Nurse SO went on a medical mission recently, and she mentioned she’d like her own otoscope. If she doesn’t get one on her own in the meantime, I thought it might make a good birthday present (in November). What’s a good brand/model?
If you want to buy one, get a Welch Allyn, like this. They are really the best, last forever and I think still come with a lifetime guarantee.
I second about anything by Welch Allyn; I got mine in 1980 and it’s still working (though the battery did need changing once, when it stopped taking a charge, about 14 years ago.)
I found the transillumination attachment to be a waste of money though. Same for the nasal speculum attachment.
Thanks!
Now, will all Dopers who just learned what an otoscope is please raise their hands? 
(Me first!!!)
It just never occured to me there must be a technical term for “the doctor’s flashlight-thingy-that hurts-when-he-sticks-it-in-your-ear”.
You didn’t know? **
I’ll third Welch Allyn. I’m no kind of a medical professional, but my ex-wife was an audiologist. She swore by her Welch Allyn otoscope.
** I did not know either, until I met my ex.
Sounds like Welch Allyn is the winner! 
Questions for Qadgop the Mercotan and psychobunny: Would you recommend the AA-powered one, or the rechargeable one? One reviewer says the AA-powered one eats up batteries. Another says that the rechargeable one doesn’t come with a charger, and that chargers are hard to find and very expensive. Is that true? (I have to admit that the otoscopes in the link cost about twice as much as I was planning to spend for a birthday present [of any kind].) Is the hard case really worth $100 more than the soft case? What do you think of the model 95001 diagnostic set?
get rechargeable nickel–metal hydride AA batteries. have two sets for the device and rotate them. hundreds of recharges and easy less costly replacement.
Waves wildly… 
The SO said she might buy an otoscope this week. I said I’d have to think of something else for Christmas, then. She said, ‘Well, since you looked them up, how much are they, anyway?’ I said $200 or $300, and showed her ones linked in this thread. She said she doesn’t want or need an expensive one. She borrowed one of these from a doctor when she was in El Salvador, and she said it was just fine. She said she’d be fine with a $50 one, and is going to check Walgreen’s.
Oh, well. Maybe I’ll get her a Welch Allyn anyway. She’ll be mad that I spent so much, and she might be offended that I ‘didn’t think her choice was good enough’ or something.
Bumping because the SO’s birthday is next month.
I’m thinking that the AA-powered one might be the one to use. She can take extra batteries with her, or source them locally, or ‘borrow’ them from another nurse. It wouldn’t be good to not have the 'scope available while it’s recharging; and when I looked when I started the thread, the chargers were expensive.
What about the other options linked in the quote? I hope to get opinions, but the default will be the AA-powered one in the soft case.
I’d concur with your default setting. Rechargeable ones are the best IMHO, but that assumes a stable worksite where it’s always used in the same place, and you can just park it in the recharger. But when the internal battery finally dies years later, it’s a bit pricey to replace, for certain. My original battery lasted about 20 years, but took $150 replacement.
Changing AA batteries are a bit of a pain, but that size battery is pretty ubiquitous.
Soft cases are fine in my book.
Excellent!
Thank you, Qadgop!
hmm----after re-reading, with surprise, post #5, which I apparently typed only half a year ago
Hands up all Dopers who had forgotten what an otoscope is !!!
raises both hands
I hereby declare that I am tired of not knowing what an otoscope is.
Therefore, to prevent further incidents of ignorance, I resolve that from now on, I will cease worrying about fancy language, and continue calling it “the doctor’s flashlight-thingy-that hurts-when-he-sticks-it-in-your-ear”.
Does the doctor use the otoscope before, or after using the sphygmomanometer?
Hey, you can’t fool me…I’ve known what a sphygmomanometer is since I was 8 years old!. Just like I learned Anitdisestablishmentarianism…My parents loved to teach us long funny words.
But nothing as mundane as a silly otoscope.
Only 8 letters…why bother with short ones?
(Oh…except for syzygy. Only 6 letters, but it still counts)
get the AA cell unit and buy 2 sets of NiMH (nickel–metal hydride battery) batteries, they will recharge hundreds of times. if you transport loose batteries then they should be in a zip bag to not short out. Sanyo makes Eneloop which are really good ones.
The SO likes the otoscope. Thanks to everyone for your advice.
I also got up early and made her a birthday cake. Did a piss-poor job of decorating, but it will taste good anyway. 