I have been using the WaveSense KeyNote meter for the past 4 months and I have been very happy with the meter! Up until recently, I had no idea about the huge margin of error in meters, it is actually kind of scary that we are forced to trust the wide range of numbers our meter can spit out. I learned about WaveSense technology and how it enables high accuracy and thought it was worth a shot! The new technology, only available for WaveSense products, detects various factors such as hematocrit levels, temperature and altitude variations and manufacturing variations and then corrects for the variables to give a highly accurate reading. If you would like to see how the WaveSense KeyNote compared to a laboratory reference in a clinical study, check out our website (www.wavesense.info/data)
Please let me know if you have any questions about the meter. I believe so strongly in the technology and product that I have recently begun to to work for the company who makes the meter. let me know if I can help!
Hi Joseph I just wanted to let you know the other features (aside from accuracy) that I would be looking for I believe are already in the works with one of your meters. I would love to have a meter that is not only accurate but is compact and would allow me to upload data via bluetooth. It would also be nice to have different options in colors as the one touch mini is starting to do.
The 10 degree C minimum temperature seems to be the only obvious shortcoming of your meter to me. That’s a concern for anyone living in a cool part of the world who would like to use the meter outside. I’ve retired my old 10 or 15 degree minimum temperature meters in favour of the current 4 or 5 degree minimum meters and I wouldn’t want to back up. The predicted high here for tomorrow is only 11 C!
It’s not clear to me how precise individual meters are from the test data provided by manufacturers.
I’d much rather have a precise BG meter than an accurate one, if I can’t have both. As long as a meter is precise (repeatable) I can calibrate it using lab blood tests. Your company could do all users a service by publishing a layman’s interpretation of what your meter’s accuracy and precision statistics mean.
I’ll email you my opinions on your competitors’ products’ flaws.
Backlit easy to read display (pretend you want to use the meter in the shade/dark)
Easy to choose preselected notes, also add insulin dosages into the meter
Software to tie it all together…
Reasonably small size…
Easily replacable batteries, or gasp rechargable…
Mebby a way to use a lab reading to nudge the meters calibration curve?
Clock that has a quick setting for changing in/out of DST… (my alarm clock had a button to do the offset)
8.Less blood, and convienent ways of handling multiple tests…
Alarms… some for time of day (to take medication), another for elapsed time since last test…
Take the data thing one step further… Be able to use a phone for data and upload/email readings and time of day averages…
I’ve been using One touch ultra for almost 8 months now, it’s all I got. since meter is very expensive here (worth 6,000pesos or $150), i don’t think I can get a replacement… is it true that it’s 20 points lower? meaning if my BG is 120, it’s actually 140? that’s too high… now I am worried…
But before, my endo compared the result to her BG meter (just can’t remember the brand but it’s bigger than my one touch ultra), it’s only 4 points higher…
Trust your OneTouch. In my experience, One Touch Ultra meters are very good. I’ve used 6 units of 4 models --Ultra, Ultra 2, UltraMini, and InDuo (an Ultra meter combined with an Inovo injector). They have all agreed very well with calibrations against lab blood tests. That’s really the best way to tell how well your meter works. Test at the same time as a lab takes a blood sample for a glucose reading.
I have used 2 AgaMatrix meters of the same model( iTest in Canada, WaveSense in US, other names elsewhere). Both meters were way out of calibration. The first meter was 22% high against a lab calibration. Customer service sent me a replacement meter which turned out to be 26% high against a lab calibration. I don’t use AgaMatrix meters anymore.
I’ve been a long time OneTouch user (maybe 6 meters in the past 17 years) and I’ve tried several other meters but found that I’ve probably been far too accustomed to the OneTouch design to switch. But there are several things that I’ve mentioned that I would like to see in a meter (several agree with John’s list):
Backlight button – hint, not a dual use button (why a meter would not have this is beyond me)
Good software (windows/mac) – many computer users are now used to parsing data, playing with it and coming up with their own conclusions. The OneTouch software feels like something from the early 1990s and I still use the old serial connection because paying $30 for a $2 USB cable just seems like robbery.
Mobile/PDA sync – I’ve played with software to use as a logbook and most of them are ok, but require you to add your BS results. Personally, I would love to have an option to use my Treo to capture my carbs and doses and let the meter capture my sugars. Then when I use the desktop software, merge the two data sources and offer a complete solution.
Bluetooth? – I like the idea but for the amount of power it consumes, it’s impractical.
SD Memory Meter – One idea that I’ve asked Freestyle to work on would be to create a modular meter the plugs into the SD memory port of a Treo of other PDA. It would use the screen of your PDA and you’d pop a strip in, add blood… simple. Since many of us carry around bigger and badder cell phones, this would cut down on all the crap I have to carry.
Meter Pro – I’m a guy and I love new technology but meters really look like kids toys that you’d get at Burger King. Since I have to use this thing like 4-6 times a day, I might be happier with a pro style meter that would offer an OLED screen, more buttons, gunmetal metalic casing (or iPod style look), ringtone style alerts, cooler looking lancet device, maybe a funky little game that uses BS numbers to keep a digital creature (A1C Bunny?) alive (or kill), rechargeable, etc. Would I pay $30-60 for such a device? I might even pay more. If hit was accurate and worked with my insurance, why not? The strips would still be the same but the meter itself would exude cool. OneTouch tried this with the Mini but they failed to understand the male market, colors are nice but you need to ADD options, not remove them. Duh.
John’s suggestion to nudge values based on lab numbers would be great for people, like me, who religiously test my sugar before I get lab tests. Usually the numbers are pretty far off (meter 122 vs lab 224… wtf?)
I have been tempted by the Agamatrix meters but haven’t made the leap. Sadly, no diabetes expos in my area this (or next) year so hopefully I could get a hands on at one of the JDRF walks or something.
I use the One Touch Ultrasmart & have for a couple of years now. I always check it when I go for lab work & have never found it differs by more than a point or two numberwise. I like all the features on this meter because it allows me to keep other numbers in the machine … like blood pressure, and cholesterol readings, weight & the like … which I ordinarily like to keep track of. The software is easy to use & very intuitive & I like being able to clear my meter after each visit to the doctor. I also like all the charts, graphs, averages, etc. that it can do. Before this meter, I used the Precision Xtra & it was very accurate with the lab also, but the strips are expensive & they expire! The One Touch Ultra strips don’t expire or give inaccurate readings if they are stored properly. I don’t notice any numerical changes between my Ultrasmart & my Mini readings like others have, but then I am extremely careful about storage & temperature variances for both the meter & the strips.
In speaking with my Endo regarding accuracy of the meters, he told me that there was a 50,000 test strip study done and OneTouch came out as the most accurate with a 98.5% accuracay over all other meters. Thought you might want to know that since we all know that accuracy is important. Like my endo said, be careful when it comes to the lower priced meters, you will get what you pay for… Hope this helps
The FDA requires accuracy disclosure to be included in each package of test strips sold. In general, the accuracy between brands of meters is not statistically significant between any brands, but there are some differences which vary based on the test values. For example, with the OneTouch Ultra system, there is an inverse correlation to the accuracy and the test ranges, meaning that the lower the reading is, the less accurate (or greater the deviation is) the reading is. Still, the accuracy is still within 5% of laboratory values. But this also means that at levels less than 70 mg/dL, the OneTouch Ultra is not the most accurate meter. There is less deviation at the hypoglycemic range with Abbott’s Freestyle system and also with Agamatrix’s WaveSense meters, but at levels closer to 800 mg/dL (why anyone would be that high I don’t know, but they probably should be in DKA, but I digress …), OneTouch Ultra are less than 2% from lab values, so it really depends on where you’re seeking precision. I find it troubling that more meters are more accurate at the high ranges, and less accurate at the low ranges … both are equally important. But one study does not prove anything, the studies must be replicated by others in order to prove anything …
Hey everyone
could someone tell me how to use a One touch ultra Meter, as I use ascensia, but these strips and meter was given to me recently because the gentleman who used them passed away. I am using these because I am almost out. The problem is the meter keeps showing me the mmol/l only, I dont see the mg/dl and or how to get the mg/dl readings. I keep pushing buttons trying to figure it out… its a one touch ultra meter…thank you’’
If the Ultra meter is newer it may not be possible to switch. I think they had problems with meters changing units when dropped so they started permanently setting the units. Canadian testers are shipped with mmol/L and US ones with mg/dL
Here’s how to reset the units it if it is possible:
Press and hold the M button for 3 seconds to get into setting mode. I seem to remember that it actually took longer than 3 seconds…
Time appears with Hours flashing. Use C to set hours, if required
Press M to get to Minutes setting. Use C to set minutes, if required
Press M to get to Time Format setting. Use C to select 12 hr or 24 hr format, if required
Press M to get to Year setting. Use C to set year, if required.
Press M to get to the Month setting. Use C to set the month, if required.
Press M to get to the Day setting. Use C to set the day, if required.
Press M.
If the meter exits the setting mode then there’s nothing you can do.
If the unit of measurement starts flashing, press C to select the Units, and M again to exit.
These instructions are for an INDUO, which is basically an ULTRA. An ULTRA 2 is different and almost certainly has the units locked.
I’m falling into this same pit now:( I have a Freestyle Lite and the test strips are too expensive for me now. I got an Easy Check off the internet with teststrips for 50 at a little over 13.00 a vial. sigh… Meter difference? 20 points! A call to the support? A lady says “it’s ok, the numbers control numbers are within limits and you “never” pit one meter against another. Just let your Dr know that you changed meters so he will understand the difference between your log book and the A1C test.” GRRRRR.
Anyway,like all the rest of us… we’re stuck at the mercy of profits for companies.
Huggles
MeadowLark
Here is the website that I got the meter and the teststrips from:) http://www.americandiabeteswholesale.com/-strse-Glucose-Monitor-Kits/Categories.bok
I hope that copied ok…it was long! If you go to the main webpage and just clickon monitors it will take you to them and teststrips too. I love this company when things are downhill financially.(it’s a easyCheck by HomeAide and the teststrips are $13.79. the monitor is 25 and change.
HTH
Huggles
MeadowLark
HI David
Thank you for the info…I did get it working, I noticed the digits were about 20 numbers under the Ascensia Contour I am using…but that is ok…I did get a brand new machine so we shall see as I am waiting on new contour and strips as well. Its mothers day weekend so a bit of cheating will apply in the food area…not much though, took me forever just to get them down where they are at now…
Using the Consensus Error Grid, they note that 98.5% of the Test Results fell into “Zone A: No effect on clinical action.” What it fails to explain is that Zone A means 20% accuracy. Meaning if you were really at 200 and the meter gave you 160 or 240, it is still considered clinically accurate.
Whether or not you believe that is accurate enough is completely up to you. How about 15%, 10% and 5% accuracy? You’d have hard time finding many meter companies willing to publish a paper on those standards.
Do you use the Maxima AST meter? $16.95 for 50 strips is pretty cheap. I think that I really want to like the WaveSense meters but with questions around the device’s accuracy, I haven’t purchased one yet to play with. I was at the local JDRF walk this summer and hoped to play with new meters, sadly, the space was smaller so no meter companies. I wish the ADA would have their Diabetes Expo in the DC area again. While helpful, it was great to have the chance to talk to meter makers and give them suggestions (I’ve review computer hardware for a few big publications so I always seem to have far too many ideas.)
Has anyone found any programs among those offered by the meter companies that you think are really good? Like those web sites they offer with recipes, fitness journals and that sort of thing – or that mail you information or send you emails? I have a blog and am looking for anything that people think is really helpful. Or that you think is inappropriate or not helpful. Thanks
since meter is very expensive here (worth 6,000pesos or $150), i don’t think I can get a replacement… is it true that it’s 20 points lower? meaning if my BG is 120, it’s actually 140? that’s too high… now I am worried… 