Lansinoh Comfort Express Manual Review

New Version Update - February 2015

Lansinoh has an improved version of their manual pump which is now called the Lansinoh Manual Pump (below left). As the Comfort Express (below right) is now not readily available, we now link to their newer model. The main difference is that each pump now includes 2 different sized Comfort Fit TM Flanges (25mm and 30.5mm) as well as has 2-phase expression for transitioning from stimulation to expression.

About Lansinoh

Lansinoh was founded by a mom thirty years ago. They have a range of breastfeeding, pumping and feeding products for babies. They provide affordable pumps for a mom on a budget, and although this pump is effective, we did notice a couple things that may account for the lower price. Read on to find out how this manual pump stood up to the rest.

Efficiency

We scored this pump a 4/10 on efficiency. It did functionally express milk, but it just wasn't as much as the other pumps. The amount of time was longer to express, and overall, it was a lesser amount of milk. This may make a difference to you if you plan on trying to pump a lot with this manual pump, but for a date night it would probably not be a big deal. Similar to the other manual pumps we tested, it expresses each breast separately which does take longer than a double electric pump.

Comfort

At a 3/10, this was our lowest scoring pump when it came to comfort. Unfortunately the lever angle for pumping is very harsh and it creates a sharp tug on your breast immediately upon beginning pumping. Of course, you can control the tug to an extent with how hard and fast you pull down your hand. Still, we found the geometry is hard to compensate for and it's just a little harder on your breast than the other manual pumps we tested.

Ease of use

This pump scored well when it came to ease of use. There really isn't anything to it but screwing the bottle on, attaching the breast flange, and pumping. There are directions included, but we found this pump to be very self explanatory.

Portability

We gave the Comfort Express a 6/10 on portability. It is extremely portable as it only comes with the pump lever, breast flange and two bottles. We gave it a lower score than the other manual pumps because the pump lever really sticks out and we found it getting caught on the sides of our bag. Also, as with all the manual pumps we tested, it does not come with an insulated bag so you will have to have a refrigerator or your own insulated bag to store your expressed milk.

Hygiene

This pump received a 6/10 when it came to hygiene. We found that it was difficult to clean, especially on the inside of the pump lever where it attaches to the bottle. It requires a lot of scrubbing and maybe even a scrubbing brush to rid it of any dried milk that might remain after use.

Acoustics

As with all the manual pumps we tested, this pump was virtually silent. The only reason we scored this pump slightly lower at an 8 was due to the fact that with each pump, the lever creates a little squeak. This isn't that loud, but can become bothersome with multiple pumps.

Best Applications

This pump would be best as a pump for a mom who plans on pumping less than once a week. It is ideal as a companion pump for a mom who is planning on taking a vacation and needs something small and affordable for a date night or for expressing milk during a flight.

Value

The list price on this pump is $35, which is a great value if you are planning on being a very seldom pumper. It is the cheapest out of the three manual pumps we tested, and for many families, that is a very important component. Still, if you are planning on using this pump regularly we would recommend our Top Pick for Traveling Moms, the Medela Harmony Manual.

Conclusion

This pump is very basic and probably suitable if you don't pump that often. For us, it didn't produce as much milk as some of the others we tried, but if you only need it for a date night or vacation, the price may appeal to your needs.