Customer Reviews

Home Diagnostics Sidekick Blood Glucose Testing System

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I have used the "Sidekick" several times as a back up and traveling meter in place of my Ascensia CONTOUR Monitoring System. It worked fine the first two times, but on the third unit (you buy the whole unit each time) it showed readings that seemed way too low for what I had eaten and how I was feeling. Retesting several times showed the same results so I ate a bunch of carbs to raise my blood sugar levels and headed home. Once home, my "Contour" meter reported my sugar levels to be VERY high so tested again with the "Sidekick", which again reported low blood sugar levels. Likely I just had a bad meter or bad test strips (these things happen), but it isn't worth the risk to me. I bought another "Contour" to keep at work and for traveling.

Not recommended!

Very compact, but not selfcontained, you still have to carry a lancet device and lancets with you. I wish for a computer interface (maybe infrared or bluetooth) to upload your log, but still a very useful product.

Compact and portable. Very easy to use and requires minimal blood sample.
Will definitely be purchasing again

I have lived with type 1 diabetes for 25 years, the last three of which I have ONLY used this meter. I have literally gone through dozens of these little beauties and I have never had a defective meter. In my experience this is the best meter on the market today. When you consider that a vial of 50 strips from any other manufacturer will cost about $50 and that doesn't include the meter. The Sidekick requires no coding, there is no clock to fiddle with, no batteries to replace and it gives you a result from a very small sample in a few seconds. All this for about $32. Plus it is small. Having to lug around a meter is a constant reminder that you are a diabetic. Having to lug around a meter that is the size of an iPod along with a vial of strips is an even bigger reminder. Five Stars all the way.

I love the Sidekick! The testing strips are included in the holder and monitor is on top. Only thing you need is a lancet and you are ready. I have had no problems with it ready and you can test on arm, hand or fingers. So compact and east to carry wherever I go.

After changing health insurance providers and having to pay out of pocket for expensive strips, I gave this little gem a try. Here are my impressions.

Pros:
*Unit is small and light - think of it as a film canister with a tiny blood glucose meter built in to the lid. The lid snaps tight and the whole thing is waterproof (tested this the hard way - fell into a lake with it in my pocket)
*very affordable - I must have missed the price hike, I buy them 3 or 4 at a time.
*accurate - I've tested this against my bigger meters, and while it may be off by a point or two I have not seen the 20 or 30 point discrepancies mentioned by others. I test VERY frequently, and generally see about what I expect to see.

Cons:
*This purchase does not contain the following - lancets or test solution. Nor does it claim to. Both can be purchased separately.
*Unit is disposable. In my case, with such frequent testing, this means a lot of teeny batteries and plastic containers end up in the land fill (i pull the tester/lid off and recycle the container) I will check out the product mentioned by a previous reviewer for my next order.
*No time/date stamp. This is moot for me - I use Glucose Buddy on my IPhone to track my readings, and don't care whether or not my tester records the time and date.

All in all i would recommend this meter.

My wife is type 1 diabetic. We took two of these meters to Ireland to travel with in place of her Freestyle Flash. Both quite working before the strips had been used leaving us without any meter at all. If you are traveling, please make sure you have a reliable meter. THIS IS NOT IT!!!!

This product stinks. I thought I would try to save money, but you get what you pay for. This meter averages over 40 points higher than the more accurate meters. Get a true test laser meter.

I bought this system for my Father-in-Law who recently moved in with us after being overseas for many years. We were unable to find it at Wal-mart after the first time or buy it online anywhere but Amazon. Amazon comes through again with a VERY reasonable price and free shipping. This system is very compact, the strips and meter are one in the same. He keeps a written log rather than anything digital and is just developing personal control over his diabetes. There is no way to download to a computer, but does fit in a small carrying case well with the lancet etc... This is a good system for someone who prefers the most basic meter, and it is very affordable for the non-insured.

Purchased the Sidekick because my 2 year old Acucheck Compact Plus started reading 65 points lower than my sugar actually was. The purchase of the Sidekick was to tide me over until I could get my insurance company to purchase me a new Acucheck (they won't). The Sidekick works well, is tiny compared to the Acucheck and has cheaper supplies. Test strips are available for this meter at WalMart. While a solid functional meter, it does have a few less electronic features than the Acucheck. The Sidekick keeps your last 30 tests or so in memory but doesn't store the date and time like the Acucheck. The Acucheck had other features but none of which I ever used. Other than that it works every bit as well, I strongly reccomend it.