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The Panasonic EW3109W is a portable upper arm blood pressure monitor, with a cuff that fits arms with a circumference of 7.75″ to 15.75″. A large cuff is also available, which fits arms measuring 13.75″ to 17.25″.
Additional features include one-touch operation, a 90-reading memory, and clear systolic and diastolic readings via the large LCD screen.
But how does it compare to more affordable blood pressure monitors, like the Omron 3 Series?
In our review, we’ll take a close look at the design features, ease of use, accuracy, and customer feedback. This is to decide whether the Panasonic EW3109W is the best home blood pressure monitor for you.
Design Features
The Panasonic EW3109 is described as an Oscillometric Diagnostec portable arm blood pressure monitor. That’s because it uses the oscillometric method of blood pressure measurement.
This is the same method that’s used by all Omron BPMs, and is considered more accurate than the auscultatory method. Auscultatory is when a trained health professional would listen for Korotkoff sounds using a stethoscope.
This device measures pulse rate in addition to systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Most modern BPMs take all 3 measurements.
Unfortunately, you don’t have any blood pressure level indicator bar displayed on the screen. However, you can still identify a measurement that falls in the hypertension range, as the number on screen will blink for 6 seconds.
There’s also no backlight, which can make it difficult to view blood pressure results in low light. If you need a backlight, we recommend the upper arm BPM from Vive Precision.
The memory compares well to the top-of-the-line blood pressure monitors from Omron, storing up to 90 measurements. But there’s only one user to store them against.
So overall, the design is fairly basic. There’s no Bluetooth data sync to fitness apps, irregular heartbeat detection, movement error indication, or positioning indicator to help you find the best level to hold the cuff.
These are features that can be found on some of Omron’s 7 Series and 10 Series blood pressure monitors.
How Accurate Is It?
Panasonic have specified the blood pressure readings as accurate to within ±3mmHg, while pulse rate is accurate to within ±5%. We’ve got some useful tips on how to achieve an accurate reading later in our review.
How is it Powered?
Wrist blood pressure monitors tend to be powered by 2 ‘AAA’ batteries, which is enough to power the Omron devices for around 300 measurements.
In contrast, upper arm BPMs, including the Panasonic EW3109W, are powered by 4 ‘AA’ alkaline batteries. With the Omron devices, this is enough to power approximately 1000 measurements.
You can also choose to charge the Panasonic BPM with an AC adapter (included), which plugs straight into an electrical outlet. Being able to charge with an AC adapter is a major advantage of top-of-the-line upper arm BPMs.
Panasonic EW3109W – Product Summary
- Digital Filter Technology for Accurate Measurement
- One Touch Operation-Easy to Use
- Readings above 139 on Systolic or 89 Diastolic will automatically flash on the LCD screen
- Automatic memory feature captures 90 readings
- Track changes in blood pressure over time
- Large LCD Display
- Cuff fits arms with a circumference of 7.75″ to 15.75″
- Large cuff is available (13.75″ to 17.25″)
Accuracy and Ease of Use
10 Tips For Accurate Readings
- Keep your body as still as possible while the monitor is taking a reading
- No exercise, smoking, or caffeine within 30 minutes of measuring your blood pressure
- Have at least 15 minutes of rest before measurements
- Sit in a solid chair (not sofa or soft cushions), with your back straight and supported
- Keep your legs uncrossed and feet flat on the floor
- Rest your arm on a flat horizontal surface, with your upper arm at heart level
- All clothing covering the cuff location should be removed
- Ensure the room is a comfortable temperature
- Measure at the same time every day
- Take three readings, each one minute apart.
Click here to view the Panasonic EW3109W Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor User Manual
What Arm Cuff Size Do I Need?
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) is the national association of family doctors, and was founded in 1947 to promote high quality standards for family doctors.
It’s one of the largest national medical organizations in the world, with 129,000 members across the U.S. and internationally.
The AAFP has the following recommendations for choosing a blood pressure cuff size:
Adults
Arm Circumference
22 to 26 cm
27 to 34 cm
35 to 44 cm
45 to 52 cm
Recommended Cuff Size
12 × 22 cm/4.75″ x 8.7″ (small adult)
16 × 30 cm/6.3″ x 11.8″ (adult)
16 × 36 cm/6.3″ x 14.2″ (large adult)
16 × 42 cm/6.3″ x 16.5″ (adult thigh)
Children (by age)*
Age group
Newborns and premature infants
Infants
Older children
Recommended Cuff Size
4 × 8 cm/1.6″ x 3.1″
6 × 12 cm/2.4″ x 4.75″
9 × 18 cm/3.5″ x 7.1″
*A standard adult cuff, large adult cuff, and thigh cuff should be available for use in measuring a child’s leg blood pressure and for children with larger arms
Warranty
- 2 year warranty against failures due to defects in materials or workmanship
Who Are Panasonic?
Founded in 1918, Panasonic Corporation have become one of the largest and most innovative electronics companies in the world, with over 250,000 employees.
Their goal continues to be offering new value for better living and to help realize a better life for each customer. This has led to the creation of an extensive product line, which now includes everything from cameras and camcorders through to microwaves and massage chairs.
What Do Other Reviews Say?
An important part of any BPM review is to consider the feedback from other people who have bought and used the device in their own home.
How easy was it to take a reading? Did they have a good experience with customer service? Was the reading accurate, and how comfortable was the cuff?
But reading through hundreds or even thousands of reviews can be time consuming.
That’s why we did the leg work for you.
Listed below you’ll find a summary of the pros and cons for the Panasonic EW3109W Upper Arm BPM, based on direct customer feedback.
Pros:
- Inexpensive compared to other home blood pressure monitors
- Easy-to-use controls
- Comfortable blood pressure cuff
- Listens to arterial blood vessel sound while inflating the cuff, to hear diastolic BP first, which means only one inflation/deflation cycle is required
- Accuracy is excellent, and comparable to devices used by some customer’s physicians and cardiologist nurses
- Doesn’t inflate more than it needs to, as it measures systolic and diastolic readings during inflation instead of deflation. This makes the process of taking a blood pressure reading more comfortable
- Cuff is semi-contoured tubing for easy and secure upper arm placement
- Lightweight and compact, so you can take it with you while travelling or to show your doctor the readings
- Can also be plugged into an AC adapter for power instead of using batteries
- Excellent battery life
- Flashing numbers clearly indicate hypertension readings
Cons:
- No connectivity to transfer readings from the built-in memory to a computer
- AC adapter isn’t included with the original purchase, but it’s possible to connect one
- Replacement cuffs are available, but none that cater for arms larger than 17″
- Memory does not record date and time of measurement, only the BP and pulse. A paper chart is included, but other devices, such as the Omron 5 Series Upper Arm BPM, will automatically log this information when you measure your blood pressure
- No option to delete individual readings, only to delete everything stored in memory
Panasonic EW3109W Review Summary
Overall Review Rating
4 / 5
So, is the Panasonic EW3109W worth buying?
The price is certainly competitive. It's usually listed within $5 of the Omron 5 Series Upper Arm BPM, but the Omron device has some major advantages.
Compared to the Panasonic model, the 5 Series gives you an additional user profile, BP level bar, irregular heartbeat detection, advanced averaging, and the ability to store 10 more readings in memory (100 total).
The default cuff size is slightly larger though, making the Panasonic version better for smaller arms (7.75" to 15.75" vs. 9" to 17"). A larger cuff can be purchased separately. Warranty coverage is the same for both devices, at 2 years.
Overall, while we're impressed with the ease of use and size of memory, the compact screen only provides you with the most basic information.
For just a few dollars more, we would prefer to buy the Omron 5 Series. This is due to the larger readout with more useful information, such as irregular heartbeat warnings and a BP level bar that compares your results to internationally recognized guidelines for normal blood pressure.
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