Primo Passi Pump Review

It is extremely rare that I am upset about the money I spent on a pump - I have a strong tendency to see the potential even in a cheap, lower-end pump. With this pump, though, I am struggling to see the good and feel like this is an all around bad choice for a pump. If you don’t read any further than this, know that I do not recommend any pumping parent purchase this pump - you are going to spend more than the quality you are getting, and the red flags with this pump are significant.

This Primo Passi Pump is presenting itself as a competitor to well-known names on the market - at its price point, it’s set to compete with the BabyBuddha Pump, the Lansinoh SmartPump 3.0, the Ameda Mya Joy Plus, and the Medela Maxflow Pump in Style Advance. It’s sold on enough semi-reputable websites without obvious red flags for scams, and is even carried by a reputable durable medical company to be covered under your insurance benefits. The wording on the website reads in a way to make you think of the BabyBuddha Pump, which is actually how this pump even ended up on my radar after a retailer advertised to a pumping parent that it’s virtually identical to the BabyBuddha Version 1.

So here is the rundown on what I see with this pump and why it’s not something I recommend.

The Internal Components

Like all pumps that come into my office, one of the first things I did was take it apart and take a peek at the internal components - this often gives us a solid understanding of the quality and potential longevity of a pump.

The internals of this pump are consistent with a cheap, lower-end, no-brand pump costing $30-$50. The motor got extremely hot and the tight fit against the circuit board will likely lead to early failure of these pumps. The programming of the pump is almost certainly the point of failure as the motor is a known high-quality performer that is likely doomed by the other cheap components.

Internal parts are poorly done with quality concerns.

The Manual

The manual in a pump not only tells you the basic information about a pump - it’s a window into the care the company has given to its product. This company has failed to update their pump manual to reflect the removal of the roller ball, and it boasts a 6-month warranty which is well below industry standards. A company selling a pump they believed to be of even reasonable quality would not go below the established one-year minimum seen today. Many are even going to two year warranties. This is a solid indicator this pump is intended to generate revenue and there is little intention of supporting the pump.

I did email the company, and they said there is a one-year warranty, but their website isn’t entirely clear on this, and I wouldn’t count on it being honored.

The Suction Pattern

When a pump is recommended to parents as being similar to a particular pump, I expect to find close suction and speed performance. Overall the Primo Passi does have good cycle speeds, but the patterns are all wrong - it’s trying to mimic a pump without understanding how the pump is designed to function. It’s a poorly done dupe of the pump it’s supposed to be like, with the programming stressing the motor to accomplish its subpar performance.

This motor is boasting suction speeds it’s struggling to keep up with in the current configuration.

The large leap between the short pulls and the long sharp pull on the Primo Passi is an indicator of a poor pump program.

I’m linking the raw graphs for those who are curious and want to see the data for themselves - these pumps are simply not the same. If the internal components were not as stressed by the program running, and the suction pattern was tweaked slightly, it might be a decent pump - but that lack of attention to detail and quality performance is the hallmark of cheap pumps.

The Marketing

This pump is marketed in such a way with images and verbiage to link it in pumping parent’s mind as potentially a more cost effective version of a popular pump. This would be alright IF the pump could deliver quality and performance equivalent to the price paid for the pump. But at this price point, this marketing feels like a well dressed scam with more effort put into making you think you are getting another product than actually designing a product worth purchasing.

Overall Thoughts

This is a firm no from me. This pump is not delivering the quality of the price point, and the lack of care to develop and market a unique pump is concerning. If you want a cheap pump that is alright, I love quite a few cheap pumps. But a cheap pump should cost about $100 less and should not be taking up insurance benefits. That’s just predatory.