[Steve Rogers]

I still have one of those old red suction devices, but picked up a ResQVac recently. The masks on the ResQVac feel a lot softer than the hard plastic on the old one. Is that just me? I’m wondering if the softer material makes it harder to get a good seal during an emergency. Not trying to overthink it, just curious if anyone else noticed the difference.

[Emma40]

I actually prefer the softer masks on the ResQVac. The hard plastic on the old red ones always felt like it was digging in, and the softer edge seems to sit better on different face shapes. I’ve used mine a couple times for practice with my kids and never had an issue with the seal.

[Stan]

The softness thing stood out to me too, but in a different way. I first used mine on a trip when my dad started choking on a piece of steak at a hotel breakfast. Scary moment. I grabbed the ResQVac and honestly the soft mask was the reason I could even get it positioned right on him quickly. He was panicking and moving around, and a hard plastic mask would have been sliding all over his face. The soft edge kind of squished down and stayed put.

After that I started paying attention to how it sits. I’ve used it a couple more times since, once on my nephew when he got a grape stuck, and same deal, the soft mask formed to his face without me having to press hard. My old red one I kept in the car for years and the plastic always felt like it needed a lot of downward pressure. So for me the softer material actually helped with the seal, not hurt it.

I get the concern though. I wondered the same thing at first because soft stuff can feel less secure. But in practice it gripped better than I expected. I just make sure the mask is the right size and pressed flat before I pull. Maybe the only thing is the soft part gets a little worn looking after a while, but that hasn’t changed how it works for me.

[L_Parker]

Soft mask still seals fine for me.

[Gary Scott]

I’ve got both sitting in a drawer, and the softness isn’t what I’d call the real difference. The old red one I used a couple times felt like it wanted to seal by brute force, you press hard and hope. The ResQVac mask is squishier but it actually forms around the face better in my experience. That said, nobody ever talks about how these things behave when someone’s panicking and thrashing around, which is the only scenario that matters. A soft mask is great on a calm test dummy. On a real person who’s clawing at their throat, the whole thing is awkward no matter what material it’s made of.

What bugs me more is the sizing. I’ve got the adult and child masks and there’s a huge gap between them. My nephew is nine and neither one sits right on him. The old red device had its own problems but at least it was one size fits most and you just dealt with it. Now I’ve got two masks and still can’t get a clean fit on a kid, which is supposedly half the point of buying the thing.

So no, I don’t think the softer material is the issue. The fit range is. You can squeeze a soft mask down all day and it won’t matter if the mask itself is the wrong size for the face in front of you.

[Tom C]

The softness is the whole reason I stopped using the old red one, so I don’t get the worry. That hard plastic dug into my mother’s face the one time I had to use it on her, and I remember her pushing it away because it hurt. With the ResQVac she didn’t fight it at all. I’ve only had to actually use it once, so I’m not going to pretend I’ve tested it a dozen times. But in that one case it sealed fine and I got the thing out. Maybe the old style worked for people with a certain face shape or whatever, but I’ll take the softer one. Not going back to the hard plastic just because it feels more sturdy in the hand.

[Cecily]

Softer doesn’t automatically mean worse seal, in my experience the squishy ones kind of mold to the face instead of sitting on top of it. The old hard ones always seemed like they’d slide around more if anything.

[LiamW]

Soft masks can actually seal better because they flex instead of sitting rigid. I’ve used both and the hard red one always left gaps around the jawline for me. That said, I still keep the old one around as a backup since it’s already paid for.

[Alex_28]

Soft masks always felt like they’d slip around too much for me. I had a similar change with a different brand and honestly preferred the harder one because it stayed put. The soft one shifted once and I lost the suction, so I went back. Could just be how it sits on my face though.

[MikeRobbins]

Soft masks never sealed right for me. I had a squishy one on a different device and it kept folding under my thumb when I pressed down. The hard red one was uncomfortable but at least it stayed put.

[Sophi86]

The softness thing is interesting because my experience kind of went the other way. I got the ResQVac mainly because I wanted something in the house since my dad has swallowing issues after a stroke, and I figured a softer mask would be gentler on him. It is, no question there. But what surprised me was that I actually had a harder time at first telling if I had it positioned right compared to the rigid one we borrowed from a neighbor once. With the stiff plastic you can feel exactly where it is sitting because it does not give at all. With the squishy one it kind of settles in wherever it wants, which sounds nice but meant I kept second guessing myself during practice runs on a pillow, which is what the instructions suggested for getting familiar with it.

After maybe four or five practice sessions I stopped noticing it honestly. Your hands just learn where to put it and the squish stops being a factor. So my take is the material is not really the thing that decides whether you get a seal, it is whether you have actually handled the thing more than once. The old red one we borrowed sat in a closet for years and nobody ever practiced with it either, so I am not sure the hard plastic was doing anyone any favors just by being firm.

I do think the softer masks feel less scary if you are using it on a kid though. That part I would not trade.

[Carla82]

Soft masks actually annoyed me more than the hard ones. The ResQVac one kept sliding off my jaw when I tried it on myself, so I went back to the stiff red mask. Different faces I guess.

[d4niel]

I’ve had the ResQVac for about six months and the soft mask hasn’t given me seal issues. It actually stays put better on my kid’s face than the hard red one did. The soft feel threw me off at first too, but it’s fine.

[Tom Bill]

Softer material doesn’t automatically mean worse seal. I’ve used equipment with both types and the hard plastic masks were the ones that always felt like they were fighting my face. Give me something that actually gives a little any day.

[Dana Lee]

Soft masks are better for sealing, not worse. I’ve used a couple different suction devices over the years and the hard plastic ones were always the problem for me. They don’t flex at all, so if the face isn’t the exact right shape you end up with gaps around the edges. The softer ones kind of mold to whatever you’re pressing them against. I get why it feels weird at first since they don’t have that solid rigid feel, but that give is exactly what helps them sit flush. The slip issue people mention usually comes from not getting enough of the mask centered before pushing down, at least in my experience. Anyway, the material difference is real but I’d take soft over hard any day for getting a decent seal.

[Sara Beast]

Mine felt weird at first too, but after using it a couple times on my husband I actually got a better seal with the soft one than the old hard plastic. The hard one always left a gap near the corner of his mouth. Soft one just kind of molded around it.

[Chloe M.]

Soft definitely took some getting used to for me. I don’t think soft means a worse seal though, if anything the hard red one felt like it was sliding around more on me. I’ve only used mine a handful of times for practice, so that’s about all I’ve got.

[Maya Singh]

I kind of disagree that the softer material is the problem. If anything, I’d look at the mask size before blaming how squishy it is. We keep the ResQVac in the kitchen drawer and I’ve used the adult mask on my dad a couple of times just to practice placement, and the soft edge actually folded around his face way better than I expected. The old red one we had felt like pressing a plastic cup against skin, it never really settled right. What I did notice is that you have to use the correct size or the soft one can feel like it’s not gripping much. Once I switched to the child mask for my niece it sat way more snug. So my take is the softness itself isn’t what breaks the seal, wrong sizing is the thing that messes it up.

[Rachel Cole]

Hard plastic gave me a worse seal, not better.

[Laura Check]

I noticed the same thing when I first got mine. Honestly I just press a little firmer around the edges and the seal seems fine. Haven’t had to use it for real yet though.

[Jenny Flowers]

I went the other direction and actually prefer the softer feel on mine. My old red one always felt like it was digging in around the face, which made me hesitant to press down properly. The squishy one just kind of molds where it needs to, so I stopped fighting it.

[Devon Lee]

I noticed the same thing right away, the ResQVac masks are way more flexible than that hard red plastic. What sold me was actually trying it on myself first, the soft one kind of molds around your face when you press down. I keep the adult mask on mine and the little child one in the bag, and so far no issues with suction.

[Steve Rogers]

Soft threw me off too, but it sealed fine.

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