I'm just about to purchase my CPAP machine, I have been trialling the S7 Autoset and found it to be good and quiet, I also have to use a humidifier with it, here in Australia the new S8 is just being sold. As it seems as if the unit has been available for a while in the US can anyone give me feedback as to whether the S8 is as good as the S7.  The cost is about $50 more but Resmed are giving $150 rebate if I buy the S7.  Decisions, decisions.

The S8 is not an apap machine like the AutoSpirit. I am not sure when the auto will be available.

According to the dealer here the S8 is just come on the market in Australia, the S8 Auto is according to them an update to the S7 Autoset but a lot smaller, and allows more data output. I'm rather concerned as to how quiet it may be as the S7 Auto is a lot quieter than the S7 fixed, and at a cost of just over $1500 don't want to get stuck with a lemon. Also because there so new the dealer doesn't have spares for loan.

Here in Canada and in the U.S. the S8 auto is not available yet. There are rumors that it will be available in a few months. I have seen the S8 at the dealer, and it it small. It looks like a sawed off version of the AutoSpirit, as it is the same height, but is about 60% shorter. In my opinion, even though it is small and light, its shape still gives it a look of bulkiness. If I was looking for a small and light weight auto machine I would buy a 420e, as it has a very good software program.

Thanks Capt, I guess I'll probably stick to the Autoset Spirit, at least I know it's quiet and gives me the reults I want.

I have the (less than one week) ResMed S8.  Are you saying it's auto?  Could that be the answer to my question in
my other post?


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Success Nourishes Hope

No, it is not an auto cpap.

Don't get the spirit . Its an old design. Go for the GK 420E . Mich smaller, lighter and much easier to handle. Software less $ also.  Why would they design anything shaped like a proton torpedo from Star Trek is beyond me.  Must have been a Trekkie  

Did I say less expensive also.

 

Is it true the s8 auto wont be available for a few months. I live in Canada and I will be buying my first cpap in a month and I have my heart set on the s8 Auto. :(

I purchased an Auto Set S8 and can highly recommend it. It is the smallest unit that I am aware of, beutifully engineered and ideal for travelling. I spend most of my life travelling visiting some 69 countries (so far) therefore size and weight reduction is very important. Size was my biggest criticism on the S7 unit. It is relatively quiet ( I previously had the Autospirit S7) - the pump is sound free however, there is a more pronounced "wooshing" sound in the mask. I found this personnaly acceptable. I am currently preparing an evaluation on the machine for our Patients Support Group (www.welshsas.org).
I personnaly think that ResMed have genuinly designed a superior, sensible and useful machine.


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pgm

Bwool,  I have both machines.  I like both a lot.  However,  I'll point out some advantages and disadvantages if I may.

Autoset S7 Spirit (older Resmed model machine)

1. Very quiet machine.
2. Great for sleeping with you and a bed partner who may be sensitive to noises.
3. It's an APAP machine actually.  Pressure or the CPAP therapy can be set to a multitude of pressure H20 ranges 4 - 20 cm.  It depends on you, but mine has averaged around 11 cm or so.  Anything higher and I have difficulty being woken up (i.e. a hurricane of air!).
4. Kind of heavier for travel with humidifier (i.e. 5+ lbs.).     A gigantic pain with the TSA in U.S. airports as they demand you have it out of any travel bag for close inspection and swabbed for explosives residue.

Autoset Vantage S8 (latest or newer Resmed model)

1. Noisier machine (less insulation, thinner smaller cabinet)
2. Very effective though, works very responsively.
3. Lighter weight by a couple of lbs. at least.  Smaller that S7.
4. Better for frequent traveling.  Still a pain for any airport TSA inspections but slightly better in handling.
5. Same features as S7.
6. Really small IF you don't need humidifier (I do).

In conclusion, they're both very good machines.  After some years with the S7 though, I didn't think it was working correctly.  The variable pressure didn't seem variable like it once was.  It starting blowing really harder pressure and I couldn't stand it.  Felt like the full face mask was gonna blow off my face.  I sent it in to an authorized repair station.  They claimed they reset it to factory settings and NOTHING was wrong with it.

I hope that this helps you partly in making a better decision.  Let me know if I can assist further.

Sleep well!

Harlan  

Whew! Where DID this thread come from?? The original post is from August of 2005!!! The Resmed S8s models are all in the process of being outdated by the S8 IIs w/EasyBreathe technology in the NOW of May 2008.



Last edited by CrohnieToo on Tue May 27, 2008 5:50 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Some people are like Slinkies... Not really good for anything, but they still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.
Resmed VPAP Auto. Humidaire 3i, Simplicity & Micro masks, ResScan 3.4, S8 ResLink, Embla oximeter.