Not my experience. I use a full-face ResMed S9, and I look forward to putting it on when I get into bed. Maybe my sniffer isn't all it can be, because I don't notice any odor. My "rubber bands" are velcro-secured non-elastic straps that don't exert any unwelcome pressure the way rubber bands would. The airflow is only noticeable when the mask slips, which it sometimes does, but once it is back in place, I routinely sleep through the night without incident. I find the whole thing quite pleasant. Of course, YMMV, but I think readers should know that not everyone who uses a CPAP machine finds it difficult.