A Little History and a Few Histrionics

   Blood pressure monitoring is something that more and more of us should engage in, if only for the sense of affirmation that, "everything is alright." If it weren't for the blood pressure monitoring I've been conducting on myself, I'm pretty sure I wouldn't be here to write about it.
   All soap boxes aside, let's just say that my family has a very strong history of strokes (both grand parents, and both parents), so for me, it is not only for a sense of affirmation with my fitness program, but it also acts as an early warning device. Several years ago, even before my first heart attack, a school nurse noticed I was as pale as a ghost. She hooked me up, got the 185/98 reading, and yanked me from my classes, and called in a substitute.
  When I went to the doctor immediately afterwards, the mercury device read 175/100. In to the mouth went a calcium channel blocker that looked like it was prescribed for a horse, and I've been on meds ever since. This machine has become part and parcel of my daily regimen. Thanks to meds and a fitness program I am now averageing 125/75 with a pulse of 64. Not bad eh?

The Machine Itself

  It's fairly self explanatory, and for $65--it's a real gem. The cuff is basically  pre formed and sports a rock solid flesh toned velcro grip.It attaches easily to the arm and conforms rather nicely. It has a green stripe on one end of it which has arrows labled and pointing to the shoulder and to the wrist so that you get the pressure cable aligned corrcectly. (They wanted to make sure that even a dunce such as myself could figure this one out.) The only real trick is to make sure that the pressure cable lines up correctly with that particualr vein/artery. When in doubt--roll the cuff a little to the outside to avoid the infamous, "Error Reading". If you get upset with it after the 2nd or 3rd attempt and your BP goes up, it kind of defeats the purpose.
   It runs on 4AA Batteries which are in a bottom compartment that is very accessible and easy to open. Even a nudnick such as myself has no problem here, and I am a techno-phobe of the highest order. The batteries last a good long time. I take readings at least twice a day, as does my wife. It has an "A"/"B" selector switch so that both Mr. and Mrs. Bernie can monitor themsleves separately. (Mrs. Bernie likes the 21 Memory capacity per user as she actually keeps an Excel Spreadsheet on hers.)
  The cuff stores within the front pocket of the unit itself which also has a flip cover. The durability of the unit is second to none. Ours has been with us for well over eight years now, and it still reads very closely to the readings at the docor's office. Last stop the unit read 125/75 and the doctors read 128/72---so it's more than just a mere approximation.

Overall

  Well worth the dough! We got ours at Costco over 8 years ago for $65, and once or twice a year we need to change out the 4 "AA" Batteries which we also get on the cheap from Costco. If you read my reviews on a fairly regular basis, you may note that I also reviewed the Omron Body Analyzer. It too has proven to be a workhorse. I bring this up only because in this day and age, when health means so much more than wealth, you need brand names you can rely on. I am a firm beleiever in Omron's Products. This BP Monitor goes toe to toe with the one at my doctor's office, and the Analyzer goes toe to toe with the super expensixe Tanita Scale. You can't put a price on health, but when you can get a good buy on the products that help you maintain it, you need to follow through. This is a Berniez/Captain Cheapskate Best Buy!

Recommended: Yes