If you’ve ever been tasked with finding an electronic device like a cell phone, TV, or washing machine, you’re probably aware of just how difficult it can be. In the digital age, devices are being produced faster than ever before, and most people simply don’t have the time or the bandwidth to keep up with everything that’s going on. This is no different when it comes to choosing an oxygen concentrator. There are literally hundreds of different oxygen machines out there, so how are you going to figure out which one is right for you?

Unfortunately, there is no guide out there that compares every single oxygen concentrator on the market. There are just too many machines and too much variety among them to compare all of them at once. This is why we’ve taken it upon ourselves to compare some of the most popular oxygen devices one at a time. Here are a couple of topics we’ve covered so far:

The Inogen One G5 vs. The Inogen One G3

The Inogen One G5 vs. The Inogen One G4

The Inogen One G5 vs. The Respironics SimplyGo Mini

The Inogen One G5 vs. ResMed Mobi

The Inogen One G5 vs. The Oxlife Freedom

The Inogen One G5 vs. The CAIRE Freestyle Comfort

The Inogen One G5 vs. The AirSep Focus

The Inogen One G5 vs. The AirSep FreeStyle 5

The Inogen One G5 vs. The GCE Zen-O Lite

We’ve only just scratched the surface when it comes to portable oxygen concentrator comparisons. Over the decades, we’ve seen many great oxygen machines released by companies like AirSep, Respironics, Inogen, all of which deserve their time in the limelight due to their high-quality design and long-lasting appeal. So far, we’ve primarily been comparing each portable oxygen concentrator to the Inogen One G5. This is because the G5 is the most popular mobile oxygen concentrator currently on the market and, in many ways, it’s leaps and bounds ahead of its competition. 

In this post, we’re going to be taking a look at the Inogen One G5 and the Invacare Platinum Mobile. If this article doesn’t answer your question or you want to learn how to get started purchasing an oxygen concentrator, don’t hesitate to reach out to us by filling out the contact form at the side of the page. One of our oxygen specialists will reach out to you and answer your questions about oxygen prescription require as well as any questions you have about the concentrators themselves.

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About Invacare Oxygen Products 

Invacare is no stranger to the healthcare industry. Since its inception in 1885, they’ve worked to ensure the freedom and mobility of people with chronic illnesses and disabilities. While they got their start manufacturing wheelchairs, mobility scooters, and walkers, they’ve since branched out to provide respiratory products and personal care products as well. 

Homefill oxygen systems or homefill oxygen concentrators are what Invacare is primarily known for. These operate using the same principles as regular oxygen concentrators but they’re intended for people who use oxygen tanks or portable oxygen cylinders. Instead of having to go to an oxygen company each time they want to refill their tank, the homefill oxygen system allows them to do refill their oxygen in the comfort of their own home.

Invacare is also known for stationary oxygen concentrators and transportable oxygen concentrators. Unlike the homefill stations, these oxygen concentrators attach directly to the oxygen patient’s nasal cannula and distribute oxygen. Stationary oxygen concentrators need to be plugged into the wall, but transportable concentrators like the Invacare Platinum Mobile run on batteries.

About Inogen Portable Oxygen 

Inogen is one of the most popular and recognizable brands in the way of oxygen therapy and respiratory care. Inogen has only been around since 2001, so its popularity has grown a staggering amount in a very short period of time. The main reason for this is that they’re hyper-focused on what they’re trying to accomplish: providing oxygen patients with more freedom and independence in their daily life.

Because Inogen believes that oxygen patients deserve the same freedom as everyone else, they’ve focused primarily on pulse flow portable oxygen concentrators. These concentrators are light, provide outstanding battery life, and they’re easy to use whether you’re at home or on the go. So far, Inogen has five generations of pulse flow POCs with the Inogen One G5 being the latest. They’ve also manufactured one home oxygen concentrator: the Inogen at Home Concentrator.

Maximum Oxygen Output

No matter what type of oxygen device you use — oxygen tanks, oxygen cylinders, liquid oxygen, home oxygen, or portable oxygen concentrators — ensuring that your machine meets your oxygen demands should always be your first step. For the most part, choosing an oxygen tank is easy because they all have the same oxygen output. However, it’s a little more complicated when you get into home and portable pulse flow oxygen concentrators.

A pulse flow portable oxygen concentrator works differently from oxygen tanks in that the oxygen is only delivered when you inhale. Since these devices are so efficient, it enables oxygen companies to make them much smaller and lighter than other oxygen devices like oxygen tanks and continuous flow oxygen concentrators. It’s important to remember, however, that the way their oxygen output is measured is also different. Oxygen tanks and continuous flow units are measured in liters per minute (LPM) and pulse dose oxygen concentrators are measured in milliliters per minute (ml/min). A flow rate of 1 LPM is not equivalent to a pulse dose flow rate of 1,000 ml/min because there is no wasted oxygen with a pulse flow unit.

With that being said, both the Inogen One G5 and Invacare Platinum mobile provide over 500 milliliters of oxygen per minute of oxygen. The Inogen One G5 takes the cake in this category with a maximum oxygen output of 1,260 ml/min on a setting of 6 while the Invacare Platinum has a maximum oxygen output of 880 ml/min on a setting of 4. Either way, both concentrators are enough for the vast majority of oxygen patients. However, if you have late-stage COPD and require high oxygen flow, the Inogen One G5 will likely be the best way to go since it has the highest oxygen output of any pulse flow concentrator on the market.

Before you decide on a concentrator, it’s important to speak with your pulmonologist first. While most COPD patients should be fine using a pulse dose portable oxygen concentrator, your doctor may have a reason for keeping you on continuous flow. He/she might not be aware or completely informed about what oxygen concentrators are available so be sure to know the flow rate and maximum oxygen output of your preferred oxygen concentrator before meeting with your doctor.

Battery Life

Once you ensure your oxygen needs are accounted for, you should take a look at battery life. Ultimately, battery life is what will determine how long you’ll be able to stay out of the house without having to run to an outlet to charge your device. In our last post, we took a look at four of the portable oxygen concentrators with the longest battery life in 2020. The Inogen One G5 made one of the top spots on this list offering 13 hours of battery life while using the 16-cell battery. Unfortunately, the Invacare Platinum Mobile didn’t make this list because it only offers up to 8 hours of battery life.

While 8 hours may sound like a long battery life, it’s important to take into consideration the actual flow setting that you will be using. For example, if you need to run the Invacare Platinum on its maximum flow setting of 4, you’ll only have a couple of hours of freedom before you need to come home and recharge. This could be a deal-breaker if you’re someone who wants to be able to stay out of the house longer and do more. On the other hand, you’ll still get 3 hours of battery life on the highest flow setting of 6 with the Inogen One G5. 

At the end of the day, you can simply carry more batteries if you feel like you don’t have enough time. The batteries for both the Inogen G5 and the Invacare Platinum are very light, so you should be able to carry several of them without feeling like you’re carrying too much weight. However, if you want to limit weight as much as possible, the Inogen One G5 will be the way to go because it’s one of the most efficient portable oxygen concentrators on the market in 2020.

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Weight

Behind battery life, weight tends to be one of the most important things for oxygen patients to consider. If you’re someone who’s traveling across the country or out of the country, you likely want to carry a lot of personal belongings with you such as your car keys, wallet, passport, a camera, cellphone, or any number of other things. As such, you’re going to want to limit the weight you’re carrying as much as possible. Another thing that affects weight is the accessories that are offered. If you have an effective way of carrying your oxygen concentrator, you may find it easier to bring extra personal belongings.

With the single battery (the battery that comes with the device), the Inogen One G5 weighs in at just 4.7 pounds. The Invacare Platinum Mobile weighs slightly more at 4.8 pounds with the battery that comes with the device. If you compared the two side-by-side, you likely wouldn’t notice any difference, but it is important to note that the Invacare Platinum batteries aren’t as powerful, so you’ll be adding extra weight if you need to carry more batteries. The double battery (16-cell) doubles the battery life of the G5 and it only weighs a pound more than the single battery (8-cell).

Another great benefit to the Inogen One G5 is that it has a slew of amazing accessories to help you carry your device more easily. The G5 Custom Carrying case is the most minimalist offered for the G5. This accessory fits snugly over your device and has an adjustable shoulder strap so you can carry it over either shoulder. It also has a mesh-like material on either side to prevent your oxygen machine from overheating. If you’re more of a traveler, you may opt for the Inogen G5 Backpack. This will enable you to carry your G5 on your back rather than at your side and it has plenty of room to carry extra personal belongings such as your car keys, wallet, passport, cellphone, or camera.

Ease-of-Use

There’s nothing worse than having a portable oxygen concentrator that’s difficult to operate. For most oxygen patients, just having to be hooked up to oxygen 24/7 is enough of a chore, so if their POC has tons of buttons or complicated functions, it may not be worth going out of the house at all. Fortunately, both the Invacare Platinum Mobile and the Inogen One G5 are very easy to use and even troubleshoot on-the-go.

One of the first things you’ll notice about these two oxygen concentrators is their clean and simple user interface. All the buttons and the screen are located on the top of the unit so that you can make adjustments to your oxygen usage on the fly or check your battery life. The batteries are located on the bottom of the unit out of the way. To get them off, simply pull the tab on the side and you can pop another one on. On the Invacare Platinum, however, the batteries are located under the interface. You simply need to lift it up and you can pull each one out to have it replaced. What this means is that you’ll never have to flip the device on its side or risk dropping the battery. The Invacare Platinum also holds two smaller batteries which are lighter and easier to handle than the G5 batteries.

Who’s the Ideal Candidate for the Invacare Platinum Mobile?

Invacare is a company that’s been around for quite some time. Through most of their existence, they’ve provided chronically ill patients with mobility equipment such as wheelchairs, walkers, and scooters. However, they’ve also served many oxygen patients across the globe by manufacturing homefill oxygen systems, stationary oxygen concentrators, portable oxygen concentrators and aerosol devices like nebulizers.

The Invacare Platinum Mobile is one of the latest and most advanced respiratory products they’ve ever produced. It uses pulse dose technology which is the most efficient oxygen delivery method ever produced. As an oxygen patient, this means you’ll have more freedom than ever before, allowing you to go where you like, whenever you please. While the Invacare Platinum is a great choice for many oxygen patients, it lags behind the Inogen One G5 in terms of total oxygen output, battery life, and weight. 

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Who’s the Ideal Candidate for the Inogen One G5?

Unlike most oxygen companies that got their start manufacturing other types of medical equipment, Inogen got their start producing oxygen concentrators. Inogen was founded in 2001 and shortly after, they put out their first home oxygen concentrator the Inogen at Home oxygen concentrator. After this release, they primarily focused on pulse flow portable oxygen concentrators, and at this point in time, they currently have five generations of concentrators.

The Inogen One G5 released in the summer of 2019 and is considered to be the best oxygen concentrator on the market. The G5 has the highest oxygen output of any pulse flow unit with 1260 ml/min of 90% (+6%/-3%) oxygen and 6 pulse flow settings. The only concentrator that can compete with it is the new CAIRE FreeStyle Comfort which also released this past year. The G5 also has one of the longest battery lives of any POC, offering up to 13 hours of freedom on one charge! All of these features make the G5 the perfect oxygen concentrator for anyone with high oxygen demands or someone who wants a great all-around oxygen concentrator that will last them for years to come.

Conclusion

Choosing the right mobile oxygen concentrator is not always easy. There are hundreds of them on the market and not enough resources to make a decision quickly. Luckily, we’ve taken the time to compare each concentrator side-by-side so you simply need to find the one you’re interested in and read about it. The Invacare Platinum Mobile and Inogen One G5 are both great oxygen concentrators, but the G5 gets our top pick simply because it excels in nearly every aspect.

If you have any questions that weren’t answered here or you’re ready to get started purchasing a portable oxygen concentrator, start by filling out the contact form at the side of the page. One of our respiratory specialists will get back to you answering any questions that you have. Be sure to keep in touch with your doctor or pulmonologist as well so that you know exactly what your oxygen needs are.