Best Portable Oxygen Concentrators

Portable Oxygen Concentrator

People with breathings issues are usually looking for oxygen concentrators so that it helps them with breathing problems that they’re facing. With advancement in technology and many great medicinal developments there are many oxygen concentrators which are available in the market. The portable and non portable oxygen concentrators are available and they both pretty much work in a similar pattern, however if you opt for the portable ones than they offer ease to carry and these can be taken along you to as many places as you want to.

How Portable Oxygen Concentrators work

To understand the mechanism of the portable oxygen concentrators’ work, consider them working them as the air conditioners. They take the air from the surrounding and then work on it, modify it a bit and then give the supply of this modified oxygen.

The Process of How Oxygen Concentrators Work

The steps include:

  1. The oxygen concentrator takes in air from all of its surroundings
  2. Then, it compresses the air, this mechanism of cooling also helps the helps the concentrator from overheating
  3. It then removes nitrogen from the air with the help of filter and sieve beds
  4. You can adjust the delivery settings with the knobs given on the oxygen concentrators
  5. Now it can deliver the purified oxygen with the help of a nasal cannula or mask

What is the Purpose of Portable Oxygen Concentrators?

Portable oxygen concentrator helps chronic oxygen therapy so that the patients maintain their mobility and help them keep up with their day-to-day activities.

Some of the main purposes of these oxygen concentrators are:

  1. It allows the patients to take help and utilize oxygen therapy 24/7, this helps them to increase their survival.
  2. These also help to improve exercise tolerance; this actually let the users to exercise for longer term.
  3. The overall stamina also increase and this helps in doing day to day activities.
  4. Another important purpose is to help and give freedom to travel light and easy. There is no need to carry around heavy oxygen tanks.
  5. These are also commercially used at: glass-blowing industry, health clubs, beauty spas as well as airports

Why do Experts Recommend Portable Oxygen Concentrators?

Some of the main reasons why portable oxygen concentrators are highly recommended by experts and they have these top 2 reasons for recommending them:

Best Portable Oxygen Concentrators

Reason Number 1:

Portable Oxygen Concentrators are specifically designed for active oxygen user, thus it is also welcomed by most commercial airlines, this means that this eliminates all the cost, and such worries, and thus helping you so there is no hassle of traveling with oxygen. Why portable oxygen concentrators are helpful as by this you cannot be held back, you can travel any time with no matter how long the distance gets. You can travel nationally or internationally but you’ll be relieved that you have unlimited supply of oxygen especially on the planes, or even in the remote areas of your travel.

Reason Number 2:

The Penetrated Oxygen Concentrators have 2 modes: Pulse mode and Continuous mode.

When you’re breathing through nose, the oxygen concentrator will work in Pulse mode; this will also ensure that there is sufficient pressure to trigger a breath in the machine. While when you’re asleep it is recommended to use the machine with high sensitivity as when you are asleep then the trigger pressure of each breath drops.

However, for sleep continuous mode of oxygen concentrators is ideal, as when you’re sleeping, there are high chances that patient may not be breathing via his/ her nose at all times, which means that the patient may also breath through his/ her mouth open then there are less chances of activating a pulse mode concentrator.

Comparing and Contrasting the Best Portable Oxygen Concentrators

[table sort=”desc,asc”]
Brand,Weight,Oxygen Flow Setting,Battery Run Time,External Battery
Airsep Focus,1.75 Pounds,2 LPM Pulse Only,Up To 3 Hours,Yes Power Cartridge 3.5 Hours
Airsep Freestyle,4.4 Pounds,1-3 LPM Pulse Only,Up to 3.5 Hours,Yes 3.5 Hours
Inogen One G3 Single Battery,4.8 Pounds,1-5 LPM Pulse Only,4 Hours (8 cell battery) 8.5 Hrs (16 cell battery),Yes 8 cell and 16 cell batteries are available 4.5 & 9 hours
Airsep Freestyle 5,6.7 Pounds,1-5 LPM Pulse Only,Up To 3 Hours Optional Airbelt Battery – Up to 4 Hours,Yes Airbelt – 4 Hours
Invacare XPO2,7.3 Pounds,1-5 LPM Pulse Only,Up to 2.5 Hours (internal battery) Optional External Battery – 2.5 Hours,Yes 2.5 Hours
[/table]


Portable Oxygen Concentrators Review

Airsep Focus

The Airsep Focus portable oxygen concentrator is one of the most compact and lightest oxygen concentrator which you will find in the market. The best part about it is that you can easily carry it around places and it guarantees you versatility and reliability.

Portable Oxygen Concentrator System

Some of the best features of this product are as follows;

  • It is small, lightweight, and nearly unnoticeable as it is just 1.75 pounds
  • You can wear it or carry it as the design is very simple and easy to use.
  • There is absolutely no fear of oxygen running out as it has unlimited supply of oxygen
  • This products also promotes activity and mobility, as you can travel with independence
  • It is also FAA Approved, so it is good to use for commercial airlines on-board
  • It also has Ultra-Sense Technology, which increases sensitivity and thus further improving comfort
  • It comes with Airsep Manufacturer Warranty i.e. for 3 years
  • There is also external battery; Airbelt Battery or the New Belt-Clip cartridge Battery
  • The micro battery has recharge time of 4 hours
  • It has a good battery cycle life
  • The device warms up in as less time as 2 minutes
  • There is additional feature of alarms indicator for; Start-up, Pulse flow, Breath rate, Low battery, Battery charge state, Cannula disconnect, , General malfunction
  • There are Optimum Temperature Ranges: Operational temperature: 41ºF to 104ºF (If you operate it outside of this range than the performance can be affected) Storage temperature: -4ºF to 140ºF
  • You can operate it to altitude up to 10,000 ft (3,048 m) (With higher altitudes the performance may be affected)

Airsep  Freestyle

If you’re looking for wearable portable oxygen concentrator than the Airsep Freestyle is the best option you can look into. You can carry it on shoulder or back and it will provide flow up to 3 pulse setting.

Some of the best features of this product include;

  • It has the lightest 5 liter per minute pulse dose and weights just 6.2 pounds
  • IT can be operated with rechargeable internal battery, or AC wall or DC vehicle power
  • It has an outstanding battery life
  • Like other Airsep products it is FAA-approved so it can be used on-board commercial airlines
  • It is durable and good looking along a carrying case which has an adjustable shoulder strap
  • There is also an optional harness available, so as to convert carrying case to backpack style
  • There are various settings, at setting 1 the battery recharges in up to 7 total hours
  • The unit can be warmed up in estimated time of 2 minutes
  • The device have different alarms of indicators: Low battery, Battery charge state, General malfunction, Start-up, Pulse flow, Cannula disconnect,
  • There are different temperature ranges: Operational temperature: 41ºF to 104ºF. If you’re operating the unit outside of this range, the performance can be affected.

Inogen One G3 Single Battery 

The slim, smart with compact body, the Inogen One G3 Single Battery is among the best seller portable oxygen concentrators as is lighter than the Inogen One G2. This features many wonderful specifications.

Some of the best features include:

  • It is dependable, means Inogen is highly known for its quality of manufacturing, and there are very less service issues in contrast to other portable oxygen concentrators.
  • The motor is quiet, as compared to other units which are available in the market.
  • There are two battery size options; it is up to you to decide which one is more important, either lighter weight or longer duration
  • It includes Pulse flow settings of 1-2-3-4 for the G3. There are also updated settings for G2. The amount of oxygen per breath is at 20 breaths/minute:
    • Setting 1 = 10.5 mL
    • Setting 2 = 21 mL
    • Setting 3 = 31.5 mL
    • Setting 4 = 42 mL
    • Setting 5 = 52.5 mL (G2 only)
    • Setting 6 = 63 mL (G2 only)
  • Another remarkable and distinguishing feature is that the Inogen One G3 is the smallest portable concentrator which provides pulse setting up to 4.

Airsep Freestyle 5

Airsep Freestyle 5 is another addition to the Airsep Freestyle portable oxygen concentrators line. This is portable which offers 5 different pulse setting.

Some of the main features of this unit are:

  • It is a high capacity portable concentrator
  • It weighs only about 6.2 pounds
  • It is approved by the FAA, making it eligible for use during flights
  • It takes up to 7 hours between charges with the Airbelt
  • There is an optional harness so as to transform it into a backpack
  • There is a three-year warranty on the unit along with a year warranty on battery and accessories
  • There are alerts and alarms for; Breath rate, Pulse flow, Low battery, High temperature, General malfunction, High and low pressure, Battery charge state, Cannula disconnect, Start-up,
  • It requires the universal power supply, with the:
    • AC Power: 100-240 VAC, 50/60 Hz; 11-16 VDC
    • DC Power: 11 – 16 VDC, 6.0 amps at 12 VCD
  • The battery is made of lithium and is rechargeable

Invacare XPO2

If you want a healthcare product which will help you maintain a healthy lifestyle along with fulfilling your oxygen needs than you must considering investing in Invacare XPO2.

The product comes with brilliant specifications and features, which are mentioned as follows:

  • It has a supplemental battery pack which provides 2.5 hours of additional battery running time
  • The weight of the unit is a little over a pound, which makes it easier to carry
  • The design is Modular, means that it gives patients the option and allow them to extend battery time, and increase weight, when it is required
  • It has feature of Pulse Flow
  • It is also FAA approved, means you can take it on flights
  • It has Settings 1-5, which makes it a great buy
  • The dimension of the unit is: 10″H x 7″ W x 4″ D, which makes it portable and handy
  • The oxygen concentration in the unit is ranging from 87% – 95.6%

Purchasing the Right Portable Oxygen Concentrator

Though there are many options on which portable O2 concentrator to buy but one of the best investments is to purchase the Airsep Freestyle or the Airsep Freestyle 5 Oxygen Concentrators. Both of them have few differences but these are highly recommended. Many customers are satisfied by using them.

The main reason is the qualities and features of the product. Not only have these offered comfort, along with added on features their prices are also meeting the budget line in contrast to the other units which are available in the market.

However there are also some issues that you might face:

  • It is not so light that old people can carry it easily.
  • There is no option which is available for continuous flow
  • Lastly, it might not be easy to detect the alarm type

But you’ll face some problems with any of the portable oxygen concentrators that you’ll buy so why not make the best decision for yourself?

However if you’re more confused or need some special features than you can take guidance from your doctor as they can guide you well that which will be better and most recommended for your situation.

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