With increasing pollution, the number of people who get cold and breathing problems on a regular basis are increasing with each passing day. While you might have a nearby doctor or a clinic where you can take patient to, it is important to have a good nebulizer at your home. It comes in handy when someone shows problem in the middle of the night or in a situation you may not be able to go out. My father smokes and he refuses to quit that habit. The physician recommended buying a nebulizer, so that he can breath easily. So I set out to find the best nebulizer in India.
Before purchasing a nebulizer, you should understand that there are two types of nebulizers available in the market today. They are Piston Compressor Nebulizers and Ultrasonic Nebulizers. There are few technical differences between these two; however, you should know that ultrasonic nebulizers cannot replace piston compressor nebulizers in all applications. In this review, I take a look at the best nebulizers available in the Indian market.
Omron NE-C28 Compressor Nebulizer
Omron is a reputed brand of medical equipment. Make no mistake, this product is not an exception. It delivers a solid package and is worth every rupee you spend. This product is well built, has multiple options for both adults and children, has an option to inhale directly using a mouthpiece, in addition to using a mask and through nose. No wonder, I find this nebulizer prominently in most hospitals and clinics. This product has a solid construction and is well suited for the regular use.
This nebulizer comes with a Virtual Valve Technology (VVT) that allows patient to seamlessly inhale medication mist. Most compressor nebulizers use a silicon valve which allows the patient to exhale without removing the mask. Such an arrangement may require constant adult supervision for children. They might swallow the valve. The virtual valve technology eliminates such a situation.
Omron NE-C28 comes with five spare air filters. The nebulizer works on AC Power. The nebulizer offers one year warranty and three years extended warranty as well.
Package Contents
- Compressor Unit – 1 No
- Nebulizer Kit – 1 No
- Mouthpiece – 1 No
- Adult Mask – 1 No
- Child Mask – 1 No
- Air Tube (207cm) – 1 No
- Spare Air Filters – 1 No
- Carrying Bag – 1 No
- Instruction Manual – 1 No
Pros
- No need to remove mouth piece during exhalation
- Separate masks for adults and children
- Ease of cleaning
- Child friendly operation
- Minimal wastage of medication liquid
- Detailed instructions in the user manual
- 3 year extended warranty after one year standard warranty
Cons
- The nebulizer is not totally silent, due to the compressor at work
- The supplied carrier bag can not accommodate all accessories
Check the best price on Amazon
Rossmax NA100 Piston Nebulizer
Rossmax NA100 is a piston compressor type nebulizer. It is a company based out of Switzerland. The company claims that it has a patented technology called Valve Adjustable Technology (VAT), that allows the nebulizer to provide controllable nebulization rate at consistent particle size. The nebulizer produces fine mist with excellent particle size.
The viscosity of the medication causes the particle size to be different. When the valve is fully open, the nebulization rate will be higher. This is a good setting for high viscosity liquid medicines and patients with higher breathing capacity. When the valve is closed, the nebulization rate will be lower. This setting is recommended for kids/infants with lower breathing capacity. These settings ensure that the medicine is not wasted due to higher rate of nebulization. Moreover, the company says that the product is the most beneficial to people with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
The nebulizer works on AC Power. The company provides three years standard warranty on the product (Amazon Product listing shows only two years warranty. However, it is clearly mentioned in the product and the manufacturer’s website that the product has three years standard warranty). The nebulizer, been made in Switzerland ensures that the equipment conforms to European Standards.
Package Contents
- Rossmax Nebulizer Kit – 1 No
- Air tube – 1 No
- Air Filters – 5 No
- Instruction Manual – 1 No
- Adult Mask – 1 No
- Child Mask – 1 No
- Mouthpiece – 1 No
- Bag – 1 No
Pros
- Hospital grade product
- Flow control using VAT
- High quality materials and excellent product design
- Three year standard warranty
- Low particle size. You can feel the difference when the mist comes out
- Excellent for kids and infants
- The mouthpiece can be adjusted at different angles
Cons
- The medicinal cup is attached to the inhaling unit. So it becomes inconvenient when you handle the product alone
- The nebulizer can not be used in a sleeping position as it would cause medicine to leak
- Relatively noisy, especially for infants
Check the best price on Amazon
Philips Sami the Seal Nebulizer
Philips is a trusted name in household appliances. Its products are known for reliability and quality. Sami the Seal Nebulizer is a unit that has the shape of a seal. The main attraction point of this nebulizer is its shape, apart from usual Philips promise of quality and reliability. The shape of the seal should attract children and keep them comfortable during the entire nebulization process. The fine mist produced by this nebulizer is of excellent quality.
As far as the nebulizers are concerned, there is no difference between those made for children and adults. The nebulization process is also the same. However, what matters is to kids are a level of comfort and engagement. The kids, facing breathing problems may not be in a situation to enjoy the seal. However, it can arouse a bit of curiosity and keep them engaged. The kids might mistake this for their toy and may want to continue to play with this toy even after nebulization.
The mask that comes with the nebulizer is a pediatric mask. In case you want to use this nebulizer for adults, then you may have to buy another mask. The company offers three year warranty on the product. The nebulizer works on AC Power.
Package Contents
- Samy the seal compressor – 1 No
- SideStream reusable nebulizer – 1 No
- Tucker the turtle pediatric face mask – 1 No
- Mouthpiece – 1 No
- Tube – 1 No
- Air Filters – 1 No
- Sami bag – 1 No
- Instruction manual – 1 No
Pros
- Attractive design
- Fine mist produced by the nebulizer
- Consistent mist flow
Cons
- There is no flow control to adjust the mist output
- The compressor is a bit noisy
Check the best price on Amazon
Nulife Handyneb Pistontype Compressor Nebulizer
Nulife Handyneb is a popular nebulizer in India. This is a professional grade compressor nebulizer. According to the company website, the product has been renamed to Nutec Handyneb Nebulizer, although Amazon page still displays the old name. This is an Indian company.
The product can be wall mounted as well. On the functional front, the nebulizer offers good performance. The nebulizer offers a more silent operation compared to similar brands available online. Airflow is good too. The nebulizer is made using an anti-shock material.
Package Contents
- Piston Compressor Nebulizer – 1 No
- Adult Mask – 1 No
- Child Mask – 1 No
- Mouthpiece – 1 No
- Nebulizer bottle – 1 No
- Air tube (2 meter) – 1 No
- Carry bag – 1 No
- Wall mount kit – 1 No
- Instruction Manual – 1 No
Pros
- Low price
- Good build quality
- Low noise
- Wall mount kit included
- Long air tube
Cons
- No flow control
- No spare air filters included
- Instruction manual not available online
- Not battle tested like other international brands
Check the best price on Amazon
Citizen CUN-60 Ultrasonic Nebulizer
All the models we have considered until this point use air compression to atomize the liquid particles. However, a major disadvantage of the technology is the amount of noise it produces. Another important aspect is the power consumption and portability. The compression nebulizer is bulky and requires more power to operate. Hence, it is difficult to operate a compressor type nebulizer in a portable manner without needing AC Power.
It is in this scenario, the ultrasonic nebulizers come into limelight. They do not need a pump to generate mist. They use a solid state piezoelectric material to generate high frequency waves which split the medicine into very fine mist particles. These particles can be inhaled using the nebulizer setup for easy absorption.
Citizen CUN-60 is such an ultrasonic nebulizer. It is a product of Japan and has been designed with precision. Moreover, the nebulizer is portable and is battery operated. The nebulizer comes with clear advantage of ultrasonic technology – silent operation. You would not hear the sound of the nebulizer from a distance of two meters. This nebulizer has other many other features like three speed operation, a timer control, etc. The power consumption of the ultrasonic diffusers is the lowest.
One important aspect you have to take care while using an ultrasonic nebulizer is not to overfill the medication cup. If you overfill, the nebulization will be weak and you may not get the correct amount of mist as it should.
Package Contents
- Citizen CUN-60 Ultrasonic Nebulizer – 1 No
- Stand – 1 No
- Battery – 1 No
- Charger – 1 No
- Bag – 1 No
- Medication cup – 1 No
- Connector tube for mask – 1 No
- Adult Mask – 1 No
- Mouthpiece – 1 No
- Nose inhaler – 1 No
Pros
- Excellent build quality
- Low noise
- Portable
- Energy efficient
- Fine mist
Cons
- Expensive compared to compressor based models
- Handheld operation may create issues with kids
- Ultrasonic nebulizers are unable to aerosolize viscous fluids
Check the best price on Amazon
Conclusion
When it comes to nebulizers, it is hard to choose the right one. This becomes a problem for most people and they would buy one that is recommended by the local pharmacy guy. However, you need to be careful while selecting one that you would use. It is wise to buy the most popular nebulizer. Each nebulizer has its strength and weakness. Quality control process, through which the nebulizers undergo are important as well. In quality control, I would trust reputed brands from Europe or Japan.
Having said this, here are my recommendations:
Best Nebulizer In India on a budget
Although
Best Nebulizer For Home Use
In this case, I have considered the best nebulizer you can buy for a home use in a reasonable budget. Citizen CUN-60 Ultrasonic Nebulizer comes out as a winner, because of the ultra silent operation and portable usage. This machine works on battery power as well, making it as a good travel companion.
Best nebulizer for Babies
While you can use any nebulizer for babies, Philips Sami the seal Nebuliser is built for babies. The look of the nebulizer machine may attract babies, and keep them engaged for a while. However, if there is someone else in the family who also needs a nebulizer, then I suggest one of the alternatives mentioned above. Please note that this nebulizer comes with only a child mask. In case you want to use it for an adult, you will have to buy a separate mask.
Nebulizers are very important medical equipment for people who have breathing problems. There is no point in buying a cheap nebulizer, only to find it not working when you need it the most. So, I recommend buying a reliable product for such critical situations. And, in case the situation demands and your budget allows, I suggest you buy a backup nebulizer as well.