ADC Adscope 603 Clinician Stethoscope with Tunable AFD Technology, 31 inch Length, Iridescent Metallic Caribbean

I'm an AEMT in Mobile, Alabama. Coming up as a Basic, of course, I bought a couple of cheapie steths just to get through Labs, Psychomotor and Clinical Rotations. What I found was that a classmate of mine, who is a seasoned medic who had to re-qual after years in the National Guard, had a set similar to (one model below) these in blue. I was actually quite impressed with the difference in of a decent-quality scope and did some research online. When I passed National Registry, I promised to treat myself to a GOOD quality stethoscope and trauma shears. I had my eye on the Littman II, which at the time, was closer to $130. I put some alcohol-swabs, my BP cuff and a pair of my own ear guards in my purse and head to the local scrub and medical supply stores to listen to some scopes. I found the Littman scopes not a whole heck of a lot better than some of the less-known but still good-quality options. Discounting Cardiac scopes (I don't need to hear the difference between Mitral-valve Prolapse and Ventricular Septal Defect, LOL), Sprague scopes (well-priced but the tubing can rub and make it difficult to hear on a moving truck) and anything that looked cheaply made, I narrowed myself down to AdScope, MDF and Kila Labs. Amazon made my choice easier: after tearing apart all of the reviews I settled on this. I couldn't be happier. PROS: -This ADC model scope comes in a nice box, similar to Littman. It came with hard-plastic ear guards (which I immediately replaced with soft rubber) a spare diaphragm and a name plate that snaps over the bifurcation point. -The chestpiece is heavy and of excellent quality and it switched cleanly to the bell setting with a quiet but satisfying "catch" into position. It's solid, brushed-metal so you could easily have it engraved, if desired. -The tubing is thick enough to block out some ambient noise but not so thick as to be inflexible or vulnerable to cracking. -Respiratory sounds in all fields are easy to find and hear, as are the Korotkoff sounds in all orthostatic positions. Apical pulse with the bell is okay too. -The nameplate snap-on is a better anti-theft/identification tool than the "tag type" you see on some models. It's got a space to either write-in or stick a printed label onto and once it's snapped on and glued together, it's not going anywhere unless someone deliberately breaks that puppy off. -Color choices. They're just nice to have. :) CONS: -Heavier chestpeice means it's unbalanced when draped around your neck. That means you have to keep the durn thing tucked pretty firmly into the binaurals to keep it from slipping. Great for ER rotations but not so easy at a MCI MVC. -The "anti-chill" (as is the case with most scopes) doesn't really provide much in the way of anti-chill. What it DOES provide is an area to pay attention to during normal disinfection. This isn't a big deal, just get your fingernail in there while you're using the swab. ALSO OF NOTE: Be careful when gluing on that nameplate. The instructions recommend a drop of Krazy or nail glue, which works great but both glues contain chemicals whose fumes are corrosive to rubber and plastic so make sure you use the tiniest amount possible and get a buddy to hold it still so you can hold the thing in place while it dries so you don't risk rubbing the tubing into the inner sides of the thing. If you get that glue onto the tubing, you could make it brittle in that spot and it may eventually crack. If you're shopping for a gift for a Pre-Med, Nursing or Paramedic student, this is a GREAT buy. The color options, gift box, the fact that it's engravable and the quality make this at the very LEAST, a nicer "back-up" scope than the pitiful ten-dollar "can't hear-ums" to keep in the trauma bag or locker of even the most die-hard Littman fan. And the reasonable price-point means that even if they STILL want to throw away money on a Littman, no one's feelings will be hurt over this one.

Ummm, thank you! Bought this to have at the house. At work I have a Lithmann and this does not come short of its quality. Color is cute! Quality is great- sound is clear and with a good pitch, good weight to the stethoscope, bell and ear pieces all with good quality. Good length of the line- not to firm or wobbly. Comes with extra ear pieces and attachment to identify your name unto. $50 cheaper and with very similar quality- all for it! Good deal!

Outstanding quality, looks great, feels great! Been a nurse for 14 years, just about every speciality. Gone through about 5 stethoscopes ranging from $100-$300 (some were stolen, others broke) . This is absolutely the best bang for the buck. Quality sound isolation, crisp detailing, and build quality is top notch. 2 things I'm concerned about. 1 is the wear on the arms. The coating may come off over time. 2 the ear buds a a little hard for my liking (personal preference). There are 2 other sets in the package, so maybe I'll try those. Verdict: unless you're in a HIGHLY specialized cardiac or pulmonary place, or you want to look cool (and have your stethoscope stolen), This is absolutely perfect for daily use!

NOTE: This review of the ADC stethoscope is in direct comparison to the Littmann Classic II S.E. I am a Registered Respiratory Therapist working full time in a critical care unit. I rely on my stethoscope as the most important physical tool I have. In a normal shift, I could use it as many as 200+ times over the course of 12 hours. As such, I was hesitant to risk lesser quality. I started with the famous black Littmann Classic II S.E. right out of school. A word of warning, don't hang it over your car mirror if it's hot and sunny. I did this ONCE a long time ago and it made a permanent bend in the tubing, and it did finally break there after 2 years. After reading the reviews on the ADC, I decided to give it a try. The Good: -it is slightly longer than the Littmann, which I appreciate since I've got a large neck. -the build quality, fit and finish seem excellent, on par with Littmann, though I've only had it a month. The Bad: -earpieces are not QUITE as comfortable as the Littmann. Not UNcomfortable, but LESS comfortable. -it seems slightly HEAVIER than the Littmann. Just slightly. I usually don't notice it. -it seems slightly QUIETER than the Littmann. My hospital gets a lot of elderly and overweight people with COPD. A very large person with bad lungs breathing shalowly is not the easiest person to auscultate. With the Littmann, I could hear EVERYTHING I needed to hear. With the ADC, I do feel like everyone sounds slightly more diminished, and from time to time I wonder if those fine inspiratory crackles associated with CHF, or the wheezes of a COPD/asthmatic could be louder if I had my trusty Littmann. I think in the end I will get used to this stethoscope, but I do have to make a conscious effort to get full contact of the diaphragm on the chest, whereas with the Littmann I could even hear great while listening over monitor leads and multiple layers of clothing. That's about what it's like- listening to someone with a sweatshirt on. Overall I am pretty happy with my purchase and would purchase again. I'm confident enough in my assessment skills that the shear volume level of what I hear is less critical than when I was fresh out of school. You sorta develop an ear for hearing what you need to hear over time, so the sounds don't have to JUMP out at you as much. I am also a little careless, and running to code blues every night dropping it, getting it hung on doorways, drenching it in hand sanitizer, stuffing it in my locker... I don't feel I'm careful enough to justify the cost of another Littmann at this time. EDIT: It is now September 2012 and I wanted to update this review to just say that the thing is still going strong with zero issues. I put my old Litman on the other day, the one with the taped up tubing. Gawd, it felt short. That said, I keep it around my house because I've got 3 kids and a wife with a scary mix of asthma and allergies, and it's loud and clear every time. I still feel the same about the ADC today as I did when I first got it. Glad it's long, but do wish it was a hair lighter and a bit louder.

Nice lightweight stethoscope. Bought this to replace one had a long time and was pleased with this one.

I got this stethoscope while in my CNA class since I couldn't learn to do blood pressures with the crappy classroom ones. The Frosted Glacier option doesn't really have any blue in it and is almost clear with a hint of grey. I thought it would set me apart from others since it was different, but people tend to think it's a crappy one because it's see-through for some reason. The black name tag snap on piece of plastic rattles and makes it hard to separate important noises from periphery. I only like the feel of the ear buds that came originally attached and not either of the extras. Great for the price! *****Update May 2013***** I haven't needed to use this much since I didn't go into the medical field but kept it for home use. It stayed in a closet on top of our first aid kit. I am preggo and I pulled it out to listen to baby's heartbeat now that I am far enough along and it worked for that! Unfortunately, the coating on the tubing got darker in storage (making the tubing a dark grey opaque) and is rubbing off on anything it touches. I'm taking 2 stars off my 4 star review for this because it's not like I even used it a lot and wore the coating off. The stethoscope continues to work great, but I shouldn't have to scrub down the entire thing to keep this product from getting black smudges on myself and anything this touches. I have a feeling that the other "Frosted" stethoscopes' coating will wear off easily too. I will add pictures so you can see what I mean. *****Update May 2017***** I finally uplaoaded pictures! Lots more of the coating has worn off, but it still just sits in a closet until needed. I ended up with late term preeclampsia and needed my BP checked weekly for a few months following the birth of my second. However, I can confidently say this has been used less than 100 times in the last 5 years. Also, I didn't notice the ADC CSR's comment on this until earlier this year and recently e-mailed them to get an address to send it back to. The ADC bp cuff (that I purchased at the same time) stopped working at the end of my home BP checks in 2016, so I'm sending that back too (bulb takes an hour to reinflate when valve is wide open). I will update with how the replacement process goes. So far they have been very responsive and helpful via email. *****Update June 2017**** Received a brand new stethoscope and a new pair of first aid scissors for my trouble. The BP cuff was fixed and everything is grand. 5 stars now for customer service.

Since I'm not a medical professional, this is a review from an "amateur" home user. I'm pregnant with our first child, and very cautious about all the techology used during pregnancy. As a result, we are using a midwife, not having a sonogram, and not using a doppler (the battery-operated device typically used to listen to babies heartbeats when they are in-utero). The midwife has been able to detect the baby's heartbeat since 20 weeks pregnant, using a fetoscope (a specialized stethoscope designed for manual detection of baby heartbeat). However, the fetoscope "cord" is very short, and doesn't reach from my belly to my ears. My husband has been able to hear the baby's heartbeat, but not me. I read a book that said by six months pregnant, you could hear baby's heartbeat using a standard stethoscope, so we ordered this one from Amazon. There was a different brand being sold cheaper, but this was the cheapest one that had great reviews. We used it the minute it arrived, and even though we have never used a stethoscope before and have no medical training, the directions were pretty easy to understand. We found the baby's heartbeat in less than a minute, and I heard my baby's heartbeat for the first time! I expect to listen to the heartbeat every few days, since a stethoscope doesn't send any type of "signal" into the uterus, which is what I am trying to avoid. It's really fun to lay quietly and listen to the baby. A few tips for any other amateur users out there who haven't had training on medical use of a stethoscope: The earpiece needs to go into your ears facing a certain direction. If you can't hear anything, flip the earpiece around so the part that was in your right ear instead goes into your left ear, and you should be able to hear. The part that needs to touch your skin is the flat side with the logo on it, not the smaller metal side that has the rubber lip. In the photo of the item, the part that is facing up (the smaller side of the "bell") is how it should look. Apparently the flat side with the logo, that looks like a clear piece of plastic, is called the "diaphragm." That was the part we put against my belly (or against a person's chest) so we could hear. Finally, you will need to lay down on your back (not for long obviously), and be familiar enough with your baby's body inside your belly to figure out where the torso is. Hopefully you have gently pressed around your belly enough to detect where the "feet side" of the body is at any given time, and where the "head/torso" side is. The stethescope needs to be within a few inches of the torso in order to hear the heartbeat. When we put it on the opposite side of my belly, over the feet, we could not hear the heartbeat, just my digestive noises. Once we located the torso (at six months pregnant, shouldn't be too hard to do since it is larger and firmer than anything else, and can be located with gentle pressing), we placed the stethescope over the torso and pressed down slightly. Then it was really easy to hear the heartbeat. It sounds about twice as fast as your own heartbeat, and is so amazing to listen to. As far as the quality of the item, other medical professionals who have reviewed this item are better qualified to answer. We found the earpieces to be tolerable, and the overall feel of the metal and plastic to be medical grade. Nothing felt "cheap" about it, but then again, we have no basis of comparison. We ordered the standard black one. It comes with a little plastic piece to clip on the "y" part where the three cables come together, and the plastic piece has a place to write your name on it so it can be identified. Not a big deal for a home user like us, but helpful for someone in the medical field. It came with two other sizes/shapes of earpieces, which we haven't tried out yet. It also came with one replacement diaphragm. Good luck!

Better than a Lippencot for half the price. Crystal clear sound.