eRapid vs NB40 – Which One’s Better in 2020

By: Harvey Karten

WHY I RECOMMEND AURA’s NB40

I am an 81-year-old male fighting bronchiectasis and a colonization by pseudomonas bacteria.  To attack both, I use albuterol, 3% saline solution, and bethkis (generic tobramycin).  28 days inhaling the 3 medications, then 28 days with just saline.  Repeat.

I purchased the Pari e-rapid nebulizer from one outfit at a cost of $747.15, much higher than the typical Pari which goes for $75, because the e-rapid does the job in half the time.  It’s a good machine but now I regret the purchase.  Here’s why.

When I bought the Aura nebulizer Portaneb NB40 weeks later from Aura-Medical.com for just $159.89, I thought I would use this second unit just for travel since it is portable. You can fit this in your pocket, which you could not do with the Pari (though Pari notes, appropriately enough, that it is portable).  I assumed the Aura would not be as functional since, after all, it’s smaller.  And far more economical. I also assumed it would not do the job as quickly as the Pari.  While that part is true, there is a good reason.

The Pari e-rapid does not give the user the full 4 milliliters that a typical vial has of saline, tobramycin or albuterol.  A full ml cannot be converted to the needed mist in the nebulizer and must be discarded. This means that only 75% of the prescribed medication gets through—quite a waste.  Since the Aura Portaneb 40NB uses the entire amount in each vial, you need to spend just a little more time.  Even with that caveat, the Aura does the job more quickly than the standard Pari nebulizer.

Here is a comparison of time required to inhale the medications:

ALBUTEROL

Pari e-rapid   3 min   50 seconds

Aura             5 min   05 seconds

SALINE

Pari e-rapid    5 min   40 seconds

Aura               6 min    05 seconds

TOBRAMYCIN

Pari e-rapid    7 min    40 seconds

Aura             11 min   43 seconds

Again: the extra seconds required by the (superior) Aura are needed to absorb the entire vial of each medication.  The Aura is easier to clean requiring no distilled water (tap is fine), requiring no boiling of  water for disinfecting, and substituting a couple of ml of vinegar+water  solution nebulized into a mist for 5 minutes. The Aura NB40 is just as powerful as the larger Pari.  Now here’s a riddle: why does the marketing team at Aura call their product suitable for travel, which customers could interpret as being suitable only for travel, when in effect,it should be the gold standard to use in the home as well.

I received absolutely no compensation or complimentary products or encouragement for this review.  (Reviewing is my hobby: I have reviewed over 4,000 movies linked in Rotten Tomatoes.)