Glucose Testing Doesn’t Have to Be Expensive

Quit Wasting Money Buying Over Priced Glucose Test Strips!

Study after study shows that it’s really difficult to say with any certainty that one meter is that much better than another.  So….

Why Pay $1.50/strip when you can pay 20 cents/strip?

Don’t be fooled into thinking that store brands are the cheapest.  Drugstores, supermarkets and stores such as Walmart and Target will typically charge twice as much as some online stores.

Even so-called “discount” online stores can vary substantially in price. Just because they have “discount” or ”cheap” in their names doesn’t guarantee that they have the best prices.

Don’t assume that just because a particular online store has one brand at a low price that all of their products are priced low.  Also, some online stores sell package deals that end up costing much less than the total of their individually priced components.

Make Sure You Get  Control Solution, Lancing Device & Lancets

If you are new to testing, you want to make certain you have everything you need to start testing when you get home.  Some brands will sell a box that contains nothing but the meter but then will also sell a meter “kit” that will come with a few test strips, control solution, lancing device and some lancets.  Know what you are getting.

Why Walmart’s Relion Prime IS NOT the Best Deal at $9/box of 50 Strips

Walmart’s Relion Prime might seem like the best deal at only $9/box of 50 strips.   But you still have to buy the meter which does not include a lancing device, lancets or control solution. (Control solution is free but you have to order it online and wait about two weeks for delivery)

Add up the cost to do 100 tests:

Meter                 $16.24
50 strips            $9.00
50 strips            $9.00
Lancing deivice  $6.00
100 Lancets       $3.74

Total Cost for Walmart’s Relion Prime for 100 tests = $44.18

                                                VS.

Total Cost for Aga Matrix’s Presto package deal for only $23.25

Meter
110 test strips
110 lancets
Lancing device
control solution

 

See Head to Head Comparison of Walmart Relion Prime vs. Aga Matrix Presto

 

Are the Deals on Amazon or Ebay Legit?

Make sure you know who is actually shipping the product.

Do they deal in glucose test strips on a regular basis?

Do they store the strips on a controlled climate warehouse?

Do they sell “gray” market strips or short expiration strips?

 

We recommend glucose test systems that:

• Require less than 1ul of blood
• Are accurate
• Are reliable
• Require NO Coding
• Are cheap(under $12/box of 50 strips)

We recommend finding vendors that offer regular inventoried product:

• No short expiration dates
• No recycled gray market supplies.
• Climate controlled warehouses

 

 

Four Low Cost Glucose Meters and Where to Get the Best Prices

 

1.  Aga Matrix Wavesense Presto

Also known as Target’s Up & Up and Kroger’s store brand.

Consumer Report’s rated it their “Best Buy”.  Their highest score for accuracy and very good for repeatability.

Technology: Wavesense Dynamic Electrochemisty detects and corrects for temperature, altitude, hemocrit, interfering factors and manufacturing variations.

Accuracy Study

Sample Size: 0.5ul

No Coding

Alternate site testing

 Don’t buy the Premium model!  The Premium meter has fancier data management features but the test strips cost three times as much.  They made it so the strips for the Presto won’t physically fit into the Premium model even though they use the same technology and perform the same.  Why?  Because the Premium model is geared for the people with insurance.  People with insurance don’t really care what the strips cost so they figure that they can charge more. Our medical system at it’s finest

Where to Buy:

2.  Nipro Diagnostic’s TrueResult/TrueTest

Also sold as store brand for Walgreen, CVS and RiteAid

Consumer Reports excellent in accuracy, very good in repeatability

Accruracy Study

Technology

Sample size 0.5ul

No coding

 

Where to Buy

3. Prodigy AutoCode

 

Consumer Report’s rated it their “Best Buy”.  ”very good” for accuracy and “very good” for repeatability.

Technology:

Accuracy Study

Sample Size: 0.7ul

No Coding

Alternate site testing

 

Where to Buy:

4. Advocate Redi-Code Plus

 

Consumer Report’s rated it their “Best Buy”.  ”good” for accuracy and “very good” for repeatability.

Technology:

 

Sample Size: 0.7ul

No Coding

Alternate site testing

 

Where to Buy: