Oxlife Independence Oxygen Concentrator Review
$3,295.00
Oxlife Independence Portable Oxygen Concentrator Review
After months or years of using stationary oxygen concentrators, portable oxygen concentrators would be easier to live with, especially if you are the outdoorsy type. A portable oxygen concentrator basically works like a home oxygen concentrator to provide oxygen therapy at concentrations that are prescribed for you by your physician. Before going further, let’s look at the steps.
How Portable Oxygen Concentrators Work – The Steps
- It cleanses the ambient air in its environment.
- Air comprising 80% nitrogen and 20% oxygen is drawn into the oxygen concentrator.
- After that, the air is converted to 90 to 95% of oxygen, leaving 5 to 10% of nitrogen behind. However, this differs per unit.
- After separation, the concentrated oxygen is delivered to the patient.
This is a review of the Oxlife Independence portable oxygen concentrator. This Oxlife portable oxygen concentrator is not only known for its continuous flow oxygen and pulse flow settings, but also its ‘smart’ technology, in this case, known as the Dynamic Network Analysis (DNA) technology.
Features and Benefits of the Oxlife Independence Portable Oxygen Concentrator
Special features:
DNA technology: Dynamic Network Analysis is a type of ‘smart’ technology which keeps patients connected to their healthcare providers. I am personally impressed with this feature because it gives an added layer of security and assurance that in cases of an emergency, your healthcare provider would not be too far from the needed information to make a decision about your care. This also helps with compliance with treatment.
Other features
Size, Weight, and Design
The Oxlife Independence has a black matte glossy and smooth finish which gives it an attractive look. Although this makes cleaning slightly more frequent than other portable oxygen concentrators. It has a large wheel on both sides of the device and an extendable handle which makes moving from one place to another easy for oxygen patients.
It measures 20.2 inches high, 10.9 inches wide, and 8 inches deep. It also weighs 16.7 pounds, excluding its two batteries (it has no internal battery). Each battery weighs 1.35 pounds.
Flow Settings
This Oxlife Independence unit, as earlier mentioned, offers both continuous and pulse flow settings. Its continuous flow rate is from 0.5 to 3 liters per minute, while the pulse dose settings range from 0.5 to 6 liters per minute (LMP) in increments of 0.5 LPM.
Battery Life
The portable oxygen concentrator comes with two rechargeable batteries. Each battery has a battery life of 5.75 hours on a pulse setting of 2 LPM and 1.15 hours on a continuous flow setting of 2 LPM. These would still give you some independence to do anything you want to do.
Asides from the use of these batteries, the portable concentrator can be powered via an AC power supply at the standard wall outlet or a DC power adapter while using your unit in a vehicle.
Oxygen concentration
The Oxlife Independence is an excellent choice for your oxygen needs. Its oxygen purity levels are slightly higher than its competitors, ranging between 90% to 96%. I would say this is oxygen delivery at its finest.
Control panel
The simple-to-understand control panel of this portable oxygen concentrator includes just four buttons:
- One button turns the power on or off.
- Another toggle between continuous and pulse flow oxygen modes.
- A third button changes the flow rate.
You won’t need to spend hours reading the user manual to understand the basic features of this device.
Power consumption
The Oxlife Independence portable oxygen concentrator consumes about 90 watts of electricity at setting 2.
Noise Level
This concentrator has never been known to be loud. On the contrary, it is one of the quiet ones, with a sound level of 40 decibels are a pulse setting of 2. This is equivalent to the hum of a refrigerator or a normal conversation between two people.
Other Safety features
Smart technology was a brilliant move to ensure the safety of its users, but another useful feature to keep patients safe is the alarm system. An audible alarm would go off if any of the following occurs:
- Low oxygen purity
- Low battery
- Power failure (No external power)
- High temperature
- System malfunction
- No breath detected
- Blocked oxygen flow
Accessories that can be used with the Oxlife Independence Oxygen Concentrator
- External batteries
- AC power supply and cord
- DC power supply
- Oxygen tubing
- Nasal cannula
- Integrated cart
- User manual
- Accessory bag.
FAA Approval
The Oxlife Independence has been given a go-ahead by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for in-flight usage. Traveling long distances while on supplemental oxygen was a change, but approvals like this encourage international flight trips across different countries in the world.
Prior to boarding, be sure to get in touch with your airline to learn about any additional requirements.
Warranty
As opposed to most portable oxygen concentrators with a 3-year warranty, this unit comes with a 5-year warranty.
Conclusion
The Oxlife Independence continues to be praised for its durability and reliability over other portable oxygen concentrators. As its name goes, you’ll have plenty of independence and control to modify your oxygen delivery based on your level of activity thanks to the continuous flow settings that can be delivered at up to 3.0 LPM and the six pulse dose settings that are available. The Independence was built to ensure comfortability and simplicity to use while you’re away from home, so you won’t have to continuously stop what you’re doing to refer to the user manual or replace an oxygen tank/cylinder.
Making choices like this are difficult and could be frustrating, but the Oxlife Independence is a fine piece you would not regret having.
Videos: Oxlife Independence Oxygen Concentrator Review
Niraj H. –
I’m not only happy with it because of it’s ability to meet my oxygen needs. The battery lasts longer than I require it to on most days. This tells me the battery will live longer in general.
Anya R. –
I was picturing a big ugly thing that looks like a medical machine, when my doctor recommended I get an oxygen concentrator. This machine doesn’t look bad at all. It runs very nicely and not too loud.
Sven U. –
This thing uses very little energy and I like how the DC supply is integrated into the machine. This was made for people on the go! I’m very happy with my purchase.
Christian P. –
It’s bigger but not as noticeable as many other concentrators. It’s a nice color and sleek, so it blends in. The quiet hum also makes it fly under the radar.
Todd J. –
This concentrator is recommended to most of my patients because of its versatility. The .05 increments in both continuous and pulse mode make it great. Good all around oxygen concentrator.
Sam T. –
I like to go mountain hiking and this thing was able to go as high as I wanted. The operational altitude is better than most. Great for me and my friends.
Louis D –
I have used a variety of POC’s. My last unit was a Respironics EverGo. It gave me nothing but grief. It was exchanged four times due to faulty O2 sensors.
I can NOT say enough about the OxLife unit. It lasts longer, triggers easier on pulse and charges faster than did my EverGo.
Furthermore, it has yet to malfunction.
Bill Martin –
I have had 3 of these machines and they all failed. I hope the manufacturer has improved its life span???
Andrea K. –
When it works, it works well, but it is temperamental, lasted only 6 months the first time, and the second machine only lasted 8 months. good thing I had a backup oxygen source. The warnings It gave were not in the manual.
Owen E. –
The handle is very easy to use and tuck away. I like how much more maneuverability the wheels give you. So easy to move around.
Eunice G. –
The brightly lit screen on the control panel is great for me since I mostly use mine at night. With my old concentrator I had to turn the light on if I needed to read it in the dark. This concentrator was made for me.
Cora B. –
This thing is so easy to use. I like how the control panel is small and I feel like I won’t bump it accidentally. Meets my oxygen needs perfectly with less fuss.
David Q. –
I took this concentrator with me all over Europe and it was knocked over and hit a few times. It didn’t hardly show any dings and still runs perfectly. I wish it came with a cover, though!
Consumer –
This machine is loud, heavy and will not charge at a continuous flow higher than 2. The unit goes up to 3 units. It’s not very convenient to have to go somewhere and not be able to charge this machine in the car. It may work well if you use 2 units or less, but more than that, It’s useless. At least for more than an hour. Also, this unit is so loud, that it had to be shut off at a Dr appointment just so the Dr could listen to the patients heart and lungs. It sounds a lot like a weed eater.