iHealth Track Pro Upper Arm Blood Pressure Monitor for Home Use

Why it's worth it

The Track Pro is an inexpensive upper-arm monitor with sensors that check your cuff wrap and whether you're holding still before it inflates. Add a big color-coded LED display and a cuff that fits arms up to 42 cm, and it's the easiest pick for someone who won't use an app.

It attacks the error that actually ruins home readings: bad setup. Built-in sensors watch for body movement and check whether the cuff is wrapped correctly before inflation starts, and they also flag irregular heartbeats. Monitors costing considerably more skip that step entirely and just give you a number. If you're buying this for a parent who measures alone, that quality check is worth more than Bluetooth.

The display is the best argument for it. A wide-angle LED screen stays readable off-axis, and red, yellow and green indicators tell you where the number falls without any interpretation. Owners of dim LCD monitors regularly complain about squinting at a screen from an armchair. This one you can read from across the nightstand, at night, without your glasses.

From our review of 8 portable blood pressure monitors, by Eleanor Vance, Health & Beauty Editor

What we like

• +It attacks the error that actually ruins home readings: bad setup
• +The display is the best argument for it
• +The cuff range is unusually generous for the money
• +Power and storage are flexible enough for travel

What to know

• –The app is a bonus, not the point
• –There's no dedicated AFib screening