Spectra M1 Advanced Portable Single/Double Breast Pump with 2 Phase Cycling/let-down Button!

This is by far my favorite breast pump. I cannot recommend it highly enough. I got it during a Black Friday special when I was pregnant with my fourth baby. I had a feeling I was going to be working away from home and the ability to have a chargeable pump that was lightweight and compact was crucial. The college where I work is a bit behind on the times and doesn't have a pumping room available, so I often pump in the car. I've found that I can pump 3-4 times on a single charge and the suction is both powerful and effective without irritating the skin.I've tried several types of pumps over the years: the Medela Freestyle, the Medela Pump in Style (both original and advanced), and Medela Swing. I think this is the best that I've found. It's reliable and if you do have an issue, Spectra is easy to contact and quick to respond to any issues. I also own the S1 for at home, and both have been wonderful. I've recommended the brand to anyone who is expecting now.This pump doesn't come with a bag or with multiple bottles, but I used a Ju-Ju-Be BFF for my pumping bag and added a Medela cooler with bottles set. FYI Medela bottle will fit onto the Spectra flanges, which makes finding additional bottles and accessories fairly easy.The pump itself has very easy to follow buttons. One for on/off, one for letdown, and two for speed and suction. It's lightweight, I believe it's around 6oz. It has a very modern and clean look to it, that is easy to wipe down and keep clean without any notches or crevices for dirt, dust or dried milk to hide.

I bought this pump in preparation for a week long trip. I have been using the Spectra S2 for over 4 months and love it (as much as one can love a pump...), but wanted something smaller and with a battery for travel purposes. Since this was made by Spectra and got positive reviews, I went ahead and purchased it. However, after several days of trying it out at home before my trip, I was disappointed to find that my output was significantly lower with the M1 than the S2. I usually get 5-6 oz. in the morning with the S2, but barely got 1 oz. with the M1. I tried all of the settings on the M1, but to no avail. I ended up bringing the S2 with me on my trip, and wish I hadn't wasted my money on the M1. It seems like this pump works well for some, but I wanted to share my experience since it didn't work well for me.

This is the third type of pump I have used (Lansinoh and Avent are the other two I can compare it to), and I love it. Honestly, not as much as the Avent - I loved the cushy flanges on that one! BUT - we moved overseas into the middle of NOwhere, and I needed a pump that was dual voltage and could run on its rechargeable battery reliably since our electricity is sketchy and I don't always have a power supply when I need to pump! When I pump instead of nursing I feel like I get about the same quantity as she should when she nurses, based on her age, so I think it is a pretty effective pump. It is fairly quiet, VERY small and portable, and very easy to operate with no fiddly little parts to clean like the Medela. And I like the 'two-phase' feature - a more shallow suck to stimulate let-down, and then a deeper, somewhat adjustable suck for the remainder of your pumping time.My two (mild!) dislikes are: the plastic parts have a somewhat cheap feel. I am quite happy to overlook this. Also, more significantly but still not a deal-breaker for me - when turning the pump 'up', there is only one button to press and it both increases the strength and the length of the suck. (So, on a low setting, the suck is fairly mild and short; on a higher setting, the suck becomes both more intense and also lasts longer. Make sense?) This doesn't mimic a baby's suck very accurately, in my experience! It seems effective at producing more milk faster, but it would be nice to have a little more control over the 'sucking' feature eg speed/ length of sucking.Overall, though, a great pump that I would highly recommend! Particularly if you need to pump away from an outlet or are travelling between 110v and 240v countries.

Even on the let down/massage setting, the suction was uncomfortably strong for me. It would take my body five minutes to become accustomed to the lowest setting, and bumping it up each time would cause me to cringe in pain. I have to exclusively pump more than six times a day, so using this constantly led to very tender nipples and to me not producing very much milk. It turns out that I am best suited for a hand pump as I get twice as much in half the time.I have also used the Medela Symphony that the hospital provides, and I generally had the same issue with that pump with the suction being too strong. However, after using this pump alongside the more expensive ones, I can say that the Spectra can hold its own and is awesomely priced.Pros of the Spectra:- Portability & rechargeable battery- 10 different suction settings- No milk can collect in tubes or filters- Small, easily stored and only three parts to wash each go aroundCons of the Spectra:- Too strong a suction (for me at least)- The vibration of the machine, even when held and not set down, causes a superbly uncomfortable sensation- It's pretty loud, if you care about that at all. I didn't, but figured it was worth mentioning.- Tubes tend to pop out often