Heine, Keeler, or Welch Allyn?

[leelee]

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I'm about to make a big purchase as a 1st year student--a retinoscope & ophthalmoscope set. I have three companies to choose from: Heine, Keeler, and Welch Allyn. The problem is, I'm have little to no experience with these instruments at all, and I have to purchase them very soon. I'm having difficulty distinguishing between the pros and cons of each one.

Does anyone want to throw their 2 cents in about those brands? What brands did any of you current students purchase?

 

[ppa93]

I'm about to make a big purchase as a 1st year student--a retinoscope & ophthalmoscope set. I have three companies to choose from: Heine, Keeler, and Welch Allyn. The problem is, I'm have little to no experience with these instruments at all, and I have to purchase them very soon. I'm having difficulty distinguishing between the pros and cons of each one.

Does anyone want to throw their 2 cents in about those brands? What brands did any of you current students purchase?

it depends on your preference. Do you want something that works and cheap? Well, if u do, then get welch Allyn. I got welch allyn because it is cheap and it works pretty good. If you are crazy about the optics, get Heine or Keeler. they both are pretty much similar but I heard the german one is better than the English one.
i hope this helps.

 

[UABopt]

I'm about to make a big purchase as a 1st year student--a retinoscope & ophthalmoscope set. I have three companies to choose from: Heine, Keeler, and Welch Allyn. The problem is, I'm have little to no experience with these instruments at all, and I have to purchase them very soon. I'm having difficulty distinguishing between the pros and cons of each one.

I went for Keeler... I really like the retinoscope, mainly because you have two choices for the aperture (by that I mean the hole that you look through) small and large. I like the larger of the two, and niehter WA nor heine allow you to change the size of the hole that you look through.

I really don't like my direct from keeler mainly because you have to fiddle with the stupid +20/-20 switch. I just use my direct when I am out on screenings so it really does not much matter.

 

[jefguth]

I went with the Heine set with compact handles. I love it. However, I tried my friends Keeler specialist O'scope last week and I thought the optics were just amazing - horribly awkward instrument though.

 

[eyestrain]

I went with Welch Allyn because of the cost. I've used the other brands on occasion and have never been blown away by them. Having tiny little handles is cool and all, but you use them for all of 5 minutes in an exam, so I'm not sure it justifies the extra cost. But really, whatever you get will be just fine as long as you know how to use it.

 

[Ryan_eyeball]

I went for Keeler... I really like the retinoscope, mainly because you have two choices for the aperture (by that I mean the hole that you look through) small and large. I like the larger of the two, and niehter WA nor heine allow you to change the size of the hole that you look through.

I really don't like my direct from keeler mainly because you have to fiddle with the stupid +20/-20 switch. I just use my direct when I am out on screenings so it really does not much matter.

I love keeler retinoscope, but the MEM cards that attach to the head of the retinoscope SUCK!!! They can break so easily, whereas the WA are just magnets. But other than that I like Keeler.

 

[r_salis]

I love keeler retinoscope, but the MEM cards that attach to the head of the retinoscope SUCK!!! They can break so easily, whereas the WA are just magnets. But other than that I like Keeler.

One of my MEM cards broke for my Keeler, too. 🙁 I love the optics in the Keeler o-scope, though, so I'm glad I went with it.

 

[sco1styear]

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[JennyJet]

I'm a 1st year at UCBSO, and we are making our purchases soon too. I will be going with the Keeler diagnostic set. During our pre-clinic class, we are able to test out the WA, Keeler, and Heine. I seem to get the best ret results with the Keeler. If you have small hands, the Keeler handle and dial position on the ret feels more comfortable. We've only done direct once during class, so I'm getting Keeler by default. I imagine I won't be using it as much as my BIO.

If you're purchasing a BIO, the top pick at our school is the Keeler wireless. The major complaint of BIOs is that they are too front heavy and that it is awkward being attached to the wall and getting tangled in the cords. The Keeler rep has made several visits to our school, and everyone is really impressed with how it feels. The new Heine seems to be a contender too. Most of the profs advise us that optics on any BIO will be very similar. It's the feel and comfort we should be more concerned with.

We have our equipment fair tomorrow, so I'll post more student opinions after test driving the stuff.

 

[sco1styear]

If you're purchasing a BIO, the top pick at our school is the Keeler wireless. The major complaint of BIOs is that they are too front heavy and that it is awkward being attached to the wall and getting tangled in the cords. The Keeler rep has made several visits to our school, and everyone is really impressed with how it feels. The new Heine seems to be a contender too. Most of the profs advise us that optics on any BIO will be very similar. It's the feel and comfort we should be more concerned with.

We have our equipment fair tomorrow, so I'll post more student opinions after test driving the stuff.

The keeler wireless was a really cool idea and impressed me a lot

 

[anchan]

i have a keeler set and while i can say the optics of the oscope are quite good, the -20/+20 switch is fairly annoying but it's rare that you have to enter than range but still, it's annoying when you have to.

many people have been having a lot of quality issues with their keeler sets at my school though, i don't know if this is just a bad shipment or whatnot but a handful have had major problems, myself included. and another bunch had minor ones, like new kits coming with dead bulbs (which isn't a big deal, but come on, in a new kit?)

my retinoscope had major problems though, the streak was not focused and there would be large hooking at the end of the streak and also there was a halo around the streak.

also the tip of my transilluminator came cracked, this was dismissed as "normal" by the sales rep, which is kind of farcical if you ask me. the hooking i described previously on my ret scope was also categorized as "normal", and i mean the hooking was bad, almost forming a "C" shape. anyway, after several emails, the rep finally took it in and sent it for servicing, which took about 1.5 months...

and nothing was done about the transilluminator. some of my classmates have had to have their oscope heads replaced or serviced and the hooking is fairly noticeable on many of their ret scopes as well, while i know this does not affect your findings when you perform retinoscopy, it's just the concept of it being there when it shouldn't be. that's like buying a new car and having the brakes squeak all the time, sure it might not affect the performance but it's really annoying and it's something THAT SHOULDN'T happen. and while the cost of these kits is not astronomical we still paid a fair bit of money for them, i would just expect a better quality product for our purchases.

anyway, that's just my rant and i needed to get it out there becuase the service and quality of keeler is subpar in my experience, but the instruments themselves, when they work properly are quite good.

some of my classmates have been having quality issues with the WA kits as well, heine seems to be the brand that has been ok so far, but who knows? maybe you guys have had a lot of problems with them. so far i prefer the heine kit, even if i think the oscope has clunky controls. the optics are excellent and the build quality is there.

 

[cpw]

I have Heine everything. Never had one problem.

 

[r_salis]

I have Heine everything. Never had one problem.

You're a Heine girl... *snicker*... 😀

 

[r_salis]

And now for my *actual* comment... 😀


I have a Heine BIO, it's great. The others felt too heavy, but the Heine is light and comfortable.

 

[JapAnime]

I bought the heine diagnostic kit. So far I really like it. I have small hands so the small handles suit me perfectly. I've also used the keeler and WA retinoscopes. All 3 sets will do the same thing. It's just depends on what you feel comfortable with. The keeler handle was too bulky for me, however, the optics on both the keeler and heine are up to par. Good luck with your decision.

 

[JennyJet]

It seems our class is leaning towards the Heine Omega 500 BIO b/c of weight, durability, and comfort. The Keeler wireless BIO is also in the running, but many felt it was just too heavy even though the rep touts how balanced it is. I felt the same way. I was all set to buy Keeler everything, but now I may be an all Heine girl.

I didn't like the quality of the Keeler rets and oscopes. They seemed somewhat flimsy, and I really didn't like the screw on heads. The person in charge of maintaining our pre-clinic equipment said he always has to repair the Keelers and constantly replace the bulbs. He said Heine is practically indestructible. A classmate joked it would make a good weapon too.

I'm somewhat torn between the Welch Allyn and Heine diagnostic sets. The WA Panoptic head seems like a nice feature, but I've never used it. Is it really all that, or is it just a whiz bang feature designed to make us spend more money? I really like the Heine quality, and the small handle is nice for my small hands. The ret dial is somewhat stiffer and higher placed than the others. Any thoughts on this one?

 

[rpames]

I have to disagree with the Keeler equipment feeling flimsy. I have Keeler everything and find it all very durable. I did have to replace the ret. bulb on Wednesday, but that is because I drop the ret on the tile floor from about 4 feet up. I pop a new bulb in and away I went. I personally found the Heine ret and ophth.scope strange feeling. But some people like it. I have used all three brand of both diagnostic sets and bios. They all work fine. I know people are sick of people saying, "Just go by what feels good to you." But that is really how you need to pick the product. The only real probable I have found was the WA bio is pretty crappy. Several people in my class who bought it last year have had problems with it. They may have change the design since then, but I don't know.

 

[cpw]

You're a Heine girl... *snicker*... 😀

In a Heine world... wrapped in plastic.. it's fantastic !!

Oh god.. now I'm going to have that stuck in my head all day.

Ah ah ahhh yeah.

 

[leelee]

I see that Heine and Keeler both have the xenon halogen lights in their ophthalmoscopes. Is this a huge advantage? Does this present any disadvantage to those who choose Welch Allyn?

 

[JapAnime]

I see that Heine and Keeler both have the xenon halogen lights in their ophthalmoscopes. Is this a huge advantage? Does this present any disadvantage to those who choose Welch Allyn?

Would you rather have xenon lights on your car or halogen lights? 😀
Supposedly, xenon is brighter than the halogen, therefore, you would probably get better optics and a better reflex. Keep in mind though, a well trained Dr. should be able to use any brand of equipment to assess his/her patients. I think that it is more important to learn/understand the theory behind using each equipment rather than getting used to just using one brand. My heine retinoscope and someone else's WA or Keeler all do the same thing. All 3 will get us a starting point for refraction.

(BTW...I think xenon lights look better on cars 😉 )

 

[r_salis]

In a Heine world... wrapped in plastic.. it's fantastic !!

Oh god.. now I'm going to have that stuck in my head all day.

Ah ah ahhh yeah.

Moohahahahahaha.

😀

 

[leelee]

Any other comments on the xenon lights?

I'm also debating on whether or not just one handle will suffice. Do those who have the sets feel like it is a necessity to have 2 handles?

 

[TarzanBoy]

Get the Heine. Better quality. It's worth the money. Never get the Keeler. You'll regret it.

 

[anchan]

Would you rather have xenon lights on your car or halogen lights? 😀
Supposedly, xenon is brighter than the halogen, therefore, you would probably get better optics and a better reflex. Keep in mind though, a well trained Dr. should be able to use any brand of equipment to assess his/her patients. I think that it is more important to learn/understand the theory behind using each equipment rather than getting used to just using one brand. My heine retinoscope and someone else's WA or Keeler all do the same thing. All 3 will get us a starting point for refraction.

(BTW...I think xenon lights look better on cars 😉 )

(BTW you don't drive with an ophthalmoscope stuck to the front bumper of your car)

xenon bulbs are overrated, most of the times when you examine you only need about half the illumination power of the instrument at most. personally i think it makes no difference, it's just so companies can have bragging rights, and if you think that you want to get it becuase you'll have a nice cool blue hue illuminated from your instrument (like it does with the automobile headlamps)...it doesnt' happen beucase that would give you a distorted perception of color when you look into the eye.

as for two handles, it's always nice to have that backup and i actualy don't know if the companies would be willing to just sell you a single handle becuase our kits all came in a set.

and even though i have keeler, i will agree with tarzanboy that heine quality is superior.

 

[drgregory]

I have Heine and love them. But it would be nice to have the panoptic offered by...(?)..I forget.
For my Heine I went with one compact handle and one regular and since I have small hands I really love the small handle. Also, when we do school screenings and I have my equipment in the pockets of my white coat, it is much lighter and convenient. I also went with a heine bio and like sticking w/ one company.

good idea - i have both Heine and WE sets at my offices, and having the WE panoptic is essential for children's examinations.

clinically, i prefer the Heine BIO over my WE BIO, i feel the optical quality is better.