I'm a nursing student and I was given a Welch Allyn Professional as a gift upon entering nursing school. I was so touched by that gesture that I decided to not use it too often in case I lost it during clinicals. I needed a replacement scope pronto!
I hit up my professors and asked what their first choice in steth was. Far and away, the winner was the Littmann Classic II SE (with one hold out who used a $15.00 Sprague Rappaport knock-off - what a trooper! Those things are torture!). So off to my bookstore I went and bought a Littmann for well over MSRP (brilliant, huh?)
Now, the Littmann is a nice stethoscope - loud enough for what I do (basic vitals, BP, auscultations, etc.), and is certainly built well. But I'm not a fan of the tunable diaphragm, where the user must change pressure to hear various pitches, all while keeping the rim evenly pressed on a patient's body. For a rookie like me, that's just one more thing to concentrate on. Also it turns out that Littmanns are a hot commodity, and around school and in the local hospitals they tend to walk off if left alone for a second or two. So I now had a second stethoscope I was paranoid about losing!
After copious online research and polling of other students and faculty, I learned of the Prestige Clinical Series (I already have the Prestige Aneroid Sphygmomanometer with Black Cuff which I love, but never considered their stethoscopes. I went to a local medical supply outfit and test drove a Stealth model. Wow! I was really impressed with the quality of the sounds I was hearing, as well as the overall build quality. Seriously, this is comparable to my Littman Classic II in terms of acoustics, and darn close in construction! The Prestige also came with a spare diaphragm, and three pairs of ear tips. Not too shabby!
I also like that the Stealth model looks classy, and slightly different than many of the other scopes floating around my school. And the soft ear tips are quite comfortable. Incidentally, the young lady working the front counter at the supply store is also a student at my school. She stated that they've never had a Prestige Clinical I returned, and customers (students and some pro nurses) only had positive things to say about them. I'd like to add myself to that number!
Great acoustics, comfort, adaptability, build quality, price, plus a classic diaphragm and bell... I'll take this bad boy on my clinical rotations, and if it goes missing I'll shed a tear. Then I'll go pick up another one!
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Prestige Medical Clinical I Stethoscope, Hot Pink.
