Three things decide which AED suits you: who will use it, where it will live, and what it costs to keep ready. Most buyers are not clinical staff. They are the person who ended up responsible after a risk assessment or a committee meeting, so the right machine is usually the one with the clearest voice prompts, not the longest specification.

An automated external defibrillator (AED) is a medical device that analyses a person's heart rhythm and, when needed, delivers a shock to a person in sudden cardiac arrest who is in a shockable heart rhythm. It does not restart a stopped heart, which is why CPR runs alongside it until the ambulance arrives. Every AED we sell is CE marked, and Hayes First Aid is an HPRA-registered distributor.

Budget for the running cost as well as the machine. The pads and the battery each have a fixed life and are replaced on their own cycle, so a cheaper machine with dearer pads can cost more over ten years. Each product page shows those costs year by year. Once it is on the wall, register it with the National Ambulance Service. It is free and takes about two minutes.