In reviewing the different AED / Home Defibrillator choices to try to boil it down to a single recommendation was difficult. As is true with most technology, each company has a niche feature for their product to differentiate it from the others. One thing we can say, they will all do the job for which they were intended, so then what criteria should we use to recommend the product to you?

Criteria for Selection of a Home Defibrillator

My answer is looking at the cost of ownership of a home defibrillator over a 5 year and a 10 year period.  For  home use 5 years is probably long enough, but for office, businesses, public places and schools you might want to look at the cost over a 10 year period.  In doing this I am assuming that you will not use the pads, just replace them at the manufacturer’s recommended interval. The same assumption holds true for the batteries. Some batteries are rechargeable, and some like the Heartsine AED Plus, are included with the pads so you use the pads and replace them you also are replacing the batteries. This comparison chart was made using standard pricing I found on the internet, so it is possible to find cheaper prices or even generic pads and lower the cost of ownership. However there is one clear winner here, the Zoll AED plus home defibrillator is significantly cheaper to own compared to any other home defibrillator. The main reasons for that is the long shelf life of their pads (5 years) compared with the 2 – 3.5 years of other manufacturers. Also they use standard D type batteries and also can use the lithium ion cells (5 year shelf life). It means that there is zero cost for the first 5 years and a one time cost at 5 years to 10 years that is quite low. (see chart below). There were several things that swung me in favor of the Zoll AED Plus home defibrillator but a major feature was the one piece pad set with CPR sensor. You can only put it on one way, and the best thing is that it gives the person doing CPR, feed back on how hard they are pressing – both telling and showing them graphically if they need to push harder or softer. This is a big issue with doing CPR, because most people are unsure of exactly how much pressure to use.  Personally I am buying a Home Defibrillator to be used on ME, so I want to give the person using it every possible help in getting me “restarted”.

You can buy the Zoll AED Plus home defibrillator from Amazon by clicking here

Other pluses include Dust Dirt & Water Resistant to IP 55, which means it is protected against dust and even water sprayed (with force) on the unit. This is why you see the Zoll AED plus being used by life guards on a beach (most other home defibrillators- other than Heartsine – are barely moisture resistant. And last but not least,  they have designed the top cover to act as a prop under the victim’s head to help keep the airway clear and unstressed during CPR, this can be very important if you have only one person giving you CPR. Remember that they have their hands full already so any help they can get is very important (to you). So there you have it, all of them will do as advertised. They each have some pluses but personally, I am putting my money on the Zoll AED Plus Home Defibrillator.

 

Home Defibrillator Cost of Ownership comparison


 

WARRANTY Adult Pads Batteries 5 year 10 year
Zoll AED Plus 5 YEARS 168 56 0 168
Heartsine Samaritan PAD AED 7 YEARS 150 INCLUDED 300 450
Phillips HeartStart 5 YEARS 61 145 267 595
Cardiac Sciences G3 AED 7 YEARS 40 340 420 880
 

 

 

 

You can buy the Zoll AED Plus Home Defibrillator by clicking here