Spectra S1/S2 Breast Pump vs. Medela Pump In Style

Almost all Moms that are pumping will have heard of Medela. They are one of the biggest breast pump manufacturers in the world. They bill themselves as the #1 choice of hospitals and in my experience, they were the brand that was most used by the hospitals I delivered at and the brand that the lactation consultants were familiar with.  Medela was founded in 1961 in Switzerland and its American subsidary has been in business for 30+ years.  Medela pumps and parts are available at Target, Amazon and many other retailers.

Spectra is a relatively new company. They are a Korean company and I don't recall seeing any info about them when I had my first baby 4 years ago, but it seems like many moms are using them now. I haven't seen Spectra offered at Target or other non-specialty retailers

I own both a Spectra S2 pump and a Medela Pump in Style Advanced.  I have found that both pumps work well to express milk quickly and efficiently.

Different Versions of the Same Pump

The Spectra S1 and S2 are basically the same pump -- the only difference is that the S1 contains a rechargeable battery and the S2 does not.  This means that the S2 can only be used while plugged into a wall plug.

Medela has several different versions of its Pump In Style Advanced pumps, with the only difference being whether the pump is built into a backpack, shoulder bag or is packaged by itself (but comes with a messenger bag).  I own the "Metro bag" kit.

To the best of my knowledge, the insurance provided Medela pump is the same motor, but typically doesn't come with all of the accessories. My coworker got one from insurance and it looks EXACTLY the same as mine, but she did not have the Metro bag, cooler or any other accessories.

What's in the Bag?

The Medela Metro Bag kit contained the pump motor separate from the bag. Some of the other Medela PISA kits have the pump built into the bag. I thought this was too bulky for my nightstand, so I opted for the motor that was not built into the bag. The kit also contained an AC adapter (aka wall plug), a battery pack (takes AA batteries), cooler bag with ice pack, 1 set of collection parts (2 sizes of flanges, connectors, membranes, 4 bottles + lids, tubing), a wipeable work surface mat and mesh storage bags. The Metro bag also has several interior pockets.

The Spectra kit I received was from insurance, so I don't know if this is exactly the same as what you'd receive if you ordered from a retailer. My kit contained the pump, AC adapter, 1 full set of collection parts (1 set of flange + connector piece, membranes, 2 bottles, backflow protector, tubing). The bottles also come with nipples and caps, so you could potentially pump into the bottle and then use the included nipple to feed to your baby.

Pumping Settings

The Medela has a single adjustment knob to turn on and control the strength of suction and the cycle speed.

The Spectra has 2 adjustment mechanisms--the strength of suction, and the cycle speed.