What's the best glucose meter?

**Posts:** 9 **Joined:** Fri Apr 10, 2009 3:03 pm

Fortunately, here in the UK, blood test meters and test sticks are free under the NHS, so if I know which are the most accurate, I will try to get hold of one.

Obviously the units of glucose measurement are different in the US than here in Europe, so I will have to find the European equivalent if they do them.

Has there been a study on meters and accuracy does anyone know?

Re: What's the best glucose meter? **by lemonz** Sun Apr 12, 2009 8:22 pm

Hey steamerpoint!

Meters and test strips are also free in Denmark, and the units we use for BG is mmol/L. So I guess you will get it in the UK as well. I love the Precision Xceed meter, and have found it to be more accurate than the FreeStyle types AND they can also test for ketone bodies in the blood. You will need special ketone strips for that, but I guess they will also be free in the UK? They are here...

I don't think there have been any study on the accuracy of many meters... Most have an accuracy rating of around 20% which is quite bad, in my opinion...

**Posts:** 995 **Joined:** Wed Feb 14, 2007 3:46 pm

steamerpoint wrote:

Fortunately, here in the UK, blood test meters and test sticks are free under the NHS, so if I know which are the most accurate, I will try to get hold of one.

Obviously the units of glucose measurement are different in the US than here in Europe, so I will have to find the European equivalent if they do them.

Has there been a study on meters and accuracy does anyone know?

I, like many other diabetics are partial to any of the Ultra's from LifeScan: Ultra, Ultra II, Ultra Mini, UltraSmart, UltraLink...

I like that the strips show the blood being sucked up into the strip and do it very quickly. Other meters I've used have no visual cue, and coupled with the fact that some meters have quite a delay between getting enough blood to function and counting down, it annoys me. ie I like the "immediacy" of the Ultra line of meters. As often as I test, holding my finger against the strip for 2 or 3 more seconds because the other brands don't start the countdown immediately, is a turn off for me. If they at least had a visual cue, I could remove my finger from the strip the moment the channel filled with blood.

Re: What's the best glucose meter? **by jennagrant** Mon Apr 13, 2009 10:37 am

I'm a fan of the One Touch Ultra Mini. It's small and gives a result in 5 seconds. It was also nice to get it for free off their website.

After using many meters over the last 25 years, this one is easy and helps me test anywhere.

**Posts:** 2 **Joined:** Sat Apr 18, 2009 2:43 pm

I am currently using a meter from ReliOn from Walmart granted I have to pay $9 for it but the strips are really cheap compared to the others.
I currently have no insurance so I am stuck buying my own for now. When I first got it I compared it with my One Touch Ultra and there was only about a 2 point difference between them, the Ultra was the one a little higher.
They both take about 5 seconds to show results and the strips work about the same.

Re: What's the best glucose meter? **by jreick** Fri Apr 24, 2009 4:43 pm

When I got my Type1 DX I had went to all the websites and requested free meters so I could figure out wich one I liked the best. I love my Bayer Contour! I have it in purple and green.

**Posts:** 9 **Joined:** Fri Apr 10, 2009 3:03 pm

Thanks to everyone that have give their thoughts on the subject.

Currently, my first aim is to buy a continuous glucose monitor and right now the two in the running are the Abbott Freestyle Navigator and the Dexcom Seven Plus. The problem is that Abbott are having some quality issues with the transmitters, which keep breaking and Dexcom are not planning to get a European version of the Seven Plus into Europe this year! (Using European mmol measurements that is)

I am therefore looking into the possibility of getting an American version of the Seven Plus, but it will then mean that I will need to source a glucose meter that reads the American measurements in order to calibrate the continuous glucose monitor, but have the ability to obtain test sticks from the NHS.

Failing that, I will just have to run a conversion formula to convert my European blood sugar results into the US equivalent to input into the monitor during calibration! Who's dumb idea was it to have two different blood glucose measurements in the same, tiny world?

**Posts:** 349 **Joined:** Thu Mar 23, 2006 10:41 pm

hi steamerpoint. Unlike Fahrenheit to Centigrade, this conversion is a straight multiplication. The number you need to remember is 18.

mg/dL == 18 * mmol/L
mmol/L == mg/dL divided by 18.

The only problem is, it's hard to do math in your head when you're REALLY low. Eventually, mmol/L will take over-- it's the official unit of measure, and all the journals are already using it. But for you, facing machines which report in the unfamiliar mg/dL:

100 mg/dL == just about perfect. As you say, the software currently running the Dexcom Seven+ does not yet offer a choice within "Settings". (That's the one I use, and I think that it's the "best meter"-- by far.)

**Posts:** 28 **Joined:** Mon Jan 19, 2009 1:06 am

when i first got diagnosed i had a BD logic, then I had a one touch ultra mini, loved the color necause it was pink

now because of my insurance through my husbands job I have to have a prescision. Not bad meter just wish I could log in how much insulin I give myself at meals so I could see how it on paper how my doses affect me.

What's the best glucose meter?

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