Tuesday, July 10, 2012

OneTouch Verio IQ

I was eager to try out the OneTouch Verio IQ, and since I got one at Friends for Life, I've been testing it side by side with my UltraSmart.

I love my UltraSmart. Wait, no, I don't love the UltraSmart. I love it...in comparison to other meters. For me, it has been the most accurate, and I can download the data and use the (albeit clunky) OneTouch software. I can also view some analysis of the data on the meter itself.

I was initially excited about the Verio IQ. Take a look at that strip light! It's amazing! Also, the meter design looks more like something to be found in this century. The UltraSmart is pretty dated, and don't get me started on the screen and the wimpy backlight. The Verio IQ has a rechargeable battery and even a recent data cable.

OneTouch Verio IQ vs OneTouch UltraSmart



And this is where my excitement broke down (and no, not at how terrible my phone camera is in low lighting). No matter what I tried, the Verio IQ consistently runs 15-30 points higher than my UltraSmart. I've noticed that meters with a small sample size tend to be less accurate for me, although the Verio IQ is supposed to be using better technology, so I really don't know. I'm reasonably certain that the UltraSmart is correct, though, and I always check it against lab tests. As awesome as the Verio IQ seemed, accuracy is what's important to me. It wasn't accurate enough for me.

On another note, I don't like the way the Verio IQ tags, either. There are really just two tags? I actually use the tags on the UltraSmart, and I don't really want to give up having tags for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, for example. In fact, I rarely have to tag anything unless I do something that's out of the schedule I have preset in the UltraSmart. I didn't try downloading the data from the Verio IQ (since I didn't want it to mess up my "real" data), but what kind of graphs does it have? I just don't think only having "before meal" and "after meal" would be very useful to me. That was almost a dealbreaker in and of itself.

I am now using the Verio IQ as a flashlight for the UltraSmart.

Disclaimer: I know I am not in any way a typical user. The OneTouch rep I spoke with had never met anyone that used the tags on the UltraSmart. My hematocrit might be low (although a certain ER doctor recently assured me that all my labwork was normal).