I promised to report back with a review of the Genteel Plus. Today is my first day using it, and I think I'll report again after living with it a bit, because I have a slight question mark over durability. But here are the first impressions.
I bought the blue, for £59.99, from Amazon UK.
Pros:
- A lot less painful than even a shallow jab with the other device I tried.
- As advertised, it does seem to work with any square lancet (I'm using the generic ones that came with the GlucoNavii starter kit, and it's fine)
- I know it's childish, but I like the shiny blue colour I got. I like that they've made some effort to make it a bit nicer-looking. It also came with stickers, which would be nice for kids.
Neutral:
- You definitely need to watch a getting started video before using, as it is pretty different. But I really didn't find it complicated, I was up and running in a few minutes.
Cons:
- It would be bad for anyone with dexterity problems. You have to hold it steady (without pressing hard), and hold down a button for several seconds. It also takes some effort to prime it. And changing the caps (to alter the depth) might also be a problem for some.
- It's friendly-looking, but not friendly-sounding! It's a very loud "ping" when you press the button, and the whole thing shakes slightly. This somewhat undermines its attempts to be non-scary. Those advertising photos of someone doing a test on a sleeping child? That kid is gonna wake up.
- It's definitely not discreet: it's large, and loud. This might bother some people if they need to test when out and about.
- I have a question mark over portability. It's not massive, I'd be happy with the carry case in my handbag. But, to fit it in the case, you have to press the plunger down, which means it's primed. Other reviewers have mentioned issues with accidentally setting it off, and I can see how that might happen if it's bumping about in a bag. As I'm only using it at home (type 2, not on insulin, only testing to figure out what different food does to me), I'm leaving it un-primed and just letting the plunger stick out the top of the case. But this would be really impractical if I wanted to take it anywhere - I'd have to find a bigger carry case.
- I also have a question mark over durability, especially if you store it with the plunger pressed down. It takes some force to prime it, there's clearly some springs or something under tension there. I just wonder how long they'll last. I'll try to remember to report back on this in a few months.
- It's USA-focused. In the UK, I can't find the Genteel Butterfly lancets (not that they're needed, but it's odd they're not available), or quite a lot of the lancets they recommend. Note that the image on Amazon includes a few lancets, but they were not actually included. Genteel say they can't ship their lancets to the UK. I also wonder whether the generous warranty would apply outside the USA?
- They've done themselves no favours with their marketing. "Painless" is always going to be a stretch when you're poking sharp objects into your skin. I'd say it almost is, but you certainly feel it (it's more like a "thwack" than a "stab"). Just like I'm fed up of people going "oh fingerpricks don't hurt", I think companies over-claiming or not accurately describing how their product may behave is just unhelpful.
Am I happy with my purchase?
Yes, I'm very happy with it - but I'm not sure I'd be quick to recommend it to everyone.
My requirements were very simple: I found fingerpricks painful and scary, but I wanted to be able to test at home, to see my response to what I'm eating. The Genteel Plus is a
lot less painful, and thus a lot less scary. I also feel friendly towards it, which is a kinda silly subjective thing, but it helps. I don't think I'm ever going to love the process, but I'm already more relaxed about it, and confident I can test as much as I want. So for me, it's done exactly what I needed it to do, and was definitely worth the investment.
However, I'd be reluctant to recommend it to anyone who needs to test all the time (e.g. anyone on insulin - so basically all type 1s, and some type 2s), due to the portability and discreteness concerns. It's also not going to be great for anyone with arthritis or other dexterity issues.
I hope this is helpful!
