Littman II vs Ultrascope OR other favourite stethoscope?

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I have my NP assessment class coming up, but I'm not thrilled with my stethoscope acoustics right now.

My ADC isn't that great, my littman II has fallen on the floor a bunch of times and is slightly dented. I feel that I need to take it apart all the time and clean it which has also been hard on the flat circular piece.

An EMT let me use his 20 year old ultrascope the other day in the back of an ambulance and I was favourably impressed with acoustics and longevity -- and he says his gets dropped often too. And the acoustics are reportably better in noisy environments which our ED is, as is the ambulance.

Can you tell me what your favourite stethoscope is -- price -- why -- does your stethoscope live in a chaotic environment and get dropped frequently? How long does it keep good acoustics? Do you have a go-to source to buy?

And, while I'm asking, any other go-to add-on recommendations I should consider for my upcoming assessment class?

Thanks so much!

Julia

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I've always loved any littmann that I've owned (master classic and classic II) the pricing is reasonable and they are light on my neck.

I'd like a cardiology littmann but they are expensive and quite bulky looking...

Happy shopping and good luck!

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Gotta love my Littmann II. Lightweight and great acoustics. I got mine from Craigslist, new in the box for $50. I had an Ultrascope in nursing school, which I also liked. However, I think the Littmann sounds better. I can't say that I drop them a lot, but they are still going strong after 6 years.

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Littman Cardio III. Very reliable. :)

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Specializes in Adult Internal Medicine.

Cardio III

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Has anyone ever used a Welch Allyn stethoscope? I am starting NP school and I have never been crazy about my Littmann Classic II. I was wondering how the Welch Allyns compare to Cardiology III and Master Cardiology.

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Has anyone ever used a Welch Allyn stethoscope? I am starting NP school and I have never been crazy about my Littmann Classic II. I was wondering how the Welch Allyns compare to Cardiology III and Master Cardiology.

I always felt this way too about my classic II, but I accidentally came across something and now I love it. One of my earbuds came off and got lost (I must have been running down the floor and it may have got caught on something), and so I ordered another one as it was less than $10. It came in at a size small--which I was never even aware they had different sizes. Apparently, my original earbuds were large. Anyway, I switched both sides out to the small ones and wow! I can hear so much better!

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I think I will try this! I do have tiny ears and have trouble finding ear buds to fit. Thanks for the tip

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Wow, that's interesting about the earbud sizing. I had no idea.

I checked out the student doctor forum and read quite a bit of information.

One poster was citing from a peer reviewed study regarding stethoscope acoustics and advocated DOUBLE LUMEN TUBING and FLOATING DIAPHRAGM (not tunable) as being essentials for best acoustics.

He did recommend DRG Pure Tone Cardiology, MDF 797 Classic Cardiology, Welch Allyn Elite DLX, Harvey Elite and seemed to be less of a fan of Littman's. He also recommended steeles.com and generalmedical.com.

Further, he recommended elitemedical.com and Phillips.com for suppliers of Littman parts.

I am leaning towards getting a cheap kila teaching stethoscope and putting a Littman nonfloating head on it, and keeping it on me for clinical use if I want preceptor insight on what exactly I'm hearing, and replacing my worn Littman II parts for my usual use. At this point, my workplace is too chaotic for me to wish to be responsible for a fancier stethoscope.

Thanks, everyone.

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Light on the neck is a good factor to consider, which I hadn't. Thanks

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