Im really sorry you’ve had a bad experience with that meter
@desktop57 - but don’t let that put you off self-monitoring completely!
Over the years I’ve used several different types and brands, I've also been offered a few to try out for my blog, and I can certainly say that some strips and meters are far ‘slurpier‘ than others. Some really do have a knack, and seem very picky about exactly where the droplet is and the angle of strip, while others will slurp up the blood from halfway across a room
Many members here chose the SD Gluco Navii, because it offers good accuracy and has very affordable strips. There are links in the ‘useful links’ thread in the newbie section if you are interested.