With all your clocks moved an hour ahead and fresh batteries placed in your home smoke detectors, do a little spring cleaning at work and see if an otoscope handle upgrade makes sense. For those of you who have been using the rechargeable Welch Allyn nickel cadmium (NiCad) handle (71000-A), upgrade to 
the rechargeable lithium ion (LI-ON) handle (71900) to gain the following advantages: 1) double the on-time, 2) half the weight, 3) no memory effect, and 4) low battery indicator. Upgrading to the handle doesn’t mean you will need to re-invest in new otoscope heads; the LI-ON handle will fit any Welch Allyn or Heine full-size otoscope heads.
Don’t want to part with your rechargeable NiCad handle but could really use an otoscope head with more magnification? Check out the Welch Allyn MacroView otoscope head. It provides twice the field of view and 30% greater magnification than traditional otoscope heads. The design of MacroView offers the ability to adjust focus to account for variable ear canal lengths or farsighted eyes. There is a video otoscope version of the MacroView available as well.
Finally, looking to replace your halogen bulbs with a bulb that provides a brighter, whiter light? LED replacement bulbs (03100-LED) are currently available and will work with any Welch Allyn 3.5V otoscope head that currently takes the standard halogen bulb (03100). Check the price before you buy; LED replacement bulbs will cost significantly more than halogen bulbs but will provide superior illumination and will last for years. Happy spring cleaning!
