Sleepweaver masks

[JayBee]

To those using a Sleepweaver - how is your headgear holding up?

Mine has started to degrade a little after a few trips through the washing machine. The videos indicate you can throw the whole thing in but in practice I have found that the webbing has come away from the foam backing. It would appear one has shrunk slightly more than the other.

[jackieb]

My straps keep riding up my ears find them on my ear lobes in the morning not very long plus I have to keep adjusting them through the night. Do any of you have leaks around the lip area. Also it blows air into my eyes even after adjusting the top strap. It seems to be very badly made for the price but I do get a more comfortable sleep being a side sleeper than with my softgel mask.

[quincy31]

Poppy don't get your hopes up..it is light but not very good. Leaks like crazy

[Barely Awake]

The webbing has also started parting from the foam on my headgear and it has only been washed three times as I part it from the mask when washing the latter. I also find it uncomfortable under the ears, on the cheeks, and also the top connection. I am sticking with it though as it is one of only two masks that work for me.

Anyone got any suggestions?

[Barely Awake]

We have had three corking days of sunshine, the hose has been stripped of its cosy cover so it can be washed, and I am finding the Sleepweaver headgear a tad on the warm and sweaty side, due I think to the covers I have on the side straps to stop them cutting in.

Anyone tried making themselves a new headgear for any mask?

[dravidio]

10 foot hose at Intus

I got mine from an Ebay seller but there's none on there at the moment - ebay uk pull lots of CPAP related stuff!

I have one for sale which I have hardly used (a couple of times only) and will wash and disinfect if you are interested.

[JayBee]

My straps keep riding up my ears find them on my ear lobes in the morning not very long plus I have to keep adjusting them through the night. Do any of you have leaks around the lip area. Also it blows air into my eyes even after adjusting the top strap. It seems to be very badly made for the price but I do get a more comfortable sleep being a side sleeper than with my softgel mask.

Hi Jackie

I must confess this is one of my niggles with the headgear. My ears can get a bit sore as sometimes my earlobes get pushed up and on others occasions the strap presses against that bit of cartilage that sticks out. Both leave my ears quite tender the next day.

I also get strap marks on my cheeks (on my face )for an hour or so first thing in the morning.

As for the leaking? Well yes it can be quite frustrating sometimes but I still prefer it to a plastic face mask. Personally I think it is the headgear that they need to work on.

[JayBee]

Just to add one further thing, I think some kind of ball joint style connector is needed to fit the hose to the mask front so that the pipe can find its own level without pulling the fabric this way and that.

[symmit]

Hi Jackie

I must confess this is one of my niggles with the headgear. My ears can get a bit sore as sometimes my earlobes get pushed up and on others occasions the strap presses against that bit of cartilage that sticks out. Both leave my ears quite tender the next day.

I also get strap marks on my cheeks (on my face )for an hour or so first thing in the morning.

As for the leaking? Well yes it can be quite frustrating sometimes but I still prefer it to a plastic face mask. Personally I think it is the headgear that they need to work on.

James hinted that an improved headgear is on its way for them...

[martin]

Hi all, ( i just typed all this out and my compy ate it) just wondering if anyone has tried headgear from another mask to attach to the sleepweaver, apologies if its' already been covered and i missed it. I know we aren't meant to mix and match stuff (makes sleep techies feel insecure) but has anyone tried it and how did it work....i like the sleepweaver but its a pain in the butt on the ears (scuse the mixed metaphor).

I see the simplicity headgear is a 3 point anchorage but is it compatible?....
(SUBTLE HINT ALERT ), if anyone happened to work in a place that sold both products they could test it. !! (SUBTLE HINT ENDS)

Re washing,I haven't tried putting the straps through a full wash but i have popped the mask in a sock and fired it in, the straps get a more gentle hand treatment. (Mind you with the state of my socks anything would be more gentle .... )

Now the funny bit, have any of you folks been on a bus discussing putting the hose into the side pocket of your backpack as you don't want to take the proper case and whether it will be ok there, and then had to explain to a very puzzled slightly confused neighbour 2 days later who very kindly tried to explain that we could probably get one over there but since we were staying in a hotel that they probably had a gardener to do the lawn, it shouldn't be our job and finally that it would use a great deal of our luggage allowance for no good reason. I'm paraphrasing the language slightly. At least we weren't talking about wearing masks in bed!!

[cat lady]

I have a problem with the headgear of the Sleepweaver I haven't yet solved. It is riding up under my ear lobes and cutting the skin on one side and making the other under-ear and both my cheeks raw. I have tried taping my ears down with the micropore tape but that seems to set the mask at the wrong angle and the headgear still produces a sore across my cheeks. I have tried putting those cozy wraps on the cheek straps but I guess with the problem pre-existing they were up against it and didn't seem to do any good.

Anyone got any ideas?

Hi barely awake,I have the same problem and have found if you wrap a tissue round each side strap, this solves the problem.
cat lady

[Barely Awake]

Thanks cat lady! The tissue certainly is a cheap way of tackling this particular problem.

There are still other issues though with the fit and seemingly the longevity and although a new headgear is on the horizon what do existing users do? It is asking a leap of faith to buy another mask c.£94 in the hope it has all been solved. Prompted by Tiger fan's campaign I wonder if there is enough of us on here having and foreseeing problems that we might be able to get James to summarize matters and take up design issues with the manufacturers and ask about the possibility of supplying replacement headgear where justified?

[jackieb]

Thanks cat lady! The tissue certainly is a cheap way of tackling this particular problem.

There are still other issues though with the fit and seemingly the longevity and although a new headgear is on the horizon what do existing users do? It is asking a leap of faith to buy another mask c.£94 in the hope it has all been solved. Prompted by Tiger fan's campaign I wonder if there is enough of us on here having and foreseeing problems that we might be able to get James to summarize matters and take up design issues with the manufacturers and ask about the possibility of supplying replacement headgear where justified?

I am having the same problems with the headgear mine seems to be rolling round itself on the back of the head band and it also digs into my ears, this is causing a lot of leaks. Do any of you find that it blows the air into your eyes no matter how much I adjust the headband. Unfortunately mu 30 day trial has expired otherwise I may have sent it back.

[symmit]

Air into the eyes goes away if I loosen the top strap and move it down my nose, looser fit seems to seal better to my nose. I have the lower straps quite tight though in order to stop the riding-up-on-the-ears thing everyone seems to get.

It's not perfect but it's way better on the skin than the silicone masks - I've not tried a gel one that's a good fit yet, I can live with the sleepweaver so will stick to that, my next mask will be another fullface to try and improve on the forma.

[Barely Awake]

The tissue was used last night on one side to compare against a strap cover on the other and the former was a lot cooler on such a hot night.
For me the mask itself when adjusted is a lot more comfortable than hard masks and the big bonus is that it doesn't collapse my nostrils which most of the hard masks seem to do. I am therefore keen and want to persevere but I am not encouraged by the condition of the headgear after just a few weeks, the difficulty in adjusting what is a pretty short strap, and the material quality combined with the design which seems to lend itself to an uncomfortable experience on the cheeks and below the ears. If these things are common then it would surely be good to bring them to the manufacturer's attention so they can work on improving the design. The mask itself is so light it stands to become enormously popular if the niggles are sorted.