[pattyew54]

I'm a 53 yr old LPN student. Have a "Prestige" stethoscope. Got some $$ for Christmas and am considering treating myself to a "Littman". Know nothing on the subject. PLEASE advise - would it be a good investment or a waste of money? What's the difference between a Littman & others? If I decided to get one, what type would I want to consider? Thanks for any help.

[itsmyturn]

Great investment..I have the Littmann cardiology and you can hear so much better! Search stethoscopes here and you will find all kinds of info already stated about different kinds! Also, Littmann has a comparison page of all of there scopes...check it out.

I noticed you were in Middleburg, Florida...used to live in OP for a long time. I graduated from Orange Park high and stayed in Macclenny for many years. Middleburg sure has come a long way since I was there!

[sissyboo]

I have been there too!

I had a prestige and had some trouble with it..the tubing kept falling off...I'm not sure why! I had taken good care of it...anyway....

I chose the Littman Lightweight 2 S.E. and I absolutely love it! I can hear sooo much better through it and find the earpieces to be much more comfy! I payed $60 for mine at a local medical supply store--it may have been too much (or maybe a good steal)..I didn't do much research before I bought it--I've been borrowing my sis-in-laws stethoscope and this is the type she has...loved hers so I got me one!! Good luck..

[mcknis]

Any Littman is good (although I don't really care for the older Littman lightweights that were made out of aluminum). I have 3 of them and love all of them. I like the Cardiology 3 the most out of the ones I own. Prestige makes some good scopes, but i do prefer Littman.

[akspudus]

I have always thought that investing in GOOD equipment is never a waste. Investing in a good stethoscope is definitely not a waste. Especially if you are a little hard of hearing.
I dropped the "coin" into a Littmann Cardiology III and am so glad I did. As an EMT I used a Sprague double tube stethoscope and thought it to be pretty good. I gave it away as soon as I got my Littmann.
The best way I could describe the difference is that with the Littmann you hear more definition and depth. With the Littmann I hear more of the "surrounding" sounds of the heart sounds. As an example, heart sounds are often described as a "lub-dub", with the Littmann the heart looses that vague sound and sounds more like...a heart...I guess.
I am sure there are a lot of other good stethoscopes out there. I have seen my fellow students struggle with some not so good stethoscopes. The biggest piece of advice I can give you is to do some research...maybe even try a fellow students or professor's stethoscope...find one that works for you.

akspudus

PS...Two more thoughts. 1-Make sure the ear pieces fit your ears. No matter how much money you spend on a stethoscope, you won't hear a thing unless you get a good earpiece seal. 2-Put your name on your stethoscope. They grow legs and can run away from home.

[Nurseynurseyme]

When I was in school, I consulted a friend with 20+ years experience as an RN about stethoscopes, particularly name brand ones and she said in her experience it did not have to be Littman to be good.

I have a little hearing deficit so I first purchased a cardiology scope from another vendor and it was ok but I found I was still straining to hear. During my BSN studies, I had an Assessment professor who had a hearing deficit and she swore by the DRG scope and hers was really great. So after looking all over I narrowed my focus on the DRG scope and the Thinklabs scope.

I wound up getting The Thinklabs electronic scopt from allheart.com for about $200 (at the time). I can magnify by 50 times the sound with a radio dial. The ear pieces are designed to block out extraneous room noise. The folks I have occasionally lent it too tell me it's amazing.

Best of all, it uses AAA batteries rather than a li-ion, and I've had it for about 2-3 years and I have never yet had to replace the batteries. It turns itself off after 30 seconds so you don't waste battery time.

There are settings for diaphragm or bell.

I hope this helps in your search for the perfect scope for you! Good luck.

[pynkladie]

I have a Littman Cardiology III stethescope. I didn't use it much in my first semester of nursing school, but I definitely will this semester. To be honest, I probably could not be able to tell the difference between a cheapie or an expensive one. But I have heard very nice things about Littman stethescopes.

[AML09RN]

I have both a Littman S.E. and I recently purchased a Maxiscope. It's AWESOME! You can do a search for maxiscope and you'll be directed to their website. Check it out!

[hoosiergirl1]

I was trained on a sprague, but about two years ago bit the bullet and spent the money on a Littman Master Cardiology scope. The higher end Littmans have what is called a "tunable diaphragm" so you don't need to turn the scope over in order to use the bell, all you do is change the amount of pressure that you apply when auscultating. It is fantastic. The acoustics are so good I'll never use anything but my Littman.

[Overland1]

I have used all sorts of 'scopes over the past 17 or so years, and have found the standard Sprague works quite well, but the Littman Master Cardiology is somewhat better. Makes sense up to a point - the more you pay, the (generally) better the product, but not always the case. Try some different types and buy what works best for you.

When I bought my Littman, it was at the FireExpo show in Harrisburg, PA. I was a fairly new nurse and decided after much thought to treat myself to a really good stethoscope. Henley Board was there and they made me a great deal, although they were out of my choice. They shipped one to me within a week at the "show" price and free shipping. It had to be sent in for repair a few years later, and Littman Customer Service was fantastic.... a one-week turnaround!

Whichever 'scope you choose, do not leave it any place where it can be "borrowed", because you will never see it again. Have your initials engraved on the metallic surface of the head as an extra precaution.