Customer Reviews

Philips AVENT Isis iQ Duo Twin Electronic Breast Pump

5 star:		(64)
4 star:		(20)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

I've had my new IQ Duo for 2 weeks now. Previously, I was using an Ameda PY, which I used several years ago for my daughter and began using again for my now 4 month old son. I work full time, so use the pump 3 times a day during the week. I bought the new pump because the motor on my PY was getting a little flaky and I was hoping to get more milk with the Duo since I'd had good results in the past with the Isis manual. It does seem to help me get more milk - at a good pump, 6 ounces instead of my usual 3 to 4. So I'm extremely happy with the pump in that respect because right now, my life is all about having enough milk to leave for the next day. I thought I'd elaborate though, so here are my pros, cons, etc...


Pros:

You can adjust the suction strength, length of time the suction lasts, and the "rest period," all just by pumping manually a few times. This is the exact reason that I splurged on a new pump. With the Isis manual, I would always hold the suction until the milk stopped spurting. The cycle settings on my PY went nowhere near holding suction for that long. And when I made the cycle longer on the PY, the rest time between suctions seemed to increase too. With the Duo, you can make the suction period really long and the rest period really short - or any other combination that works for you. I can almost always get a second let-down, which was very elusive with the PY.

The cord is very long and the plug is a standard plug, not the big boxy thing like on the PY, so it takes up less space on the outlet.

I like the bags they give you for carrying your horn setup. And I like the fact that you can, in effect, seal off the horn assembly with the sealing base and the cover/bottle holder. It makes it very convenient to store them in the fridge in between pumpings (which of course the manual says you're not supposed to do since they should be sterilized before every use).

Supposedly, the valves don't need to be replaced for a very long time. The customer service rep I spoke to said with proper care, the valves would last over a year. And they include 2 extra valves in the box.

Avent customer service is great. I called to order extra horns ($9 each) and diaphragms ($15 each - maybe that should go in the cons), and the lady had a long conversation with me about how I liked the pump and offered lots of tips.

Cons:

It takes a lot longer to set up than my PY. With the PY, I always left the tubing and power cord attached. The Duo needs to be unhooked to fit in the bag. I did finally figure out that I could leave the power cord plugged into the pump and still zip up the front of the bag. I suppose I could do it with the tubing and control wire too, but I'm afraid they'll get bent or crimped so I unplug them every time. There are also a lot of things to connect - the air tubing, (which is a pain to plug/unplug because you really have to yank on it) the control wire, and the electric cord, which comes apart into 2 pieces, so I know one of these days, I'll be missing one piece of the cord and have to run home for it.

Once you've got the horns attached to the bottle, the setup doesn't stand up by itself. I think it's the petal insert that makes it top heavy. They do provide the piece that seals off the opening of the horn and doubles as a stand, but for me, it's just one more piece to forget. And if you're using the VIA bases, you're out of luck since they don't lock into the base stand. The control handle takes a lot of force to pull off- I'm afraid I'm going to be pulling too hard, have it pop off, and then knock over my bottles. The tubing is also fused together about half of its length (from where it connects to the pump up toward the control handle and double pump cap), which makes it very precarious to detach the tubing while holding both bottles so nothing tips. Also, the tubing (with the integrated control wire) is very heavy and stiff, so handling everything is awkward and it seems like there's more chance for accidentally knocking, dropping, or tipping. And yes, I do cry over spilt milk.

The cooler bags are small and have no handles for carrying separately. And who wants to keep track of 8 little icepacks? I already lost one somewhere in the depths of my freezer. Each bag only fits 2 4-ounce bottles or 2 6-ounce VIA bases. And the VIA bases especially are a really tight squeeze to get in there with the 4 icepacks.

The motor really doesn't seem any quieter than the PY, which doesn't really bother me except that the advertising led me to believe it would be quieter, and I can imagine it might be important for some people.

The control button is in a bad spot for anyone who sits at a desk while pumping. I keep hitting it on the edge of my desk, which makes the motor stop. I do like the fact that they put the control on the handle within easy reach, I just think it would have been better placed on the top somewhere. It also seems to be a little harder to lean against the edge of my desk to hold the horns on and continue to type with both hands like I do with my PY. I think the petal inserts make it not suction to the outer part of the breast as much, so they're harder to keep in place just by leaning against something.

Lack of "custom" parts. I started using the larger barrel diameter horns with my PY, and Avent doesn't offer (and has no plans to offer) a larger diameter horn. Without the petal insert, my nipple eventually gets sucked all the way to the back of the barrel. I have to keep breaking the suction and reapplying. With the petal insert, my nipple doesn't get sucked in so far, but I still have milk ducts that are up against the side of the barrel (which also happens with the standard PY horns, and didn't seem to affect my milk production too much).

The Duo seems a little less comfortable to use than my PY. I tried both with and without the petal inserts, but I seem to get sore no matter what, whereas I don't with the PY. Or maybe I have the suction stronger- I will have to experiment with that.

Milk gets stuck under the diaphragm part, so when I'm done, I need to remove that part and dump that milk into the bottle. It just makes the whole process take a little longer.

Versus the PY, there are a lot more parts. The integrated air tube/control wire and the control handle are probably expensive to replace if they break. They look pretty durable, but being external parts they'll be exposed to more wear and tear. Avent customer service couldn't even give me a price for replacement of those parts, but did suggest that they would work with a customer if there were any problems.


Nit-picky things:

The status light is not visible when the pump is in the bag, so if you want to leave it in the bag while you pump, you need to pull it out a little to see it. You're supposed to check that the light goes from flashing to constant on before starting, which happens within seconds, so it's not that big of a deal.

It would be more convenient if the zipper on the front where the pump is stored were a 2-zipper system so you could pull both zippers up from the sides toward the top.


Observations:

I always get more milk from the non-control side, even though I've tried the control on both sides. The Avent rep said suction should be equal on both sides and suggested that I check and make sure everything was sealed correctly, which I've done but still seem to have a problem.

I breastfed my son for 15 months and I am now breastfeeding my second child. I work full time and so I MUST have a reliable and easy to use pump. I am also a breastmilk donor and donate milk to a mother's milk bank for premature babies. So,in addition to feeding my own child I must have enough supply to donate as well.
I used the Medela Pump in Style Advanced the whole time that I was nursing my son. (So trust me after 15 months I know all of its pros and cons) The Medela PIS advanced has a very large bag and is very heavy once you get it packed up with all of your milk and supplies for pumping. I am also a petite female and the strap on the bag for the Medela PIS is so large and long that it was forever falling off of my shoulder while trying to walk to the parking garage. The personal fit horns for the Medela PIS are great except there is a ridge inside that can rub your nipples raw. I loved my Medela PIS at first but towards the end really started to dislike it. I also noticed that the longer I used it, the Medela PIS, the more my supply diminished. I could pump for 20 minutes and then could sit there and hand express 2 to 3 more ounces from each side with just my bare hands.
So this time I decided to try something different. The Avent Isis IQ Duo.
THIS PUMP IS WONDERFUL! A BREATH OF FRESH AIR!
The ability to select your own suction level and speed is great. (You definately don't have that same option with the Medela PIS) I get 10-12 ounces in 10 minutes versus the 8 I got in the same amount of time with my Medela. I think The Avent duo pump is extremely quiet. I believe it is less noticeable than the PIS ever was. The microfiber bag is perfect and is comfortable to carry, even for a very petite female like me. I believe the set up for this pump is no more complicated than setting up the PIS by Medela.
Overall I would have to say that I LOVE this pump. It is comfortable, quiet, efficient and worth every penny. I only wish it had been around when I breastfed my son for 15 months!

UPDATE!!!
After reading some of the other reviews I wanted to add a few other things:

1. This pump is no more top heavy than the Medela pump in style. The tubing for my Medela was no more flexible than the tubing on the Avent Isis IQ duo. I cannot tell you how many times the tubing for my Medela Pump in style tipped the bottles over spilling my precious breastmilk everywhere.

2. The Avent VIA bases are Wonderful for storing your breastmilk. They work much better than the bags because they do not leak. As far as not having stabilizers to hold the via bases; the lids work perfectly as a base for the via bottles. The bottoms of the via bases fit in the tops of the via lids.

3. Unless you have used a pump for at least six months or more I don't think you truly realize all of its pros and cons. As I said, at first I loved my Medela Pump in Style Advanced. Now I couldn't bear to be without the Avent Duo.

I bought this pump after having a very hard time breastfeeding, but I was determined not to give up. I tried the Medela Symphony which is the best hospital grade pump on the market and after 15 mins of pumping I was able to express about 2-3oz and it was costing me a bundle per month! I saw this one when it first came out and was hesitant after seeing the price tag. So far I am amazed at how confortable this pump is. I have been able to go from expressing 2oz in 15 mins to 4oz in 10 mins. This pump has infinite control, I can adjust this with just the touch of a finger and can double pump comfortably and easily. I work from the house but this is excellent for me to pump and let my husband feed our son and on outings I dont need to take any formula along any more! It is an expensive pump but worth the money considering the suction is hospital grade and it helps build you're supply as well.

*******UPDATE*******
I have now been using this pump every day for two months. So far so good, I have not had one day of problems with this pump. I keep all the wiring and tubes attached to it and zipped up so that when I need to use it, I only need to attach the pump assembly. My supply is great now and since my baby has started cereal I find it great that I can give him cereal with breastmilk instead of formula or water. The parts are all as good as new with every day washing and serilization. I will say that unless you really need to double pump or you have supply issues like I had, this ump may be too pricey. There now is the Isis Uno which is a single pump but is $200 - $250 cheaper.

Alright, I've only had this for one day, so I am still in the honeymoon stage and getting used to it.
I decided to get this after using the Medela PIS for about 4 months. The PIS was extremely painful and I was having problems with supply, so I wanted to try this one. It has ups and downs.

Pros:
1. Much more comfortable. With the PIS I had to sort of grit my teeth and I knew when milk was expressing. With this one, I have to look down to see if anything is coming out. Feels much more like nursing.
2. Quieter. This pump is more quiet than the PIS.
3. Convenience- I can pump into the Avent bottles, which is what my daughter takes anyway.
4. Much easier to clean. I LOVE that you can take the entire thing apart- with the PIS, I couldn't get into the inside of the horn/flange thingee and it was getting milk build-up- GROSS!!! I didn't want to have to keep buying more horns, so this is a much moe economical solution.
5. I love that it also comes with manual parts so you can pump mnually if you want to, I wanted to get a manual pump for road trips and things, and this is like a 2-in-1 deal.
6. Did I mention comfort? :) I just can't get over how much less painful this one is.

Cons-
1. Takes longer to set up (more things to connect and disconnect)
2. Cooler bags are small and awkward- it's hard to get the bottles in and out of these. You can barely fit one 4 oz and one 9 ounce bottle in these bags, barely. It's a squeeze, and all the gelpacks are a little hard to keep up with.
3. Larger learning curve. I am still getting used to this one, but it takes longer to learn how to use and I am still getting the hang of getting the manual to electric trick.

So far I have pumped about the same amount at each session, maybe a little less, but I think I have to adjust to the pump. Last night, however, after my daughter nursed until I felt almost empty, I went ahead and tried to pump, so I could try it out. If I had attempted this with the PIS, I would have gotten nothing, with this Avent pump, I got about 2 ounces.
Very nice.

I went back to work fulltime when my daughter turned 6 months old. I had been using a Medela PIS to pump one day a week and it worked fine, so I brought it to the office. I spent 30 mins pumping 3-5 oz. It was depressing because I had tons of work to do, but I had to express enough milk for my baby. I decided to try the ISIS iQ, and I love it! In 15 mins, I expressed 6 oz. The breastshields are comfortable and the pressure feature allows me to set the suction just right for both breasts. (One is easier to pump.) It doubled my output on both breasts.

I am very excited about this pump. It's lightweight and portable. Since my daughter uses Avent bottles, I can prepare her bottles for day care in one step and not worry about losing a drop of milk. It was worth the money considering that hospital-grade pumps rent for $50/month plus attachments. If this pump poops out before I've weaned my next baby, I'm getting another one just like it.

I've tried many pumps (ISIS manual, Evenflo manual, Whisper Wear double electric, Medela Lactina Select, and now the ISIS iQ Duo). When I got a job as a BRU associate when my daughter was 3 months old, I figured I'd need a double electric pump.

I rented the Lactina Select, while I saved up for a PIS advanced, since being told by many that it was the best pump around. I'd been using my ISIS manual since my daughter was born (she only nursed on one side to begin with, so I began pumping on day one) and I loved that pump. I had bought the Whisper Wear when I decided to go back to work but quickly decided it wasn't the pump for me. The evenflo had been given to me by a friend, but was used once and tossed, it was too uncomfortable.

When I first got the Lactina, it worked great. I was expressing as much milk per breast as I was with the ISIS manual, but since I was double pumping, I was getting twice as much milk! It seemed great. Loud, and bulky, but it did what I asked of it.

Then, I started getting clogged milk ducts. Recurring ones. And it hurt. I talked to my doctor (also a new breastfeeding mom) and she said it sounded like the standard 24mm size breastshields were blocking a milk duct and clogging it. She suggested I go up one size to the 27mm breastshields. So I did. Those were too painful to use. Even after repeated uses. It hurt so bad that I got so tense and nervous about pumping that I was lucky to get 1oz per side in 15 minutes!!! And I had been averaging 5-6oz per side in 20 minutes!

At this point, we couldn't afford another electric pump. So, I bought a second ISIS manual. I double pumped with the two manual pumps. This was in early December, a month after I started my job. Although it wasn't easy or convenient, it was important to me that my daughter get only my milk, so I used the two manual pumps 3 times a day to double pump. Even with this unconventional method, I was producing about 7-8oz in only 10 minutes when double pumping. I was actually making MORE milk than with the hospital rental pump!!!! The ISIS was so comfortable that I was able to relax, which helped me produce more milk. The petal cushions also helped with a stronger, more natural let-down.

I got the DUO in January, after we saved the money for it. It's everything I love about the ISIS manual- ONLY BETTER! The star shaped valves have been replaced by a cone shaped valve which is less likely to get lost or pop out while pumping. I am able to keep my control wires and power cord plugged into the pump motor while in the bag, which makes setup take all of 10 seconds. I plug the cord into the wall, pop the top of the control wires onto the breastshields, and screw the bottles on. Then I'm ready to go! The motor is definitely more quiet than the Medela was. The pump is faster too. I am done pumping and have everything wiped clean (I use the cleaning wipes from lansinoh to make it faster) in about 10 minutes total now. I love the controls being at my fingertip rather than at the floor on the motor.

This is a truly innovative pump. So personal, easy to use, and great results. I have no hesitations in recommending this pump to any woman who plans to breastfeed her baby and go back to work. I would also suggest to anyone planning to nurse their baby to get your hands on as many good breastfeeding books as you can before the baby is here. Education is the key to success!

I've only had this pump for a day but I absolutely love it!!!

I'm now the official "Guinnea Pig" for the Avent Isis IQ Duo (I tested it for the lactation consultant at my hospital). My mom wanted to give me an electric pump and after using the Avent Isis manual pump I thought I might like this one. Its a bit expensive, $350 but... all I can say is Wow!!! Its very quiet, easy to put together (especially because I was already familiar with the manual pump). When you first start to use it you can use the handle to stimulate letdown (I use five quick squeezes and then I'm ready) then you can set your own pace and pressure, once you like the setting you push the button and it remembers your own style. If you're in a hurry you could also skip "setting" the pump and just push the button. Its so gentle that you cannot even feel it. You can't hear the motor as it works and its very relaxing. I tend to pump one side while my baby nurses on the other and this was the first time I could totally focus on her and not myself pumping. I got 1 oz more than I usually get and it was faster and easier.

So... I give this pump raving reviews. Its so soft, quiet and easy to use. The bag that it comes in is great, the instructions and breastfeeding/pumping guide offer great advice, especially specific to pumping. Also, the tubing and everything never touches your milk so I can see that this pump would be great for multiple babies or sharing. The new user would just need a new diaphragm, valve and horns.


PS- They are also coming out with a single electric in late January.

I just bought the Isis IQ Duo a week ago and I absolutely love it. It's easy to use and it cuts the amount of time I spend pumping in half. I was using the Avent manual pump which I also highly recommend. The manual pump worked great - I would pump 2-5 oz in about 20-25 minutes, which was okay but a little time consuming at work. The Isis Duo cuts that time in half, doubled the amount of milk I was getting and it doesn't take long to set up either. The motor is really quiet. I don't know why the one reviewer says that you can't change the suction because that's just not true. You start by manually pumping and when you push the button it continues to pump with the same rhythm and amount of suction that you apply and you can change it at anytime during the session. It comes with 4oz & 9 oz bottles. I've never seen a bottle smaller than 4oz. It is expensive, but I believe it was well worth the money.

I was using the Medela Pump in Style while I was home on maternity leave, for about three months. When I went back to work, I used the Avent manual pump for about a month until I saw the Avent Electric Pump was coming out on the market in November. I was excited about trying it out because I love the Avent line. It is truly the best pump! I love how the bottles fit right onto the pump, and how quiet the motor is. The bag is great because it fits everything plus there's extra space for additional things that you would want to take to work. I pump about 5 ounces in 10 minutes, which is the best results I've gotten between both the manual Avent pump and the Medela. Medela's got a run for it's money with this new Avent pump! I HIGHLY recommend this pump, even though it is expensive!!

I switched to this from PIS after almost 5 months. I had a lot of discomfort and pain using the PIS even with all the adjustments. I love this pump because it is so much more comfortable, and very easy to use. I actually forget I'm pumping once in a while!

As for the previous review-- the only time it's suggested to pump manually is for let-down, and that's only if you want to. If you touch the blue button, it automatically starts at the setting you finished on last session. It takes me less than a minute to let-down and then I set it (one touch setting) to the speed that *I* want-- not a preset on the machine.

It only took me two or three episodes to get used to it and I am thrilled with this pump. I wish I had started with it to begin with! I was concerned about the price, but for me it is worth it to provide breast milk for my son, and be comfortable doing it.