Finger prick kit

[WendyB61]

Hi where is the cheapest place to buy a monitor lancet and drips from please?

 

[goodybags]

Hopefully someone with far better knowledge on the cost of the device & strips will pop along in a minute to give the information your looking for

as your probably aware what looks to be great VFM can sometimes not be as some testing kits the strips are more expensive

 

[Leadinglights]

Hi where is the cheapest place to buy a monitor lancet and drips from please?

Check out Amazon monitors with the cheaper strips are GlucoNavii, TEE2 or Contour Blue but prices seem to change so you need to check.
Lancets can be unofficially used many times so don't add much to the cost.0

 

[JimmyBlue]

@WendyB61, there are also some monitors and strips sold through the Diabetes UK shop, just go to their main page and use the search option for Diabetes UK shop.

 

[gail2]

i brought mine off this site and you can buy the strips as well

 

[PerSpinasAdAstra]

I'd suggest the Contour Plus Blue if you want a meter with affordable test strips. You can buy it on this site via the 'Shop' link at the top of the page or on sites such as Amazon or eBay.

blood glucose meters and test strips

Browse the blood glucose meters, test strips and kits available at Diabetes UK for testing blood sugar levels. Lancets and lancing devices also for sale.

shop.diabetes.org.uk

I've been doing some testing where I've tested the same drop of blood with several meters, from cheap ones to expensive ones. Some of the models I've tested appear in independent studies of meter accuracy, which lets me compare all of the meters to one another and to the one that is known to be the most accurate. Of five different affordable models I've tested the Contour Plus Blue consistently gives readings which are close to the most accurate meter.

I don't own a TEE2 so I can't say anything about that model but I would definitely recommend the Plus Blue over the GlucoNavii. I'm still gathering readings and trying to figure out how to present them so I can't 'publish my findings' yet but this plot is illustrative. This represents 11 tests (11 drops of blood - 5 meters - 55 meter tests in total) during a six hour period while wearing two different models of CGM. The purple dots are the Contour Next readings, the most accurate meter according to independent studies. Note how far off the mark the readings from the GlucoNavii are at higher blood glucose concentrations. The Plus Blue consistently comes closer to the mark, which suggests to me that it's a very good meter for the money.

 

[everydayupsanddowns]

Interesting n=1 data there @PerSpinasAdAstra

And really good correlation between the (cheaper) Contour Blue and the Contour Next.

The Contour Next has been my go-to for years and always seems to do well in the BG meter benchtests / studies that are occasionally run.It was the first meter I had where rechecking if I say a BG result I “didn’t like” was very rarely worth it, as I’d just get the same number again. Previously I could have expected quite a variance.

I think I could count the obviously duff results I’ve seen from Next strips I’ve seen over the last 10ish years on one hand.

 

[WendyB61]

Check out Amazon monitors with the cheaper strips are GlucoNavii, TEE2 or Contour Blue but prices seem to change so you need to check.
Lancets can be unofficially used many times so don't add much to the cost.0

Thanks I bought the GlucoNavi

 

[PerSpinasAdAstra]

Interesting n=1 data there @PerSpinasAdAstra

And really good correlation between the (cheaper) Contour Blue and the Contour Next.

The Contour Next has been my go-to for years and always seems to do well in the BG meter benchtests / studies that are occasionally run.It was the first meter I had where rechecking if I say a BG result I “didn’t like” was very rarely worth it, as I’d just get the same number again. Previously I could have expected quite a variance.

I think I could count the obviously duff results I’ve seen from Next strips I’ve seen over the last 10ish years on one hand.

I too have found the Next to be excellent in terms of consistency. I actually have the Next and Next One models, have testing the same drop of blood with both meters maybe 100 times, and the readings are very rarely more than 0.2 mmol/L apart.

As to the correlation between the Contour Plus Blue and the Contour Next I suspect (though it's just a guess) that the test strips come from the same production line and that the 'Plus' strips are second rate, if that makes sense. They test a batch of strips for accuracy and if they meet the highest company standards they become 'Next', if they meet the basic regulatory standards they become 'Plus'. If not they are dumped (if that ever happens). The strips are identical in appearance except for one electrical contact on the strip (and printed branding) which would enable a meter to detect the 'model' of strip that has been inserted.

I also suspect the same goes for the difference between the Accu-Chek Guide and Accu-Chek Instant strips. Those strips are also identical in appearance. It makes economic sense to manufacture batches of strips, test them, and then sell the best batches at a premium price (with an electrical contact and branding added). Again though, just guessing. This plot includes both premium and affordable models from both Ascensia and Accu-Chek, along with the OneTouch Verio Reflect, which also did well in independent studies.

I should mention that the Dexcom One+ was manually calibrated using the Contour Next meter before the readings were taken. When using automatic calibration the Dexcom One+ and Libre 2 produced very similar readings for me. I don't quite understand why the CGMs produce high readings for me while using automatic calibration. I have applied for a job with Dexcom though - they're building a new factory near me in the West of Ireland. Maybe one day I'll find out why CGMs read high for me personally while meters read lower.
(If you're reading Dexcom person - I'm in your CV pile 😉)