MDF Instruments, Dual Head Lightweight Stethoscope, All Black,MDF747BO

Fantastic stethoscope for the money! Although I bought this to listen to my husband's heart and ensure he has a steady beat, it works great taking blood pressures too. I turn it to the small side and listen to our furbabies as well. With our oldest getting up there in age it's handy to ensure her heart is beating steady. I also listen to abdominal sounds both human and dog. Perfectly clear and loud sounds. Money well spent.

Having recently been diagnosed with some cardiac issues, I bought this to keep an eye (or, more exactly, an ear) on my own heartbeat. Obviously, it takes time to learn how to auscultate the heart properly (both stethoscope position and interpreting the sounds you hear) but this seems to be a good basic tool for the job. Both diaphragm and bell sides work well and the sounds are clear and relatively easy to make out. I have some degree of hearing loss (usually wearing hearing aids in both ears) and, although I obviously can’t wear hearing aids when using this, I can still hear things clearly and discriminate between different heart noises. With more practice and study, I’m sure I will hear and understand more. I haven’t given this product the full five stars as it is a very basic model and there are some features of the ear-tubes and the spring bracket holding them that feel a little rough around the edges and as if they might not stand up very well to heavy use (e.g, in a busy clinical environment). But, overall, this seems like a sound product and is very good for the price - especially since the manufacturer’s support looks to be good. I have seen some reviews saying that the product didn’t work and that no sounds could be heard. I can only assume that there may be occasional faulty items (it happens) or people are using the product incorrectly or not understanding what they can expect to hear.

Update: I’m currently on a community placement where I’ve had the chance to practice manual blood pressure countlessly. I’m very happy and impressed with the quality of this stethoscope! I’ve also used it to listen to chest sounds and it’s been great. Definitely worth getting it as a student or even as a qualified healthcare professional. I think it’s a good starting point before getting something more expensive. (Initial review below) // I’m a first year student nurse working on mastering manual blood pressure, so I decided to give this stethoscope a go. I’m still a beginner but I think the sound quality is fairly good, I can hear the pulses well, as well as the heart, lungs and bowel sounds. Funnily enough, I still have not used it to measure one’s blood pressure. Once I do, I’ll update the review (if I remember). But so far, so good!

I wanted a second stethoscope to leave in the hospital in case I had forgotten my trusty Littmann Master Classic, still going after 14 years. Anyone who claims this MDF is an equivalent to a Littmann hasn't used either enough! The sound quality is better than the "ward stethoscope" you'll find in hospital drawers but doesn't sound anywhere near the Littmann. It would suffice for a quick assessment of breath sounds and taking the blood pressure but I wouldn't be comfortable relying on it for anything more than that. It is exceptionally light - probably too light to be a reassuring presence. The earbuds are not particularly pleasant in the ears. In summary - its a better reserve stethoscope than the one you'll find hanging around the ward but for anything more than the most rudimentary task I would stay away.

Ok

Cheap and effective

This is genuinely lightweight - why does this matter to me? I carry mine around with me every shift (I work for an NHS ambulance Service) and I wanted to have one that does not get in the way. Carrying around heavy sprague rappaport stethoscopes becomes a nuisance after a few hours, I've tried with the service-issue one. This was easy in the ears - some with the hard plastic are really annoying if you use it every day - and is quite capable of auscultating a BP (this is so light its easy) and lung fields (not bad for this). So far so good. Its relatively cheap, it looks it in a few areas if I'm honest but its just over £10, so if it gets stood on or mishandled which happens in the prehospital field its not going to be a major issue to replace. Generally happy to have found a reasonably priced, fairly well built and light weight steth for everyday use.

Does the job