Omron Eco Temp Basic Thermometer

This is a good thermometer which is easy to use, as with all Omron equipment. It does exactly what it says it will do and that's fine. The only criticism I have is the beep sound that is issued when the temperature has been taken. It is so quiet you can barely hear it but I can't find anything in the voluminous instructions about how to turn this up so it is audible and presume, therefore, it can't be turned up.

Omron has a great reputation for health products, so when I saw this on Amazon for £2.50. I had to pick it up. It comes with a well fitted one-piece flexible clear plastic case that should protect the thermometer when not in use. Takes about 80 seconds for an oral reading (all that I tested, but will do rectal and under the arm readings too according to the clear manual.) The thermometer comes ready to use with installed button battery. Manual is in English and about 10 other languages. I was able to switch the thermometer to Fahrenheit, as specified in the manual, but the switching can be a little dodgy in my experience. Follow the instructions carefully. Once switched, this temperature scale becomes the new default at switch on. The thermometer beeps 3 times when temperature can be read. It does a power up check to test the accuracy of the instrument each time you turn it on. The last completed reading is stored in memory and re-played when the unit is switched on. I would have liked the temperature readings to be faster, but at this price and accuracy, I cannot complain.

I bought the Daffodil thermometer primarily because the price was very inexpensive at £2.75 and I had free delivery with my free trial of Amazon Prime. My wife bought the same device from Boots for £9 before I had checked the price on Amazon.UK. The Boots purchase was promptly returned without being used. Afterwards, I bought an Omron electronic thermometer as well.At first, I didn't trust the readings of the Daffodil purchased from Amazon.UK because I read at 35.6 ºC and my wife read at 36.3 ºC. The average "normal" human body temperature is of course ~37.0 ºC and I can't recall ever having had a low body temperature. So I then bought an Omron electronic thermometer, £3.24 from Amazon.UK and free delivery with Amazon Prime, so I could compare the readings from two such devices. I have an Omron blood pressure monitor that has always worked well for me, so I trust Omron products.Note that I took my temperature orally a few days later with the Daffodil and it read much closer to 37.0 ºC, so I don't know why it was reading low originally. Perhaps it was still cold from being outdoors with Royal Mail and needed to acclimatise to the ambient temperature of my home.I have just now taken my temperature orally with both the Daffodil and the Omron and the readings were as follows:Daffodil = 36.8 ºCOmron = 36.9 ºCThe Daffodil took 37 seconds to give me a reading. The Omron took 130 seconds to give me a reading but supposedly should only take 80 seconds to give me a reading.So the two devices seem comparable from my experience so far but the Daffodil might be better choice for a child who might have trouble holding still for a longer reading time. I have not used either device to take readings rectally or axially. I have not used any of the memory or other functions of which either device is capable.For the price of these devices, you can buy one of each for a combined cost of £5.99 plus shipping (if applicable), which is cheaper than buying one Daffodil from Boots; so you might want to have one of each in order to double check your temperature readings if you are in doubt as to the accuracy of the reading from a single device from one manufacturer.The Daffodil beeps when the temperature reading is done, as does the Omron. I could hear the beeping of the Daffodil but my wife could not and I had to tell her when the reading was done but we have previously established that I have more sensitive hearing than she does. She is not bothered by sounds that I find painfully loud. She has not tried the Omron as yet, to get a reading to compare with the Daffodil.Both electronic thermometers are made in China (along with pretty much every consumer product these days). The Daffodil is manufactured by Digital Daffodil Ltd, United Kingdom; and the Omron is manufactured by Omron Healthcare Europe B.V., The Netherlands, with the parent company being Omron Healthcare Co. Ltd, Japan.The plastic case for the Daffodil is made from a brittle plastic in two sections that completely enclose the device and the Omron case is a more flexible (and clearly less breakable) plastic in one section and the thermometer slides in and out with the top of the device thus left open to the air.The instructions for the Daffodil are provided in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. The instructions for the Omron are provided in English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Portuguese, Danish, Finish, Norwegian, Swedish, Dutch, Greek, Turkish, Russian, and Arabic.The instruction sheet for the Daffodil are printed on a sheet of paper ~380 mm X ~285 mm. The instructions for the Omron are printed on a piece of paper the size of a fold out style roadmap! :) I usually photocopy (and enlarge as required) the English instructions and keep them with the device. The other instructions may prove useful if your friend Svetlana visits from Moscow or Abdullah drops by from Cairo. (Who knows?)I must admit a bias in favour of Japanese products, so I will use the Omron to test body temperatures as a first choice and probably use the Daffodil as a cross check for readings that seem questionable. I will keep the Daffodil in the kitchen and use it primarily to see that I have warmed my milk to body temperature when I make kefir.Personally, I am rather resentful that every product in the world now seems to be electronic, including things like thermometers that do not need to be electronic, like a thermometer. I much prefer a "low tech" device over a "high tech" device because the more parts there are to any tool, the more things there are to go wrong with that tool. I have not owned a fever thermometer for years and I notice that glass thermometers filled with mercury or alcohol are simply no longer available as new items! They can be purchased as "antiques" on eBay for £10 or more. I may buy such an antique as a back-up for when the batteries go flat on the electronic devices or a massive solar flare knocks out all the electronics on the planet, which will no doubt happen when I have 6 degrees of fever and am ready to convulse and suffer brain damage! (Yes, I am VERY paranoid. LOL!) I will try and stay healthy. :)I hope my review helps you decide which product is best suited to you and your family's use. The Daffodil gets 4 stars out of five because I am suspicious of its accuracy and while the case is a better design than that of the Omron, it ought to have been made from a more flexible plastic. The Omron gets 4 stars because the reading time was rather lengthy at 130 seconds and the case ought to entirely cover the device in order to best protect it.A good quality glass thermometer would be worth 5 stars out of five if I could find a new one. I'll wager that they make them for Third World markets where the users might be 100 miles or more from the nearest source of replacement batteries. I have personally seen mechanically operated, treadle sewing machines made for foreign markets where access to electrical power is sporadic or completely unavailable, so I am sure glass fever thermometers are still made somewhere.----------------------------------Update 22 July 2014: A few weeks after I wrote this review, I found a source for a newly-made mercury filled thermometer. I don't remember the price or where I purchased it but the price must have been reasonable (under £10 for sure and probably closer to £5) because I am a cheap old bugger! LOL!When the thermometer arrived I noted that it was manufactured for the Indian market. The brand is "Hicks Akutem". Here is the manufacturer's website: [...] These thermometers sell for about £0.75 in India.So if you want a mercury filled thermometer, they are out there if you search the internet.Au votre santé!

Is very easy to use and the readings are mostly accurate, can be used both on adults as well as kids without any hassles. There is option for both celcius and fahrenheit readings and also stores the last few readings which makes it perfect. Couldn't ask for more in a thermometer at this price point.

PERFECT FOR THE JOB, ...Early disappointment though as I could only get this to read temperature in Celsius, (instructions not clear!) managed to change this & now got it showing in FAHRENHEIT, so really pleased! (Alteration from C to F facilitated by removing & replacing same battery, turning on and holding this button for a few seconds so it shows the C & then F sign, then release the button). Good value, great purchase.

I went for a premium product from a well known healthcare pruduct range and I’m disappointed. I had problems with digital thermometers before and this is the same, sadly. The longer you leave it in the higher the reading gets after the beep. Occasionally it gives a very low reading.

Handy to have and can fit it into a small bag.value for money

Only used twice so cannot comment on durability