Omron M2 Basic Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor, 41 x 31 x 51 millimetres

Couple of things before I review this product on its merits alone, firstly this Blood Pressure monitor (so much easier than typing sphygmomanometer) is accredited by the British Heart Foundation. and is similar to the one which my GP surgery loaned me when they asked me to monitor my own blood pressure - so endorsed on two professional counts.This is a very basic product and does not compare in terms of price to some which you can purchase say from pharmacy chains for between £10-15. It is however a much better quality product in terms of construction and the component cuff is similarly of a higher standard in my opinion.The unit comes complete with batteries and a storage case and comprehensive instructions on how to use it. For those new to taking their own blood pressure, might I suggest that you visit the British Heart Foundation website where a nurse provides a simple demonstration of how to undertake a test at home. The unit has a simple display providing a systolic and diastolic reading, along with pulse record for each test. It does hold one reading in memory, unlike some more expensive models which store more, however, as I use an app on my phone/tablet I don't need that facility; plus I find the app far better and better to draw comparisons from day to day.In terms of accuracy of reading, I have compared my readings over many years of monitoring BP at both home and in a clinical setting and can confirm that the readings that the machine records is consistent with that obtained from professional equipment.So a five star rating for what I think is the best machine on the market for home use. It is cheap (ish), is well made, comes from a reliable manufacturer, is endorsed by the BHF records BP accurately and, as I transfer my readings to a free app anyway, I believe that it offers the best value - there are much more expensive models which transfer the data automatically to a dedicated app, but value for money this remains the Best Buy.

This is the same model my local GP surgery has used on me. I took it with me to the GP because the readings I was getting at home were lower than those at the doctors' office. We ran both machines together and they came back with the same - higher- reading. It looks like my blood pressure goes up at the doctors. It's really easy to use. Comes in a soft case for storage. The supplied cuff is a bit tight on thicker arms, so you might want to consider getting a larger one if this applies to you. The controls are straightforward and the display has large, clear numbers. A great machine with a price that won't send your blood pressure up.

In short: this is a reliable, sturdy machine that is really useful for home monitoring.The longer version: my husband has severe anxiety disorder and every time he has his BP checked at the doctors' surgery, it is through the roof. He has high blood pressure anyway as a result of his anxiety but the additional stress of going out to see the doctor means it becomes unnaturally high and it is difficult to dose his medication correctly.We decided to start monitoring it daily at home to give a clearer overall picture to the doctor. I didn't really know what I wanted in a machine, other than something that was reasonable simply to operate and would give reliable readings. I know Omron has a fairly good name in terms of medical equipment and this monitor also happened to be one of the lowest priced at the time of my search, so I bought it to try.The monitor is a good size with large, clear numbers on the screen. It has no fiddly buttons to mess with, just a large, sturdy Start/Stop button which does exactly what you expect. I believe that there is a "last reading memory" function on the machine but we are noting the results on a phone app so have never used it.I took off one star for this review because the cuff is sometimes temperamental. Admittedly this is probably user error on my part but I honestly can't work out what I do differently when it refuses to work. I should also add that I purchased the Omron Large Blood Pressure Monitor Cuff (32 - 42 cm) because the medium size that comes with the monitor was not large enough for my husband to use.Overall, I am really glad I bought this as it is really convenient and easy to use, comes with a zip-case for storage and is really helping both my husband and I keep an eye on our blood pressure. It is important to note that new regulations recommend testing both arms as close together as possible as differences of over 10 points can indicate problems which need urgent treatment.

It does everything I expected, it's the same one our doctor uses. It's reassuring to be able to accurately monitor our blood pressure when we want.

I’ve been on medication for elevated BP for many years but GPS practices have gone completely mad when they demand that patients ring up to make an appointment with the practice nurse to have a simple 3 minute BP check. If government want to know about the inefficiencies of modern GP practices, I suggest they follow this up. The previous system whereby you turned up at opening time and waited while your numbered ticket (first come first served) was called was so much easier and undoubtedly more cost efficient to run.Booking an appointment at a time that suits the practice but not the patient is not progress in my book!! Bureaucratic bonkers!!So I bought this BP monitor. It’s brilliant. Dead easy to use. I take three readings - why not - I could take thirty readings in the time I need just to get to my GPS practice and get parked - never mind the fuel cost and parking charge! So - is it accurate? Obviously, I have no way of judging. All I can say is that I repeat my readings until I get two consecutive ones within +/- 5 units of each other (systole and diastole) and I’m very happy and comfortable with that. And the good news is that my BP satisfies me and is pretty stable.Happy days!