One touch ultra vs freestyle?

[My Peach Emily]

Does anybody have either of these? Do you like it? Do you know of any pros or cons with either? My grandmother is going to buy one later today and I'm wondering if one is better than the other. Keep in mind she has really really poor eye sight so she can't fool around with little pieces.

[Batty]

whats one touch?

i use freestyle. its alright. like almost every other tester i've had

[Harold]

Grandmother with poor eyesight. The most important thing is to get one she can read. First make sure the one she chooses does not have so much glare she can not see the numbers or words on the screen. Glaring surfaces are the worst for seeing through as you get older. Larger the numbers and symbols the better, but a back lighted display may make a little smaller display easier to read. Also have her handle them and see if she has problems handling them. The strips are sometimes hard to handle or hard to insert into the units so play with them. Both are good units so she should pick the one she likes or feels comfortable with. My mother used an Ultra untill she went into a home and she only had one eye and had a cataract in it.

[srgw]

Emily

I have 2 freestyle's 1 is the flash which is a small compact meter and may not be good for someone with poor eyesight. The other is a full size meter with a large display but no backlight.
I like them both and take the small one when I travel.

Steve
New Jersey

[HeatherP]

I have the Flash, and I like it, but it's very tiny, and the display is pretty small so it may not be the best choice.

I haven't used the One Touch Ultra but I think it's bigger. I don't know how big the display is. The One Touch Sure Step has a large display, but I'm not sure it's available anymore.

HeatherP

[koblenz]

I have only used the Freestyle and now the Freestyle Flash. I like them both, but the Flash may not be the best choice because of the small size of the display. The regular Freestyle has a little bigger display, but not by much (maybe 40% bigger).

Never used a One Touch, sorry.

A co-worker is Type 2 and has pretty bad eyesight. He has recently been shopping for meters and specifically was looking for one with BIG numbers. I will ask him what he decided on when he gets into work and post. Good luck.

[archimeech]

I used to use the freestyle and had to switch to a One touch because of insurance issues. Personaly, I prefer the freestyle system. while the Ultra-Smart that I have is very nice, there is one big drawback to it's testing method that Freestyle has taken care of. When the Freestyle obtains enough blood it then starts the test count-down, and not until then. I forget how long you have but if the first drop isn't big enough I used to just milk my finger more and add enough until it beeped. With the ultra-smart it starts the count-down the second it notices the blood entering the little cappilary. a lot of times it doesn't draw enough blood and the test fails. I wind up throwing away quite a few strips because of this. Except for that, I like both systems equally. Although now that I think about it the Freestyle I used took 8 seconds for the test and the ultra-smart only takes 5, but what's 3 seconds compared to the 2 minutes my first glucometer used to take back in '84!

[lgvincent]

I know this doen't help but Accu-Chek has the Voice-Mate that goes with the Advantage meter and it will give a vocal reading of the glucose measurement that is being displayed. It's expensive though, I think around $500.00 or $600.00.

[nantomsuethom]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by archimeech
I forget how long you have but if the first drop isn't big enough I used to just milk my finger more and add enough until it beeped.

You have one minute to get enough blood on the strip. Thomas will be using the Free Style Flash after next week when we get the script for the strips (going for his 3mo. check).

Right now he uses the OneTouch ultra smart and I can't tell you how many strips get waisted because he doesn't get enough blood on them quick enough. :mad:

[archimeech]

Yeah. That's the exact same unit I use and it's very aggrevating to say the least.

[Belinda]

I; have the one touch ultra x's 4 and the freestyle and I use the ultra. I think because it is easire just to order strips for one device and Ihave sooooo many. I will let you know on Dec. 6 when I go compare my numbers with the CGMS.

[Shalyndria]

I've used both and prefer the Freestyle brand of meters myself. But YMMV, it's a personal thing.

If you're looking for one that's easier for your Grandmother to see, then the OneTouch SureStep might be an option. In the Senior's Center I worked in, these were the meters given to patients with poor/failing eyesight because of the large display, as well as the off-meter blood application.

FYI often the drug stores (such as Shopper's Drug Mart and Safeway) will have promotions where you get the meter for free with the purchase of 100 test strips. They also sometimes keep demo meters on hand so that you can try it out and make sure it's what you want.

Shy

[JasonJayhawk]

I've used both meters.

BTW, one way of getting rid of glare is to use those PDA protectors that are essentially clear plastic with sticky stuff on them. They "fog up" the lens a bit.

Here's my quick rundown on the differences between the One-Touch Ultra and the Freestyle Flash:

Strip prices are the same if you pay cash for them. They also sell in the gray market (eBay) for about the same.

Both give their results in about 5 to 7 seconds.

FREESTYLE FLASH:
------------------------
- Uses 1/3 the amount of blood as the 1-touch (0.3 microliters)
- Gives you up to about 60 seconds to put blood into the strip.
- Data cable costs only $5 (at least, if they're still offering it)
- Smaller
- Easier to get a replacement upon defective issues (they don't ask as many questions and don't treat you like a new diabetic every time you call their tech support).
- Backlight and LED light to see where you're testing when in complete darkness -- the LED light illuminates the strip in total darkness and helps you find your blood drop.

One-Touch ULTRA:
------------------------
- Requires 3 times as much blood than the Freestyle
- Requires blood to instantly be placed in strip reservior or else it produces an error message
- No backlight
- Bigger screen than the Flash; easier to read the numbers, easy to hold on to if you're clumsy.
- Expensive data cable to hook to your computer
- Software is a tad more advanced and mature than the software provided by Therasense Freestyle Flash (I mean Abbott now, I suppose).


My own preference is the Flash. It's also based on newer technology...

The OneTouch Ultra-*Smart* looks pretty good for Type 1's, though -- the features it offers with diary logging are very impressive, and if I had the money for one, I'd certainly give it a go.

[Dewey]

I've also used both the One Touch Ultra and Freestyle Flash, and have to agree with the others. I used to solely use the Ultra (while insurance covered strips), but later switched to the Flash (to see if I'd like it and to prepare for the Cozmonitor's release). I like how the Flash doesn't start countdown until enough blood has been applied. JasonJayhawk gave a good comparison of the two. The size of the numbers and display (on the Flash) could pose a concern for your grandmother. In that case, it may be best for her to go with the UltraSmart, but as Shy said, YMMV (Your Mileage May Vary).

The meter that lg described (the Accu-Check VoiceMate) is a good one, but the price is extremely steep (the cheapest price I've found was $399.00! <or about that>). Hope this helps, and keep us posted on which one she goes with, and how she likes it. :)

[lgvincent]

I could have bought a Voice Mate for a super price recently but passed on it. If I had only known it was needed by someone here, I could have bought it. Sorry for my mistake.

[Lorna]

I prefer one touch- would the chemist not let her try both of them before buying one?

[Funnygrl]

The Accu-chek active may also be one to consider. It has the large display like the Surestep, and also can be dosed outside the meter like the Surestep, but it uses a lot less blood and has a faster test time.

[Brent44a]

When I first visited an enocinologist a while back I mentioned that I was unsatisfied wit my meter. It was one of the older ones that only accepted finger prick blood samples. He prescribed the Freestyle Flash. I agree with all of the positive analysis above about the Flash. I particularly like the small sample size and the ability to take a blood sample using only the light provided by the meter. I'd recommend talking to the doc, it worked for me. Cheaper too since my insurance covered it because I had a prescription for a covered item.

[notme]

I just started using the Flash yesterday. I LOVE IT! I was using the Accu-chek active. I liked how quick it gave results, but it needed a whole lot more blood than this little flash. The flash only needs pin head size. Crazy I say!

Nancy

[HeatherP]

In regards to the Flash meter, does anyone notice that the time it takes to give the reading seems to correlate directly to the actual blood sugar level? It seems like when my b/s is higher, it takes longer and when I'm closer to 100 it's almost instantaneous.

HeatherP

[lgvincent]

Yes, I've noticed that on other meters, too. It seems the longer it takes to get a reading the higher my blood sugar will be.

[BeadieJay]

He prescribed the Freestyle Flash. I agree with all of the positive analysis above about the Flash. I particularly like the small sample size and the ability to take a blood sample using only the light provided by the meter.

Please forgive my ignorance here, as I know nothing about the Freestyle Flash, but are you saying that you don't need to use a needle to get the blood sample? Or have I got this completely wrong? :stupid: :1eye:

[lgvincent]

I'm having to guess but it's possible he's talking about the small blood sample size required for the FreeStyle strips.

[BeadieJay]

thanks Lowell :) I guess it was too good to be true LOL

btw, how are you getting on with getting blood from your fingers? You were having problems not so long ago. I hope things have improved for you :)

[Funnygrl]

I heard from some official sourse that it is very true that test time correlates directly with blood glucose.

You do need a needle with it, but it really doesn't hurt. I think by the light comment they mean that it can be totally dark, the meter light can be the only light you have, and it is still possible to do a test.

Therasense.com has a lot more info.

[Shalyndria]

In regards to the Flash meter, does anyone notice that the time it takes to give the reading seems to correlate directly to the actual blood sugar level? It seems like when my b/s is higher, it takes longer and when I'm closer to 100 it's almost instantaneous.

HeatherP
If you read the users manual for both the Freestyle and the Flash, it says in there that the test time is based on BG level - longer test time, higher BG and vice versa. You're exactly right Heather :D

I used to like that feature because it would give me a general idea of my level while I was waiting.

Shy

[lgvincent]

Sue, I'm getting blood a little easier than I was but not like I once did. Pretty much the only lancet devices that work now are the OneTouch UltraSoft and the Accu-Chek SoftClix. I guess they go deeper than any of the others.

[BeadieJay]

I'm sorry you're still having problems Lowell. Have you ever tested using your arm instead? My doctor suggested I give that a try, but I'm not sure about it - I've just about got used to the pain in my fingers without inflicting another part of my body :rolleyes:



Funngrl - thanks for your explanation. I knew I was stoopid LOL :stupid:

[lgvincent]

I've tried other spots but haven't been able to get much blood out of them unless I use my trusty razor blade.

[BeadieJay]

OOOOOOOOOOOOOuch :eek: :eek: :eek:

[HeatherP]

If you read the users manual for both the Freestyle and the Flash,



WHAAAAT!?!?!??! Read the owner's manual? Have you lost your mind? j/k

And yeah, I always know when to cringe 'cause that little dash keeps going round and round and round, lol! :-

HeatherP

[notme]

They come with manuals???? Holy cow, is that why my meter says I am 104 all the time. I thought I was just in great control! :rolleyes:

[Lynne]

I have the Freestyle, it's the only one I've used and it's very easy, no wasting of test strips and a large display screen.

[Brent44a]

I read the manual once, now the blinking lights on my old VCR no longer blink. I miss the blinking but I am not going to read that manual again, LOL!!!

[lgvincent]

Okay, I was just told the results from a lab reading in September. The lab showed my blood glucose at 48 and my Freestyle meter gave a reading of 50. It was off by 4.17%, so that is pretty good!

[Clint]

I have both and really like the Freestyle Flash. Like others have said, the Ultra irritates me when I don't get enough blood in the strip. I have yet to 'waste' a freestyle strip due to this problem. Since my insurance doesn't cover test strips I looked everywhere to find the cheapest strips and the freestyle strips are the cheapest I have found.

I also like the backlight and the light the goes over the strip... it helps in darker places.

my 2 cents..

[zookeeper671]

Love my Freestyle Flash. :thumbsup: Wouldn't trade it for any other meter on the market currently.