Firhealth Fully Automatic Digital Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor with 2 users, 90 Memories each, Highly Accurate Readings And Pulse Measurement ISO CE FDA Approved

When you have your blood pressure tested at your local medical centre or in hospital, it’s done using an upper-arm sphygmomanometer– either the old-fashioned hand-pump mercury column variety or something a bit more modern. There’s a reason for this. Upper-arm measurement is more reliable, as the blood pressure reading should be taken at the same level as your heart. Wrist devices can work well, but if you want to be sure you should use an upper-arm monitor.The BPM feels very well-made and solid and the stitching and construction of the armband are sound. The user manual is written in rather clumsily translated English, but it’s not too hard to understand and the instructions are clear enough. It needs four AA batteries (not included) or a 6 volt power supply (also not included) to operate. Once it’s set up you can keep track of the blood pressure measurements of two different users, although I found switching between them not straightforward. The display is nice and clear and the buttons large and easy to operate. There is no facility to upload your readings, but at this price point that is fair enough.The BPM is clinically validated, satisfies the requirements of international standards EN 1060-1 and EN 1060-3, and claims an accuracy of +/- 3mm of mercury and 5% of pulse rate. These are reasonable figures, and the monitor gives similar readings to others I have tried. Your best advice is to compare it directly with a clinical instrument operated by a health professional.This monitor is easy to recommend and there are only a couple of points that prevent me from giving it five stars. Firstly, there’s no carry case included – not even a zip bag – and secondly, it seems a shame not to throw in a set of starter batteries.Full disclosure: I was supplied with this BPM free of charge in exchange for evaluation and review.

I've had an Omron M6 Blood Pressure monitor for home use since a stroke 5 years ago. Today that well-established Japanese-made instrument costs more than twice the price of this Chinese competitor. So what are the differences ?Comparing the two, the Omron is significantly bigger and heavier and I can vouch for its robustness and durability; it comes with a very neat and well-made storage pouch and a convenient data sheet for recording measurements, enabling at-a-glance detection of trends; it's also favoured by my large GP clinic. The smaller Firhealth model, on the other hand, certainly gives the appearance of robustness, being reassuringly heavy for its small size - but it has no storage pouch (despite one being mentioned in the manual) and given the awkward architecture of BP monitors, this is inconvenient. Its manual, whilst very comprehensive and understandable, has no sheet for data recording, employs inconveniently small print and is littered with Chinglish - occasionally somewhat stern in tone -"Keep quiet and no chatting when measure" it bellows !The operation of the two machines is identical. In fact, so closely do a large number of BP monitors now on offer under different names resemble each other, that one would not be surprised if they all had the same innards - an assumption perhaps reinforced by the fact that the Firhealth manual makes no mention of the brand name or origin - and the green Firhealth brand name on the machine itself is just a simple little stick-on label... Thus, if there were a similar-looking, similarly-priced or even cheaper model with a storage pouch, I would be tempted to buy that in preference.Like other reviewers, I initially thought the cuff inflated too tightly; but I also found it took 7 seconds longer than the Omron to complete the operation - and those few extra seconds of pressure to endure, which seem like much longer, are enough to make it feel tighter, even if it isn't. It also helps a bit if you wrap the cuff fairly loosely to start with, which doesn't seem to affect the operation. I liked the way the cuff slid easily round the arm for correct adjustment, compared to the Omron's, which sticks to the skin and is hard to budge.This is the second digital Blood Pressure Monitor I've been invited to review recently. This meant I was able to compare three machines in use - although since even the same monitor will offer different numbers on successive readings in the space of a few minutes, and even just a slight exertion can produce an alarmingly high reading, especially in the elderly, this is not as helpful as one might hope. However, you should at least expect ball-park similarities and these were to be seen. As the manual tells you, the difference between exemplary blood pressure and dangerously high is very wide indeed, and a few points here and there are not significant.(The other model I was sent for review was the even cheaper Measupro with a self-contained inflatable cuff which fits to the wrist rather than the upper arm (also Chinese-made), with which I was impressed; an elderly person living alone will find such a model far easier to use - so will use it more frequently. But given its novelty, and non-standard mode of operation, I would take it to my clinic to check against a regularly calibrated model.)The Firhealth works OK for me, though, I can't dislike it, and if you buy it, you're unlikely to be disappointed; but the competition in this area is fierce, and small things often matter. The sellers would do well to offer protective storage with it, in particular.

Easy to use and good value for money

Accurate, straightforward. Good price versus quality. Totally recommend.

Works great for me.This is the first blood pressure monitor I have owned so have nothing else to compare to.All functions are easy to use and the manual can take you through the features. For those who aren't sure what the numbers mean the manual explains where you sit in the chart. There is also a handy traffic light indicator which gives you a quick indicator on whether you blood pressure is fine or not.The cuff is easy to put on and I have no problems with the tightness of it when in operation.The readings were accurate and my heart rate was also correct so I wouldn't have any problems trusting this machine in the future.Highly recommend