ADC Adscope 603 Clinician Stethoscope with Tunable AFD Technology, 31 inch Length, Iridescent Metallic Caribbean

I'm an AEMT in Mobile, Alabama.Coming up as a Basic, of course, I bought a couple of cheapie steths just to get through Labs, Psychomotor and Clinical Rotations. What I found was that a classmate of mine, who is a seasoned medic who had to re-qual after years in the National Guard, had a set similar to (one model below) these in blue. I was actually quite impressed with the difference in of a decent-quality scope and did some research online. When I passed National Registry, I promised to treat myself to a GOOD quality stethoscope and trauma shears.I had my eye on the Littman II, which at the time, was closer to $130. I put some alcohol-swabs, my BP cuff and a pair of my own ear guards in my purse and head to the local scrub and medical supply stores to listen to some scopes. I found the Littman scopes not a whole heck of a lot better than some of the less-known but still good-quality options. Discounting Cardiac scopes (I don't need to hear the difference between Mitral-valve Prolapse and Ventricular Septal Defect, LOL), Sprague scopes (well-priced but the tubing can rub and make it difficult to hear on a moving truck) and anything that looked cheaply made, I narrowed myself down to AdScope, MDF and Kila Labs. Amazon made my choice easier: after tearing apart all of the reviews I settled on this. I couldn't be happier.PROS:-This ADC model scope comes in a nice box, similar to Littman. It came with hard-plastic ear guards (which I immediately replaced with soft rubber) a spare diaphragm and a name plate that snaps over the bifurcation point.-The chestpiece is heavy and of excellent quality and it switched cleanly to the bell setting with a quiet but satisfying "catch" into position. It's solid, brushed-metal so you could easily have it engraved, if desired.-The tubing is thick enough to block out some ambient noise but not so thick as to be inflexible or vulnerable to cracking.-Respiratory sounds in all fields are easy to find and hear, as are the Korotkoff sounds in all orthostatic positions. Apical pulse with the bell is okay too.-The nameplate snap-on is a better anti-theft/identification tool than the "tag type" you see on some models. It's got a space to either write-in or stick a printed label onto and once it's snapped on and glued together, it's not going anywhere unless someone deliberately breaks that puppy off.-Color choices. They're just nice to have. :)CONS:-Heavier chestpeice means it's unbalanced when draped around your neck. That means you have to keep the durn thing tucked pretty firmly into the binaurals to keep it from slipping. Great for ER rotations but not so easy at a MCI MVC.-The "anti-chill" (as is the case with most scopes) doesn't really provide much in the way of anti-chill. What it DOES provide is an area to pay attention to during normal disinfection. This isn't a big deal, just get your fingernail in there while you're using the swab.ALSO OF NOTE:Be careful when gluing on that nameplate. The instructions recommend a drop of Krazy or nail glue, which works great but both glues contain chemicals whose fumes are corrosive to rubber and plastic so make sure you use the tiniest amount possible and get a buddy to hold it still so you can hold the thing in place while it dries so you don't risk rubbing the tubing into the inner sides of the thing. If you get that glue onto the tubing, you could make it brittle in that spot and it may eventually crack.If you're shopping for a gift for a Pre-Med, Nursing or Paramedic student, this is a GREAT buy. The color options, gift box, the fact that it's engravable and the quality make this at the very LEAST, a nicer "back-up" scope than the pitiful ten-dollar "can't hear-ums" to keep in the trauma bag or locker of even the most die-hard Littman fan. And the reasonable price-point means that even if they STILL want to throw away money on a Littman, no one's feelings will be hurt over this one.