Activa vs. Ultra Mirage II

What's the difference between an Ultra Mirage II and a Mirage Activa? They seem to have similar headgear arrangements and the strap attachment and upper support piece are just about identical. Is it just the inflatable feature on the cushion? Has anyone tried both?

In particular I'm interested in knowing whether one or the other might be a better first mask for a side sleeper who moves around a bit.

the activa has an "active cell" they call it. There is a flexible part (not quite sure how to describe this)LOL that makes the mask flexible when the mask frame moves at night. I love the Activa If you do a websearch on it, they show pictures of it as well

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CPAPopedia Keywords Contained In This Post (Click For Definition): activa

Barb,

I'm inclined to ask for an Activa as my first mask to try when my CPAP setup is perscribed next week. I know during my calibration study I ended up sleeping with my neck kind of twisted so the mask wouldn't bump the pillow and leak air into my eyes.

I'm just curious if the Ultra Mirage II is similar enough to be a good substitute if the DME doens't have the Activa. Sounds like without the flexible "active cell" thingy the UM-II might not be as forgiving of incidental pillow contact.

As far as moving with pillow contact, I still have a small amount of movement occasionally, but nothing like the other facial masks I've had. The Ultra Mirage was a lot lighter though..the Activa is fairly heavy on my face...

Brent,

I have the original UltraMirage and the Activa.

The Activa is particularly good if you turn alot in your sleep and/or you mostly sleep on your side. The Active Cell cushion is a little strange since you wear it loosely it sort of inflates and deflates as you breathe, but its bellows effectively decouple the seal around your nose from the motion of the frame and it keeps the seal very well. The things that some don't like about it are the long extension tube (the "trunk"), the overall weight, and the odd feeling of the bellows moving in and out. I got used to all of those things pretty easily.

The UltraMirage is simpler and much lighter. My main complaint has been the forehead piece, which they've since replaced on the UM-II with the one that the Activa uses, which is great. The seal breaks more easily on the UM than the Activa when you move around, but is generally not big problem for me. The UM is the quietest of all of the (10 or so) masks I have (except for one mask that is very quiet, but doesn't fit me).

So, those are the two favorites in my Nasal Mask arsenal. Many people (including me) have had unfavorable experiences with Respironics nasal masks, especially the Comfort Classic and Comfort Select. I have heard a number of people say they like their Comfort Gel masks, however. Push your doctor or DME for the Resmed Activa or Ultra Mirage II.

I own both masks of mention in addition to the old styles of the same; I prefer the new UltraMirageII over the Activa, the differences I found are mainly in the cushion design and the swivel elbow design, the MirageII also doesn't have that stiff leader hose attached like the Activa.

The Activa is the best sealing mask on the market, without a doubt, if you have problems with mask leaks and pressure points due to high cpap pressure requirements, you may want to stick with the Activa as it will control how much cushion pressure. The Activa is a good mask IF you use it, but if you find it too big and bulky where you don't use it for that reason, then it may not be the mask for you. I'm a pretty good sized guy and I think it is big and bulky.

I think the UMII seals just as good as the Activa, it doesn't have the active cushion but the part of the cushion that seals against your face is identical, it still has the cushion that uses cpap pressure to help make the seal (all the UltraMirage series masks feature this cushion). The active cell cushion was an improvement over the old but at a cost. The UMII mask has better CO2 washout in my opinion.

The current UltraMirageII nasal mask is an improvement over the older UltraMirage nasal mask design which has been very popular over the years. Only real change to this mask is they replaced the forehead adjustment/support pads with the new flat-style pressure pads. They changed the color of the headgear clips from clear/black to green, but that is about it. There appears to be only 1 size frame for the UltraMirageII mask, you can use a small, std or large cushions with the same frame, which is good if you gotten a wrong size. I have recently gone from a Std cushion to a Large and it seals even better, I use it more because it doesn't put pressure on my nose. I use BreatheRight strips to relieve congestion so I don't want any mask pushing on my nose itself.

I'm a side sleeper, so the Activa may seal a bit better when pushed out of kelter but it is big and bulky by comparison to the UltraMirageII nasal. The Activa is also more noisy by comparison, that has to do with the elbow and exhaust port design. I've found most noise comes from the exhaust ports. I quickly learned from the Breeze & NasalAire interfaces that they are the most noisy due to their exhaust port configuration.

For the most part, the Activa mask uses the Vista elbow/leader hose assembly (own one of those too, a real dud), the Vista was not only noisy but leaked like a sieve, not to mention that plastic headgear cutting into the bottom of your ear. I call the Vista Resmed's first failed attempt at the Swift, because I know the Swift will also be noisy, I haven't bothered to try that one yet.

I'm a mouth breather so I have to stick to a Full Face mask, so my favorite remains with the UltraMirage Full Face, but in order they would be:

1. UltraMirage Full Face
2. UltraMirage2 Nasal (I tape my mouth)
3. Resmed Activa (great sealing but big & bulky).
4. Breeze (just like pickin your nose all night)
5. Nasalaire (great sling-shot)
6. Comfort Classic
...
99. Resmed Vista
100. Comfort Gel (better use duct tape on your nosebridge).

From my drawer full of duds, Resmed consistently makes the best quality masks for the money, sealing ability, noise etc. While they have come out wit a few duds along the way like the Series2, the Vista etc., they keep innovating with new designs like the Vista, Activa & Swift. Some make it, some don't. I have not tried the Swift yet but many seem to like it. The only masks that I have purchased more than once are the Resmed UltraMirage Full Face, the old UltraMirage nasal versions. I have 3 of the old UltraMirage nasals and 1 of the UltraMirageII versions. The new one is an improvement, small & light and seals good.

In my opinion, the Activa could be easily improved by changing the elbow design out to the UltraMirageII design (same for exhaust ports which should make it quieter) and getting rid of that leader hose. No one that I know uses that quick release elbow anyway for what it was really designed for. I pull one chin clip and remove the whole mask like I do with all my masks. Sometimes I wonder if they just had a ton of those elbows left over from the Vista and made the designer get rid of them.

If headgear strap pressure is giving you problems you might want to consider the Activa, you wear this mask basically leaving the headgear loose and it fills out when cpap pressure is applied. The bellows design of the cushion allows it to be pushed out of kelter from the sealing part of the cushion so it works well for side sleeping.

Great rundown, Snoredog. What do you want to bet there's an Activa II at some point down the road?

I'll probably be tempted to try the Mirage II first and it may well seal just fine. It sounds like sort of a tradeoff with the Activa. On the one hand it seals well even if it gets nudged by a pillow. On the other hand, it sticks out so far it's probably more likely to get nudged in the first place.

My thinking is to let the insurance buy one of these (probably Mirage) and also buy a Swift/Breeze/NasalAire nose job out of my own pocket just to have a night-by-night option of two modalities.

ALWAYS let the insurance buy the expensive ones