But I had to have skin cancer surgery on my face and the P10 was going to come too close to it, so I bought a P30i.
Good luck. As everyone says, getting the mask right is the most important and difficult thing.
Eliz

I originally had a standard frame with mine too, but switched to the small. The hose attached closer to my face than they suggest, but the whole thing fit and felt better, and I got less leaking and better AHIs than with the standard. Another big head here too. I read somewhere that many people found that the small worked better for them. I know it did for me.

Well, thank you both, you got me convinced, I just ordered the small system ! In the meantime my husband tried my system with the standard frame and wants to keep it, although he finds it a bit noisy ( I don't) he says he'll get used to it and likes this system better than the swift fx he has been using till now. Loves the easy disconnect and re-connect on the top when going for a bathroom trip. Can hardly wait for my small mask system to arrive...

Standard frame was leaking like crazy for me so I tried the small frame last night. 34% large leaks.

I was also trying SomniFix the last few nights and large leaks each night so maybe the SomniFix strips are contributing. They seem too small and leak easily at the corners.

I will try the small frame again tonight with the sensitive skin blue tape and see. Might try the medium pillows instead of the large although they seem too small.

Everything works when I'm awake so getting to the cause of these leaks is quite frustrating. Too loose? Too tight? Wrong mask? Tape leaking? The struggle goes on.

Try the medium pillows...they might work better for you...
My husband is using the large frame now and also experienced a lot of leakage. We went back to the place where he bough the machine from, and they said that the large mask was a bit loo large, causing a leak, he should be using the medium instead. But even with it he still has a lot of leakage, due to the fact that he tends to opens his mouth. We are looking for a chin strap for him now, actually he said he will sew one, but has not done so yet....
I have been using the small frame now for about a month and am generally very satisfied with it. I have nights with no leakage at all and some nights with minimal leakage, possibly because the machine registers my bath room trips as a leakage ??? The small frame is mainly smaller in the lower part, not the top part, I wish it was the other way around. I find the top to fit well but the lower part a bit snug but am getting used to it. With the larger frame everything was a bit too loose, in order to get it to stay in place I had to tighten the back strap which then tightened the bottom section, making it also a bit too snug, just like the small frame, but the top was still wobbly. All around the small frame with a medium mask works best for me.

Woke up early with an incredibly sore nose. Not sure if it was the medium pillows or the frame was too tight or too small. Also a frowny face for leaks. Almost ready to give up for good on the Airfit, but I will try one more time with the white 2" tape since the blue tape and the Somnifiex both have leaks in the morning. Need to confirm if these large leaks are mouth related or mask related. Mouth taping has become as difficult as finding the right mask.

Kind of mystified how people can use Somniflex. They must have really small mouths. Also saliva tends to negate the adhesive. Expensive experiment.

Wish they made a 2" wide blue sensitive tape, the white stuff is harder to remove and I don't think it's possible using just your mouth if you got in trouble.

Using the 2" wide paper tape and large pillow I was able to get large leaks down to 12% last night, albeit with another incredibly sore nose. That's better than the 51% large leaks of the night before with the medium pillow and Somniflex, but still pretty leaky considering how uncomfortable this mask is on my nose at the required tightness.

I will try one more night with it slightly looser, but every time I do this it seems large leaks get worse, so in the end I think this is just a leaky mask design compared to the Aloha.

Hmm. ..Neither I nor my husband get any soreness whatsoever with this pillow mask. The pillows sit gently just in the inner edges of the nares and seal off well that way. They seem to be just floating there. I have the back strap just tight enough so that the frame stays put, but not any tighter. It may not be the right mask for you.

If any nasal mask is causing pain on the end of the nose it is most likely simply too tight unless it is so small it is actually crawling up inside the nostrils which means too small and too tight.

I think I am a very active sleeper. I have met some people who just lay there like a log and don't move for hours. They never have cpap leak problems.

If I wear a mask loosely I always get terrible leaks. I have been trying to make this mask work because originally it was so comfortable. But I eventually realize the smiley face was hiding 29% leak rates most nights.

My old machine would show even a 1% leak rate on the machine without having to take the SD card out and use Oscar to check. I wondered why I was feeling poorly and eventually looked at the data and saw how leaky this mask was. Using the smaller frame and making it tight have reduced the leaks but not eliminated them. When I tried making it loose enough so that it didn't hurt in the morning, very large leaks.

Sometimes there's a fine line between too tight and too loose but IMHO having anything more than a slightly tender end of the nose is unacceptable.

Part of the reason I choose to use a mask with no headgear...means I never have to worry about too tight or too loose or wrong size and my nose is never ever even remotely tender.

A mask with no headgear? Not sure what you mean.