This review is not sponsored and is based on the actual usage of the product by the authors.

How many of you have resolved to get better at your diabetes management this year? And what's the best start point for that, you ask? Check your blood sugars more regularly !

We bring you the reviews of not one or even two but three glucometers! While you're at it, read our review of two more meters (AccuCheck and Alere) and BeatO too.

Chhavi reviews Dr Morepen’s BG-03 and Freestyle Optium Neo H and Nupur reviews the new kid on the block, the Ypsomed Pura X.

Unboxing

All three glucometers have different packaging but similar accessories.

Usage

Things we look for in a glucometer: easy to use, previous data recording, economical and compact size. Sounds like a lot, doesn’t it?

The past few weeks we have tried 3 different glucometers and we’re listing down the features and our experiences with each :

Availability : Let’s start with the basics. While Dr Morepen’s BG 03 is easily available in the local pharmacies, the FreeStyle Optium Neo H can only be purchased from the company’s authorized sales personnel. Ypsomed's Pura is available in select pharmacies and on Amazon. Test strips for all can be bought online.

Pricing : Dr Morepen’s BG 03 is available in the pharmacies for INR 1100 for the glucometer and 25 test strips. You can purchase it online as well. The FreeStyle Optium Neo H meter costs INR 1999 and isn’t available in the offline pharmacies. Please contact the local Abbott sales rep in your area. The test strips can be bought online or from company representatives at heavy discounts (I got 100 strips for INR 900!). Ypsomed's Pura (meter) is available for INR 599 on Amazon and strips are about INR 14 per strip (offline pharmacies offer some discounts on MRP too).

Test Range : The range for the Optium is 20 - 500 mg/dl, Dr Morepen’s BG 03 is 20 - 600 mg/dl and Ypsomed's Pura is 10 - 600mg/dl. Values lower and higher than the above mentioned values read as “LO” and “HI” in all meters.

Temperature : The optimal temperature for the glucometers to operate properly is approximately between 10 - 50 degrees celsius.

Sample size : The sample size for Dr Morepen's BG 03 is 0.5 microlitres, for Freestyle Optium Neo H it's 0.6 microlitres and for Ypsomed's Pura it's 0.75 microlitres.

Memory : Freestyle Optium Neo H holds up to 1000 BG entries in the meter, Ypsomed's Pura holds 600 entries while Dr Morepen G 03 can hold upto 300 entries.

Accuracy : Most glucometers claim to have a +/- 10-15% deviation. We did not perform a control solution test to determine the accuracy. In case you wish to conduct the test, it's advised that you perform the test with MediSense glucose and ketone control solution for Abbott (each meter has it's control solution). Nupur tested Ypsomed's Pura at a pathology lab and the difference in the same sample of fasting blood sugar between meter (86mg/dl) and lab (92mg/dl) was absolutely acceptable.

Reports : The FreeStyle Optium Neo H and Ypsomed's Pura glucometers can be connected to the system to generate reports (Connect with the company’s customer care executives for help to access the software). No such feature is available with Dr Morepen’s BG 03.

Test Strips : Strips for Dr Morepen's BG 03 and Ypsomed's Pura come in a plastic bottle while the ones for Freestyle Optium Neo H are available in individual packing to avoid contamoination before use. That's great packaging!

Speed : All three glucometers take 5 seconds to show readings.

Additional features

FreeStyle Optium Neo H has an additinal feature of blood ketones testing on the same meter but with different and slightly more expensive strips compared to the regular glucometer strips. The blood ketones test strips can be used in the same manner as the normal strips except the test time is 10 seconds instead of 5.

The Ypsomed Pura X comes with an additional an AST (Alternative Site Testing) lancing device, meaning those who are saturated using fingers can use alternative sites like the forearm or palms too. Also, we are very impressed with their regular lancing device too, it's strong and smooth to operate.

Final thoughts

All the glucometers have been great to use, however a few points from our personal experiences :

1.      Cost : Dr Morepen’s BG 03 is a budget friendly glucometer overall while the FreeStyle Optium Neo H and Ypsomed's Pura are slightly higher priced keeping the strips and meter in mind. Local sales people from the company provide strips at INR 9 per strip for Freestyle and INR 14 per strip for Ypsomed. Morepen strips are available at INR 11 per strip.

2.      Availability : The glucometers except the Freestyle Optium Neo H are easily available online and in most offline pharmacies too.

3.     Ease of use : We found it easier to use Morepen’s BG 03 glucometer as against the Optium Neo H. On multiple occasions, the blood sample could not be applied correctly on the Optium Neo H glucometer and the strip got wasted. The sample size required for Dr Morepen's BG 03 is the least and that's a big win for us!

Whichever glucometer, CGM or FGM you use remember it's very important to log your readings and other data. Download the Blue Circle Diabetes app and begin today!