Customer Reviews

Philips AVENT BPA Free ISIS iQ Duo Twin Electric Breast Pump, White

5 star:		(48)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I had a Medela Pump In Style Original that I used for about 3 months before it suddenly seemed to lose suction/power and I could no longer pump as easily as I once had. I was already pleased with all the Avent products I had - bottles, pacifiers, the microwave steam sterilizer, and the bottle warmer - the Avent breast pump seemed to get good reviews and I liked the idea of pumping straight into the feeding bottles, so I took the plunge. It *is* a lot of money, but so is any other dual electronic breast pump. I only wish now that I had bought this one first so I wouldn't have wasted money on the Medela.

I've been using this pump for two weeks now and I just hope it's lifespan is longer than the Medela because I absolutely LOVE this pump!

*** UPDATE *** It is now March 1, 2010. I've been using the Avent pump for nine months now and I still love it just as much as I did when I first got it. The connection between the hose and the pump motor housing is the only thing that has worn out - it's a little plug like a telephone jack and the little tab broke off. It still works, but I can see the potential for it to come loose during a pumping session so I plan on ordering a replacement before it actually becomes a problem. Based on others' comments, I know I have to order it straight from Philips and it can take a while. But other than that, it still works great, it's still in great condition, I haven't needed to fix or replace anything else, and I still LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!

Compared to the Medela PiS the Avent Isis Duo is:

Quiet
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The Medela was like a piston engine. One of the ways I new it was losing power was because it was no longer as noisy as it used to be. The Avent pump is MUCH quieter. If I wanted to, I could probably pump right in my cubicle and no one would be the wiser.

Comfortable
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Again, the Medela was like a piston engine. I felt like a cow hooked up to an automatic milking machine and it certainly didn't feel like my baby nursing. All the suction was concentrated on the nipples, not the areolae and, while not necessarily painful, it wasn't comfortable. It was supposed to have the two-phase suction that simulated the early, light sucking that stimulates letdown, followed by the deep, nutritive sucking, but I can't say I ever noticed a change in the suction or the rate. Sure, you could adjust the speed and intensity of the suction, but only to five specific presets.
The Avent, however, has the cushions that "massage" the areolae and I think this really does help with letdown and subsequent flow. If you know anything about proper latch-on, you know that baby is supposed to get the areola in his mouth, not just the nipple, so the Avent is much closer to nature in that respect. Plus, the intensity and duration of the suction are completely customizable and can be reset at any time. So you can really mimic the quick, soft letdown sucking before moving on to the long, deep sucking. I've gone entire pumping sessions without really feeling the suction, which is just like nursing - it doesn't generally feel like the baby is trying to tear your nipple off, but that's what the Medela felt like!

Efficient
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So Medela only had the preset speed and suction options and no matter what setting you chose, the suck part of the pump was the same duration as the release. But because you can completely control the rate of the Avent pump, you can do a very long pull (the instructions even say to depress the handle that creates the vacuum and hold it there for 3 seconds). The first time I tried this, I was amazed! The milk poured forth, a steady stream for the whole 3 seconds! It was really satisfying to hear the plop of all that milk fall into the bottle over and over again. I can finish a pumping session in much less time than I ever could with Medela. Also, because you can reset the rate at any time, you can restimulate letdown or change to a longer pause between pulls as you get to the end. With the Medela, I used to be able to still hand-express milk after the pump had long since stopped producing any, but I seem to get every last drop with the Avent pump!

Other things to keep in mind:

- The Avent funnels have more parts to disassemble, clean, and reassemble than the Medela funnels. Factoring in cleaning and assembly, while the actual pumping takes less time, my pumping sessions are overall the same amount of time from start to finish as they were with the Medela PiS.

- The Avent funnels are easier to clean by hand. When I'm at work, I use sterilizing wipes between sessions and I can actually reach all the places milk touches with my fingers. I couldn't do this with the Medela funnels.

- The Avent pump isn't integrated into the bag and it's cord is longer. This makes it a little more portable.

- The Avent tubes are stiffer than the Medela tubes. Be sure to use the bottle stands or those tubes will pull them right over.

- Avent includes funnel covers and screw bases that seal up the funnels between uses to keep them sterile. BIG plus over Medela in my book.

- The trigger and button for adjusting suction and speed are right at your fingertips instead of on the pump housing. With Medela, when you were double pumping you had to start the pump with one hand and then try to position that funnel over the breast while it was sucking, and you also had to try to break suction while the pump was still going and both hands were full - not easy!

- The included Avent manual pump is FAR superior to the manual pump included with Medela PiS.

All in all, if you're considering Medela, do yourself a favor and get this Avent pump instead! Your breasts will thank you!

I read a lot of reviews before buying a breast pump. Many people complained about how hard it was to figure out how to set up this breast pump. There are a couple of things to connect, but the shapes of the connections make it obvious what goes where. I didn't even read the instructions - just looked at the pictures. The pump works great!

It was uncomfortable at first, but you can adjust the pumping speed and pressure easily and figure out what is most comfortable for you. If I have the pump push as far down as it can go, it hurts, so I just don't do that. I love being able to stop and adjust the pumping after a few minutes so that I can get every last drop of milk out. All you do is pump manually and then push a botton, placed right on top of the pump handle and the motor takes over for you. Push that button again to stop it.

Cleaning is quick and easy. It's a closed system, so you never ever need to clean the tubing. I wash all of the pieces in the dishwasher.

I haven't figured out how to pump and have both of my hands free at the same time. But it's nice to have the pump running on automatic while I read.

The bag is compact, there's a place for everything, it's easy to travel with and it looks like you're carrying a big purse.

I work full time and pump 3x per day at work in order to send breastmilk with my son to daycare. Previously, I had been using an Ameda Purely Yours, so that is the only pump I have to compare. With the Ameda pump, I usually pumped 3-4oz during a 20-30 minute pumping session, however I still felt that it wasn't emptying my breast properly. I decided to take a chance on this Avent pump based on the mostly positive reviews and the unique design that gives you total control over speed and suction. I am so glad I did! I now regularly pump 4-5oz in 15 minutes, and have pumped as much as 7oz on a few occasions. Yes, many of the complaints noted in other reviews are valid, but for me, these are minor issues that I can deal with because the bottom lines is that it does a great job at extracting milk. I am no longer stressing over my pumping output and that is far more important to me.

CONS:
- At first, setting up the pump was a bit intimidating compared to the Ameda. There are lots of cables and tubes, and I wasn't sure what was supposed to go where. I've been using it now for a month and a half and the setup is now old hat. I actually keep it partially assembled inside the bag itself so I don't have to worry about most of it.
- The box I received from Amazon was missing many parts. I see other people complaining about this as well, so I have to assume it is a fairly common experience. CALL AVENT! From my experiences with their support, I believe they will make it right. I was missing the 2 9oz bottles, the parts to convert it to a manual pump (handle, top, 2 manual diaphragms), and the spare parts (6 extra white valves and 2 diaphragms in addition to the 2 while valves and 2 diaphragms that I did recieve). They shipped everything to me the same day that I called, and I had it within a week. Nothing that was missing prevented me from using my pump.
- You cannot get larger flanges for the pump, so to compensate for this I do not use the massage cushions. If you use the pump with the massage cushions, the flange measures 24mm. If you leave off the cushions like I do, it measures 27mm. In comparison, the standard Ameda flange measures 25mm. I also use some lanolin on my nipples just in case they rub against the sides of the flange.
- Milk collects underneath the diaphragms when you first start to pump. When it fills up that small space, it then starts to flow into the bottles. The first time I used the pump I didn't realize this, and I spilled milk when disassembling the pump. Now, I just make sure to carefully pour this "extra" milk back into my bottles when I'm done.
- I don't like or use the cooler or cool packs that comes with the pump. Like another reviewer mentioned, my cool packs cracked and leaked blue gel (Avent replaced those for me too). Each cooler can fit 1 4oz bottle and 1 9oz bottle. I pump into two 9oz bottles, and I'd have to use BOTH coolers to fit my bottles with one bottle in each bag. Seems like a big waste of space. I use a Playtex fridge-to-go instead, which fits great inside the very generously sized carrying bag.
- The bottles are definitely unsteady when attached to the tubing, and the bottle stand that comes with the pump does not fit the 9oz bottles. Again, a little extra care is required to make sure they don't topple over. I just make sure to unhook the bottle as soon as I am done pumping. I don't trust it to set it down on a surface for more than a couple seconds if everything is still attached.

PROS:
- I get lots more milk in a shorter period of time than my previous pump. This by itself outweighs all the items on my list of cons!
- You have total control over the speed and suction of the pump. You can get speed/suction combinations that I don't think are possible with other pumps that require you to manipulate dials. I believe this primarily accounts for my increased output.
- I love that the controls are right in your hands at all times. It makes it so easy to change up the pumping rhythm whenever you want. No more balancing the bottles on my knees while I reach for the dials to adjust.
- I really like the carrying bag, even though it looks a bit like a piece of luggage. The bag is large enough to fit all parts to the pump, my playtex cooler, plus some extras like a towel, lanolin, small purse etc with lots of room to spare. It's attractive and seems like it's made of quality materials. I've even gotten compliments on it. I keep the pump motor in the front zippered pocket, along with the tubes and power adapter already hooked up to the pump. It's a tight fit, but it all fits in the front pocket.
- The included documentation that came with my pump states that it carries a 2 year warranty, which is double what I've seen for other pumps on the market.
- Closed system pump, so it is not possible for milk to get into the tubing and you never have to sterilize the tubing.

Don't get me wrong this is a great pump! BUT, on 7/7 I ordered replacement parts (the pump body and let down cushion) directly from Philips (because you cannot buy replacement parts for this pump in stores) and it is 7/27 and the part is still back ordered. Again, YOU CANNOT FIND REPLACEMENT PARTS IN STORES! I've been using a hand pump at work and moms, you know what a pain that is! It will be your child that suffers if you need a replacement part for this pump! My sister has a Medela pump and she can buy any part she needs at a number of stores close to her.

these pumps are great. as a first time mom, i didn't know what to buy. i used the medela pump at the hospital and the first week when i took my newborn home, but wasn't too crazy about it. i read a bunch of reviews and decided to give avent a try. i'm so glad i bought these. my baby couldn't latch on properly, and i ended up pumping exclusively, so a good set of pumps is really important. i prefer avent b/c:

1. the hand controller lets you pump at ANY speed you choose
2. they're really comfortable (w/ the medela, i was getting sharp pains)
3. the motor is quiet
4. the motor still works great (i pump four times a day, 20-30min each session, for about 5 months now).
5. the suction doesn't touch the milk directly, so breast milk won't get into the tubes
6. the bag is designed to hold all the parts (motor, cord, adapter while you pump, so it's easy for working moms
7. comes with two 9-oz, two 4-oz bottles, four cold packs, and two insulators
8. the carrying bag is sleek, so you carry it to work and it just looks like a fancy computer bag.

the only thing that could be improved is that the power adapter is too big and heavy. would be great if avent can make it smaller and have the adapter fit right on the plug, so that it'll save an extra cable too. it's not a big deal if you leave everything in the bag while pumping, but if you want to take it out, then it is a bit bulky.

Update: Four months later...
I've been using these pumps for 9 months now and they still work great! Never failed on me once. The motor is not as quiet as before, but it is not loud either (i.e. if i pump downstairs, my baby and husband can't hear it from upstairs). One factor that i forgot to mention before is that you can simulate a "let-down", which is fantastic. Also, the suction is just right so that it doesn't hurt, but gets a lot of milk out. I didn't realize how important this is until I have to pump at work. I can get 6-7 oz. of milk in 15min. And to my point #8 above, I actually had a coworker walking up to me one day when i was going to the 'mother's room', she asked where i got my 'work bag' which looks really sleek. she had no idea what it was. i appreciate these pumps even more now, b/c they are efficient and discreet :)

I AM SO GLAD I PURCHASED THIS PUMP!! Here is why:

It was quiet!!! No roaring motor. I could pump right next to my sleeping babies and not wake them. I borrowed a friends pump that was so load I couldn't even watch TV while pumping.

It was Comfortable and More Natural.
The Avent breast pump has massage cushions. Unlike the other pump I used that just suctioned my nipples, the Avent pump was massaging the whole areola, helping with let down. It as close to natural as a pump can get.
It was also easy to hold and not heavy.

It's named IQ because it has an electronic memory. You set the rhythm and then the pump keeps it. This allows you to begin at a quick/short rhythm to stimulate letdown and then switch to slow/long rhythm that expresses more milk. You can stop and reset the rhythm anytime, allowing you to re-stimulate letdown.
The buttons are right at your fingertips, so you can start and stop the pump without breaking your suction.

Great Value- comes with a lot of extras!
I loved the manual pump that comes with it. I thought it was just as efficient. I actually have recommended the Manual pump to friends looking to buy an inexpensive pump (mothers of single babies). Philips Avent ISIS Manual Breast Pump - White

Pumping is not the `funnest' thing to do. In fact, it can be quite boring, and takes up valuable time, but the Philips Avent ISIS iQ Duo Twin Electric Breast Pump helped make pumping a bearable experience.

I have been pumping full time for five months and this is my third pump. I also have the medela harmony (manual) and the ameda purely yours (double electric). Of the three, I like this one the best, by far.

As a side note, I looked at the medela freestyle when I was shopping for a new pump (my ameda's crappy loud motor has already worn down), but it was much more expensive and it had a lot of whistles and bells that I didn't really feel I needed. So, having not used the freestyle, I can't really say which is better.

PROS:

- It is quieter than the ameda, but it's no mouse. My husband sleeps through it fine.
- I like being able to control the suction.
- This pump may have more parts, but they are so easy to clean! This pump is much easier to clean than either of my other pumps. It's the main reason I got this over the medela pis (which is set up about the same as the medela harmony) -- I have washed it by hand and in the dishwasher. NO PROBLEM. Just to demonstrate the difference, the way the medela pump is set up, you cannot get the some of the inner parts, not even with the little nipple brushes. If you don't clean the medela pump right away, it gets awful. I have to use a toothpick to clean parts of it. With this pump, though, you can easily reach all parts.
- This pump is made very very well. The parts for my other two look/feel very cheap. These parts are so much more durable. If I weren't pumping exclusively, I wouldn't feel I needed to buy any spare parts (see below in the cons section).
- This pump has covers! No more throwing the open pump parts around! You can cap off the open flange and where the pump meets the bottle. Much more sanitary!
- I've read reviews by people who say that using this pump gets messy because milk puddles around the massage petals. Well, a little bit of milk does pool, but I have that problem with any pump. I wear a pumping bra, and I find that when I release suction, the milk gets caught between the flanges and the petals, which hold it in there. I find that if I remove the petal and hold the bottle under it, the milk drops right into the bottle! Bottom line: this is less messy than any of my other pumps.
- I can pump more in slightly less time. There is a learning process for this pump, as it's different than my other two, but once you get it, it's more efficient. And complete control of the speed and suction is excellent!
- For this price (I got mine on sale for $210) they really did put a lot of thought and consideration into this pump. They thought of almost everything.

CONS:

- My other pumps use standard size bottles, and Avent makes it clear that their pumps are not standard size. I knew this beforehand, but I'm still a little sad about it. They make you use ALL of their equipment, and their bottles are much more expensive than the cheap little gerber ones that for some reason are my daughter's favorite. Also, I'd like to be able to pump directly into storage bags, but since Ameda does not make any, I cannot.
- WARNING: not everything listed in the box comes with this pump! There are no spare parts for the pump (there are extra lids for the bottles. It does not come with all the parts needed to make it a manual pump!
- There is a trick to using this pump -- you have to have it set up perfectly or you'll get really frustrated really fast. You need to pump next to a table where you can put the bases for the bottles so they don't come over, and you have to be sitting on a relatively flat surface. So although the bag for this pump is excellent, the pump isn't very portable. I can't vouch for using it in a pumping room at work, because I never have...
- This isn't that huge a deal, but as a side note: I was so impressed when I saw that this pump comes with completely removable insulated milk storage bags and cold packs--I thought "they really did think of everything!" Then I used my cold pack in my diaper bag (it has those typical side pockets for bottles, so I stuck a thin gerber bottle and the pack in it for a short trip). When I removed the bottle, I found that the cheap cold pack had broken and leaked the blue gel all over my bottle and my diaper bag! My diaper bag is machine washable, and I had to wash it to get out all of the blue goo. So yes, the pump is great, but be careful with the cheap cold packs!


Overall, this pump was excellent for what I'm using it for (pumping in one single spot at home multiple times a day). You can tell it's made with nicer materials than any of my other pumps. It just feels sturdier, and it's more sanitary, and they really did think of almost everything. DEFINITELY the best pump for this price!

Philips has released an excellent product here. We were using the Medela Symphony (rental) for about three weeks after leaving the hospital, which seemed to work alright, though was causing my wife quite a bit of pain. We picked up the Medela Pump in Style (was rated highly by everyone) only to find more pain and no real increase in milk expression after about a month of pumping. I picked up the manual Avent pump from BabiesRUs, to see how other manufacturers fair, and the results were incredible. There was no "pulling" of the nipple as the Medela technology, so my wife was never in any pain. About 25 minutes of manual expression EXCEEDED what the Medela pumps would provide from BOTH breasts. We then bought the ISIS Duo from Amazon as no Canadian retailers stocked it. It arrived in quick time and we began using it. The pump is quieter than the Pump in Style, though not as quiet as the Symphony. The Avent series is an excellent line, as we pump into the same bottles we feed from, and store the milk in the exact same bottles, so there is no transferring between containers. After ordering this set, we are now left with about a dozen bottles (we received quite a few with the sterilizer kit), so we can sterilize them as a batch to always have them available. We have picked up a second manual pump simply for the funnel, which we can now sterilize all four, and have two sets of pump funnels ready to go.

A neat feature is that you can control the suction (pressure and speed, start/stop) from the pump funnel itself, rather than reaching to the pump base. This was a real pain with the Medela series as you would really need a third hand to manipulate the settings. I recommend viewing the video of the pump in action on the Philips website for more clarification.

One issue many Avent owners are having is leaky bottles. After speaking with the tech support, they indicate that this is due to formula getting onto the rim of the bottles (thus preventing a clear seal with the silicone nipple - you should avoid mixing formula in the bottle), friction of a dry nipple on the rim of the bottle (again, will cause an opening in the seal - wetting the nipple resolves this), or over-tightening (tighten until you hear the "swish"). We had experienced this issue though have corrected it as we now understand why it happens.

My wife is quite petite, and about two months in she is able to express a bit over 100ml every few hours. We highly recommend this product of you are not satisfied with the Medela technology (sucking/pulling). You can try out the manual version (~$60 CAD) before splurging on the electric, simply to see if there is any benefit.

I will get to the point.. I would of rated it 4-5 stars if the pump hadn't died on the 2nd use.

Pros:
1. Very quiet and good suction power.
2. Price ~ under $250 when I bought it.
3. Included a set of manual pump, very useful when the electric pump one dies on you, lol. I figured they knew of their design defect and tossed in a manual backup?

Cons:
1. Reliability. Do your own research first. I have seen many more broken pump complaints AFTER I had bought mine.
2. Setup is a pain.
3. Carrying bag is HUGE. Its like a small carry-on or a very large purse.

I absolutely love this pump. It is light-weight and very, very easy to assemble. It comes with an instructional DVD that gets you started. Using the pump is a breeze. All parts are easy to clean and sterilize. I bought the Avent microwave sterilizer and all parts fit in it perfectly. I find it easier to take the pump out of its carrying bag but you could also leave the pump in the bag while pumping. The pump provides great suction and I am able to finish pumping between 10-15 min.
The noise level is just fine. You can hear the pump motor but it is relatively quiet. The insulated cases for transporting bottles are great.
I am very happy with this purchase.