Review on Omron Blood Pressure Meter

2 June 2014

Bought this meter from Q0010 for less than SGD$90 including $4.50 shipping charge.  This meter was delivered within 4 days which was considered fast. The first impression was that it looked better than the Osim icheck 100 blood pressure meter I had had for almost 2 years.  I bought this Omron meter as a replacement for the Osim meter as the latter had not been giving accurate readings.  I had  to rely on manual method to get the readings done. 

Model and Features 

The model is BP742,  a lower 7 series of the Omron range.  It was manufactured in Vietnam.   It came standard with 3 main readings,  the systolic,  diastolic and the pulse/min reading.   The screen reading is quite big with characters measuring about 15 mm tall per character which is very easy to read for elderly who has vision difficulties.

Besides the bigger characters,  this Omron meter also has some other features which are useful:- 

1.   Memory storage for 2 persons.  Each person can store up to 30 readings that include time and date signatures.  The memories can be reviewed easily by selecting the front buttons. 

2    averaging the readings taken in the last 10 minutes 

It also comes with hypertension warning indicator. 

It is running on a set of 4 batteries giving a total of 6 volts supply.  It  did not come with a storage bag and a 6 volt adaptor.  The manual came together with the set are just description on how to use the meter. 

Inside the Meter 

Those guts inside the meter are also quite standard.  It has the following components 

1. The LCD display board
2. The electronic control board and the pressure sensor
3. The Pressure pump
4. The pressure header
5. The solenoid relieve valve
6. The orifice capillary valve

How it works

When the start/stop button is pressed,  the electronic control board will start the pressure pump to pump air into the cuff via the pressure header.  The pressure sensor in the control board will give the readings to display on the LCD display board.   At the same time,  air will also be released continuously through the orifice valve at constant speed as the solenoid valve is slammed shut.   The pressure pump will be shut off once the electronic does not detect any pulsing signal through the pressure sensor and the air is allowed to discharge through the orifice valve until the pulsing pressure is detected again and subsequently,  disappears. This is when the solenoid valve will release the air completely and the LCD will display the reading. 

Accuracy Checking 

The meter was checked against a pressure dial gauge which had been calibrated before against a mercury pressure meter. The meter and the dial gauge are then connected in parallel to measure the blood pressures.   

The pressure readings recorded were almost the same for the two types of meters as shown in the following table. 

Dial Gauge (mmHg)	Omron meter (mmHg)
20	20
60	60
80	82
100	103
160	162
180	182

The measurements of systolic and diastolic pressures were also within close limits when compared between the manual dial gauge using stethoscope and the automatic Omron meter.

Overall Verdict

 

It is a cost effective and accurate blood pressure meter that will keep customers happy for a smaller sum.