Walmart’s Relion Prime isn’t a bad meter. The $9/50 strips is it’s main selling point.
I put it head to head with the Aga Matrix Presto
They both use a small sample size of 0.5ul
They both showed about the same repeatability using their respective control solutions.
The Relion Prime meter doesn’t make any beep when sample is added or when a test result is ready. This isn’t a big deal but it’s kind of nice to get some auditory feedback to indicate you are doing it right.
The Relion Prime doesn’t have a back lit monitor so you can’t see the reading in low light.
The Relion Prime meter kind of slips around in you hand. The Aga Matrix has rubber side grips. I didn’t really appreciate them much until a tried using the Relion on. You need to have a stable grip on the meter as you try to touch the test strip to your blood drop.
Consumer Reports gave the Relion Prime a total score of 71 vs. the Aga Matrix Presto (Target Up & Up) a total of 83.
The Relion Prime doesn’t come with a control solution. It’s free but you have to order online and wait a couple of weeks for delivery.
The Relion Prime Meter doesn’t come with a lancing device or lancets.
Total cost for Relion Prime for 100 tests:
Meter $16.24
50 strips $9.00
50 strips $9.00
lancing device $6.00
100 lancets $3.74
Control $0.00
Total cost for 100 tests =$44.18
Total cost for Aga Matrix Presto via AmericanDiabetesWholesale.com
Meter
110 strips
110 lancets
lancing device
Control
Total cost for 100 tests = $23.25
This American Diabetes Wholesale package is a really good deal.
Let’s say that you need to reorder more test strips for the Presto and you don’t need the meter and lancing device. It’s still the better deal. Figure that the lancets in the package deal are worth $3.74. Subtract that from the $23.25 and you end up with $19.51.
You are getting 110 strips(you get an extra 10 in the meter kit portion of the package) which works out to be 17.7 cents/strip.
And you are left with an extra Presto meter to boot. It might make a nice gift. Maybe a tax deductible donation to GoodWill or a local diabetes clinic. Maybe even sell it on Ebay.
