A blood glucose meter is a medical device which helps you monitor your blood glucose. Despite the significant role, the market offers different types of blood glucose meters making it almost difficult to choose the best glucometer.
Being able to properly track blood glucose levels is vital in diabetes management for those who have type 1 diabetes and type 2 diabetes. Having an accurate glucometer is essential for those people.
Are you planning to purchase a blood glucose meter? If you are, this mini- guide is for you. Herein, we have highlighted the qualities that you should consider before buying and some of the top glucometers that you might want to purchase. Read through the mini- guide to spot a glucometer which suits your specific needs.
What to Consider Before Buying a Blood Glucose Meter
Memory
Convenient blood glucose meters store part of your tests results to help you monitor blood glucose control goals. Based on this reason, we suggest that you consider buying a blood glucose meter with a reasonable memory.
Time is taken to show results
Different glucometers take different durations to show results. Hence, a glucometer with a short test time might be a sound investment than that which takes long to show results. Besides, blood glucose meters with a short test time will let you monitor blood glucose level several times a day.
Size
Size is another important quality which you should consider before buying a glucometer. For instance, a compact size meter would be an excellent option for those who love traveling while large models might be the right fit for home use.
Sample size
Traditional blood glucose meters required large blood samples which made testing a painful exercise. However, modern types require small blood samples as a way to encourage you to measure you blood sugar level routinely.
Here’s Our Top Ten Best Blood Glucose Meters You Should Consider Buying
ConsumerExpert.org – Star Choice Best Blood Glucose Meter
Active 1st NEXT EZ diabetic testing kit
Active 1st NEXT EZ diabetic testing kit is a best-selling kit with everything you would need to monitor your blood glucose level. The full kit comes with a control solution, a detailed user manual to help you use the medical device, 100 test strips & Lancets and a lancing device.
We recommend the diabetic testing strip because it requires a tiny sample size and it gives accurate results within five seconds. Also, the components will serve you for a period ranging between 12- 24 months before they expire. You can use this glucometer to monitor your average blood glucose levels after 7, 14 and 30 days.
OWell Easy Touch Meter
OWell’s easy touch meter is another best- selling blood glucose meter that you might want to buy. Its standard kit has a user manual to help you use the kit as intended, a carry case to store and carry your kit, and batteries to power the glucose meter. In addition, the kit includes 100 test strips, a lancing device, and 100 twist- off lancets. The components will take at least 15 months to expire.
You may want to buy this blood glucose meter because it is backed by a lifetime warranty, its accuracy is CLIA certified, and you only need a 0.5 µL sample to get results within five seconds. Furthermore, this simple to use blood glucose meter lets you monitor your average blood glucose within 7, 14 and 30 days.
LifeScan OneTouch Ultra Mini Blood Glucose Meter
Despite its compact size, OneTouch Ultra Mini blood glucose meter lets you keep track of your blood glucose just like the averagely sized meters. The complete kit comes with batteries to power your meter, a lancing device, a control solution, 10 lancets, an AST clear cap, and a log book. Moreover, the kit has a user manual and a recipe book for people with diabetes.
Some of the reasons why this meter ranks in this best list include the easy to use design, the large screen, and compact size which make it an excellent option for those who want to monitor their blood glucose away from home. It takes 5 seconds to deliver accurate results.
FreeStyle Lite Blood Glucose Meter
The FreeStyle Lite Blood Glucose Meter is another compact sized blood glucose meter suitable for people with a mobile lifestyle. The standard kit contains a lancing device, 10 lancets, carry case to store and carry the meter and an owner booklet. Despite its compact size, this blood glucose meter gives accurate results within 5 seconds, it can store up to 400 results to help you track you blood glucose over time, and it uses a small sample size to determine your blood glucose levels. Furthermore, Freestyle Lite is a simple to use device as it does not require coding.
FORA6Connect Blood Ketone and Blood Glucose Testing Meter Kit
Approved by the FDA for home use, this kit lets you get the same results that you would get from a doctor. It only requires a small drop of blood to test your glucose or ketone levels and provides results quickly. You can check your ketone levels in 10 seconds and your glucose levels in five seconds. The meter itself has just three buttons and a small slot across the front. Once you use one of the included 100 lancets to place a drop of blood on a testing strip, you can insert the strip into the slot and test your blood.
The meter’s buttons let you check past readings and view and make selections from the main menu. The meter also has a backlit design to help you easily see your results. If you download the free app called iFORA to your phone, you can connect the meter via Bluetooth to the app. This lets you monitor your results over time and keep track of your overall health. The included testing strips use gold technology for better accuracy. This technology also reduces the time it takes for the meter to make a reading.
100 Sterile Dario Lancets for Dario Monitoring Systems
One of the more important supplies that you need to test your glucose levels at home is a lancet. This is a small device that has a piece inside with a sharp edge. That sharp edge pokes through your skin and gives you enough blood to provide your monitor with a sample for testing. This set comes with 100 lancets that diabetics and others can use at home. Each lancet comes individually wrapped in a sterile environment, which keeps bacteria from entering your bloodstream.
Also included is a small plastic device that provides power to the lancets. You simply remove the lancet from its packing and place it inside this device after pushing down the lever on the inside. When you hold the device close to your skin and press a button on the side, it pushes the lancet out and into your skin. It takes only seconds to get the blood sample that you need and won’t cause you any undue pain. These lancets are both smaller and thinner than others on the market and are safe for daily glucose testing and monitoring.
McKesson True Metrix Pro Blood Glucose Meter
McKesson’s blood glucose meter’s standard kit contain a user manual to help you use the meter as intended, a log book, batteries and a carry case which lets you store your blood glucose monitor. However, you will have to purchase test kits and the control solution separately.
Unlike the meters we have reviewed above, this blood glucose monitor will give you accurate results for as short as 4 seconds. Other reasons to purchase this blood glucose meter include the testing reminders, its capability to store more than 500 test results, its lightweight nature and the 0.5 µL blood sample size.
Bayer Contour Next ONE Glucose Monitoring System
Bayer designed this blood glucose monitoring system to work with a smaller blood sample, which can save you some time and pain. It takes only a small prick of your finger or another body part to provide a sample, and you’ll get your results in seconds. The system comes with everything you need to test your blood sugar too. You get the testing meter, a set of 10 strips and a lancet for providing a blood sample. Bayer also gives you a carrying case for storing the testing kit in your bathroom and as you travel. The included user guide shows you how to use the system and all the accessories too.
One of the best features of this monitoring system is the app designed by Bayer. You can download this app to your phone and connect it to the system via Bluetooth. The app lets you keep track of your glucose levels over time and see when those levels changed. You can share that information with your doctor at your next appointment. Once you get the monitoring system and take it out of the packing, you should use the included card to register your kit on the Bayer website.
Prodigy Talking Blood Glucose Meter
This award winning talking blood glucose meter is a good option for low vision diabetic individuals. Its standard kit contains a warranty card, batteries for your meter, an autoCode log book, a user manual to help you operate the meter and a carry case to store your meter and test kits.
We recommend Prodigy Talking Blood glucose meter to our readers because it is audible, it is easy to use, it delivers results within seven minutes, it has a repeat button to help you replay the last test result message, and it requires a small blood sample size. Furthermore, this blood glucose meter can store up to 45 test results, and it provides average within 7, 14, 21, 30, 60 and 90 days.
Omnis Health Blood Glucose meter with audible feature
Omnis Health’s blood glucose meter is another option you might consider if your vision is low. You can turn off the audible feature if you are comfortable to read the screen. Like other top blood glucose meters, this brand requires a small blood sample to deliver results, and it is easy to use. Moreover, Omnis Health’s blood glucose takes six seconds to give results, and it can store up to 300 test results to let you monitor your blood sugar level over time. However, you will have to purchase testing supplies separately since they are not included in this purchase.
OWell Prodigy Diabetes Talking Meter
OWell’s prodigy diabetes talking meter comes in a kit containing a log book, 100 test strips, a lancing device, a user manual, 100 lancets, and a carry case. The easy to use meter lets you hear and see test results in four languages. Some of the reasons why you might want to purchase this meter include its USB port capability, it requires a small blood sample, and it is backed by a 100% customer satisfaction guarantee. Besides, the testing supplies in the kit have an extended expiration date, and the meter delivers results for as short as 5 seconds. Accurate readings every time.
True Balance’s Glucose meter
True Balance’s glucose meter features the Quad electrode technology to give you quick results to give precise blood glucose results. Nevertheless, you will have to buy the testing supplies separately since they do not come with the meter.
This meter does not require coding, it can store up to 365 test results to help you monitor your blood glucose over a period, it provides a 14 &30 day averaging, and it has a large and easy to read screen. The blood glucose requires a 1ml blood sample, and it delivers results within 10 minutes.
Accu- Chek Blood Glucose monitoring systems
This is a compact blood glucose meter designed for insulin users. Some of the useful features of this blood glucose monitoring system include a bright backlight display that lets you read your test results with ease and customizable skin piercing depths that let you choose a suitable depth for your skin type.
Furthermore, Accu- Check blood glucose meter need a blood sample of 0.6 µL to deliver accurate results for as short as 5 seconds. Like other top blood glucose meters, this brand is easy to read as it involves no coding.