ResMed Equipment Quality

[DancesWithCats]

Well, I can confirm bad fake velcro strap attachments. The hook side appears to be legit, but the "loop" is just the fabric over the neoprene of the strap, and it failed throughly about a year into using the headgear - which would be less of an issue if my insurance/DME  wasn't useless and abusive to the point I'm not using them anymore. Those are from 3-3/4 years ago though, not the last two years.

The rest of the mask I use is pretty good; got a year and a half out of the first facepiece before the thin silicone tore, over 2 years on the next one of those and still going, frame and connector are 3-3/4 years old and still work fine. That mask is labeled as made in Australia, which as far as I understand is where ResMed is based.

I'm unwilling to pay the inflated price for the same poor design to replace the strap, so I've taped it up, and will eventually either add some actual hook velcro or build a whole new strap. Or I might sew it in place.

The actual machine ("new" they claimed - funny about the 1168 hours on it when I had had it less than 24 hours) has been fine other than some fan noise that may or may not be normal, and is now over 12,000 hours.  I haven't yet bothered to take it apart and see if I can improve the noise by cleaning out the remains of "Spirit Medical" filters it ingested. I'd rather do that with a spare machine on hand. The machine is from the only other place ResMed makes things, Singapore.

The humidifier (stainless steel rectangular bottom) has not had any problems other than the occasional need to de-lime it when I decided to stop putting distilled water in it. I guess there's an aluminum bottom version that's troublesome for leaks, but I haven't had one. Supposedly there's also a newer "round metal bottom" that's less prone to leak, but I haven't had leaks, so I haven't got one of those.

I have no idea how actual Resmed filters are, since my crappy DME never sold me one - only "Sprit Medical" ones that shed crud into the machine. Those [expletive deleted] things are labeled made in the USA.  I posted pictures in a review thread. There's white dust deposited from the area behind the filter all the way into the humidifier. I now cut up N95's and put those in for filters, which works fine and doesn't shed.

Never had a Resmed hose, either. DME gave me some no-brand junk from Indonesia, with the machine set for slimline (by them) when they gave me full-size cause it was cheap junk and more profit to them. Stiff, noisy and distracting when trying to sleep. Cat eventually put too many holes in that and I bought some Philips slimline hose which was misleadingly pictured as rolling nicely, but in actual fact retains the memory of every bend it had in the package when it arrived. It is ever so slightly less stiff and noisy than the no-name junk hose, but not what I hoped for. It now has some tape over cat teeth holes as well. I wrap some fabric over the hose rather than bothering with the heated hoses, and that keeps it from raining out up to humidity 7. It also dulls the noise a bit.

I either found reviews or was told when I asked about hoses that flexed nicely (or both) that newer Resmed hoses were somewhat stiffer than older ones, and given they cost considerably more I haven't tried one. I'd hazard a guess that they removed certain formerly popular plasticizers from the newer formulation, but they don't even admit there's a difference or change. Multiple users did confirm that their replacement hoses were stiffer than the hose they had been using, though.

Board opinion last I recall is that the Airsense 11 is not better in any way than the 10, other than being more cheaply made for a larger profit margin. Haven't had one, don't particularly want one form the details I've read about the actual differences.

The other mask I have was made in Singapore and happens to be a design that hurts my face so I can't sleep, so it has however many weeks of exactly 4 hours of not sleeping it took until I got my DME to admit that they could give me a different mask, so I have no idea how durable it is, as it's been packed in the box since I got the mask I use now.

[Lucid]

My ResMed AirSense11 started making a soft whistle at the end of each inhale.  This was after about 2.5 years of use.  When I plugged in the loaner machine my DME sent me, I found that the electrical socket I was using wasn't functioning perfectly; I had an old Radio Shack surge protector plugged into it, too.  I plugged the loaner into a different socket and will get an electrician in after I move furniture around to make the socket more accessible.

I'm not sure if the problem was caused by the socket, surge protector, or the machine itself, but electrical supply is another factor to consider for machine problems.

I've noticed two changes in the three years that I've been using ResMed supplies.  Over the last year, I've had to air out pillow before I use them because they have a plasticky smell right out of the sealed envelope.  Washing doesn't remove it: it takes a few days of airing out.

Second, I've found recent water chambers more difficult to open than they were 2.5 years ago.  Pretty sure it's NOT my aging hands, lol.  The latch side is just a tad stiffer or differently shaped.

Overall, though, I've been happy with my DME.  All real ResMed supplies in sealed envelopes, except for the filters, which are currently Sunset brand.  Everything has been available, but then I started CPAP after the worst of the Covid supply chain backups.  

I think the machines and supplies all have details about where they've been manufactured, either on the machine or on the sealed plastic envelopes the supplied come in.  Although with machines, there may be some parts made in different places in small enough quantities that they fit within the legal definition of being manufactured in a certain country.

[Rickyricardo]

I get the feeling this DME is substituting used or counterfeit goods because generally speaking the ResMed stuff is pricey but well made.

I can't imagine one person having problems with every single component from the mask to the machine when that's not the common experience.

I am on machine #4 and still using the original standard diameter tube from 20 years ago. And a Swift FX headgear of similar vintage. And a new S10 and S11 in the last 12 months and they are as good as my S10 from 6 years ago. Which is still functioning.

I have been less than happy with the life of P10 straps but that is simply spandex losing its tightness with time, and the overall design of the P30 but everything else has been very well made.

[Bubba in NC]

During my last check-in with the nurse at my neurologist's office (to satisfy Medicare) I mentioned that I liked the larger tank on the Resmed 10 vs the 11. The nurse said she was hearing complaints about the hose also. It no longer swivels, just goes straight out the back of the machine. "It seems like they're trying to make them cheaper and cheaper" was her comment.

[Rickyricardo]

I have the S10 brand new, and S11, also brand new, and even an S9 which is nearly new because the first S9 was broken, then ResMed lost it in transit and gave me a new one, and by then I had an S10. I also have a S10 CPAP which is at 23,000 hours, acquired new. 

All three of them have the hose connected directly to the exhaust tube on the back of the device. I've never had a swivel. 

I think the tank size has come up before and a measurement would show how much smaller the S11 tank is, but I don't think it is as small as people think it is, mainly because I refill the S10 at home and S11 for travel, about as frequently as each other. The whole machine is smaller - height and width so a smaller tank might be nothing more than the result of the cavity for the tank being smaller. The travel machine has no tank at all, so to me that's worse.