Customer Reviews

Omron Healthcare M2 Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor

Having owned the Omron M2 Classic Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor for a couple of years now I was interested to see what the newer version would be like. I was under medication and had to keep track of my blood pressure (BP) for any irregularities (far easier for me and my doctor). The Omron M2 was incredibly helpful with that and thankfully that is all well behind me now.

Anyway, the new M2 is considerably smaller and lighter than its predecessor, though they share the same arm cuff design (there's a Omron 32 - 42 cm Large Blood Pressure Monitor Cuff is available to purchase for not so much money if this one is too small). Use is the same and as simple: following the instructions written on the cuff, secure the cuff on your arm, press the blue button and a pump motor inflates the cuff to the correct level and then releases the air. The large display then shows you your BP and heart rate. The sensor to detect an irregular pulse is a good addition. Batteries and a case are also included.

Only thing missing is a BP chart to show you safe levels (and stop you worrying, which could also raise your blood pressure!).

The Omron Blood Pressure monitors are always reliable and easy to use, and this one is no exception. It has a soft, comfortable cuff that's easy to fasten into the right position, and a simple to operate machine unit which appears to give accurate and consistent results. It's pretty foolproof really, and the readings on the monitor come up very large and clear. It monitors your heart rate too, which is a useful feature.

The unit will remember the last 30 readings for you, but this is fairly low if you're hoping to monitor your blood pressure over a large period of time. I'm surprised that none of the models in the range, (even the highest model the Omron Healthcare M6 Comfort Upper Arm Blood Pressure monitor which keeps 100 readings) have the ability to transfer the readings via wi-fi to a computer so that the blood pressure can be tracked over months. Of course you can make a manual note of the values though.

I would happily recommend this monitor, or indeed any in the Omron range, but I would recommend having a look at previous models in order to get the best value. For example, the Omron M2 Basic Blood Pressure Monitor is an earlier but extremely similar version of this product and is available for well under half the price at the time of writing.

Omron are not a common name on the high street but are well known in industry, and widely respected with regards to quality. This BPM is a nice unit, and on a recent visit to a local NHS clinic, we found they were using the same one. Readings take a short while to obtain, but you do feel they are accurate. The only down side for me is that I’m quite a large build, and the cuff would not close around my arm, maybe larger cuffs are available. However, it worked just fine on my wife who is on the small side. The ‘cuff range’ is given, so measure yourself before you buy. Easy to use, with quiet operation. Recommended.

We have owned an Omron M2 basic blood pressure monitor for quite a few years and my wife in particular has always been impressed with it. She uses it a lot, at times perhaps a little too much, as she needs little excuse to take a blood pressure reading. When the chance came to get a new, higher spec monitor we of course snapped it up. Whilst we have no complaints about this newer model my wife feels that there is little tangible difference to the older, cheaper version. That aside, I have no hesitation in recommending this monitor. It offers everything that you would want in a blood pressure monitor, i.e. it is accurate and it is easy to use. Anything more than that is not really necessary; particularly bearing in mind that this is a monitor is intended to be used by people that are not medically trained.

This product come nicely packaged and is somewhat smaller than expected, having never used a home blood pressure monitor before. The box contains the main unit, an arm cuff with attached connector, an instruction manual, a printed blood pressure diary/chart and rather pleasingly, a set of batteries.

The arm cuff easily connects to the main unit with a built-in connector tube and the instructions for use are relatively simple. The only difficulty I experienced was ensuring that the arm cuff was positioned correctly, and was tight enough. Luckily the monitor checks the tightness before activation and shows a symbol if being used correctly.

The only downside I have found with this blood pressure monitor is that it has been somewhat inconsitant. While I recognise for the price, and the fact that it is a home monitoring kit, I cannot expect it to be premium hospital quality, there have been a number of times where I get erroneous readings. They are either strangely high or low from where they should be, and I am forced to retake the blood pressure to provide an accurate reading. This can be somewhat disconcerting when you suddenly jump from a good blood pressure to a very high pressure, or when the reader suddenly indicates you have an erratic heart rate and should be checked by a doctor.

Despite this flaw, however, this product is still good enough providing it is used with the caveat that blood pressure should also always be checked by a trained medic. With that in mind, I can see this product definitely serving a purpose in helping people keep a track of their own pressure at home inbetween proper medical checks.

This is a great home blood pressure monitor for elderly people to help keep their health measurements which they can then take in to show the doctor.
I took this to my GP, amd measured it against the surgery one, and it matched it perfectly so it is accurate and reliable.the buttons are easy to use, and the actual placing on the arm is easy, the cuff will fit most people, from those with small arms to rather large, will tell you if the cuff is correctly placed and it stores the last 30 measurements which is certainly enough to show your medical professional what's going on.
A new feature is that it detects irregular heartbeats, again a rather brilliant and easy to use feature.
Set up is easy, and it's batteries are provided.

I got this for free from amazon vine but, as it turned out, my Dr had just suggested I start measuring my bp at home, so I would have bought it anyway. Having used it now, I would have been happy to pay for it.

It's far easier to setup than I thought and very easy to use. My wife, who is a Dr, used it and was impressed.

This piece of kit is first rate measures you blood pressure and pulse and is very accurate. I would recommend it to everyone.

I was very close to not giving this blood pressure monitor the full five stars. I'll get back to that shortly.

First of all, I must say I am very pleased with my purchase. Omron makes quality instruments that are used by medical professionals and health services all over the world, and getting the confidence of this reliability is something I know I am willing to pay for when getting a monitor for home use.

My wife, who is a GP, at first doubted the accuracy of it, but a controlled comparison with her old-fashioned manual blood pressure meter found them to give the exact same readings, and so I am now even more confident in the accuracy of this device.

Now, the negative thing is that the cuff that comes with it isn't the most comfortable one. Not knowing any better, I didn't think much about it, but my wife pointed out that it pinched unusually tight, to the point of actually being slightly painful and giving you prickly feelings in the hand as it blocks off the blood for the arm, the sensation of which could also potentially elevate blood pressure as your body responds to it. My own readings seem to confirm this as I often seem to get a higher blood pressure just as I use it, needing to do three or four readings that gradually get lower as my body gets used to the extra stress of wearing the cuff. I'll look into getting a more comfortable cuff eventually. For now it seems I am getting more used to it, and it doesn't bother me.

The positive is, as previously mentioned, how the readings themselves are accurate, and how it has given me the possibility of tracking my slightly elevated BP at home, avoiding the white-coat syndrome, which in my case can up my readings by even more than the usual 10 points.

The item met my great expectations. I used it on daily basis to monitor my blood pressure and it is not bad.