Discontinued : The original comfort gel - WHY ?

The original comfortgel may not be your mask, but

It has 4.4 out of 5 stars on reviews on cpap.com
It's the top selling nasal mask with 34% of Nasal users.

So why discontinue it?

Many of us go through several masks in order to find the perfect one.
It would be a personal nightmare if my favorite mask got discontinued, it could send me back to the starting blocks
Maybe I should go and seek out another nasal mask as a backup in case mine gets discontinued

Uncle_Bob wrote:Maybe I should go and seek out another nasal mask as a backup in case mine gets discontinued

I have been thinking the same thing lately, Pluss it would give me an opertunity of trying new masks which I have not done yet.

Uncle Bob,
Respironics didn't discontinue it so much as improve it. They looked at problem areas...breakage and such...and re-issued it as the ComfortGel Blue.

I have both and can see little difference in appearance or in function.
...or that's my understanding.
Jamis

jamiswolf wrote:Uncle Bob,
Respironics didn't discontinue it so much as improve it. They looked at problem areas...breakage and such...and re-issued it as the ComfortGel Blue.

I have both and can see little difference in appearance or in function.
...or that's my understanding.
Jamis

OK thanks that was not obvious from the cpap.com description for the original comfort gel.
$59 is a good deal for the original users if they want to stock up.
It's strange how the profile lite gel mask which the original comfort gel replaced is still going strong at full price.

jamiswolf wrote:Uncle Bob,
Respironics didn't discontinue it so much as improve it. They looked at problem areas...breakage and such...and re-issued it as the ComfortGel Blue.

I have both and can see little difference in appearance or in function.
...or that's my understanding.
Jamis

What breakage problem are you talking about? The earlier ComfortGels had a problem with the mask frame breaking where the clips attached, but they fixed that a year or two before they came up with ComfortGel Blue. The clip attachment area on the frame is a little different between the CGB and the latest CG version.

The main difference is the cushion. It's less thick, and less "gooey". I think the blue is going to hold up better than the old cushion. (Strangely enough, the old design is "bluer" than the new design.) The CG cushions would finally get a little sticky after a year or so. You can't boil the CGB cushion to size it to your face.

The CGB frame has vent holes rather than a slot. The slot had a bit of a tendency to get some condensation or something on it and whistle.

CGB has a different forehead pad.

I think I like the CGB a little better.

archangle wrote:

jamiswolf wrote:Uncle Bob,
Respironics didn't discontinue it so much as improve it. They looked at problem areas...breakage and such...and re-issued it as the ComfortGel Blue.

I have both and can see little difference in appearance or in function.
...or that's my understanding.
Jamis

What breakage problem are you talking about? The earlier ComfortGels had a problem with the mask frame breaking where the clips attached, but they fixed that a year or two before they came up with ComfortGel Blue. The clip attachment area on the frame is a little different between the CGB and the latest CG version.

The main difference is the cushion. It's less thick, and less "gooey". I think the blue is going to hold up better than the old cushion. (Strangely enough, the old design is "bluer" than the new design.) The CG cushions would finally get a little sticky after a year or so. You can't boil the CGB cushion to size it to your face.

The CGB frame has vent holes rather than a slot. The slot had a bit of a tendency to get some condensation or something on it and whistle.

CGB has a different forehead pad.

I think I like the CGB a little better.

I might look into a CGB if i can't get my Swift LX to work. How long do the pillows last? Resmed nasal pillows are driving me nuts with there short life.

Uncle_Bob wrote:I might look into a CGB if i can't get my Swift LX to work. How long do the pillows last? Resmed nasal pillows are driving me nuts with there short life.

CGB cushions fit old CG masks if you already have one. The flaps are the same. You can buy cushion plus flap for around $19 on ebay.

I got a year or so on CG cushions washing them every other week in the dishwasher. After that, they'd get a little sticky. (I wash a set every Saturday and let the clean set sit unused until the next Saturday.) I haven't had CGB cushions for a year yet, but they seem to be holding up better than the CG cushions did.