Omron BP5250 Silver Blood Pressure Monitor

I am a Nationally Registered Emergency Medical Technician. I know of Omron, the manufacturer, for quality healthcare products. This Silver BP Monitor is especially good. Combined with the convenient downloadable phone app, it syncs readings to your phone for proper recording, plots the readings on a graph, and develops a regression line that is easy to read and easy to interpret. It also gives you other features but I only use it for BP readings. Other people, particularly lay people, may find the other features very helpful. Very easy to self-administer and activate. Comfortable cuff for your arm which has a very handy diagram on it for accurate placement. One-touch activation for ease of use. Great device! Highly recommend!

Very easy to use.

As a former volunteer EMT (years ago), I was trained to use manual sphygmomanometers, but for home health monitoring it’s tricky to get accurate, repeatable readings on yourself. Automated instruments are good enough now that I trust the concept, but I wanted a quality device. Omron is a longstanding manufacturer of electrical and electronic parts for commercial and industrial systems, not just consumer products. I bought two of these, one for myself and one for my spouse.

Things that I appreciate about the Omron Silver:

* There is a well-written, multilingual, and detailed user manual. The device is *very* easy to use, but it’s nice to have a manual that explains in detail *if* you have questions, or for easily forgotten occasional things like how to set the date and time. “Better to have and not need…”

* The readout base unit is weighted and has a nonskid base. It can sit on a table or the arm (if wide enough) of a chair and isn’t going to slide off or tip over while applying or removing the arm cuff.

* The surfaces are smooth and uncomplicated and will be easy to clean if needed.

* Based on tests with readings a few minutes apart, taken over a week’s time and compared to my doctor’s office readings, I feel this device is taking accurate readings and that they are consistent and repeatable (allowing for the body’s natural variation in BP). The point at which it stops auscultating (or palpating, sense it’s reading air pressure?) at the diastolic end of the reading is very consistent and is almost exactly where I would have stopped if reading manually.

* This device runs on four AA batteries. Since it has a motor for the air pump, it will naturally draw more current than a purely electronic device. The AA batteries will almost certainly last longer than AAA batteries would. There is an AC adapter connection, but that’s probably overkill unless you are using the device multiple times per day. (I’ll be using rechargeable batteries, but it’s still inconvenient to have to change them frequently, so I’m glad of the larger AA size.)

Negative comments:

* My one complaint is that the arm cuff is wider than many (in the direction that aligns along the arm bone). I am of about average size, but the cuff covers my upper arm from the armpit to just about 1 inch (2.5 cm) above the crook of the elbow. This might be a problem for someone with shorter arms. The circumference is typical of cuffs for average sized adults, but some people may need a cuff in a larger or smaller size.

Neutral comments:

* The arm cuff isn’t loose and flexible like the traditional cuffs but has an internal contracting spring that makes it naturally grip (gently) the arm. It has an opening so it can be slipped over the arm, but in practice it’s easier to put the hand through and slide it on and off the arm. On the plus side, this almost guarantees correct tightness of the cuff around the arm, for accurate readings, but it might be inconvenient for some people. It is secured with the usual Velcro closure, but its natural grip force helps hold it in place until then.

* I have not yet installed the mobile app, but from a privacy and security standpoint I am much more comfortable installing an app from a well-known manufacturer like Omron than a company whose reputation I don’t know.

There is good and bad with this unit. For the price, I would expect a backlight. Omron missed the mark on that. You have to sit in good light to use it. The case included is a joke. It is way too small to fit the unit and cuff in. Struggling with that for a few minutes every time you use it does not help your blood pressure. I gave up and ended using a cloth Crown Royal bag and the whole thing fits quite nicely. 😉 I like the size of the reading. I also really like the Bluetooth capability. It is super easy to download onto my cell phone. Keep in mind, you may need to buy another cuff. I am a small woman, and this cuff fits me with little extra; therefore, it may not fit a larger arm. One nice thing about this cuff, is that first few inches is shaped (not a floppy piece of fabric), so is easier to put on. This unit has both positives and negatives. Overall, I would recommend it.

I’m a heart patient and need to take my bp a lot. I’ve been using this machine for 3-4 weeks now. Having it record everything to my phone with bluetooth has been well worth the higher price tag over more basic machines.

The Omron app has a lot of features past what I’m going to mention—for the sake of this review, I’m only mentioning ones that you’d encounter most often with Omron’s blood pressure monitors (as this app does interface with other Omron medical equipment).

Pros: Pairing the machine with my phone was quick and easy. Doing so set the date and time automatically. The machine records results to the Omron app by itself, keeping track of both your bp and pulse. The app keeps a list and a chart, allowing you to switch between views. The list allows you to add a note to any measurement so you can make note of symptoms or maybe something you ate prior to a measurement. The chart will average any measurements taken within 10 minutes of each other (the list will still show individual measurements). You can also use the chart to view daily, weekly, and even monthly averages. You can use the app to set goals, make reminders, keep a diary (this seems redundant with the notes feature), and even send results to your doctor. If you don’t want to view measurements in the app for whatever reason, you can still view results and history on the screen of the machine with the press of a button. If the app doesn’t automatically sync a new measurement because it has lost its bluetooth connection, there’s a way to input measurements manually (it’s surprisingly pretty convenient for manual entry).

Pains: The pains are by no means deal breakers and are annoying at most. The machine doesn’t always stay paired if you have to restart your phone for any reason. Resyncing CAN be as simple as pressing the button in the app, but it’s not a guaranteed fix—I’ve had to tell the machine to re-pair using its buttons at least once or twice. If the machine is not paired with your phone, it obviously will not record measurements. Luckily, this issue is easy to avoid/fix though, once you’re aware of it. Because of this, I’ve given the machine a 4.5 for ease of use. The app is a bit annoying however, constantly giving me insight notifications despite disabling them in the settings.

Overall, I’m very satisfied with this product, even despite the occasional annoyances. Dealing with them beats having to record everything manually again. I’d happily buy it again.