- 📚 AED Resource Library · Buyer Guides · Safety Updates
AED buying guides, reviews & safety resources.
- FDA-approved models only
- Adult + pediatric coverage
- Budget-aware results
- Updated · July 2026
- Review methodology
350,000+
Out-of-hospital cardiac arrests strike the US every year.
74%
Survival when a public-access shock lands within 3 minutes.
2-3x
Survival multiplier from immediate bystander CPR.
50
States with Good Samaritan protection for AED rescuers.
Start here · Free tools · No email
Decide in minutes with the four tools.
01 · READ FIRST
The Complete Buyer's Guide
The features that matter, total cost of ownership, and the decision checklist, one read before any purchase.
02 · BUDGET IT
AED Cost Calculator
Sticker price is only part of the story; pads, batteries, and cabinets are the rest. Run the true 5-year number before any review sways you.
03 · MATCH IT
Find Your Perfect AED
Building, staff, and budget in: one FDA-approved model out, with the reasoning shown instead of hidden. 60 seconds, no email.
04 · COUNT IT
AED Quantity Calculator
How many units your building needs, planned around the timed 3-minute drill instead of a square-footage myth.
- 🏆 Featured This Month
The guides that save the most money
ZOLL vs LIFEPAK: which premium AED actually earns it
Proven search winner
The two feedback-heavy flagships head to head: 5-year costs, consumable cycles, and the buyer each one fits.
HeartSine 350P: why it wins the home buyer's math
The budget verdict
Lowest credible list price plus one Pad-Pak date: the total-cost case behind our most-recommended pick.
Philips vs ZOLL: the decision most buyers actually face
The head-to-head that matters
Simplicity vs CPR feedback: the trade the two biggest names force, settled with specs, prices, and use cases.
- Latest articles · all categories
New to AEDs?
Start with the Buyer's Guide
Everything to make a confident AED purchase in 60 minutes. Features that matter, total cost of ownership, and a free decision checklist.
Free Tool · 60 sec
Find Your Perfect AED
Answer a few questions about your building, staff, and budget. Get one FDA-approved model with the reasoning shown.
Budget it first
Free AED Calculators
Sticker price is only part of the story. Run the true 5-year cost, then check how many units your building actually needs.
Recall alerts
Monthly FDA recall updates
One email a month, first business day: the recall status of every consumer-class AED we cover. No spam.
Free · unsubscribe in one click
Free tool · 90 seconds · no email
Budget it before you buy it.
- 5-year totals per model
- Consumables included
- 2026 list pricing
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- 🏆 Browse by category
Six categories, every question covered
AED Reviews & Comparisons
Philips HeartStart: dominant in K-12, beatable elsewhere
Jun 21 · 8 min
The procurement default examined honestly, FRx and OnSite included.
AED Buying Guides
The Complete AED Buyer's Guide
Pillar · the canonical how-to-choose
Features that matter, total cost of ownership, and the decision checklist in one read.
AED IP ratings decoded: IP55, IP56, IPX4
Jun 11 · 7 min
What the sealing codes actually promise, and which environments demand which.
Find Your Perfect AED
Free tool · 60 seconds
Building, staff, budget in: one specific model out, reasoning shown.
AED Maintenance & Ownership
AED pads + batteries by model: the compatibility matrix
Cornerstone · updated Jul 2026
Every model's parts, cycles, and 5-year costs in one table, pediatric rules included.
AED batteries: types, lifespan, replacement cycles
Jun 8 · 8 min
The battery half of readiness: chemistry, standby life, and calendar rules.
Run your consumables math
Free tool · 5-year totals
Device, pads, battery, cabinet: the true ownership number before the board asks.
AED Laws & Compliance
Good Samaritan AED laws: all 50 states
The liability answer · read first
How every state shields good-faith rescuers, and what it means for training policy.
California AED laws: 2026 compliance guide
H&S 104113 · Jun 13
Health studios, schools, public buildings: the statute-by-statute checklist.
Texas AED laws: 2026 compliance guide
Ed. Code 38.017 · Jun 14
The school mandate that set the pattern, plus business placement rules.
AED Basics
CPR + AED together: why both matter
Jun 9 · 7 min
Neither substitutes for the other; the rescue sequence explained with sources.
AED News & Recalls
Physio-Control to Stryker: the CR Plus migration plan
Jun 27 · 8 min
What the ownership change means for legacy owners, parts, and timelines.
The monthly recall sweep
First business day · email
FDA recall status for every consumer model we cover, delivered once a month.
Verify any model yourself
Primary source
Every model we review appears in the FDA's public database; check before any purchase.
- Why You Can Trust This Comparison
Independent. Verified monthly. Zero manufacturer money.
~350K
US SCA Deaths / Year
CDC · Out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest
~70%
Survival With AED <3 Min
AHA · Circulation 2020 Guidelines
7–10%
Survival Drop / Minute of Delay
AHA · Chain of Survival
6
FDA-Approved US Manufacturers
FDA PMA database · verified monthly
- Independent editorial
- FDA-approved only
- Monthly recall checks
- Cited to primary sources
References
- GuidelineAmerican Heart Association. “2020 American Heart Association Guidelines for Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation and Emergency Cardiovascular Care.” Circulation, October 2020. Bystander AED intervention within 3 minutes of collapse remains the strongest modifiable variable in out-of-hospital SCA survival.
- StatisticsCenters for Disease Control and Prevention. “Heart Disease Facts.” Out-of-hospital sudden cardiac arrest kills approximately 350,000 people in the United States annually. Updated 2024.
- DatabaseU.S. Food and Drug Administration. “Premarket Approval (PMA) Database.” AED systems require FDA PMA approval effective 2016; accessories effective February 2022.
- GuidelineAmerican Heart Association. “Adult Chain of Survival.” Survival from out-of-hospital SCA decreases 7–10 percent for every minute of delay in defibrillation.
- Data sourceAuthorized US distributor list prices verified within 30 days of publication. AED Best Brands editorial pricing methodology at /methodology/. Prices exclude gray-market and unauthorized resellers.
- Spec sheetManufacturer Instructions for Use (IFU) and product datasheets on file. Warranty terms, IP ratings, pad and battery life sourced from primary manufacturer documentation with version and issue date.