By stimulating milk supply, an electric breast pump can be a very useful tool to help you to extract and store breast milk. By allowing you to build up a store of milk, it can therefore really help to make the whole breastfeeding process that little bit easier. An electric pump can bring a number of useful features, as well as a level of ease of use that traditional hand pumps simply can’t match.
However, with a wide variety of products on the market right now, it is inevitable that you will ask just which is the best one—a question that we are here to help answer.
Comparison Chart
Lansinoh Stay Dry Disposable Nursing Pads for Breastfeeding, 200 Count with Lansinoh SignaturePro Double Electric Breast Pump
Breast Pump Reviews
1. Spectra S1 Plus Electric Breast Pump
This is a truly premium model from Spectra Baby and with a premium price tag to match. This pump is going to cost more than double the price of any other product on this list. Nonetheless, does it bring enough features to justify that high price tag?
Review
We have a number of innovative and highly useful features with this product. For starters, the detachable power cord makes it easy to charge while maintaining a high degree of mobility. Simply plug it in to charge whenever is convenient, then take it to wherever you feel most comfortable expressing your milk. It could even be the garden on a warm sunny day.
The pump uses a closed system. This means there is no need to clean the narrow tubing as airflow and the plug makes it impossible for milk to be drawn into the pump tubing. 100% of the milk you express ends up in the storage bottles where it belongs and also means it is far easier to keep the pump cleaner.
Finally, the pump has very easy controls to customize the speed and power of suction. Since Spectra Baby is a company owned and run by moms—who are also registered nurses and board-certified lactation consultants—this is exactly what you would expect.
This really is a superb product that clearly benefits from input by the well-qualified company owners. The only drawback is that eye-watering price tag; however, if you truly want a premium, well-made product and you are able to afford it, it is easy to recommend this pump.
PROS
- Excellent mobility
- Closed system
- Customizable settings
CONS
- Very, very expensive
2. SOMEK Cornetto Electric Breast Pump
This Product from Somek also has a number of useful features and is again highly mobile, just like the premium product we previously discussed. It does, however, have a far lower price tag so, are you still getting a decent pump for the money?
Review
The stand-out feature of this pump is its mobility. Boasting up to 90 minutes of battery life and a very small size for easy mobility, you can even pop it into a small bag if you need to take it out of the house.
In operation, it is very easy to use. It uses three-set programs—auto, massage, and expression. You simply select the mode you like and away it goes. The massage function, in particular, can really help with tired and sore breasts, while when in expression mode, the device is designed to simulate the sucking of a baby, helping to achieve a natural milk expression without overtaxing you.
The device is constructed of food-grade silicone and BPA-free plastic, while the closed system is the most hygienic design of pump you can go for. The only real letdown is the fact that as the three set programs are not adjustable; you can’t customize the pressure or speed beyond selecting the mode.
PROS
- checkExtremely mobile
- checkMimics baby’s sucking action
- checkClosed system
CONS
- One size of “flange” – breast shield – only
- Can’t customize pressure, set modes only
3. Bellababy Double Electric Breast Feeding Pumps
This product from Bellababy certainly has a quirky design. Compared to the two models we have looked at, it has a slightly more basic design overall. However, it still has a number of useful features that could make this pump ideal for you, whilst not breaking the bank as well.
Review
This product is extremely small, weighing in at barely over a pound. That makes it particularly well suited to perhaps being a travel pump that you tuck away in a bag for expressing milk on the go.
It also, of course, has enough useful features and design points to make it a faithful at-home product too. Chief among them is the fact that it is very quiet during operation, creating less than 45 decibels. That could be a very useful feature if you are looking for a pump to use whilst in the baby’s room and you don’t want to disturb them.
It uses food-grade silicone and BPA-free plastic as you would expect, and it has been designed with 9 levels of adjustment to pressure. Aside from that though, there are not really the kinds of features you would get on more premium models, such as a massage function. You have to adjust the pressure yourself to find the comfortable point, although the simple controls make that a little easier.
PROS
- Fun, easy -to-use design
- Small and compact
- Very quiet
CONS
- Can’t change the breast shield size
- Quite basic design
4. Lansinoh SignaturePro Double Electric Breast Pump
This model from Lansinoh represents an upgrade on a previous model, and the manufacturer has clearly listened to feedback. They have managed to produce a small and highly mobile pump that has a number of useful features that also boasts a price tag that is not going to break the bank.
Review
The first thing to note with this product is that while it is small and easy to move around and store, it is not truly portable in the same way as the others on this list. It has no battery pack—internal or otherwise—so, therefore, must always be plugged into the wall in order to operate, which is a bit of a shame.
Aside from that, however, it has a number of useful features, the most interesting being the built-in massage cushion in the breast guard. This is both soft and warm and is designed to provide as comfortable a feeling as possible while you are pumping.
The usual high-grade materials are present in the construction – including BPA-free plastic – and the ability to “flush” the device makes it easy to clean and maintain. Overall, this is a pretty decent pump, it’s just let down by that lack of true mobility.
PROS
- Comfortable pad
- Simple to use
- Easy clean feature
CONS
- Not wireless
- One-size breast pad
Conclusion
When choosing the best product on this list, it is impossible to look past the Spectra S1 Plus Electric Breast Pump. It simply has such a wealth of useful features in its extremely well-thought-out design. However, like we’ve said in our review, expect to pay top dollar for such an outstanding product.
Since it is so expensive, it’s also worth selecting a “best of the rest.” In this case, among the products on this list is very much the SOMEK Cornetto Electric Breast Pump. It actually brings a number of the features that are found on the more expensive Spectra for a fraction of the price.