I got the one from Walgreens. But didn't realize until I bought it that it says replace device after 3 months.
I got the same surprise. It says that on the outside of the box, but in the manual it's not as clear. In the manual, the page for the bottle, right there at the top it plainly says replace the bottle every 3 months. Same thing on the neti pot. But it doesn't say that on the Sinugator page. And on the instructions for cleaning page, it says replace the neti pot and the bottle every 3 months, but doesn't say that about the Sinugator. It does have instructions for sterilizing the Sinugator parts in a microwave. They also don't say to replace the $90 machine every 3 months, either.
The Amazon the reviews are just too overwhelmingly good for it to be a disposable item. In the Q & A section, I think it's the first question, with a lot of responses, there's some good information in those responses. One guy said he replaces his every 3 months or so because it stops working. Another (several) say they've been using the same unit for a couple of years. Apparently if you don't use it regularly, or at least run water through it regularly, it can clog up with salt crystals.
If mine dies every 3 months, I don't think I'd be opposed to getting another each time. I did go online, like it says in the manual, and take the educational module and take the test, to get the free bottle. It's a hard f'ing test. If you open up a new tab in your browser and paste the first question into a Google search, you'll find a page with all of the questions and answers. I highly recommend doing that.
But that way I'll also have the low tech squeeze bottle, which may even be better for our here on the road, anyway.
I've been using it for a week and so far I really like it. Room temperature or warmer water is better than cold water.
One salt packet is benign, same as a saline nasal spray mister. Right after rinsing you might feel like you snorted a little swimming pool water.
Two salt packets will definitely flush out more mucus snot than one packet. It's not gross or anything, unless you're pretty clogged to begin with. Looked more like spit floating in the water. (I use a paper salad bowl to catch the water out here in the van) After rinsing, 2 packets feels a little like you've snorted ocean water.
Three salt packets, well that's just like snorting Wasabi.
Ok, it's not that bad. Three packets, I can definitely see how that could clear out even the most stopped up head.
For everyday general rinsing, one packet should be fine. For dust and pollen, I would use 2 pretty regularly. For flushing coronavirus, or if stopped up with head congestion, I'm going with three, at least for one of the rinses each day, two packets for the other rinse.
I find that maybe half an hour after rinsing, a squeeze or two of a saline nasal mist helps. For the saline spray, I just use whatever store brand in cheapest. Neilmed makes one with an oil that may be better, but I dunno.