ReliOn HEM-741CREL

Although the ReliOn HEM-741CREL auto-inflate, upper-arm digital blood pressure cuff receives excellent ratings in independent tests, users aren't as generous. The majority of users do find this model to be reliable, but a substantial number complain that when tested against hospital or doctor's office versions, this monitor gives either consistent but different, or wildly inconsistent, results. Others report that although the monitor was consistent at first, its readings became less reliable over time -- sometimes in as few as several days.

On the upside, users say that this model is easy to use "right out of the box," and 93 percent of the users surveyed through a major retailer say they would recommend it to a friend. In a major consumer test, the HEM-741 was also found to offer faster readings than all but one other upper-arm blood pressure cuff, although the margin between fastest and slowest readings was only 20 seconds. A few users say you must purchase a larger cuff for this unit to get truly accurate readings. This model is produced by Omron and sold through Walmart; it includes a large-digit display and irregular heartbeat detection, but it doesn't store your past blood pressure readings.

ConsumerReports.org is the best expert review source for the ReliOn HEM-741. This model doesn't appear to have been evaluated by the British Hypertension Society (BHS) or the dabl Educational Trust, which both maintain extensive lists of ratings for home blood pressure monitors. Walmart.com is an excellent source of user reviews, but because the HEM-741CREL is available only through Walmart, the only other user comments we found are from Epinions.com.