A new meter review

And an apology.  I have been seriously lacking in this regard.  Work's been busy, which is a good thing. 

So, Review #2.

This time I'm reviewing the Verio meter.  Not the IQ or the Flex, but the regular Verio.

I like this meter.  There are parts of it that I like compared to the Flex, and parts of it I don't like as much as compared to the IQ.  But all in all, the OneTouch systems are really nice devices.  Maybe their next one will be an integration of all the parts of these three. (hint, hint, OneTouch/LifeScan!!)

So, one of the great things about these three meters, the Verio, VerioIQ and the Verio Flex, is that they all use the same test strips.  Which is nice, though pretty typical across the board for most monitors.

It's a bit hefty - though I haven't weighed it (and I think I might, in order to compare it to others), which is surprising.  I mean, it's not heavy by any stretch of the imagination, but it's actually got a bit of weight to it.  

As you can see in the photo, navigation is with the grey up and down arrow button and to go back is the bottom arrow.  In order to power on the device without a test, you hold down the blue OK button at the top, as well as when making selections in the menu.

The screen is backlit, which I like if I'm testing in a dimly lit place, or at night (or early in the morning) and I don't want to turn on a lamp.  The screen is colour, and the contrast is really nice.

The photo doesn't really do the display justice, but you can see that the contrast is quite nice and the readout is easy to read.

 The results log is great and easy to navigate up and down.  Of course, if you want to keep track of your numbers in a chart, you need to manually enter it into either the OneTouch app or into another monitoring app.

The best is the easy to read averages that lets you know what your averages are and over how many results.  Since I'll be testing multiple monitors for this blog, the number of results is not going to be very high for may of the monitors.







As you can see here, the monitor comes much like the Flex did.  It's in a vinyl carrying case, with the lancing device and test strips held in, and then all packaged up in a nice case.  I won't lie - there were a few times I dropped the monitor out of the case and onto the tabletop because the monitor isn't anchored into the case.  Something OneTouch/LifeScan might want to consider for the future is perhaps putting a small strap in for the monitor to hook on to in the case. 

In comparison to the Flex, the thing I like best about this monitor is the backlit display and the ease of navigation.  However, as I mentioned in the review of the Flex, one thing I find missing from the Verio is the light in the slot for the test strop that the IQ has.  When you insert a strip in the IQ, the light turns on and you can use that light to see to test your blood, and to place the drop.  With the Verio, I had to use my phone's flashlight in the dark. (yes, I test these things, too).

My ideal LifeScan/OneTouch meter would incorporate the backlit display of the Verio and the IQ, the light of the IQ in the test strip slot, and the Bluetooth technology of the Flex.

OneTouch/LifeScan make great products, and their strips are pretty average in cost to the other meters, (if slightly more expensive, but really not significantly) and work in all three Verio monitors.

With this monitor, the biggest problem I had with it was actually just the lack of light in the top.  I love the backlit display - as I do with any backlit anything. 

 

First Meter Review!

I completed my first review of a glucose meter and am ready to share it with you now.

I started reviewing the One Touch Verio Flex.  This is one I was excited to try.  It comes with Bluetooth capabilities and links to an app on your phone very easily.  I'll go through the process as I go through this review.



The app icon

The Flex is very easy to use, as are most glucose monitors, to be honest.   Test strips range in price based on where you buy your strips.  Costco Pharmacy sells them for about $75 for 100.  Shoppers Drug Mart sells them for about $85. The strips can be used on the Verio, Verio IQ and Verio Flex interchangeably - which is nice if you have strips for one and get a different Verio meter from your previous.







Setting up the Bluetooth to talk to my phone was no problem.  Easy peasy.  You turn on the meter, make sure the Bluetooth is on on the meter and your phone and wait for the app to 'discover' your meter.  Your meter will have an identification name/number that you will enter into the app, and then, your app and meter can chat with each other. 

Chart showing tagged
and untagged readings

One of the great things about the Bluetooth capabilities that I really liked was that I could use the meter as I usually do, throughout the day, and then upload all the information at the end of the day.  I didn't have to enter anything manually unless I used a different meter.  The front of the meter shows whether or not your blood sugar is in range (a range you select in the app, which you can customize in the app - the ranges on the meter and the app may differ).


Manually Entered
reading

Manually Entered and
uploaded readings

What I found very interesting with this meter is that when you manually enter your information, it will differentiate between meter readings and manual inputs with a different font, which is kind of neat.  At a quick glance you can tell which readings came from where.  Same goes for whether you've tagged any of your readings.  The chart (pictured to the left) differentiates between readings that are tagged, and before and after meals. 

Manual Entry Screen

All of the readings are kept in an easy to read format.  You can enter pretty much any information you want to keep track of.  There is an area for notes, so if you take a fasting reading, you can note that.  Otherwise, before and after meals is your only option.  You can also note in the app your insulin dose, and your activity and grams of carbs at your meal.  What I could not find was a capability to access nutritional information for food - which some apps do allow.  You could always look it up with an app such as My Fitness Pal, and enter the food in your notes, but having a search capability for foods is one of those "not necessary, but nice to have" features in some other apps.

All in all, this meter is a great meter - really easy to use, and the app is very user-friendly as well as easy to navigate. I've used other OneTouch meters in the past (reviews for those are upcoming).

One feature that I miss on the Flex and the regular Verio (review upcoming) that the IQ has is that the screen is not backlit, and if you want to test in a darker setting, say early in the morning when you wake up, or if you wake in the middle of the night and need to test, there's no light where you insert your strip (I'll discuss this further in my review of the IQ, but it is a feature of the IQ that I quite enjoy.  I hate turning on my lamp if it's dark and my plan is to test then go back to sleep). 

Opinion:  Great meter for everyone.  The display is large enough to read.  Fantastic for the tech savvy because hey, who doesn't like techy stuff?  I loved the Bluetooth capabilities.

Wish List: A light in the strip port (like on the IQ), and/or a backlit screen; access to a food list for carb calculation through the app.