Steth shopping

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I'm sure there have been threads on this in the past, but I haven't seen one lately so figured it wouldn't hurt to ask again.

Anyone have any advice on a good stethoscope? Unfortunately, there aren't any med. supply stores locally I can go and try them out.

On the school order form, the following three are suggestions:

Sprague Rappaport (dual tubing)

Littman Classic II-SE (dual head)

Littman Cardiology III (dual head/adult-pedi diaphragm/reversible bell)

For a new student, is it really worth buying something as expensive as the Cardio III?

The nursing program secretary says that we can order one not listed, as long as it is good quality/dual head and will last us throughout school and past. Any other suggestions?

Also, any suggestions where to find good prices on steths online?

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Our school specifies the Littman Classic II. Allheart.com has some ok prices. I am not sure of any other sites though.

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Specializes in CCU.

half.com and ebay have steths too

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Specializes in Cath Lab, OR, CPHN/SN, ER.

I have a littman classic, love it compared to the cheapo one I bought first semester. I wish I had bought an ultrascope. Very cute, can customize them, and awesome acoustics. -Andrea

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I got a brand-new Welch Allyn Elite on Ebay for half the price on Allheart.com. It is a great steth with a dual head, single lumen and you can get a pediatric head to use for your peds rotation.

I have used a classmate's dual-lumen Sprague and couldn't hear anything. Littman's are always good. Ultrascopes are really cute but don't have a dual head, so many schools don't allow them.

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My step-mother gave me a Littmann Master Classic when I started school. I really love it. It's a single-head design, but it's really easy to hold & you can pick up high & low frequency sounds by the way you hold it, so you don't need the dual-head. :)

I highly recommend it.

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Thanks guys! I think I'm going to look more closely at the Littmans (school absolutely requires a dual head) - hoping my brother (who's an MD) can scope around and get me a good deal! :chuckle

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"Gave" this to myself as a graduation gift.

Worth every penny.

Suddenly, I started hearing things that I probably should have been hearing all through school. 'OHHHHH. So THAT's what rales sound like', etc.

No substitute for quality here.

As my spouse says - "use the right tool for the right job" - and ain't it the truth!

just my 0.02

John

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Just purchased a Littman Master Cardiology steth from Reddingmedical.com. Total price with shipping and handling about $145.00. The previous steth I had was a Cardiology II that was 12 years old and even sent back to Littman several years ago to be reconditioned (nice job too). The new steth is great.

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My Dad and Stepmom got me the Littman Classic II (dual head) for Christmas. (Can I just tell you how flabbergasted I was, and how much I cried that they could think to get me such a thoughtful gift???? I think it was the best gift I ever got!)

I have no idea how to use it, but I just had to say that my 2 step-sisters are RN's, and this is what they use in the ER and Surgery Centers that they work in. So, I hope it works great for me! :)

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I got a Sprague rappaport when I was training to be a CNA and thought I was going on to nursing. I would suggest you get one that has a single tubing, because w/ the double tubing, you can get extra noise from the 2 tubes rubbing and bumping together.

A

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Specializes in Trauma/ED.

Just another note...you might want to pay attention to weight also.

I have a soft touch master cardiology and it sounds better than any other stech I have used...and all my co-workers and classmates use it whenever they can.

But it is a little heavy. I used to have the cardiology III dual headed one, it was even heavier...

Go with one of the big names, and stay away from Sprague types...

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