How to choose a blood-pressure monitor

Whether or not you want a blood-pressure monitor that has high-tech circuitry or fancy features, you'll need one that at least measures your blood pressure accurately and stores the readings. All of our recommended models performed well in our tests, but to find the best monitor for you, consider the following:

Fit

Using a cuff that's the wrong size can result in a bad reading. Most models we tested have two cuffs or a one-size-fits-all. Make sure your choice fits well.

Accuracy

All of our recommended models (available to subscribers) were rated Excellent for accuracy.

Cost

The recommended models in the Ratings (available to subscribers) were priced from $46 to $130, but shop around. And check to see whether a monitor is covered by insurance.

Ease of use

Make sure that the display on the monitor is easy to read and understand and that the buttons are big enough. The directions for applying the cuff and operating the monitor should be clear.

Available features

An irregular-heartbeat detector checks for arrhythmias and other abnormalities. A risk-category indicator tells you whether your blood pressure is in the high range. Multiple-user memory allows two or more users to save readings. The data-averaging function allows you to take multiple readings and get an overall average.