Calypso Double Plus Electric Breastpump

Product
Tested By Carla Townsend – Imogen 20 Months

Carla Awarded The Calypso Double Plus Electric Breastpump 4.4/5

Initial
impression of this product is impressive. Upon looking at the box, you are
immediately drawn to the ‘Award Winner for Ultra Silent’ sticker, which is very
reassuring. There are two sets of instructions. One assembly leaflet in
English, which shows step by step instructions alongside pictures for both
assembly and operating the pump, and another pamphlet which just states "For
assembly: See illustration.” On the
second pamphlet, there are clear instructions that show diagrams for usage,
alongside written instructions. The only downside is that because there are so
many languages on the pamphlet, the instructions are very small and hard to
read, so you would have to read them before you have got yourself set up and
ready to pump. There are a few little fiddly bits to get the pump assembled,
but overall it is relatively easy to set up, and alongside the first pamphlet,
the 6 step set up is simple to follow. Disassembly of the product is relatively
easy. There are 8 vacuum settings on the pump ranging from weak to strong, so
the availability is there to find the level you are comfortable with and
increase as and when you please. You can also set the cycle to 8 different levels;
so again, you have the freedom to decide how comfortable you are and increase
as and when needed. Because this is a double pump, I was pleasantly surprised
with the length of time it took to express my normal amount of milk, as I got
it done in half the time. As with most
styles of breast pumps, it is particularly hard to monitor how much you have
expressed without actually stopping expressing. The bottle that attaches to the
pump shows the volume of milk expressed but this cannot be seen whilst still
physically expressing and you have to remove the pump to see exactly how much
has been expressed. I feel the pump is very effective as it did its job and was
quicker than expected and much quieter than expected, comparing to other pumps
that I have used. Although there is an option for batteries in the pump, I feel
it is quite bulky, and would take up a lot of space if you were to take it to
work, more so if you wanted to use the double feature rather than the single. I would not be overly discreet that you had a
pump with you unless you had a large bag.
As with all pumps, there are a few fiddly features when taking apart the
pump for cleaning, and the instructions for cleaning are very minimal, so it
seemed very much a case of just taking apart, cleaning and hoping for the best.
I managed to fit all components easily within my sterilizer. Compared to other pumps that are on the
market, I feel that I would be happy to spend the RRP on this product, as from
previous purchases, it I not actually that much more than another leading
brand, but I feel it is tons more effective. I would be happy to purchase
this product, and after doing research on the product, the fact that it is often
used in hospitals as a rental pump gives more peace of mind that it is an ideal
purchase. I would recommend because it is relatively simple to use and simple
to set up (after initial setup following the instructions) and love the
availability to choose your own suction and cycle length from a range of
settings. I believe it is good value for what it is, especially as it includes
the double feature. After only a month usage, I feel that this product will
last a while. Pleasantly surprised with
this pump, it is almost silent and range of settings makes very comfortable and
not painful. Carla Townsend – Imogen 20 Months

Product
Tested By Kayley Budd – Sebastian 20 Weeks

Kayley
Awarded The Calypso Double Plus Electric Breastpump 4.5/5

Looked
like a good pump, nice compact size but came with a lot of parts which made it
seem complicated. The instructions were very clear on how to assemble and I was
able to do this quickly and with ease. Very clear and straight forward. I
particularly liked the rhyme they had included to remind you about the suction
and volume settings on the pump. It was
fairly easy but what slowed me down was the amount of parts. The product comes
with different sized breast shells, once I had figured out which ones I needed
to assemble the pump it was easier. The entire product is very easy to
disassemble, I was slightly more tentative with the removal of the pump tubes,
you have to pull them off and whilst this seems simple I felt like I was going
to break them as they stretch as you pull them. The settings on this pump allowed me to create
a strong suction that was comfortable for me. This was as expected in
comparison to my current pump; I was able to express 2oz off one breast in
about 10 minutes. The product comes with massage inserts to help express
however I didn’t notice a huge difference when I used these. You can’t see
exactly but by looking down at the bottles you can see roughly how much you’ve
got. This is an effective breast pump I was easily able to express milk. I did
struggle with using it as a double pump as you need to be able to press the
settings on the pump whilst expressing and this is difficult when you are
holding the breast shields to your breasts, you would need a pumping bra to do
this effectively. I think this pump is
quite large to be portable and it does not come with any bag/casing to place
the parts in to take it somewhere with you. This was easy to clean. I have a microwave steam steriliser and when
using the massage inserts as well it was a tight squeeze to get everything
in. Definitely offers great value for
money as a great pump. I would, as it suits my needs of pumping at home. As
stated above I would buy a pumping bra to make it easier to use as a double
pump. I would recommend this as the settings on the pump allow you to create
and strong vacuum to suit your own comfort levels. I love the fact the pump
came with different sized breast shells and also the massage inserts. A good
breast pump which allowed me to express milk easily and comfortably. It is
quiet and at a competitive price. I
think this pump would benefit from providing a bag or box (other than the
packaging) to store the pump and parts in as it comes with quite a few
components. Easy to use, comfortable, quiet breast pump. Kayley Budd –
Sebastian 20 Weeks

Product
Tested By Sumanjit Kaur – Vansh – 4 Months

Sunanjit
Awarded The Calypso Double Plus Electric Breastpump 4.5/5

This
looked very good when arrived. The instructions could be a little clearer as to
how to connect the different parts, maybe larger images and not so much text. Once
again once you have worked out which parts you require it is quite simple the
initial instructions are not so user friendly. Once you know what goes where it
is very simple to assemble. The disassembly is very simple as you are aware of
how it connects. The suction is brilliant it has different settings and I felt
no pain or discomfort. The expressing process was very quick to what I expected
especially when compared the other products I had tried previously. Once again
it was simple to view the connected bottles and check the amount that had been
expressed. The breast pump was very effective and performed better than
expected. The pump is a little bulky as you have to connect to a separate
pumping unit; I would feel uncomfortable taking this to work. Cleaning was
simple and the parts all come apart. All the parts fit in well with my current
steriliser well. This pump is value for money as it is a double pump and some
single pumps are around the same cost. I would purchase this and certainly
recommend. A very efficient product and
expresses well. Sumanjit Kaur – Vansh –
4 Months