Hi...Currently I have the Hillrom Vest. It does a pretty good job, but I found that the Frequencer did a better job, just my opinion. It is pretty neat, a cup like device is placed on different regions of the lungs, is held there for 3 minutes each. The only issue is that another person would have to help you in the lower lobes unless you are super flexible. You need a pretty good seal on your skin with the cup (comes in different sizes from peds to adults). The vibrations can be felt throughout your body, like you are standing too close to a large speaker, whenever I talked, it made my voice "oscillate" too, kind of what the vest does but more so.
I don't know what the cost is, I will have to ask my RT if he knows. As far as I know, the hospital is going to purchase it for use on patients with CF, pneumonia, basically anyone who has issues with airway clearance. Each patient gets their own cup, so no issues of contamination are present. Hopefully someone on this board owns one and can fill in the blanks.
I go to UConn in CT, it isn't CF accredited, but I get very good care there for my CF and other complex medical issues. Hope this helps <img src="i/expressions/face-icon-small-blush.gif" border="0">)
Jenn