Updated Motif Luna: Improvement or Downgrade?

The updated Motif Luna pump has some improvements, but also some downsides. If you’re ordering this pump from now on, you’re going to be getting the new one. The new Motif Luna pump has been sent out since *about* September of 2022, and is NOT the same pump that we have previously known.

This blog post will cover the updates to this pump and whether or not they are good updates. If you’re looking at reviews and videos and blogs from us here at New Little Life or from other people about the Motif Luna that are older than right now (Nov 2022), you’re probably looking at reviews from the old pump. The old pump is actually VERY different from this new pump although they look identical. 

(This blog post was originally a video. Check it out, below!)

Updates to the Motif Luna

So let’s talk about what’s new with the Motif Luna. For the last two years, (since we made this video, here) people have been choosing the Luna over the Spectra pretty often because they were very similar. Honestly, New Little Life often recommended the Motif Luna over Spectra because it was usually a less expensive upgrade for the battery option with your insurance and often free without the battery. The Motif Luna was a great option, but with these new updates that might not be the case. 

Let’s go through the old Luna and the new Luna then compare it against the Spectra (since that’s what we did in a previous video).

Changes Made Under the Radar

Motif sent the updated pump to us in October 2022. They said that they had done updates although there wasn’t any information about the changes on their website. The information listed on their pump and on the website still contains the information for the old pump. It’s not great when pump companies don’t disclose changes because it kind of feels like they’re hiding something…

There are a couple of really obvious changes that on the outside seem like good updates that we’re going to talk about first, and then we’ll go into some of the changes that are not so great.

(*IMPORTANT SIDE NOTE: If you’re getting this pump and it’s the only pump you use, these changes may not be a big deal! This new updated option is not necessarily a bad pump. The updated pump just isn’t as good as the previous models.)

Settings Changes in Updated Motif Luna

The first obvious change of the updated Motif Luna pump is the settings. The previous Motif Luna had one massage mode that was 60 cycles per minute.

The updated Motif Luna has multiple options for cycle speed. In the massage/stimulation mode, you can do 60 cycles per minute, but you can choose 65, 70, 75 and 80. This is an improvement. Pumps with higher options for that stimulation mode can be helpful for those that need it. The expression mode of the updated Motif Luna looks very similar to the old model. 

At first glance, these updates seem great. The pump is still small and light, even lighter than its previous model by a few ounces.

A Deeper Look at the “Updates”

Let’s take a look at the graphs of old Motif Luna in expression mode just for reference. This is vacuum level six on cycle speed 34.

You can see these little shark teeth vibration-style patterns and this is what we call “micro-vibration technology.” This is what the Spectra has as well. People describe it as a vibration feeling and this is what it looks like on a graph. 

Here is a graph of the new Motif Luna in the same setting:

Right away, you can see that it no longer has that vibration. It’s just a standard tug and pull. 

Suction Changes in the Updated Motif Luna

Another major difference is the mmHg (suction power). The old pump on this setting reached 200 mmHg, while the updated Motif Luna only reached 150 mmHg. That’s a major change. 

The maximum suction that we measured for the updated Motif Luna was quite a bit lower than what we measured on the old pump. Again, is that a bad thing? Not necessarily. But something to note. The old pump reached 310 mmHg for its max suction while the updated Motif Luna only reached 260 mmHg. They definitely have changed something there.

Changes in Suction with Double Pumping

260 mmHg is still a great number for pumping. However, when you add double pumping into the equation, pumps usually decrease in suction power because it’s splitting the power between the two sides. If you’re taking away from that max section on the single pumping, it’s definitely going to affect the double pumping.

Some people may not notice this difference, but others will. If you’re a long time user of the old Motif Luna, and you get an updated pump, you will probably notice that programming your old settings into the new pump will not be as effective. You will most likely need to increase the suction. The power and suction strength is less on this new model. 

(Again, that’s not bad. This is a pretty good pump, but the older version was better.)

Updated Motif Luna Compared to the Spectra

Let’s compare the updated Motif Luna to the Spectra. It’s not as similar as it once was. The updated Motif Luna is still smaller and lighter, and a better shape than the Spectra in our opinion, so it’s got that going for it. 

Cost

Usually the Luna is more affordable from insurances. If you’re looking at both of these pumps side by side and this one costs significantly less, it may be worth it to you to choose the Motif Luna.

If you’re paying for a pump without insurance, the cost of the Motif Luna or the Spectra are about the same, so then it would choosing one would just depend on some of these other features that you like. 

Cycle Speeds

The updated Motif Luna does have those faster cycle speed options in simulation mode, which the Spectra does not. There are some studies that suggest stimulation mode should have a bit faster cycle speeds to be effective. There’s a wide range of normal, so if you’re one of those people that likes it slower, there’s nothing wrong with that. 

Micro-Vibration

Another change in the updated Motif Luna no more micro-vibration. The old version of the pump was more similar to the Spectra with its sucking pattern. This change isn’t bad, but it no longer compares to Spectra in the same way since the updated Motif Luna. 

Suction Levels

The max suction on the updated Motif Luna is not as good as it used to be, which makes it less comparable to the Spectra. You don’t have to pump on the maximum suction levels so this may not be that big of a deal. However, since this blog post is following the same format as our other video where we compared the Motif Luna to the Spectra, it’s worth noting that the maximum suction on the updated Luna is no longer comparable to the Spectra. 

Choosing Between the Updated Motif Luna or the Spectra

If size/weight and a faster stimulation mode is more important to you then the updated Motif Luna is a good choice for a pump.

However, if suction strength, vibration in stimulation, and a recognizable brand is more important to you then Spectra is a great choice for a pump. 

Updated Motif Luna: Better or Worse?

The updated Motif Luna is not a bad pump but some of the updates are disappointing. New Little Life’s video comparing the older model of the Motif Luna with the Spectra has a lot of views, but we wanted to make sure and update all of you about the changes made to the Luna.

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New Little Life will be starting a membership option on YouTube where you can dive into more of the details of many pumps on the market today. Our goal is to analyze what these companies claim about their pumps performance, or the details that they don’t disclose (like this case of Motif updating the Luna without telling people). 

And if you need more personalized help in finding the best pump for you, book a discovery call with Allison to see if the Pumping for Working Moms Program is right for you.