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Searching for the perfect continuous flow oxygen concentrator for you may turn out to be tedious work. After all, CPOCs aren’t simply machines that pump out a consistent flow of oxygen, nor are they always mounted on two-wheel carts. As technology progressed, oxygen concentrators evolved from being just a huge tank-y machine to a variety of new models from different companies, released with a more diverse set of features and numerous settings, sizes, brands, energy consumption, and quality that’s widely available in the market.
Now, they certainly seem overwhelming, especially if you’re new and still in a lookout for one that accommodates your needs and is worth the long-term purchase. So, let us spare you the worries with this quick portable oxygen concentrator continuous flow reviews, where we’ll be delving on to different oxygen concentrator brands according to important factors such as their size, weight, battery duration, oxygen output, and overall performance. We know you just want the top of the bunch, quality continuous flow machines, so we’ll be listing out the top models on the market and ranking the best portable oxygen concentrator today.
Who knows, maybe you can get tips on what you should be looking for when it comes to your preferences? Or better yet, one of these might turn out to be the most suitable one for you.
Ranking the portability
If you’re someone who wants to consider a unit’s portability, it’s impossible to not mention the machine’s weight and size – obviously, the bigger and heavier it is, the less likely you’d want to carry it while away from your homes. Not to mention the additional weights such as the batteries and cases that you may be required to carry around with you. Luckily, you can make use of wheeled carts to roll around wherever you go, but it can still pose as a burden oftentimes.
Zen-O portable oxygen concentrator‘s overall unit size and design is by far the most lightweight in terms of cubic inches out of everything in the list, measuring only 673.8 in^3 and having a weight of a less than average 10.27 lbs including the unit, 12-cell battery, and the carry case – truly something you can easily carry around your shoulders. If you opt to buy a cart with it, the load would only cost you 2 additional pounds, plus you can pull and maneuver it around effortlessly.
Respironics Simply Go doesn’t go too far behind in terms of size, with its sleek design weighing up to 10 pounds with the battery included and being 690 in^3 large. You can choose to additionally purchase a carry case or a cart to come with it, which will add a couple of pounds, as well.
Some honorable mentions include the Oxlife Independence, which has the built-in battery and cart wheels included in its 18-pound weight to make it steady and robust, followed by the Eclipse 5 with an over-above average size of 1685.5 in^3. Finally, with the highest weight in the list but still generally a lightweight and good-performing one compared to others, the iGo oxygen concentrator running with 25 pounds and a helpful cart to add in.
Reviewing the Battery Duration Time
If you plan on running the oxygen concentrators in continuous flow the majority of the time, they will undoubtedly run for less time than in pulse flow mode because of the energy consumption. But overall, the models have incorporated 12-cell batteries and easy charge that can last for a considerably long time. Though carrying your unit with spare batteries or charging cords is still advisable, unlike the plug-in Inogen continuous flow oxygen concentrators where battery life doesn’t matter.
The list has turned around in this particular aspect – those with relatively higher size and weight paid off with their longer battery lifespan, starting with the Oxlife Independence. Having the highest battery duration among the listed oxygen concentrators with continuous flow, it can last for 2.75 hours at setting 2 while also having a decent battery duration to recharge ratio with 1.5-2.5 hours of charge time. The iGo and Eclipse 5 also closely follow with 2.4 hours and 2 hours battery duration, respectively, though the average charging time is slightly longer.
The bottom two are the remaining portable continuous flow concentrators, Zen-O and Simply Go, each having less than an hour of battery life. On the flipside, Zen-O oxygen concentrator does offer a unit with two 12 cell batteries that doubles the battery life, though can also double the weight, so we’ll leave that deciding up to you.
Comparing Overall Performance and Noise
Majority considers this as an important factor in selecting continuous oxygen concentrators in the market – and who wouldn’t want a unit that can last long and deliver oxygen with quality and ease that’s exactly as the user needs? For performance, we’re going to look into their continuous flow output, their concentration levels, and other added bonus features for their users.
When considering oxygen output, you may want to double check on your prescriptions and what is highly recommended for your case. If the requirement for your continuous flow oxygen concentrator is over 2 liters per minute, then it is highly urged to buy one of the larger units like the Oxlife Independence, iGo, and Eclipse 5 oxygen concentrators where they can deliver a maximum of 3 liters per minute of continuous flow oxygen output and a longer battery life.
Meanwhile, if you aim for more portability and a stable 2 LPM, then you can settle for the Zen-O and Simply Go oxygen concentrators. Though if you’re really in need of more than 3 liters per minute, then you may want to check out the heavyweights (not literally) like Inogen’s continuous oxygen flow concentrators.
Another comparison is their oxygen concentration, which fairly doesn’t have much of a difference: Zen-O and Simply Go has a decent 87-96% range, Oxlife Independence has 90-96, and the Eclipse 5 with a minimum of 90%. That said, this isn’t much to worry about because this is the average range for even other concentrators in the market.
Lastly, if you really want a more peaceful surrounding, then you can compare different noise decibels of each concentrator. In this list the range goes from the Eclipse 5 being the most silent and the Zen-O on the other end of the spectrum. In addition to all these details, some of them has extra features like Oxlife’s durable design, Eclipse 5’s telescoping handle for one-handed adjustments, and iGo’s external battery charger separate from its unit.
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