Best Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitors

The best blood pressure monitors measure your blood pressure in your upper arm. This provides the most accurate and reliable readings. It is important to use the right size cuff for your upper arm blood pressure monitor or you will get a false blood pressure reading, as explained HERE.

I have both an upper arm blood monitor and a wrist blood pressure monitor for convenience and like the fact that I can check their readings against each other for reassurance. Most modern upper arm blood pressure monitors are fully automated so you don’t have to pump air into the cuff by hand.

Of all the upper arm blood pressure monitors available, I recommend Omron blood pressure monitors, Braun blood pressure monitors and the Qardio blood pressure monitor. These are all clinically validated for accuracy and each have something different to offer, across a range of prices.

Omron M2 Basic or Classic Review

The Omron M2 Basic or Classic Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor is a number one best seller for good reason. It is supplied with a medium-sized cuff (22-32cm) but a larger cuff is available separately, as an accessory. It is clinically validated to the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) standard and, despite being one of the cheapest blood pressure monitors available, is reliable and accurate.

The features I particularly like about the Omron M2 are that it is:

• Simple to use with just one button
• Inflates the cuff to the ideal level each time, based on your current blood pressure
• Stores your last reading

The Omron M2 Basic or Classic Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor is an excellent, reliable monitor that offers excellent value for occasional or everyday use. Check price on Amazon.co.uk   View offers on Amazon.com

Kinetik Advanced Blood Pressure Monitor X2 Comfort -Review

The new Kinetik Advanced Blood Pressure Monitor X2 Comfort is endorsed by St John Ambulance and, as its name suggests, features one of the most comfortable upper arm cuffs available. This monitor provides inbuilt irregular heartbeat detection, can average readings and also has a Family Mode setting which can store readings for up to 3 separate people. The screen backlight will turn red, amber or green to indicate whether your reading is normal or high.

The pre-formed cuff is easy to apply with one hand, and is a universal one-size that fits upper arm circumferences of 22cm to 42cm.  View price on Kinetikwellbeing.com A similar model, the Kinetic Wellbeing Automatic Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor stores readings for 2 people and is available on Amazon.co.uk.

Braun ExactFit 3- BP6000 – Review

As its name suggests, the Braun ExactFit 3 upper arm monitor fits most adults as it comes ready supplied with two cuff sizes: one designed for small/medium arms (22 – 32cm) and one for larger arms (32-43cm). The Braun ExactFit 3 is easy to use, fully automated, and validated to the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) standard.

The features I particularly like about the Braun ExactFit 3 are:

• Large buttons and an easy-to-read display
• It has a green, amber and red indicator bar which shows at-a-glance whether your blood pressure is normal or raised
• An average button shows your average blood pressure based on your 3 most recent readings – useful to show average blood pressure across a day
• The ability to store the latest 40 readings for two separate users, with time and date
• Soft inflation for more comfortable measurements
• Automatic switch off after one minute, to save batteries
• Low battery indicator so it won’t stop working unexpectedly. 

The Braun ExactFit 3 – BP6000 monitor is a reliable, sturdy, monitor that offers excellent value for money, especially if you need to monitor your blood pressure several times a day. As it stores readings for two users, another member of your household can use it too. Check price on Amazon.co.uk See offers on Amazon.com

Braun ExactFit 5 (BP6200) – Review

This Braun upper arm blood pressure monitor is the one I use most often at home. The Braun ExactFit 5 comes complete with two premium cuffs (one to fit a small or medium arm, one to fit a large or extra-large arm) so will fit anyone in the family who needs their blood pressure checked.

Using the right-sized cuff will provide the most accurate readings – a cuff that is too big will underestimate your readings by up to around 3 mmHg, while a cuff that is too small will overestimate your readings by around 4mmHg.

Like all Braun monitors, the Braun ExactFit 5 is validated for clinical accuracy according to standards set by the European Hypertension Society (EHS).

In addition to all the expected features of the Braun ExactFit 3 model above, this upgraded device:

• Stores 60 readings for two users, with time and date
• Provides morning and evening average blood pressure for the past seven days – essential to see how your blood pressure varies if it is not currently well controlled and tends to be higher at a particular time of the day.
• Provides all the information your doctor needs to assess your home monitoring results when prescribing medication to improve your blood pressure control.

The Braun ExactFit 5 is one of the leading blood pressure monitors available. Check price from Boots.com in the UK View offers on Amazon.co.uk View price on Amazon.com

Braun has launched two new blood pressure monitors to help make home blood pressure monitoring almost as easy as tracking your daily step count. The simple colour coding shows at a glance if your blood pressure is at an acceptable level, and shows how it is trending over time, and provide motivation to keep your blood pressure under control.

• The new Braun iCheck 7 is a wrist blood pressure monitor.
• The new Braun ActivScan 9 is an upper arm blood pressure monitor.

These two new blood pressure monitors will show how the positive changes you’re making to your diet and lifestyle are moving you towards the ‘green light’ for your heart. Both Braun blood pressure monitors are available from Boots.

Braun ActivScan 9 (BUA7200) – review

The new Braun ActivScan 9 is an arm blood pressure monitor that can store readings for one or two people. The unique, pinch grip cuff is one of the easiest I’ve found for fitting around your upper arm one-handed. The Braun ActivScan 9 also uses soft inflate technology for comfort while taking a reading – even if your blood pressure is high. It also has an irregular heartbeat detection system to alert you to an abnormal heart rhythm such as atrial fibrillation.

The Braun ActivScan 9 is not cheap, but is one of the best upper arm monitors available. Click here to see my full review. The universal cuff fits an upper arm circumference of 22cm to 42 cm (9-17 inch) Recommended price is £149.99.See current price at Boots.com.

Braun Healthy Heart App

Both monitors can sync with the free Braun healthy heart app on your phone or tablet and display all your blood pressure readings using charts and graphs.

The App lets you log your sleep, diet, stress and exercise each day to build up a larger picture of your wellbeing.

The results will help both you and your doctor see how your blood pressure is changing over time.

Image credits:braun

QardioArm Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor (for iOS and Android) – Review

The QardioArm wireless blood pressure monitor is an award-winning, smart monitor that works together with your smart phone. After   wireless pairing with the downloadable Qardio App, it will display the results of your blood pressure readings. NB you only get the arm monitor – the phone shown is not included.

The QardioArm wireless blood pressure monitor is clinically validated to AAMI standards and the cuff fits an upper arm circumference of 22cm to 37cm.

The QardioArm Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor has several attractive features which make it stand out, including:

• An ability to upload, store and share your data with your doctor and family members if you wish.
• Location tracking so you can see how your blood pressure varies depending on your location – is it high at work but normal at home, for example?
• Irregular heartbeat detection – can detect abnormal heart rhythms such as atrial fibrillation.
• Reminders you can set so you remember to measure your blood pressure regularly.
• A range of colours such as: Arctic White, Gold, Electric Blue, Midnight Blue, Imperial Red, Lightning Red and Racing Yellow.

The monitor is ideal if you lead an active lifestyle, as you can check your blood pressure easily and discreetly while you are away from home, without anyone else noticing.

The QardioArm Wireless Blood Pressure Monitor varies tremendously in price across the web, but the best value I’ve seen so far is from Amazon. Prices vary depending on the colour option you choose. See price on Amazon.co.uk Check offers on Amazon.com

Which ever monitor you choose, check your blood pressure regularly – several times a day – until your blood pressure comes under control and remains consistently down with lifestyle changes and, if necessary, medication.

Once your blood pressure is consistently within the goal your doctor has set for you, you can then use a wrist blood pressure monitor if you find that easier and more convenient.

Image credit: andrey_popov/shutterstock;