Metene TD-4116 Blood Glucose Monitor Kit, 150 Glucometer Strips, 150 Lancets, 1 Blood Sugar Monitor, Blood Sugar Test Kit with Control Solution, Lancing Device, No Coding, Large Display

I think nearly every older adult today needs a glucose meter. This is one I can recommend.
I like this meter mainly because it is easy to use, reliable, and I think very affordable for what it does. The display is nice and easily readable. Mine came with 2 batteries (only 1 is needed), 100 testing strips and 100 lancets along with the automatic plunger. It also has a test solution to confirm the meter works correctly, and a zippered bag to keep everything together.The meter comes with software so you can upload the data to your computer, add notes, calculate averages, follow trends over time, etc. I use my meter and upload the data to my laptop every day. I then make adjustments in the foods I eat from my data log, and watch how I can reduce blood sugar spikes. There is something both satisfying and very educational about all of this.While I like the meter, there are a few issues that I don’t like about the software. First is that I cannot erase data points in the meter itself. If you are playing around with it when you first get it (like I was) and you now want to erase the bad data from the good data, you can’t do it (there is a way, but it involves resetting the meter). Now you can omit the bad data from entering into calculations in the software, but this is not the same as totally erasing the data. I just find it very annoying that I can’t erase obviously bad data easily from the meter itself, or go back and reassign test solution data that was accidentally marked as general data. A second issue I have is that the software is very limited in what it can do. You really can’t change any of the displays to perform custom calculations or make personalized plots of the data. I can move the data into another software package to do these things, but it is a hassle to do that. In any case, the software is free and it is helpful. But if you want more sophisticated analysis and graphing, you will need to use Excel or SPSS, or something similar. Most people will not need to analyze their blood glucose in such detail, but it is a shame the software is so limiting. I definitely recommend that you learn to use the free software to get the most from the meter.

Questionable accuracy.
Accuracy is very, very, very very questionable. Reads higher than then high end readers. Typically off by 10 to 20 points. Otherwise works well.

Easy to use
Very easy to use. The step by step pictures really helps especially for those who does not speak English like my parents. They were able to look at the picture instructions and figured out how to use it. It’s small so it’ll fit into purses. My dad checks his blood sugar 3X a day and batteries seems to last a long time.

Hard to use, a waste and painful too.
It is painful and a waste of time. I have tried to check myself twice today; it only worked once. I have wasted 6 bands already in two trials; it won’t last at this point. I have pinched my fingers more than ten times, and there is never enough blood, even when there is enough. Instructions are not clear; they are too visual, yet unclear. It doesn’t mention where exactly you have to put the blood, since where it apparently goes, it doesn’t work. I have had “Lo” on the screen twice, and I have no idea what anything means on this monitor. I didn’t expect this to be such a troublesome experience. Nobody wants to lose 15 or 20 minutes trying for this every day, a few times a day, plus the pain.