Aside from the difference in size (I don't know the Freedom size, but my crappy PEG is actually small enough in O.D. to fit inside the I.D. of the good PEG), the crappy PEG was tapered on the end with only a tiny hole in it, the food being delivered through "gouged" holes in the side. Stuf would clog at the end, then back up past each of the hole in turn until the last was reached. Even successful cleaning would then only open one hole...

OTOH, my larger PEG is effectively just a plain tube, open at the end, although the attachment fittings at top of each kind reduced the ID quite a bit.

In addition to that, there was string running down the center that had something to do with either installing it or cleaning it, but also took up valuable space inside the tube.

I had the good PEGs installed PRIOR to the radiation and the free flap surgeries, whereas the crappy PEG was installed post-surgery, so the Doc's comments re: endoscope are valid, but better planning would have paid off, esp because that surgery was on mobile tongue, not throat.