FreeStyle Precision Neo vs. ReliOn Premier Precision Review

For a while I used the ReliOn Premier Compact to check fasting glucose levels. For quite some time I suspected that it reports numbers that are too high and thereby overestimates blood glucose. Especially after a blood test I become more suspicious of it. In this review, I compare the two FreeStyle Precision Neo vs. ReliOn Premier and their accuracy.
After reading reviews that others also had higher blood glucose values reported by ReliOn test strips, I checked out FreeStyle Precision Neo. As you can see my fasting BG is 88 on the FreeStyle and Relion reported 100, using the same drop of blood.

Not good for ReliOn.
Looking at the specs, both meters should report within +/- 5 points at that level. Given the big difference, and that other users reported the same issue, I think it’s time to trash the ReliOn.
You get what you pay for. The FreeStyle device and strips are made in the UK. They are also individually sealed. The Walmart device is, as you expect, cheaper at 17c per test strip vs 40 cents, but they come in a small bottle, not individually sealed. The test above was done with fresh supplies, by the way. Overall the FreeStyle device appears to be of much better quality, even the screen, and the results appear to be more accurate.
Especially in the lower BG range, it’s critical to have accurate numbers. Diabetics might become hypoglycemic, so it’s a dangerous issue with ReliOn reporting numbers that are too high.
This reminds me of other experiences I had with cheap blood pressure monitors. Almost all cheap blood pressure monitors I bought reported higher blood pressure than an accurate and expensive device I have. Naturally I trashed them quickly and learned my lesson. My conspiracy brother would now be quick to shout: “there is a good reason why these monitors report higher numbers, it keeps your doctor busy and makes Big Pharma rich. Higher BP and BG numbers only lead to overmedication, and stress obviously, which sends them up even higher…” But that’s just my conspiracy brother making a joke 😉

So it all comes down to the old German saying “Wer misst, misst Mist”, meaning “when you measure something, you measure garbage”. At the end of the day, even if 88 or 100 above was correct, was does it really mean, anyways?