Stethoscopes

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I know this has been asked before...what stethoscope should I buy? I want a good one and I remember many people mentioning Littman III Cardio....if I go with this one is it any difference between the 22 inch or 27 inch???

do you have other ones you love?

I am starting nursing school this Fall

thank you all

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If you do a quick search I can guarantee a plethora of information on the subject.

The difference between the 22 and the 27 inch is 5 inches (from the joint to the bell).

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thank you

I was more thinking if it makes any difference which one I get ...is the 27 inch better?

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I was gonna make a remark about size, but I decided to be mature. I think the length depends on your size, and what you're comfortable with. You want one that will sling around your neck comfortably. Also, the longer size enables you to listen without getting into your patient's face overmuch.

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lolllll you are too funny

thank you ...it makes perfect sense...

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I was gonna make a remark about size, but I decided to be mature.

I don't have that kind of restraint. To be perfectly honest I added the joint to bell info afterward. It was originally just a smartalec useless comment. :-)

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Specializes in Medical and general practice now LTC.

Moved to nursing stethoscopes forum

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To actually answer this question, I would recommend a Littmann. I have a Littmann Classic II S.E. (can't remember if it's 22 or 27in and I don't have my stethoscope here with me to actually look...I want to say 22in) and I LOVE it. I can hear a lot of things with it which is always nice. It has an acoustical rating of 7/10 which is pretty "up there" in my opinion, and it also comes with a 3-year warranty which will take you right through school (as long as it doesn't grow legs and disappear on you! then you're out of luck). I also love that it has soft ear tips.

In my opinion, the brand of a stethoscope really makes a difference. For example, when I was listening to blood pressures with a dual-headed stethoscope (2 heads so that you and someone else can listen), I was using some off-brand stethoscope and I couldn't hear a thing. It also didn't help that the ear pieces were hard and man oh man, my ears HURT! I then saw a dual-headed Littmann in the box so I grabbed that one and I was able to hear a lot better :) The same goes for when I borrowed other people's stethoscopes (the "cheapy" brands)...they don't compare to my Littmann. A friend of mine also has an Ultrascope which are supposed to be really good and there's always the Ultrascope vs. Littmann debate. I used her scope but I still prefer my Littmann.

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