hey Karen,
Its a no brainer...the portable.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Hi Karen! My husband uses the Sequal portable concentrator. It works on battery but can also be plugged in to the wall or used with an adaptor in the car. It goes up to 6 on pulse or 3 on constant and although too big to carry it comes with wheels for easy transport. Kind of pricey but worth it for us. We also keep several tanks on hand for emergencies (power outages, etc.)

My dad has both...I would keep an O2 Air tank as a back up just in case. My dad does that when he goes out in addition to his portable. It relieves his anxiety a bit.

I use a combination of both.

I use my POC for most daily activities , traveling , camping , driving , and sleeping away from home. A POC that runs off batteries and can be used and/or charged with a DC power supply is also a good backup for power outages.

I use tanks in a backpack If I am doing any strenuous activity.

I use pulse dose for both, and the tank with a conserver devise keeps me better saturated than my POC when I am really pushing myself.

I believe the reason has to do with supply and demand. Pulse dose settings on POC's are biased on 20 breaths per minute. If you are on a setting of 3 LPM and you are breathing at 40 BPM, you are actually only getting 1-1/2 LPM. While a conserver device on a tank activates every time it detects a breath and it gives you a full dose.

POC's That run off batteries and can use AC/DC power range in weight from 1.75 LBS to 10 LBS with delivery settings in proportion to their weight.

Here is a good comparison as to what is available.

http://www.oximedical.com/portable-concentrators

The most popular tank is the m6. It weighs 2.9 LBS, and can last between .4 and 8.3 HRS depending on your requirements. I get Between 1-1/2 to 3 HRS on mine, Depending on my activity level and setting.

I hope some of my input has helped.

Gary

I'm just going to throw this out there, too. If you do any amount of travel, you might want to keep in mind that you cannot bring tanks on an airplane. And if you purchase a portable unit, I think there are only certain ones that are allowed according to the FAA/airlines. So if you do fly the friendly skies, you might want to get something that is compatible with that. If that's a non-issue, you can always rent an approved portable unit for occasional use.

I have tanks for power outages because my POC from medicare requires electricity..no battery. I called my supplier & he said I could get a smaller unit to carry but I had to qualify with a 6 min. walk..
I have been looking at Inogen (poc) units that are super light (4.5 lbs) & they claim they will help medicare pay for them.

Have you considered liquid oxygen and a Helios unit? At least I don 't have to worry about electrical outages with the liquid oxygen.

Thank you everyone for all the input. Inogen is one of the ones I was looking into, and if Medicare pays some of it, that would be nice. Think I will ask my Pulmo when I go and see him in a couple of weeks.

I have an Inogen G2 It is a weighs a little more than the G3, but some day I may need the extra setting. I just love it.

Gary

If you decide to get a portable, make sure it does continous dose, which is probably what you need at night and maybe day too, Sometimes I can use pulse dose when I can to save the battery, but not at night,and not if I am doing exercises or something, but just sitting around the house or doctor office I put it on pulse, then when I get up to walk, I put it on continuous.
Some portables on,y do one of the other, and they are cheaper, but it would be great to get one that does both
Hugs, Brenda

I have the Sequal #3....

I have never found a portable concentrator that runs continuous at 6 lpm - the level where I am now. If anyone knows of such a thing I'd be interested in hearing about it. I cannot use pulse at all and just the mention of power outages gives me a panic attack. We have them all the time in my rural area from wind and/or ice. There is the option of liquid o2 but I'm not sure how that works and way back when I first got this and was at 2 lpm I had liquid but had a lot of trouble with the carry unit freezing up when filling it. - Ruthie (aka dollaraudit)

dollaraudit: After looking around with google a little, it looks like a liquid oxygen portable would be the way to go for you.

Gary

What a perfect topic! I'm newly diagnosed as of 12/3 and had questions on the same subject.

What is the general (or specific) cost per lightweight unit that I can plug into a car outlet? Also, I fly so any tips would be helpful. What ever experience you can share with any brand would be fabulous.

Airstep GFocus mini (according to a website) weighs less than 2 lbs., It's about the size of a coffee mug, It's battery lasts 3 hours +, it can plug into a car lighter.............................but is it good?

Really green, folks!! What sounds great to me may be a disappointment.

Thanks in advance!

i almost got the POC last year---my 02 company & medicare will only cover having the POC or tanks....cant have both :(
i finally decided to stick with the tanks because i have a fanny pack/backpack that leaves me hands free when doing things outside & the POC i'd have to carry everywhere or wheel around.
the POC "sounded good" until i really looked at how much i use fannypack & just quickly change m-6 tanks when i need to & not have a charger around.
right after i decided not to get it we went a month of losing electricity almost every day & i'd have to use my big E-tanks to get thru the power outages that the POC wouldn't have worked for.
i wish they gave me the choice of having both, as the POC would be great for traveling in car long distances, but not good for hours outside on ATV...so it kind of depends on your lifestyle if you can't have both.
gary, you might notice the difference in your o2 because tanks deliver 100% 02 where a concentrator only "makes" 96% 02 @2LPM (that is what i was told any way when the guy came & checked my concentrator, the best is 96% if running good)

If you fly a lot, here are the portables that are approved by the FAA. Regular tanks aren't allowed. The AirSep appear to be okayed by them.

http://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/cabin_safety/portable_oxygen/