This site may contain links to affiliate websites, and we receive an affiliate commission for any purchases made by you on the affiliate website using such links. Read Our Disclosures
The Vive Precision Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor is available from Vive Health, and supplied with a cuff that fits arms 8 3/4″ to 16 1/2″ in circumference.
Additional features include two-user functionality, a 500-reading memory, and clear systolic and diastolic readings via the luminous LCD screen.
But how does it compare to some of the Omron blood pressure monitors, like the 7 Series or 10 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 Vive Health have the best home blood pressure monitor for you.
Design Features
The Vive Precision BPM uses the Oscillometric method of measuring blood pressure. This is the industry-accepted standard that’s been adopted by most major health device companies, including Vive and Omron.
With a 250-combined measurement memory, 2 users can store up to 4 readings per day for a month. Not only is this a convenient way to track your blood pressure from home, but it’s also an efficient way for your doctor to view the information if needed.
If you reach the 250 limit, the oldest reading will automatically be deleted to make way for new ones. Unfortunately, you can’t delete a single reading manually. You only have the option to delete all data for a specific user.
However, you can still use the buttons and display to scroll back and view historical blood pressure readings. The only frustrating part is that there’s no way of skipping to a specific date, you have to scroll through each record individually. There’s also no way to transfer all the data from the machine to your computer or an app.
One blood pressure device that lets you sync data off the device via Bluetooth is the Omron 10 Series for the upper arm.
High Quality Digital Feedback
Tested for accuracy and approved by the FDA, the digital LCD display shows a variety of useful information from each reading. This includes systolic and diastolic blood pressure, pulse rate, user number, and the date and time.
Another important feature to look for is the ability to view an average reading. Most Omron devices use a built-in system that calculates the average of 3 readings taken in the last 10 minutes.
Vive use a slightly different method, whereby you can view an average of the past 3 readings, irrespective of the time between them. This is possible by pressing the ‘M’ button when the monitor is turned off.
Tracking Irregular Heartbeats
The Vive Precision BPM features an Irregular Heartbeat Detector (IHD). This calculates the standard deviation of the time between heartbeat intervals. If the result is greater than 15, the IHD symbol lights up.
Irregular heartbeat detection is a feature of most home blood pressure monitors, including all Omron devices. The Panasonic EW3109N is one of the only BPMs we’ve seen that doesn’t offer this feature.
How Accurate is the Vive Precision BPM?
Most of the top blood pressure monitors are accurate to within ±3mmHg, with the pulse being accurate to within ±5%. This is true of the Omron devices, Panasonic EW3109N, and Vive Precision.
How accurately you measure your own blood pressure is a slightly different story. For consistent, accurate readings, there are a few important guidelines to follow. Later in this review you’ll find a list of the steps we recommend following.
How is it Powered?
The Vive Precision BPM can either be powered by 4 ‘AAA’ batteries or an AC adapter. Unfortunately, the AC adapter isn’t included, as it is with the Panasonic EW3109N.
There’s also no indication of how many readings you can take for each new set of batteries. With the Omron upper arm BPMs, 4 ‘AA’ batteries are estimated to last for 1000 readings. For Omron’s wrist BPMs that use 2 ‘AAA’ batteries, the estimated number of readings you can take is 300.
So, a sensible estimate for the Vive Precision would be around 450. You’re using twice the number of ‘AAA’ batteries as the Omron wrist devices, but additional power is used by the blue backlit screen.
Vive Precision Upper Arm BPM – Summary
- Each device undergoes individual testing for guaranteed accuracy.
- Improved device accuracy tolerance and pump stability.
- Start taking measurements moments after unboxing your device.
- One button push-to-start design.
- Includes: blood pressure monitor, cuff, 4 AAA batteries, manual and 2 Year Guarantee.
- One size fits most cuff (fits arms from 8 ¾” – 16 ½” in circumference)
- Large, bright backlight LCD screen
- Displayed measurements include: systolic pressure, diastolic pressure, pulse rate, date, time, and user.
- Switch between 2 users to store measurements separately.
- Automatically record up to 500 measurements with date and time.
- Easy blood pressure tracking – great for doctor visits.
- 2 Year Guarantee.
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. Vive Precision requires you to press the ‘M’ button when the monitor is off, which then calculates and displays the average
Click here to view the Vive Precision Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor User Manual
Video: How to Setup the Vive Precision BPM
What Arm Cuff Size Do I Need?
The American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) 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 years from date of purchase
Who Are Vive Health?
Vive Health are specialists in designing life improving products that help maximize happiness and independence, with over 100,000 positive reviews.
This includes a range of health devices, such as blood pressure monitors, pulse oximeters, digital scales, physical therapy products.
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 Vive Precision Upper Arm BPM, based on direct customer feedback.
Pros:
- Clear viewing screen
- Many customers found their nurses use the same brand
- Accurate readings
- Easy to use thanks to clear instructions and intuitive button options
- Ability to store blood pressure readings for two people
- Strong velcro keeps the cuff secure until the reading is complete
- Powered by batteries, rechargeable batteries, or an AC adapter
- Clearly backlit screen helps you view your blood pressure results in low light
- Compact and lightweight design makes it easy to transport if needed
- Excellent customer service from Vive – follow up email containing user manual, quick setup tips, and to ensure customers received it ok
- Automatically stores a large number of readings in memory, complete with date and time
Cons:
- Not easy to adjust the date and time
- Some customers experienced inaccurate blood pressure readings using the batteries supplied. By removing the batteries and replacing with new, then resetting the unit using steps 2 and 3 in the instruction booklet, they were able to achieve accurate results
- Doesn’t include an AC power adapter
- Some customers had difficulty aligning the cuff properly on their arm
- Several reviews mentioned the cuff was too large for their arms. The smallest recommended arm circumference for the cuff is 8.75″, compared to the Omron upper arm BPMs, which have a minimum setting of 9″. Care Touch have a design that fits from 8.5″ to 16.5″, but we struggled to find any with a smaller upper arm cuff measurement than that.
Review Summary
Overall Review Rating
4.5 / 5
So, should you buy the Vive Precision instead of an Omron BPM?
The price is certainly attractive. At the time of writing this review, it cost just $5 more than Omron's most affordable upper arm BPM - the 3 Series. The only downside being that the range of arm sizes is much smaller (8.75" to 16.5", vs. 7" to 19").
However, the Vive Precision allows you to store an additional 486 blood pressure readings in memory (500 total), across 2 user profiles. In comparison, the Omron 3 Series has just 14 readings and 1 user option.
The backlight is also a major advantage. Just one Omron arm BPM offers a backlight, and that's the top-of-the-line 10 Series, usually retailing for close to $70.
Plus, you still get all the great features you would hope for when measuring your blood pressure and pulse at home. Averaging, irregular heartbeat detection, the ability to charge with an AC adapter, and a 2 year warranty.
If you need a slightly larger or smaller cuff, the Omron 5 Series costs just $10 more than the Vive Precision, but only stores 100 readings in memory (50 per user). Apart from the differences in memory, backlight, and cuff size, there's very little difference between the two machines.
Overall, the Vive Precision represents excellent value for money. It's one of the cheapest home blood pressure monitors on the market, yet has thousands of reviews praising its accuracy, ease of use, and quality of customer service from Vive Health.
USA Home Gym gives in-depth insights into gym equipment, supplements, and fitness training methods. The motivation behind USA Home Gym is to provide you with information that goes beyond what you can find in any user manual, customer review, or other online review sites.
We go to great lengths to ensure that our reviews are completely comprehensive, usually covering everything from the design features to the warranty coverage and exercise options. This is all to help guide you towards the home gym equipment that’s best suited to your goals and budget, whilst also being the highest quality option in your chosen price range.
