Not all stethoscopes are made the same - that’s a simple fact. And it’s not even about the branding. It’s the small qualities you might overlook when buying one. You might even wonder if the price of the stethoscope is worth it at all. Well, wonder no more!
Here is a comprehensive review for Littmann Classic III from somebody who actually uses it every day. 

“The Littmann Classic III is like Queen Elizabeth The II - been around for a long time but still kicking goals!”

The Littmann Classic III was the first Littmann I ever had. Mine was dark green and not much to look at but boy did I love it!

When it was eventually stolen (to this day I think it was a Doctor! I will find you and I will kill you, jokes!) I was devastated. 

I really think this stethoscope is a great all-rounder. Suitable for the student Nurse but also the seasoned Nurse. 

 

I know it’s hard to buy stethoscopes online so this is my personal honest review of the Littmann Classic III Stethoscope, this time in Raspberry Rainbow Color. I hope you will enjoy it and that it may help you in your search for a new stethoscope. 

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Top 10 Things to Consider Before Buying The Littmann Classic III

 

1. Acoustics

 

A stethoscope is a tool for listening so this is probably the most important thing to look at when buying one.
I have personally used The Littmann Classic III at work and the acoustic is really good, loud and crisp.

While most Littmann Cardiology Stethoscopes have double lumen tubing, which is the gold standard when it comes to stethoscope acoustics, the Littmann Classic III, even with just a single lumen, is not far behind with just minimal rubbing noises. With that being said, if you are debating between the two, you won’t be sacrificing the quality of the sound if you choose the Littmann Classic III.

 

And for that reason, I've given it a 4/5 Stars.

2. Eartip Comfort

 Now, in all fairness to all Littmann stethoscopes, all of their products have really good quality rubber ear tips. There are other parts of a stethoscope and their different uses, but for the Littmann Classic III ear tips, I’d say that they have perfected its purpose. They are soft enough not to hurt your ears, even from prolonged wearing, but still firm enough to create a really good seal.

 Now, everyone has a different set of ears so I will also review the sizes of the ear tips available to Littmann Classic III more below. 

For ear tip comfort though, thumbs up! 5/5 Stars.

 

3. Weight

The Littmann Classic III weighs 158 grams or 5.5 ounces. To put that in perspective, that is just as heavy as an apple! And for a stethoscope, that’s an acceptable weight.

If you’re like me, you probably wear your stethoscope around your neck all day, and at the end of the day, you can kind of feel it sitting there on your neck. The weight is quite good though and it won’t strain your neck even if it hangs on you the whole shift. 

Another thing that bothers me about stethoscopes is that they have a tendency to slide off you, especially when you are out and about leaning down or reaching up. The Littmann Classic III doesn’t do that. The chest piece is not too heavy for the binaurals so it has a nice balance on your neck. And if you’re also like me, and you’re protective of your stethoscope you can check out these stylish stethoscope cases from Bjorn Hall. 

 For sitting quite nicely when not in use, I’ve given in a 4/5 Stars.

 

4. Price

 At the time of writing, the Littmann Classic III was bought for a $100 USD and that price for a stethoscope is a really good value for money, considering all the stars it garnered for this review and that you will also get a nice Raspberry-colored tubing and the rainbow finish.

 So for the price, I’ve given it a 4/5 Stars.

 

Before I continue, you might wonder

 

 “Just how many stethoscopes do you have at home Jenny??” 

 

Well, I have bought and reviewed a lot of stethoscopes but they are not at home collecting dust. I do run monthly give-aways, so if if you're interested and would like to join, check out my website for the giveaway of the month.

 

5. Tubing Length

The Littmann Classic III stethoscope is 71 cm long or 37 inches. It’s an acceptable length for a stethoscope but to be honest, I would like it to be a little longer. It would love it if I don’t have to crouch at all. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It still depends on you and is not a deal-breaker though.

For the good length of the tubing, I give it a 4/5 Stars.

  

6. Tubing Feel

 For a person who doesn’t go through a lot of stethoscopes, the Littmann Classic III’s tubing would feel fine enough. But for me, I have reviewed other stethoscopes and their tubings have a quite different feel. One thing’s the same with all these tubings though, it will eventually get soiled and you have to clean your stethoscopes properly. 

Other stethoscopes feel nice and soft compared to Littmann Classics III’s smooth but a little sticky texture. It gets stuck in the neck a little bit and has a little snag. 

You won’t notice the difference if you’ve never had a better stethoscope. 

But since I’ve tried better, and I’ve tried a lot, for the tubing feel I give it 3.5/5 Stars.

7. Stethoscope Design

 The Littmann Classic III’s Raspeberry Rainbow aesthetics looks really pleasing to the eyes.

The chest piece has a really cool rainbow finish and the tubing has a beautiful deep burgundy color. It is really stylish and pretty.

 

The state of the stethoscope when I bought it was immaculate. No scratches, dirt or fingerprints marks. It was really a big plus for me and it says a lot about manufacturing.

 The chest piece is turnable which is very important, and something I always look for when buying a stethoscope. It comes with both a diaphragm on the pediatric side and the adult side. Which you can also transform the pediatric side into an open bell if you want to.

 The ear tips are pull-off and push-on type, unlike some stethoscope that you screw on the ear tips. I personally like the Littmann Classic III’s style because they are the screw on’s usually screw off on itself and you lose then at work. The ear tips are snuggly fit and cannot be removed easily. You have to put a bit of force on it so that is really good. 

 It’s has a really good and thought-of design so I give it a 5/5 Stars.

 

 8. Spare kit

 Aside from the manual inside the box, the Littmann Classic III also comes with a spare set of smaller ear tips, which is a nice consideration. They have the same quality and feel of the ear tips that are already attached to the stethoscope so it is also commendable.

 It also comes with a non-chill rim that you can put on the pediatric side of the bell if you want to turn it into an open bell instead. 

 I give the spare kit a 2/5 Stars.

 

 9. Warranty

 The Littmann Classic III has a five-year warranty which means if a material or manufacturing defect occurs during the warranty period, it can get repaired free of charge, except in the cases of obvious abuse or accidental damage. 

 For that, I give it a 4/5 Stars.

 

10. Buying Experience

When I received the stethoscope in its box, the label had read “Caribbean Blue Tube” and I thought that they had sent me the wrong color. When I opened it though, they have indeed sent the right one which is the Raspberry Rainbow color, so it was all good. 

It has a black foam inside the box that holds everything in place, the stethoscope, the spare kits, and the manual. 

If you would like to see this stethoscope fresh from the box, check out my Littmann Classic III Unboxing Video.

The buying obviously experience doesn’t change the functionality of the stethoscope, but for the purpose of a full review, I would like to include it for you to also know what to expect when you receive your product.

For the overall buying experience, I’ll give it a 3.5/5 Stars.

 

Littmann Classic III Raspberry Rainbow Complete Review Score: 39/50 Stars!

 To recap our ratings :

 

Acoustic:  4 Stars

Eartip Comfort: 5 Stars

Weight: 4 Stars

Price: 4 Stars

Tubing Length: 4 Stars

Tubing Feel: 3.5 Stars

Stethoscope Design: 5 Stars

Spare Kit: 2 Stars

Warranty:  4 Stars

Buying Experience: 3.5 Stars

 It is a good score, but what faults it, is the spare kit and the buying experience. 

 The ear-tip attached to the stethoscope is medium, and the spare kit comes with an extra ear tip that is smaller in size. It would have been nicer if the spare kit includes three different sizes of ear tips since everyone’s ear is different. 

When it comes to the diaphragm, they also have a tendency to fall off sometimes and go missing, so I would have liked to see an extra set of those as well in the spare kit. Much better if they have customized stethoscope diaphragms.

The acoustics and the design were marvelous though, and the ear tips are the best out there so I really love this stethoscope and I would be proud to wear it around my neck at work.

I recommend this stethoscope to anyone who works in health care, be it a student Nurse, a seasoned Nurse or even a Cardiology Nurse if they didn’t want to invest in an expensive cardiology stethoscope, this one would do just as well. 

It’s also perfect for CNAs, Veterinarians or Psychotherapists. Anyone could use this and with great acoustics, it would do well. 

I hope you have now a clearer idea of the Littmann Classic III  and if you are still confused about what to buy, I have a lot of other reviews about different stethoscopes that might help you.

 

Read my other Littmann Classic III reviews and comparisons:

Littmann Classic III Stethoscope: A Complete Review

Littmann Classic III Stethoscope vs MDF 777 MD One Stethoscope

 

If you have any more questions about the Littmann Classic III, or anything that you would like to add, don't hesitate to drop me a line. If you have any suggestions of stethoscopes that you would like me to review or any questions you may have about this stethoscope or any other stethoscopes that I've reviewed in the past, please don’t hesitate to ask me. Put it on the comments below because I would love to hear from you!

And Remember guys, Queen Elizabeth The II still rides a horse for goodness sake! 

 

See you on my next review and as always, remember, listen with your heart.

  

Nurse Jenny