B
Bay Area Dave
Guest
My wife and I go though, on average, about 10,000 strips per year. That's right; 10,000 per year.
We have tried nearly every meter on the market and currently use Ultras and UltraSmarts. I used
the Ultra since it was introduced. Before that the Lifescan Fast Take and before that the
Lifescan Profile.
We have used Dex, Bd Logic, Accucheck Advantage, Accucheck Complete, Bayer Elite, Lifescan SureStep,
Precision QID, One Touch Basic and a couple older models of Precision.
ALL of the OneTouch meters give good results, although the older meters were calibrated to give
lower readings (the ole plasma vs whole blood argument).
Today we picked up a Flash and gave it a try. IT GETS A HUGE THUMBS DOWN! Readings from two people
were WAY higher than the consistent numbers obtained from our LifeScan UltraSmarts. 228 on the Flash
vs 164 on the UltraSmart. the other reading was 150 vs 125. The tests were repeated on the Ultras to
verify consistency (not that we had to second guess, but just wanted to be super sure). No way can
you control your bg if the meter reads so high. Glad I didn't push insulin to adjust for the bogus
228 reading!
Moral of the story: LifeScan meters are STILL the best. However, not ALL of the other meters I
listed in the 3rd paragraph are bad. The Bayer Elite was reasonably accurate. "Precision" is a
misnomer; all of their models gave the least accurate results.
Think twice before loading up on insulin based on the readings from the Flash.
Your health is more important that the few dollars you spent on a meter; I urge you to try a
LifeScan meter for YOUR improved DM control
NO, I'm not affliated in any way, blah, blah, blah. I'm just trying to help my fellow diabetics
who've not had an opportunity to try the various meters out.
dave
We have tried nearly every meter on the market and currently use Ultras and UltraSmarts. I used
the Ultra since it was introduced. Before that the Lifescan Fast Take and before that the
Lifescan Profile.
We have used Dex, Bd Logic, Accucheck Advantage, Accucheck Complete, Bayer Elite, Lifescan SureStep,
Precision QID, One Touch Basic and a couple older models of Precision.
ALL of the OneTouch meters give good results, although the older meters were calibrated to give
lower readings (the ole plasma vs whole blood argument).
Today we picked up a Flash and gave it a try. IT GETS A HUGE THUMBS DOWN! Readings from two people
were WAY higher than the consistent numbers obtained from our LifeScan UltraSmarts. 228 on the Flash
vs 164 on the UltraSmart. the other reading was 150 vs 125. The tests were repeated on the Ultras to
verify consistency (not that we had to second guess, but just wanted to be super sure). No way can
you control your bg if the meter reads so high. Glad I didn't push insulin to adjust for the bogus
228 reading!
Moral of the story: LifeScan meters are STILL the best. However, not ALL of the other meters I
listed in the 3rd paragraph are bad. The Bayer Elite was reasonably accurate. "Precision" is a
misnomer; all of their models gave the least accurate results.
Think twice before loading up on insulin based on the readings from the Flash.
Your health is more important that the few dollars you spent on a meter; I urge you to try a
LifeScan meter for YOUR improved DM control
NO, I'm not affliated in any way, blah, blah, blah. I'm just trying to help my fellow diabetics
who've not had an opportunity to try the various meters out.
dave