DARIO Smart Glucose Monitor Kit | USB-C Port (Compatible with Android & iPhone 15 and newer) | Test Blood Sugar Levels & Manage Diabetes, Testing Kit Includes: Glucometer with 25 Strips, 10 lancets

Easy of use
I have to say this is the best monitor I’ve ever owned. Nice to have it all in one unit, easy to travel with and just every day use. Easy way to record your numbers. Awesome must buy.

Useful in the right situation
I’m a newly diagnosed diabetic, though not new to the diabetic world. My dad has had diabetes since I was a kid and has been on insulin since I was a teenager. When I was diagnosed 4 months ago, I began looking into diets and testing tools. I’m the kind of person who needs to see the numbers and how my body reacts to foods, exercise, etc to be able to make choices. I’ve done the same for blood pressure with pretty good results.When I came across this monitor device, I though it was pretty cool, very compact, and fits perfectly into my life as I almost always have my cell phone around. Almost is the operative word. The main contributor at least recently to my poor diet is my work or rather the building in which I work. I work on a military base in a secure facility with few dining options, particularly healthy options. Additionally, I cannot have my cell phone in the building while working and this particular device is not approved to even bring in the building. So for a large part of my day, it is nearly useless unless I exit the building do my finger sticks in my car, which is what I did for a while. I do have a monitor that is approved for use in the building. Oddly, even the Freestyle Libre 2 is approved. But let’s talk about my use of this device outside of work.I opted for the small carrying case which hold the device, some lancets and of course test strips nicely. It fits comfortably in a pants pocket without being too bulky. When it’s time to test, I can easily pull it out, insert the reader into my phone and be done in less than 2 minutes. Simple enough like most any monitor available today. It connects to the app on my iPhone and syncs with the Health app seamlessly. I’m able to show my doctor my results without issue.There are a few minor issues that would take this from good to great.1. Lancet insertion does not have a definitive stopping point. Insert too far and you have to adjust the depth. Don’t insert far enough and still more depth adjustment. So lancing is inconsistent. My OneTouch Delica Plus has a definitive stopping point when inserting the lancet. I set the depth one time and that’s it. Every single time I lance with it, I get the same result which means testing is much quicker with it. Same for my AccuCheck Guide Me.2. Sticking with the lancet, there is no lancet ejection mechanism. This could actually be dangerous. I’ve cut myself once or twice trying to remove a used lancet. Again both my OneTouch and AccuCheck lancing devices have an ejection mechanism which makes for safer and quicker testing.3. The test strip container could use a little work. It’s fine when full ( each one holds 25 strips). However, as the supply dwindles, they can move around. The result is that when closing the container, a strip can get lodged in between the cap if the user is not paying attention causing the strip to get pinched and bent and likely ruined. I’ve done this a few times, particularly as I’ve gotten faster at using the whole thing. The OneTouch is actually no better with this as their container is huge and strips stick together and can easily be damaged when closing it. AccuCheck gets it right. The strips are held in the container in a space just large enough to fit the strips. They don’t move at all and it’s pretty easy to get one out at a time and close without issue.4. This last issue has to do with the fact that supplies seem to be only available through Amazon and Dario. I suppose that works for many people but it would be nice to be able to stop in WalMart, or Walgreens in a pinch.In my opinion, if these 4 things could be resolved, this would be a great monitor for on the go use.The app is great. Compared to OneTouch, MySugr (AccuCheck), it’s much more comprehensive. When logging food, it’s simple enough to use the scanner to scan barcodes. Only a few haven’t been in the database so far. When you’ve tested enough, it will give an estimated A1C. I think it requires at least 21 tests over 30 days to calculate. Not entirely useful, but it’s there. It tells me my eA1C is 5.6 which is down quite a bit from 7.1 back in October. However, when I had my A1C a week ago, it was 6.4. At least it was trending downward which is always good.I’m gonna harp on lancets again. These are 30 gauge lancets which are fine. I find I prefer thinner 33 gauge which are finer and a little less painful. As far as I can tell Dario doesn’t sell 33 gauge.So again, this glucose monitor is great for the right situation. For me, however, this has been relegated to back up to the back up monitor. I don’t use it often any longer as it just won’t work for my situation. But for many, this monitor could be good for discrete, on the go use. And if Dario addresses the 4 minor issues I mentioned, it could be great.