Disclaimer:
I am a member of Best Buy’s Technical Insider Network, TIN for short. Reviewers in this invitation-only program are provided products for the purpose of writing honest, unbiased reviews.
First impressions:
The Beurer BM50 Talking Blood Pressure Monitor is easy and convenient to use. Setup, operation, and proper usage are clearly defined in the user’s guide both in word and in drawings. The LCD screen is bright, the readings are displayed in large font, and the device dictates the readings loud and clear. The arm cuff can accommodate from 8.7 inches to 16.5 inches round which should accommodate your average adult. Finally, this unit has two memory banks allowing you and a partner to use a single device to independently track your readings.
Setup:
The unit does not ship with an AC power adapter. You will need to purchase this separately from Beurer. The BM50 does ship with four AA batteries. I have not owned the unit long enough to report how many readings I can take before replacing the batteries. The air hose is built into the sleeve. Plug the air hose into the side of the unit and then insert the batteries. The unit powers on and is immediately ready for use. I had the BM50 taking my blood pressure within minutes of taking it out of the box.
Operation:
Be sure to read and follow all the instructions in the manual before use. Otherwise, you will not use your new blood pressure monitor to full affect. The BM50 can track up to 100 individual tests per person. It can track a total of two people. The BM50 can display the average of your measurements over the last seven days, the last seven AM measurements, and the last seven PM measurements. You can access individual readings by repeatedly pressing the M button. The BM50 does not have any external data connections so it is not possible to upload your data to any kind of data tracking app. It would have been nice to have an electronic log for tracking, trending, and note taking.
The cuff is designed for single hand, possibly hand and chin, setup. Have a friend or family member assist you if you have any issues securing the cuff. I had to go with the hand and chin method the first few times until I got comfortable securing the cuff with a single hand.
Initiating a measurement is straight forward. Press any button on the BM50 to turn it on. You will know it is on because the device audibly announces, “The device is ready for use. You may start measuring.” Press the + or – buttons to choose user memory 1 or 2. Press the power button again to start the measurement. You will hear the mini-air compressor kick on, the cuff will tighten, and then the unit will start taking your systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, and heart rate. The until will then audibly announce your measurements once the reading is complete. The unit will also tell you your risk level based on W.H.O. guidelines. The risk indicator is represented by a light bar on the left side of the LCD screen. It is color coded green, yellow, orange, and red. A light on this bar will light up to indicate your risk level. The LCD screen places an indicator next to the light to reinforce the risk level reading. Beurer did everything they could to reduce misinterpreting your risk level.
Finally, the LCD lights up with a bright blue backlight. The readings are displayed in black. The font is large and easy to read for anyone who has less than perfect eyesight. My wife has terrible eyesight and was still able to read the LCD display. The BM50 will speak your numbers to you regardless of the quality of your eyesight.
Experience:
My overall experience with the BM50 was positive. For me, if the cuff was not properly fitted then the cuff would pinch during inflation. I also felt the cuff got a little tight when compared to other blood pressure monitoring devices I have used. You can abort the measurement and deflate the cuff by pressing the power button.
My wife’s experience with the BM50 was not so good. We tried to measure her blood pressure several times over the course of three days. The BM50 reflated the cuff three times during each session and always ended with an E2 error, “You speak or move during measurement.” In fact, she did not move or speak during any session. My wife’s arms are larger than mine but not large enough to fall outside of the cuff’s pre-marked tolerances. I tried taking a measurement on both arms. I used another blood pressure device from another manufacturer to rule her are and position out as culprits. I was able to successfully measure her blood pressure with a single cuff compression under the same conditions as the BM50. So, either I am not using the BM50 correctly with my wife or there is something else going on. The controls on the BM50 are so simple that there is nothing to check other than the batteries, the hose, and the cuff. All appeared to be in perfect order. To verify, I took another reading on myself with zero issues.
I noticed that the BM50 will try to recover from an error condition by first increasing the pressure in the cuff a total of two times. This lengthens the amount of time your arm is under compression. Each reinflation increases the pressure over the max pressure of the last inflation activity. Both my wife and teenager errored out and experienced what I would consider above normal compression.
Conclusion:
This is a very easy to use blood pressure machine when it works. I really do like a lot of the features. Unfortunately, it’s usefulness is limited for my household.
The LCD screen is bright, clear, and easy to read. The audio is great for anyone with poor eyesight. The audio can also be turned up or off depending on the situation or need. The cuff is relatively easy to position by yourself. Though, as I said earlier, if your dexterity is less than ideal then you may want a friend or family member to help you out. Having access to the last 100 records including seven-day averages for all readings, AM readings, and PM readings. I would have liked a feature to export the data for tracking and trending purposes. The BM50 does not ship with an AC adapter. I find this strange but not a deal breaker.
Inconsistent operational success between users is surprising to me. It is great when it works. But it only works for me. As such, I cannot recommend this product.
I hope you found this review helpful. Thank you.