Littmann Classic II SE Stethoscope: Copper Finish 2820CPR

Used this for years, now I am upgrading to a cardiology III!

(Posted on 4/24/12)

My friend has this exact same stethoscope and I borrowed it from her for one day. I didn't feel like returning it to her the next day! The feel of it is just incredible. The colour combinations is so fine. It's professional and at the same time adds a fashion statement. The engraving is so sharp and neat. Great job by Littmann and Medisave :)

(Posted on 4/20/12)

Wow! Quick delivery, great engraving job, and this stethescope is just beautiful, love the colors. Great littmann quality and sound on this one too! Very happy with this product.

(Posted on 3/12/12)

My husband wrote a longer review under my name but this sums it up. It’s not only functional; it’s almost as beautiful as fine jewelry, professional looks and obviously quality-made. Despite the variance in colors between headpiece [think of a new 'penny' copper color with a touch of satin brushing to the finish] and binaural tubes [think of an older, darker but very shiny 'last red cent' copper penny color as my husband calls it] it's still gorgeous. The copper colors are nicely accented by the solid Chocolate tubing; black non-chill rims and soft black ear tips pull it all together. The copper color even matches the copper colored titanium frames on my eyeglasses, I feel well accessorized! Auscultation returns very crisp, clear sounds, just as advertised it's at least a good 7 out of 10 as far as I can tell having nothing that works better yet. Not as loud as my Sprague-Rappaport but the clarity and crispness to sounds is much better, can hear more highs and lows using this Littmann Classic II S.E. than with most other stethoscopes tried so far. FYI: Grasp the stem @ the tubing/ headpiece area and hold fast, grasp and rotate the headpiece until you feel a soft click to switch between diaphragm and bell sides, works very much like dual-head Sprague-Rappaport if you've ever used one of those. The laser engraving is perfect, exactly as-ordered and deep enough to last a lifetime w/o ever wearing off. Thank you, Medisave!

(Posted on 3/3/12)

I purchased a stethoscope from Medisave for my CMA wife, a Littmann Classic II SE Stethoscope: 2820CPR Copper/ Chocolate finish, and I am very happy I did so [& so is she!]. This was after my ignorantly trying to save a few bucks in this exceedingly tight economy, having purchased a cheap import stethoscope for her from one of those discount vendors, meant as a Valentines’ Day present, only to have it shipped and arrive not only late but broken/ defective! She needed something dependable for proper diagnostics; after all people were depending on her skills and on having the proper tools to do her job correctly. It is with my wifes’ blessing that I write this product/ company review, something I’ve not done for any product or company in years, her feelings echoing many of my own herein.

Seeing as even we’ve been hit hard by the rampant U.S. job loss, as are so many of us due to outsourcing and the bad economy, it was also decided that this time around we do more research and hopefully buy a quality product made solely and entirely in the U.S.A., something all too lacking nowadays. After a great deal of research, I’d decided to call 3M Littmann Medical directly and inquire about their stethoscopes. After speaking with an extremely knowledgeable 3M Littmann Medical Representative [Tony Wald] on the technical details, replaying/ reliving verbally some bad experiences I’ve had with some online discount vendors, I was given the suggestion to look into ordering from an authorized Littmann distributor. I found Medisave is on their distributor list and decided to check them out. After researching online, finding many positive reviews and calling Medisave, I’d discovered that out of all those out there offering the Littmann products Medisave had the most to offer @ the final cost. I’d ordered it with engraving from Medisave on the morning of Wednesday February 22; it was professionally and perfectly engraved then shipped the same day, arrived Priority Mail Signature Confirmation into my hands just 2 days later or on Friday February 24, 2012. Now that’s FAST shipping and handling, perhaps the best I’ve ever experienced!

As mentioned previously this stethoscope was purchased primarily for my wife, for her use as a Certified Medical Assistant working in the medical field. However, as I’m the one writing this review I feel it apropos to point out that I’ve been personally using stethoscopes for many years prior to her graduating and working as a CMA, for various reasons not limited to yet including medical, so I know more than just a thing or two about them already. I have never before used any Littmann products, until now, so I didn’t know what to expect or if they’d be worth the higher premium asked as compared to the many of outsourced brands that cost far less. I can now tell you, from personal experience, that the Littmann Classic II S.E. provides a good balance between loudness and clarity with the tunable epoxy/ fiberglass diaphragm used for both high and low frequencies when applied properly, while the Bell-side is perfect for smaller areas where a Diaphragm may be just too large to get a good seal and for those low frequency sounds in general. While the dual-tube Sprague-Rappaport style scopes I’m accustomed to give excellent loudness, to my ears this Littmann has a better clarity or ‘sharpness’ to auscultation of the heart/ lungs/ bowel sounds, plus no ambient noise from tubes rubbing together as with the dual-tube models.

NOTE: Be aware that much like the Sprague-Rappaport style or dual-head stethoscopes in general need the headpiece rotated on-axis to the side being used so too the dual-head Littmann scopes also need to be opened to the side of the headpiece being used! What I mean by this is you’ll need to grasp the tubing @ the stem of the headpiece and hold gently/ firmly between the fingers, then rotate the entire headpiece [either direction, it doesn’t matter] until you feel the stem & headpiece ‘index’ or ‘click’ into place, just as is done with the Sprague-Rappaport style. You’ll be able to clearly see the stem or hole in the stem as viewed through the Bell-side hole when opening/ closing off as you rotate the headpiece with the stem thusly grasped. While it’s harder to see this happening trying to look through the translucent diaphragm you should still feel the soft click of the ‘index’ whilst rotating the headpiece in this manner. I mention this primarily because I’ve read many reviews where people claim only one side of their new stethoscopes worked, those people apparently thought their scopes must be broken or defective and this is probably not the case. Once ‘indexed’ to the side being used the closed side of the stem helps to keep out ambient noise, channels sound through the opening in the stem from either Diaphragm or Bell side. Most Internet pictures I’ve seen of the Classic II S.E. scopes show the directional stem to be ‘indexed’ to the Diaphragm-side, or rather closed on the Bell-side, which is why the stem appears to be a solid tube or rod running through underneath the hole seen in the Bell. I truly hope this helps anyone that’s never used a scope like this and that I’ve explained this procedure well enough to be understood. The User guides only say to turn the headpiece over, they don’t explain that the stem needs to be turned to open the hole to the side being used. I’ve explained this missing step in procedural manuals and User Guides to a Littmann representative and was told they’ll most likely have to clarify this in some future guides/ manuals. It’s a great feeling being able to speak with and work with a manufacturer, so 3M Littmann Medical U.S.A. gets the bonus points in my book!

I believe it’s also best to take some time and practice using your new Littmann stethoscope on yourself [or family/ friends/ pets/ whatever] prior to using it in a clinical setting. It takes a little getting used to if you’ve never used a tunable diaphragm before, as I’ve found the amount of pressure applied during auscultation is everything. Once you get the ‘feel’ you’ll be able to pressure-tune it without giving it much thought, or at least I’m now able to. You’ll find it works best when in direct contact with the skin too [even though I can still hear basic sounds through clothing] and beginning with very light pressure [just enough to set the non-chill ring flush against the skin, whether Diaphragm or Bell side, to start with] seems to be the best approach until you’re used to what’s needed to hear different frequencies/ sounds. While some other brands of stethoscopes I’ve used [and still use] can hear sounds through thick clothing somewhat better, I’ve found that those don’t pick up the wider range of frequencies as does this Littmann. Once placed directly against the skin I was impressed with the numerous sounds I am able to discern and hear now, sounds that I wasn’t hearing with other brands/ types of stethoscopes. If all you need is a scope to take BP readings then you might consider a cheaper model, especially in this tight economy, but if you want a scope that’s better suited for all-around use then this is a winner!

I’d spent weeks researching not just the latest stethoscopes but also the dozens of companies that sell them, looking over brands/ models/ reviews/ cost of item, possible engraving options for security & personalization & cost for S&H, before buying from Medisave. The YAG Laser engraving Medisave uses and the way they engrave along the radius instead of a straight line as some do was a definite kicker in choosing them as our vendor. The engraving looks beautiful, adding a personal touch and level of security to an otherwise already beautiful and well-made professional product. It’s etched into the stainless steel Bell radius of the headpiece @ 1,200*dpi [*dots per inch], not melted into the tubing or hand-gouged with a Dremel or scratch-awl as some charge for and do. Be aware that a YAG Laser engraver will literally burn/ etch directly into the metal through & beneath any coatings such as the copper finish of this model, leaving the metal underneath where engraved looking a soft frosted dark gray where engraved. It’s not like silk-screen print that can be rubbed or washed off of the surface; it won’t wear off with time and use, which gives it a higher level of durability and security in my opinion. The Medisave option of adding symbols along with the text is a nice touch too, making the final engraving look even more personal and distinguishable. I love it and so does my wife! It was nice being able to call Medisave pre-purchase with questions, speaking with a REAL person [Serena], without having to hit multiple buttons and listening to endless computer-simulated voice options as happens with so many other vendors out there nowadays. Some online vendors don’t even list any contact information, or make you click and click to try and find any, something I’d found more than a bit disturbing while researching vendors. All in all mine was and still is an exceptional experience, having dealt with and purchased from an authorized Littmann distributor like Medisave, very reasonably priced for quality USA-made merchandise and engraving done professionally with a YAG Laser too Medisave gets my vote. I don’t often do this with vendors, give praise of any kind, yet I highly recommend Medisave. We will be and are looking forward to buying from them again!

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PS: The Special Edition series of Littmann stethoscopes are hard-coated or anodized, such as seen in this Copper edition [it’s not made of copper, just copper-colored stainless steel, just to clarify for those that don’t already know]. I’ll try to attach a picture of my wifes’ new Littmann Classic II SE 2820CPR Copper/ Chocolate so you can see the coloring/ contrast of metal component finish is not a perfect match. The headpiece is a lighter copper color [like a shiny new penny] whereas the binaural tubes are much darker [like an old penny or what I think of as being a ‘last red cent’ color]. This contrast could be due to the different metal alloys used, the process involved, other reasons I can only surmise from my own experience in manufacturing. The headpiece, again not solid copper just so you know, is actually precision-machined surgical grade stainless steel. The binaural tubes are more of a lightweight aerospace-grade aluminum or similar lightweight alloy. Having done some manufacturing and having seen similar variances in coatings when applied to differing metals, to me this is not uncommon, as anodizing different materials can sometimes take on different hues depending on the process used. It would have been nice if Littmann got the colors to match but in no way does it detract from how well it works nor the overall beauty of the final product. It’s still a nice color combo contrasting with the chocolate-brown tubing; all colors blending rather nicely! Anyway this is more about the service is from Medisave than the scope colors, that said Medisave provided OUTSTANDING service. Thanks, Medisave, we WILL be back!!!

(Posted on 3/3/12)

I send 2 of these to Colombia and physicians who use them are fascinated with them. The quality is excellent!

(Posted on 9/27/11)

I like the look of the copper edition and the quality of the Littmann Classic II, so I was pleased as punch to find it with free engraving, free shipping, and at a low price. I love this stethoscope but I would like to point out that the copper finish of the binaurals and the chest piece for the copper edition are not a perfect match. I don't think it detracts from the aesthetic, but I felt compelled to mention it since it could be important to some consumers.

(Posted on 4/28/11)