FreeStyle Freedom Lite Blood Glucose Monitoring System - 1 ct

Accurate and easy to use. The USB connector needed to interface with an electronic device is overly pricey (and non-standard) so the values must be entered by hand. The strips are pricey (about $1 each), and I have not been able to find a way to get much of a volume discount. Despite the gripes, this unit fulfills the mission of making your blood sugar value accessible...accurately and precisely. For an independent review of where this device compares to other glucometers, the American Association of Diabetic Educators (AADE) have information easily found by searching the web.

First, I would suggest anyone looking for a new meter check out the American Association of Diabetic Educators testing for accuracy done Sept. 2013 of a wide range of meters. This one took the top score in coming within 5% of known glucose levels for both under 100 mg and over 100 mg.For the purposes of full disclosure, I am not a diabetic, rather I am a PCOS patient. We also have insulin resistance issues and I find it helpful in managing my condition to keep a watch on my glucose levels several times a week or when feeling "off".I keep a meter both upstairs and downstairs. Bought this to replace the downstairs unit. I found the meter set up very easy and there is no coding necessary. In the box was a glucose logbook, 10 strips to get you started, a small black carrier pack, a lancet device with 10 lancets, vial of control solution and a very good manual with one exception. As a teacher, the manual should have spent more time explaining how to use the strips correctly, although they are easy to use. Just hold the meter level and touch the black dot on the strip (They are on the side to make it easier for righties or lefties) to the side of the blood drop. There is a list of many ways to use them wrong, the DO NOT list is given more space in the brochure that the HOW TO instructions. The sample is read quickly and the meter can be set to give you an audible ding when the reading is complete, or you can run it silently. The readings on this meter are consistently within just a couple of points to my other meter, which is also rated well.I do have one suggestion. I'm not crazy about the lancet supplied with this kit. I'm not a fan of having to load/unload a lancet for each test. I really like a lancet made by a competitor - the Accu-Chek FastClix device uses a 6 lancet drum, the lancets are fine and nearly painless and the device is really simple to use. (There is an older version called the MultiClix that requires pre-cocking before activation that I did not like as well.) Plus it fits just fine into the carry case supplied with this kit. The FastClix and refills are available here through Amazon as well.

The description claims “Kit includes meter, battery, logbook, control solution, 10 count test strips, carrying case, lancing device, 10 lancets, quick reference guide and instructions, and a warranty card”It did not include the test strips, logbook, or control solution.I wasted $3.99 ordering this overnight for my wife since it was supposed to include the test strips. None of the test strips that are a decent price are available via Prime so do not plan on using the imaginary test strips while you wait for your non-prime test strips to ship.

Either I missed the fact that no test strips were included, or the description changed. Extremely disappointed as we cannot test whether this machine is effective for us without buying a huge box of 50 TEST STRIPS? The two stars are not for the meter itself, but for the product as a whole - the monitoring system - as I consider a "system" that includes disposable lancets but not disposable test strips as very much bait-and-switch.

The monitor works fine but this is not quite the model that I ordered and paid for. I received the yellow boxed version, clearly marked 'NOT FOR RETAIL SALE' that Amazon sells for a few dollars less, and is displayed separately, with this label visible, on the site. I do not know why this model is sold at retail when this is obviously not supposed to be done, nor do I know what the difference is, if any, between the retail and non retail versions of this item.

I purchased this unit to test myself fearing that I might be developing a pre-diabetes. I did a bit of research and the most important factors in choosing a meter were accuracy and cost of strips. The meter seems to be accurate - at least based on what I've observed (I have to admit, I haven't done a lab/meter comparison) by measuring my blood sugar levels and those of my girlfriend. There's a chart which explains the accuracy in the different ranges and that's how I concluded that the measurements should be quite close to the real values. Overall, I'm very happy w/ the meter.The one limitation I found is wrt to categorizing the measurements: the meter allows to mark measurements as "solution" when testing against control solution (so that these are excluded from the averages the meter calculates), but it doesn't allow categorizing as "before" and "after" a meal etc. leaving you guessing if you have to scroll through the history - hence the 4 stars.Cost of replacement strips is higher than average, but I found that if purchased via Amazon it's not so bad. Since I don't test daily, this is an acceptable trade-off.