dont buy this, first batch was bad, 2nd batch was bad, i’m sure this batch will be bad.
I’ve gotta agree with you on this one. BP cuffs just dont do the job on forearms, the mechanism just doesnt make sense… MD
Oh? Speaking for my girlfriend and myself, and my many colleagues, I’d say that we’re happy to read emails as long as they’re brief and help me improve patient care. Do you really think it’s realistic to have a patient come in weekly just so that we can assess his/her BP to see if a new medication is effective (or harmful)? Nope. I’d much rather have the patient measure his/her BP daily and email me the numbers weekly. Of course, I’d first insist on calibrating whatever model the patient uses. In fact, email is preferable to phone calls. And even better is a formalized database like the one this model uses. That way, I can simply import it into a spreadsheet.
As for charging $150 per visit, you obviously don’t know health care. Many of us work in hospitals where we get a fixed salary, regardless of how many patients we see.
REPEAT: I’d much rather read/write emails than return phone calls. Or have patients needlessly come in, maxing out their insurance and wasting our time.
I have three Prevention handcuff models I got from the Woot. These BP monitors are very accurate and reliable units. All three work flawlessly for my family more than a year now.
Checked against calibrated mercury based manual sphygmomanometer in doctor’s office. About the same results.
Checked against four times as expensive Omron brand model.
About the same result.
I believe a handcuff model and the one on Woot have the same measuring tech inside.
Same here. We’ve had no problems with ours, also purchased from Woot. As for accuracy, it compares well with the mercury units I use in the lab. A friend has the same experience.
I don’t think our experiences are all that rare. Disgruntled users are simply more vocal, so it gives the illusion that most people got a broken unit. Sphygmomanometers simply don’t inspire people to write reviews if they’re working. Hence you’ll see a bias toward negative reviews.
Based on what I’ve read, people who got a working unit are generally very happy with it. Those who are unhappy generally got a faulty unit. I don’t blame them for being upset, but it doesn’t give a fair review of a working unit.
Like you, I’d assume that the problems have been fixed.
Many folks, myself included, have white coat hypertension. That means every time you get near a doctor your pulse and BP go up. That’s why most docs wont call you hypertensive until you’ve had 3 visits higher then you should be.
Just about every time I go in my BP is high so they put me on meds, and still sometimes when I get really uptight my BP will go higher then it should but most of the time now I’m in a good range. Many things can affect it, health problems, stress in life, pain, standing, sitting, etc etc.
We have the Prevention arm cuff and the wrist cuff models. The arm model is fantastic. The wrist model is horrible and now functions only as a paperweight. It is almost impossible to get reproducible results. And yes, I’m well aware that the patient has to hold the unit at heart level. In fact, the subject is in a supine position (lying on back) so the wrist is necessarily at heart level. I’d never recommend a wrist monitor to anyone. The one study claiming superiority of wrist monitors is questionable, at best.
As for having the same tech inside, no. The wrist model inflates normally, just like most arm units. The Prevention arm model, however, uses a special algorithm where BP is assessed while the cuff is still inflating. THat means that the cuff has to be inflated less, making it much more comfortable for patients with sensitive arms. I’m surprised that Woot didn’t list this as one of the model’s special features.
Why didn’t you just send the first unit back to Woot? They’ve been wonderful about offering exchanges or refunds. From what I hear, this was especially true for this item. When they realized that there was large number of clunkers, refunds were offered, no questions asked. In fact, I seem to remember an email from Woot acknowleging the problem. As for postage, I’ve had mixed experiences. Sometimes they send me a postage paid label, sometimes I have to pay. Because of the widespread problem, I assume that they had paid. I wouldn’t know since my unit was just fine.
One thing to keep in mind is that Prevention is a magazine and doesn’t manufacture medical equipment. They simply put their brand name on existing models. Since the models may be made by different companies, it may not be possible to judge one model based on reviews of another.
This model (which I like), as well as their wrist model (which I hate), is made in China a by Nihon Seimitsu Sokki Co. Ltd (which sounds Japanese) for Mark of Fitness, a New Jersey company. I wouldn’t necessarily blame the defects on China as a lot of fine medical equipment is also manufactured there. Many people suggests that the defect occurred in storage at a warehouse.
ROFLMAO. What is the woot coming too… I meant the world… my bad.
Why would woot sell something like this? They have computers with internet connections, they must know about all the DOA reviews… I would figure that woot cares about selling decent stuff, they don’t want to be known as the site that sells manufacturers castoffs that don’t work… I like woot and have been pleased with the products I’ve purchased, but this one makes me scratch my head…
for the hypochondriac with ADD…thanks woot!
Hey all I am trying to use the coupon code from the Woot-off lights purchase with chance of getting the bag o c. The checkout process keeps giving me the error ‘This coupon code won’t work.’ Has anyone else had this happen with these codes??? thanks,Jinx
It’s too late to be up, and there’s so much to reply to and this is the one post I saw that needs replying to. Firstly, I’m going to agree with sdc100, in that there’s the so-called “white coat” effect, where people who are nervous about being in their doctor’s exam room have elevated blood pressure. Secondly, doctors would LOVE for patients to email them their blood pressures if they were previously diagnosed with hypertension. It would be easier to gauge the patient’s progress with whatever plan of care you have them on. Believe it or not, doctors are usually busy, and would rather not have a patient come in every week for just blood pressure reading and a 15 minute complaining session about how their bum knee hurts when it rains. This woot is an invaluable tool for those who really need to keep track of their blood pressure, and at the same time a great tool for the physician who takes care of them.
I got this in my last B~O~C
It didn’t do anything. I followed the poorly written instructions but the unit failed to ever expel any air to inflate the arm cuff, which has to happen to measure BP.
So it always registered 0 of course.
Who knows if yours will be a dud too.
These work! I bought it one year ago, daily readings, still works well, drs readings confirm accuracy.
I was about to pounce on this one and buy a Woot x3, but then read the reviews on Amazon. With so many people complaining of DOA’s, chances are… two out of my three will probably be duds. I think I’ll look elsewhere. Perhaps something better engineered.
I bought this unit almost exactly one year ago from woot for $10 more than they are offering it today.
My opinion… well worth $30. So at $20 I say buy one!
I have to keep a close eye on my pressure these days and feel very safe with the accuracy.
The results have been very close to the those I get at the doctor’s office.
I especially appreciate the detailed history I can monitor utilizing the software that’s included.
As far as the sleeve size… it is fair. I have no trouble getting it to function on my upper arm (where one gets the most accurate results). It could be larger, but it should do just fine for the majority of people.
If you need to keep an eye on your BP, I suggest you go ahead and grab one of these.
For $20, this is one Woot of a deal!
The benefits of a “properly trained professional” are limited when, in my experience, the clinical conditions rarely if ever meet the guidelines for for proper measurement.
For example, AHA states:
- Make sure the cuff fits: measure around your upper arm and choose a monitor that comes with the correct size cuff.
- Don’t smoke, drink caffeinated beverages or exercise within the 30 minutes before measuring your BP.
- Sit with your back straight and supported (on a dining chair, for example, rather than a sofa). Your feet should be flat on the floor; don’t cross your legs. Your arm should be supported on a flat surface (such as a table) with the upper arm at heart level. Make sure the middle of the cuff is placed directly over your brachial artery – check your monitor’s instructions for an illustration or have your healthcare provider show you how.
- Each time you measure, take two or three readings, one minute apart, and record all the results.
- It’s important to take the readings at the same time each day, such as morning and evening, or as your healthcare professional recommends.
Nearly every reading I observe in an ambulatory setting is done with a one-size-fits-all cuff, no questions or directions about activity prior to the reading, with the patient sitting on a stool or exam table with feet dangling and no support for back or arm. Not to mention the “professional” chatting with the patient during the reading. And, of course, only a single reading is taken.
Assuming the patient can follow directions, I’d trust the accuracy of a good home meter (not necessarily this one) reading over the typical clinical measurement.
There’s no reason to assume that those old reviews are still valid for present units. The problem was either a manufacturing or warehouse storage issue, not something inherent to the model’s design. My unit, for example, has performed perfectly.
I always note the date of reviews. If they’re old, there’s a good chance that bugs may have been fixed. I agree with your point about Woot taking notice of complaints. Because of the last recall, I’m sure Woot made sure that these units are no longer affected before buying the lot. After all, why would they want to lose money giving refunds (like they did last time)?
In fact, the narrative states that they are selling a new model that no longer has the valve defect. I wish Woot included this fact in the Specs instead of the narrative which some people don’t read.