Reviews of Two Popular Home Blood Pressure Monitors
Omron HEM-790IT
One of the more popular blood pressure monitors on the market is the Omron HEM-790IT. According Amazon’s user reviews, this monitor is considered the one of the best available for the price. This self-inflating, upper-arm blood pressure monitor gets high marks for accuracy and software functionality. It even allows multiple users to track their blood pressure, and the cuff fits a wide range of arm sizes. Using a PC connection, it allows users to chart their blood pressure on a computer using a bundled software package. This function makes it easy for home users to track changes in their BP, and upload this information for their healthcare providers. While the software is incompatible with Mac computers, some users found it difficult to run on Windows Vista as well.
Excellent for users who are on a budget, this blood pressure monitor is available for about $75. Another version, the Omron HEM-650 Wrist monitor is available for $40, and gets high marks for convenience, but may not be as accurate as the upper arm cuff.
A&D Medical LifeSource UA-787EJ
Known as the best home blood pressure monitor, the A&D Medical LifeSource UA-787EJ sells for about $70. It is a full-featured, self-inflating monitor that scores high on accuracy. Using A&D Medical’s “Easy Fit†cuff, the upper arm cuff on this monitor is two inches larger than most medium-sized cuffs, which allows it to fit more arm sizes. This blood pressure monitor can store up to sixty readings, with date and time, and features three programmable alarms to remind users to take a reading. It can also take an irregular heartbeat into account and compensate for that condition. A wrist-cuff version of this blood pressure monitor, the Omron HEM-650 Wrist, is also available for about $40.