Jump to Winner of Stethoscopes Top 10 Rankings!
Chest piece
Stethoscopes come with many varying chest pieces that have a bell or a diaphragm design. Experienced Pros will know what type do they need and where they can get it. But if you are not an experienced person and you do not surely know what you need then it will be a smart decision to not buy a very expensive stethoscope at first so that you could try different designs from different brands.
Certain professionals prefer to work with a not so expensive fixed diaphragm, while some professionals prefer to use an adjustable model that gives different sound feedbacks depending on the pressure put on it. Some professionals, mostly those who have problems in hearing or some specialists usually like to use electronic stethoscopes or an adjustable model from a well-known manufacturing brand.
If you have any doubt, you should probably buy a stethoscope which has a dual-headed diaphragm- one domed side and one side flat- to allow you to at least fine tune on noise in each spectrum to some extent: low, medium and high pitched.
Stethoscope Earpieces
The ear pieces of stethoscopes come in varying sizes and may be soft or hard. When you have the choice, you should make sure that you opt for a stethoscope which has interchangeable ear pieces. This factor of the stethoscope will prove to be very helpful to people who use their stethoscopes frequently in settings like cardiology practice, internal medicine offices, intensive care units and emergency units.
Double Or Single Tube
This question is a very important factor for professionals who use their stethoscopes very frequently, they have to make this choice considering their needs. The double wall tubing is thicker and is specifically designed to isolate the sound from the diaphragm, coming through the tubes, to your ears to increase the quality of the sound.
But when you will ask around, many professionals will recommend you to get a single tube stethoscope and you’ll be suggested that this type is better than the other. Another factor that will suggest you to not buy an expensive model is that if you are in your training period or just recently started your medical career, it will be better that you buy a single walled and double walled stethoscope both at the same time so that you can decide yourself that which version is more suitable for fulfilling your needs and proves the most convenient choice for you and your practice.
Materials Used
The material used in making a stethoscope is a very important factor to consider while making a purchase. If you want to buy a cheap model made of cheap material you should just make sure that the stethoscope is approved by the FDA, but it is not likely to be durable and won’t last for long.
Although, stethoscopes with stainless steel tubing’s and antimicrobial plastics prove to be the best to give all-rounder performance and also are durable. The weight of these type of stethoscopes may be more than the cheap ones but this increase in weight is worth dealing with considering the high-quality results they give.
If you look at the general fact, the harder materials such as stainless steel and titanium give you a better sound transferring quality. If you want the best results then you should make sure that the tubes, the ear pieces and the diaphragm, all are made of the same material. Diaphragms made of aluminum should be avoided as the softness of this metal is a little too much hollow to give accurate and reliable readings.
