Blood Glucose Meters: Reviews

Updated March 2011

If you are a diabetic, your blood sugar readings determine when and what you eat. So you need a good blood glucose meter to be both accurate and easy to use. While federal standards allow these devices to be wrong by as much as 20 percent, experts say you should still test. After consulting a few studies published in medical journals that test popular blood glucose meters for accuracy, and a Men's Health article gives results from a Consumer Reports test that judges accuracy (it isn't posted on their site), we're confident that the three monitors below will fit your budget and your needs.

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Best blood glucose monitor

Bayer Contour

*Est. $20 Compare Prices

The Bayer Contour blood glucose meter covers just about all the bases, reviews say. It's accurate, affordable, small and easy enough for kids to use. It's also full-featured, with the ability to read test-strip codes… expandautomatically (no entering them by hand), several test-site options (fingertip, palm, forearm, thigh or abdomen) and optional computer software to help you track your blood sugar over time. Reviews say the Bayer Contour is the best blood glucose monitor for most people. For patients on a tight budget, the ReliOn Micro (*Est. $9) and its matching test strips cost less. If you have vision problems, you may prefer the talking Prodigy Voice Meter (*Est. $65). Test strips for the Bayer glucose meter cost about $25 for 50 strips. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: Diabetic volunteers test 15 blood glucose meters -- including the Ascensia Contour (now Bayer Contour) -- at ConsumerReports.org.

Men's Health: This article refers to a Consumer Reports test of blood glucose meters that includes ratings for accuracy and consistency, as well as ease of use.

ChildrenWithDiabetes.com: This educational organization occasionally tests blood glucose monitors.

Walmart.com: The Bayer Contour blood glucose meter has accumulated only nine user reviews here so far, but eight of the nine users would recommend it to a friend.

Buzzillions.com: This glucose monitor enjoyed nearly perfect scores at Buzzillions.com when we checked, with nine user reviews posted (six here, and three for the purple version).

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Amazon

for $19.99

Budget blood glucose meter, cheap strips

ReliOn Micro

*Est. $9 Learn More

This is the cheapest glucose meter in our report, with some of the cheapest test strips (about $20 for 50 strips). Experts say it's also one of the easiest to use, and users find it accurate, too. The ReliOn Micro doesn't… expandboast as many extras as the pricier Bayer Contour blood glucose meter. For example, although the ReliOn Micro can strore 50 test results in its memory, it doesn't come with computer software to help you track them, and the meter allows only fingertip or palm testing. The ReliOn Micro also takes a couple of seconds longer to calculate a result. But like the Bayer Contour, the ReliOn Micro is compact and requires no coding -- and it takes an even tinier droplet of blood than the Bayer glucose meter, which users say results in fewer errors and wasted test strips due to too-small samples. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

ConsumerReports.org: ConsumerReports.org rates 15 blood glucose meters from best to worst based on their ease of use.

DiabetesDaily.com: This forum poster's personal review of the ReliOn Micro is thorough and well illustrated with photos.

DiabetesWellBeing.com: This informative diabetes website posts reviews of several popular blood glucose monitors.

Walmart.com: The ReliOn Micro blood glucose meter is sold only at Walmart and Sam's Club.

$9.00 at Walmart.com

Talking glucose meter for the sight-impaired

Prodigy Voice Meter

*Est. $65 Compare Prices

Vision problems are a common complication of diabetes. Experts say the Prodigy Voice talking glucose meter allows people with blindness or low vision to test their blood glucose without any help. It speaks all… expandinstructions and results, requires no coding, and it makes other functions -- from inserting the test strip to changing the batteries -- easy to accomplish by touch alone. A volume control and headphone jack make it possible to test discreetly (at sites including the fingertip, palm, forearm, upper arm, calf or thigh), and the matching test strips (*Est. $17 for 50) are no more expensive than ordinary test strips. The Prodigy Voice wins awards from the American Foundation for the Blind and the National Federation of the Blind. If you don't need an audio glucose meter, reviews recommend the cheaper Bayer Contour (*Est. $20) as the best blood glucose monitor overall. collapse

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Expert & User Review Sources:

National Federation of the Blind: With the widest range of spoken instructions and feedback, the Prodigy Voice earns the most praise among several talking blood glucose monitors from diabetes educator Connie Kleinbeck.

American Foundation for the Blind: This organization conducts thorough ease-of-use tests on two talking glucose meters, the Prodigy Voice and SensoCard Plus.

Journal of Diabetes Science and Technology: This study compares five blood glucose monitors designed for people with impaired vision.

DLife.com: This reviewer is an optometrist who also has diabetes.

HealthCentral.com: Ann Bartlett tests the Prodigy Voice, AutoCode and Pocket models.

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Buy from
Amazon

for $79.99