It’s been 2 weeks since I received the Medtech BP 12 Novacheck blood pressure monitring machine. I’ve used it a couple of times on myself, then I used it to check my mother’s blood pressure and yesterday, Ryan my son turned it on to test my father’s blood pressure!
He said, “This is easy”
So, that’s my review in one line, it’s too easy even for a 6 year old boy to test the blood pressure.
My journey with Blood pressure monitors
I started reviewing blood pressure devices since 2013 when one of my patients at Kannur, asked me my opinion regarding the purchase of a digital blood pressure machine. At that time, I was only familiar with the hospital grade bulky”OMRON” devices. Then I purchased a couple of new devices for hospital use and some for my family members.
Nine years later, I think Medtech is the 9th Blood pressure device that I’ve been lucky enough to use and review. So, I hope that qualifies me as an expert blood pressure device reviewer.
What did I like about the Medtech BP12 Digital blood pressure monitoring machine?
It’s small, lightweight, sleek, looks elegant with a professional touch and when the display turns on, the backlight shouts out “look at me…!”
It’s definitely lighter than the Beurer machine that I bought for my parents 2 years ago and then, I thought Beurer was the light weight champion when it came to digital blood pressure machines. But, now Medtech BP12 gets that honor. It’ll be a gross injustice if I compare the modern looking Medtech device with the bulky old OMRON BP machine that I still own. So, let’s leave it there. I was impressed to find the new generation USB type C cable included in the box. You can imagine my surprise when smartphones worth 10 times more than the Medtech blood pressure device fails to provide the same cable in their box!
The 4 batteries required for the device were all alkaline and were packed in groups of 2.
Even when you run out of these batteries, all you need is your phone’s charging brick. I have tested it with my iPhone’s charging brick and then I connected the USB Type C cable provided in the box and the Medtech blood pressure monitoring machine came into life, without batteries! Isn’t that cool?
The green pipe which connects the device with the inflatable cuff is also thick and made of good quality material. Regarding the accuracy, I’ve cross checked it with the ELKO mercury sphygmomanometer in my home and the values were well within the expected range. The systolic blood pressure was 5 mm Hg less in the Medtech device after repeating the test 3 times on 3 different occasions.
The diastolic blood pressure varied by an average of 3 mm when compared with the reliable ELKO blood pressure machine.
So, if you are concerned with the accuracy, I’ll give the Medtech device a green flag!
The cuff is smooth and fits snugly and it takes an average of 30 to 50 seconds to get the blood pressure recorded. It has an automatic inflatable feature which detects your blood pressure while the cuff is being inflated and then goes beyond the Systolic value, so that the highest point is not missed.
Unlike other Omron devices, the cuff gets inflated just one time while recording the blood pressure compared to 3 times in most of the Omron devices! That’s another good thing about Medtech BP12 because, who likes your arm being pressed 3 items in a row, come on!
What I Didn’t Like About the Medtech BP12 machine?
The USB Type C cable supplied with the monitor is really short and if the power outlet is not near the table where you kept the Medtech monitor, you will struggle to check the blood pressure.
Even though the monitor comes with an intelligent self adjusting inflatable cuff, it seems like taking too long to finally display the blood pressure especially if the blood pressure is too high, above 200 mm Hg Systolic BP.
The memory function of Medtech BP12 allows recording just 90 values for 2 user profiles. I haven’t really tested whether each user profile can save 90 values or if it’s total 90 for both users. In both cases, it’s little in my opinion. . If your doctor asks you to measure blood pressure 2 times each in the morning and at night, that’s 4 values for one day. So, you’ll be able to use the memory feature for a maximum of 22 days before you reset it. I think writing it down on a Google sheet would be a much better idea. If you want a template, just fill up this form and you can download one, for free!
What’s My Verdict?
The Medtech BP12 blood pressure monitoring machine with backlight is a simple and easy to use device which works as expected and as my son said, “it’s really easy to use”.
With two years of warranty, I think it’ll be a good option to consider if you are searching one for your parents.
Check out the Medtech BP12 Blood Pressure Monitor on Amazon Now
