Note: Click on any of the images to see them in high resolution.
Hey everyone, today I'm going to be reviewing the FullLife full face CPAP mask by Philips/Respironics - a brand new mask that was designed for mouth-breathing sleep apnea patients, and has a ton of great features.
This mask was just released to the public on July 20th, 2009. Despite the ComfortGel series, in my opinion the Respironics mask selection is very thin, especially in the full face category. They have clearly made this realization, hence the release of this new full face mask, the full life.
I was really excited to get my hands on this mask and try it out. Everyone in the CPAP forums was buzzing about this mask, so I finally gave in and ordered one so I could post this review and let everyone know about my first impressions.
Before I review the product, let me show you my "first opening" pictures:
1. The mask comes in a bag (as shown below) that is plastic and has the Respironics sizing guide at the top:
2. The particular model I ordered is called the "FitPack," and it came with all 3 sizes of cushions (all of which fit with the same frame). In the picture below you can see the Large and Small cushions in plastic packaging on the left. The mask itself comes in a cool mesh bag (with medium cushion pre-installed), shown on the right.
3. When you open up the mesh bag, you will find the mask itself, as well as the instruction booklet (pictured below). I decided to take a picture of the table of contents so you could get a feel for what kind of information the book includes.
4. The mask itself comes packaged in a hard plastic case, and it has a small visual instruction pamphlet attached to the headgear. I took some pictures below so you can see - it's really just a quick reference guide for how to put on and take off the mask.
5. As I mentioned earlier, I ordered the FitPack, which includes all 3 cushion sizes. Below are some closeups of the cushions, as well as a couple pictures of them side-by-side so you can see the relative sizing differences.
6. Finally, for the sake of comprehensiveness, here is a birdseye view of everything that comes in the package (the pen is not included, I just put it there so you could have a size reference).
OK, so now that you've seen everything that comes in the Philips Respironics Full Life FitPack, I'm going to jump into my review of the mask itself, starting with...
The Pros:1.
The cushion is amazing. It is super soft and malleable, and has no hard plastic whatsoever. For those of you who have problems with the top of your nose getting sore (or even cut) from masks with hard-plastic nose bridges, this mask completely fixes that. It is also really easy to remove for cleaning. Below is a little video I made demonstrating how easy it is to take out the cushion, as well as how soft and squishy the cushion is.
2.
The exhalation ports were designed to blow to the side, instead of straight forward. I have a close-up picture of them below so you can see. For those of you who sleep with someone else in the same bed, you'll definitely appreciate this feature... or at least your partner will.
3.
Tubing Quick-Release. This feature is great for those who get up in the middle of the night. With the quick release clips, all you need to do is pinch and the CPAP tube pops right off. I took some pictures below, they go in sequential order and demonstrate the use of the quick-release clips.
4.
No T-Bar - Full vision! One of the best features about this mask is that it was designed so that it didn't need forehead support. This is great because I love to watch TV and/or read before I go to sleep. You can turn on your CPAP machine and get accustomed to the therapy before you actually try to sleep, which is HUGE for me. Also, with T-Bar forehead supports, I tend to get headaches (not to mention red marks), which are also both clearly unpleasant.
5.
The headgear - somewhat complicated, but awesome nonetheless! It was designed with several great features. First of all is the chin support. This is NOT a chin strap, but moreso a piece of fabric that helps to keep the mask stabilized on your face. Below is a picture of it:
The headgear also allows you to easily take the mask off and let it hang from your neck. Below is a little movie of me demonstrating this...
As you can tell, I really like this headgear.
So that just about does it for the Pros, now for the Cons...
The Cons:1.
No headgear clips?? What's the deal Respironics? The headgear is great, but you need to readjust the neckstrap every time you take it off. Why not use clips so you can easily pop the mask off of your head? It would have been a small and easy tweak to make, maybe in the next model.
2.
Occasional leakage on my nose bridge. The mask needs to be put on pretty tight in order to prevent leakage. For me, the leakage problem happens right at the top of my nose and blows directly into my eye. However, it can be fixed by tightening the headgear. Thankfully the cushion is very large and squishy, which gives a little leeway with how tight you can adjust the mask without making it uncomfortable. Still, it would be nice to be able to wear the mask a little bit looser without the air leaks.
The Final Verdict - Overall Rating: 9 out of 10
Overall, the positives FAR OUTWEIGH the negatives for this mask. It is easily my favorite full face mask I've ever worn, and I have worn quite a few! I would DEFINITELY RECOMMEND purchasing the FitPack (the version of the mask that comes with all 3 mask sizes). It is really important for you to have the option to try multiple sizes to see which one prevents leaks the best. I tried on all three sizes, and could hypothetically sleep through an entire night with any of them. However, personally, the medium was the best at stopping the leaks.
Bottom line, if you are a mouth breather, you NEED to try this mask. It is super comfortable, and definitely worth the hefty price tag.
It you can get the FitPack at
CPAP.com for $199. Or, for those of you who think the price tag of this mask is too high and don't want to shell out the cash, check out
this website. I found them when I was browsing around for reviews of this mask. They are holding a Twitter contest and are giving away a CPAP mask (of your choice) to the winner.
