22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

Cheap and accurate, November 19, 2009

I’m a medically untrained person who was just sent into the market for a blood pressure monitor. My first impulse was to purchase an automatic device, but after reading all the reviews I concluded that apparently they’re not very accurate and that the doctors and nurses tended to review (i.e. purchase) the manual models.

Now this specific monitor is directed at home users; it’s less expensive than most others and already includes a sewed- in stethoscope. The cuff also has a D- loop design, making it possible for a person to take his own blood pressure without assistance – that is something that the high end cuffs don’t necessarily have, as they’re intended for use by a professional on a patient.

The quality is so-so. The cuff is made out of nylon (which does crackle as another reviewer notes, although I didn’t think it interfered with the reading), the valve on the pump is a little hard to turn, and the stethoscope is very, very uncomfortable. You can bend it into compliance a little, but the big and rock hard earpieces hurt me every time, so I’m subtracting one star for that. The major component though – the manometer – appears very solid and confidence- inspiring. In fact, it looks exactly the same as some on the higher end models.

The readings I’m taking are in line with what my doctor found, so all in all this cheap little package performs its job well. Because of the ear discomfort I mentioned, I’m just glad I don’t need to use it very often. If you’re a daily user, I would suggest you look for a more comfortable solution.

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