oximeter - recommendations?

[Earl E Retyre]

I was thinking of purchasing an oximeter based on all the discussions related to Covid. Does anyone have any recommendations?

Pricewise they seem to range from about $10 to $50 - which is a pretty wide range. I am less concerned about price than getting one that works well.

Anyone have one that they like and recommend?

 

[braumeister]

We've used several, and they all seem to be pretty much the same. You shouldn't pay more than about $25 in any case, so any drugstore, Amazon or a supermarket will be fine.

 

[steelyman]

We've used several, and they all seem to be pretty much the same. You shouldn't pay more than about $25 in any case, so any drugstore, Amazon or a supermarket will be fine.

I agree. I bought one at Walmart after a hospital stay during which they were frequently checking. It might be a Relion and seems accurate.

My Fitbit Charge 5 also measures but reports over time (I think that drains the battery some).

 

[EastWest Gal]

The main thing with a pulse oximeter is that it needs to accurately pick up your pulse. It it doesn't detect your pulse accurately, you will get a false low result. You will not get a false high results. Even the small ones that fit on your finger work pretty well. The ones in the hospital generally gently clamp onto a finger. And you need to hold still during the reading.

 

[W2R]

We've used several, and they all seem to be pretty much the same. You shouldn't pay more than about $25 in any case, so any drugstore, Amazon or a supermarket will be fine.

+1 I have been using this oximeter from Amazon daily since recovering from Covid last fall.

 

[Another Reader]

Santa Medical was recommended before Covid was a thing. Mine have been very reliable. Some items on Amazon are counterfeit, and medical devices are not something on which I want to take chances. I would look for a reliable supplier of this brand.

 

[FIREd_2015]

I have a Nonin. It's medical grade but costs $150-200 depending on model. The main difference is better accuracy especially during low perfusion and better real time data. The cheaper models average over a longer period of time. Another hospital grade brand is Masimo.

Added: All the cheaper brands work great when one is in the normal range but not so great when you're in trouble.

 

[Car-Guy]

I bought a "generic or off brand name" meter at my local drug store a few years ago for maybe ~$10 on sale. Works great and it is accurate since I'll take my blood oxygen just before I go to the doctor and it's "spot on" with the doctors reading in his office.

 

[skipro33]

I had covid pneumonia and when I got home, I had one in the medicine cabinet. My worry was if it was accurate or not. So I went on Amazon, read reviews and bought a second one. By comparing A to B, I had a good idea if either or both were right. I then took both to my next doctor appointment and compared my reading to theirs. They check my O2 along with BP, pulse, temperature and weight every visit.

Something I've learned about these things; best finger is your main hand, middle finger. Right handed folks, that's your right 'the bird' finger, Left handed, your left finger. It also mattered if I was just resting or had been moving around. Laying down, it might read 4 or 5 points higher than when you get up and walking around. Give it a try; check it as you get up some morning and leave it on as you go use the toilet, make your coffee, etc. You soon realize you need to breathe deeper and it goes up. Lots of YouTube videos about how to increase lung capacity with exercises.

 

[Bamaman]

My wife has an oximeter I bought on Amazon for $12. It works as accurately as those in the hospital.

What's more important for some is watching one's blood pressure. She has a wrist cuff style blood pressure machine that's very accurate too. Since her hospitalization for back surgery earlier this week, her blood pressure has been low. And she's held off taking her normal medications that cause drops in blood pressure.