How To Pick A Portable Oxygen Concentrator
So you’ve decide that to upgrade from oxygen tanks to a portable oxygen concentrator, well you’re one step closer to starting a more active lifestyle. When looking up portable oxygen concentrators, it can become very difficult to decide which one is the best for you. There are so many different options, with different settings, so where do you start?
The first and foremost important thing is the prescription your doctor gave you. What is his prescribed setting? The most commonly prescribed setting is a pulse flow of 2, though you may be in a different situation, so you can already eliminate certain units, such as the AirSep Focus, because the Focus only has a pulse flow setting of 2.
Here is a list of portable oxygen concentrators that operate on pulse flow settings 1-3:
AirSep FreeStyle: The AirSep FreeStyle is a portable unit that has a battery life of up to 3.5 hours that can be extended by 4 hours with the optional AirSep AirBelt, a great supplemental battery option that fits snugly around your waist, just like a regular belt. The FreeStyle weighs only 4.4 pounds, so it’s one of the sleekest options for a unit with pulse flow settings 1-3.
LifeChoice Activox: The LifeChoice Activox is the most recent version of the LifeChoice line of portable units. The LifeChoice Activox can get up to a total of 11 hours of battery life with the external battery. Similar to the FreeStyle in weight, the Activox weighs 4.83 pounds.
LifeChoice: The LifeChoice is the predecessor to the LifeChoice Activox, just because it is older doesn’t mean it isn’t a great option. The LifeChoice weighs 4.9 pounds, barely higher than its successor. The one thing that lacks on this unit is the battery life, which is approximately 3 hours at a full charge.
Portable Oxygen Concentrators that operate up to a pulse flow of 4:
Inogen One G3: The Inogen One G3 has pulse flow settings of 1-4, and is very lightweight at 4.8 pounds. With the higher powered battery, you can get up 12 hours of battery life on a single charge with this unit.
Portable Oxygen Concentrators that operate up to a pulse flow of 5:
AirSep FreeStyle 5: The AirSep FreeStyle 5 is an upgraded version of the regular FreeStyle. The 5 added the ability to be run on pulse flow settings of 1-5, 2 settings higher than its predecessor. The weight of this unit is still great, weighing only 6.2 pounds.
InvaCare XPO2: The XPO2 is a pretty popular unit, it does have a very user friendly interface and only weighs 6.5 pounds. On top of the light weight, the XPO2 gets up to 5 hours of battery life on a single charge.
Inogen One G2: The predecessor to the Inogen One G3, this unit is still an extremely high quality portable oxygen concentrator and the favorite of many supplemental medical grade oxygen users. The G2 is less than 10 pounds, weighing in at a nice 7.25 pounds. The battery packs a punch on this unit, with the upgraded battery you can get up to 12 hours of battery life.
Portable Oxygen Concentrators That Operate Up to A Pulse Flow Of 6:
Respironics EverGo: Since the beginning of the switch from oxygen tanks, Respironics has been on the cutting age, and that doesn’t change with the Respironics EverGo. The EverGo has pulse flow settings of 1-6. The EverGo weighs 8.5 pounds and has a battery that can sustain up to 12 hours on a full charge.
Portable Oxygen Concentrators That Operate On Both Continuous and Pulse Flow Settings:
Respironics SimplyGo: The SimplyGo offers you both continuous and pulse flow options. When being used on continuous flow, the SimplyGo can be used on settings 1 and 2. If you’re using pulse flow, this unit can reach a max of 6. The Respironics SimplyGo can get a max of 6 hours of battery life, and weighs 10 pounds.
OxLife Independence: The OxLife Independence weighs in at 16.7 pounds, though it does have two large built in wheels for easy maneuvering. You will be able to use the Independence on pulse flow settings of 0.5 – 6 and continuous flow settings of 0.5 – 3. The Independence features a battery life that will last up to 6.25 hours.
Invacare Solo 2: Similar to the Oxlife Independence, the Solo 2 can operate at increments of 0.5 ranging from 0.5 – 6 on pulse and 0.5 – 3 on continuous. The weight is also the exact same as the OxLife, weighing 16.7 pounds. You can expect to get up to 6.25 hours of battery life when used on the lowest settings.
SeQual Eclipse 3: The SeQual Eclipse 3 is one of the top selling portable oxygen concentrators on the market. The SeQual Eclipse 3 offers pulse flow settings of 1-6 and continuous flow settings of 1-3. The weight of the Eclipse 3 is a tad bit higher than its competitors in this market of POC’s, weighing 18.4 pounds. Battery life on the Eclipse 3 is approximately 5.4 hours.
DeVilbiss iGo: The DeVilbiss iGo is the last of the portable oxygen concentrators that offer both continuous and pulse flow, or at least currently available. The DeVilbiss iGo weighs approximately 19 pounds and has a maximum battery life of 5.4 hours – similar to other portable oxygen concentrators in its class.
The only portable oxygen concentrator that was left out of this lineup was the Airship focus which operates only on a pulse flow setting of 2. If you’re interested in learning more about portable oxygen concentrators or anything related to respiratory illnesses in general, please feel free to subscribe. If you have any questions, leave a comment below and I will be happy to answer them! Thanks and have a great day.
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