Microlife (Deluxe Kit) Digital Peak Flow Meter Tests PEF / FEV1 / Early Detection of Asthma Attacks | Spirometer for Kids & Adults | Perfect for Monitoring Asthma, COPD & other Lung Conditions at Home

WOW, I read the good reviews but.. WOW. I love when a medical device really lives up to what you expect, and goes beyond! It comes with a nice heavy duty cloth carry case w/ 2 zippered compartments: one for the manual and paper medical records, extra mouth pieces (green and orange in addition to the attached blue), and the USB cable for software interface; the second larger compartment for the device.Comes with two AAA batteries too. Easy to install. Setting up time is easy too. Remove a cover to access the time editor, then set date/time elements, using a paperclip to press a button. Easy enough. Note that the month/day appear in Euro style, DD/MM (vs USA MM/DD). OR you can use software to set it! VERY COOL!The product mentions software for PC... but the company has an app for the Mac too. It's called Microlife Asthma Analyzer+, free on the App store. Setup a profile using an email address... but it actually stores locally and doesn't use the email. When you connect, it will notice your date is not sync'd, and offer to sync it from your Mac. VERY COOL. After using the product, you can view the data, PEF and FEV1 in charts, or EXPORT to CSV (for data points) or PDF (printable color copy of the chart). Use a sync button (two arrows, top right) to pull data from the device.To use, it's important to know that you BEGIN by pressing the big button, WAIT for the beep, then exhaling gently, THEN put your mouth on the device BEFORE doing a big inhale... THEN exhale as fast as you can. It helps to purse your lips a bit. The idea on the inhale AND exhale is that you're letting it get a good measure of volume. After one reading, wait between 2-30 seconds (max) and repeat... then do the same for a third time. The system will save the highest readings of the three.The SOFTWARE will also use your first set of readings to determine your BASELINE. That way the green/yellow/red areas reflect how well your future readings match up to that baseline. This is useful if you can set up a baseline when you are breathing well, and then the yellow/red will just warn you if you're dipping too low below that baseline.OR you can use their charts (or online charts or a number provided by your physician) to SET your BASELINE. You can set that up in the software, with the device connected, and it will update the device. That way your readings will show green/yellow/red based on that number. This is useful if you are already having breathing issues (asthma, COPD, heart-related respiratory or post-COVID issues), to know how bad your breathing is, and have a good idea when it's probably time to see a doctor (if it dips into the red). Again, VERY COOL.So overall, I absolutely recommend this device! I'm so impressed that I'm looking into what else they offer. It's hard to find consumer medical products that are so well designed and operate well too. Microlife truly scored "11" out of 10 on this one.

Before I bought this peak flow meter, I had the Piko-1 meter, and there is really no comparison between the two; the Microlife definitely blows out its best competitor (the Piko-1).Although this peak flow meter costs a bit more money, it's well worth it because you'll have a peak flow meter for life. Yes, the Piko-1 meter does store ratings, shows you wear your peak flows are, and is digital, but the mouthpiece is angled, making it difficult to achieve an accurate reading. The straight vertical angle of this peak flow meter makes it much more accurate. It also stores many more ratings than the Piko-1. Another advantage is that it uses easy-to-find batteries rather than having to find a foreign watch battery (or whatever strange size the other one uses).The package that Amazon sells for the Microlife is excellent! The carry case is well-made, keeping the peak flow meter safe from damage, and the extra mouthpieces allow you to either clean the others while you're using one or have spares. (Incidentally, having the mouthpiece break was what happened to my old Piko-1.) These rubbery mouthpieces are also much more comfortable on the Microlife. I'm taking my peak flows more regularly now than I did with any other peak flow meter (manual or the Piko-1) just because it's easy to use. And you know if you have a breathing condition, this is VERY important!The Microlife is definitely a peak flow meter for life. :-) I'd recommend it to anyone who's looking for a quality FEV1 meter!

Prior to ordering one of these you should know the difference between a Spirometer and a Peak Flow Meter.A Spirometer measures the total volume of air that can be exhaled or inhaled. It can also measure the rate at which a certain volume of air is expelled from the lungs. A Peak Flow Meter, on the other hand, only measures the rate at which air is forced out of the lungs. This is known as the peak expiratory flow.Some reviews here seem to have the two confused so I wanted to get that out of the way.I have a manual Peak Flow Meter from the Doctor and never used it much for my Asthma.Needed to use up some FSA money before the end of the year and this item fit the bill as the price was just right.The item arrived with the box containing everything that comes with the item (USB cable, batteries, spare mouth pieces, directions and a nifty carrying case).The included directions are good enough to setup and operate the device. I downloaded the software from Microlife's website for free, installed it on a Windows XP Computer without issue (I think the software supports later versions).The software is able to communicate with the unit and pull the readings. Setting up the software only involves creating a "Patient" by inputting some information. You can create multiple patients which is cool because any device of this type at this price point usually doesn't support multiple users. So while it's cumbersome using this device along with the software it's possible to save readings for multiple patients.The software allows for printing graphs or just the data so I can take them to my doctor's appointments as he's always asking me if I use a Peak Flow Meter and what are the readings. You can also export the data to a CSV (Comma, Separated Value) file.This brings up an important point. All Peak Flow Meters are designed to aid in the diagnosing and treatment of a respiratory illness. Which means you should be seeing a doctor to help interrupt the results and plan your treatment.I took several readings with this meter then several with the manually operated one the doc gave me and they were very close so I have confidence this device is working as intended.All in all I am happy with my purchase. I refrained from rating it 5 stars as anything can be improved upon.Asthma or COPD cannot be cured but effectively managed. This device does what it's supposed to do and aids in that.