Side by Side Comparison of: Bayer Contour vs Microlet

Arrived quickly. Package contained everything it said it would - am truly surprised at the value for the low price I paid. Meter and strips work GREAT. I'm so glad I saw this. I have been paying $1 per strip (up to $100) for Accu-Check Smartview (for Nano meter) because insurance would not cover them. I'm planning on buying the boxes of 50 and 100 test strips by Bayer for the Contour Next meter since they are HALF the price of the Accu-Chek ones.

Works great, simple to use, doesn't hurt. Comes with everything you need to get started. Added a photo that shows what comes in box.

Very easy to use. Test strips are probably one of the better priced ones on the market....easy to order from Amazon. Bayer is a great company, covers the meter for 5 years and provides free batteries and a great meter case if you register your product.

Very easy to use. Am on a new diet and needed to understand how my blood sugar levels were responding to it. This is an easy test system. The needle that punctures your skin to draw blood is adjustable, so you can set it very shallowly. You hardly feel a thing and it a few seconds, you don't even remember you have pricked yourself. Comes with a good instruction book. A little repetitive, but informative.

I want everyone to know how incredibly LUCKY you are to have this meter and lancet device. I have not had to test in 18 years, back when I had gestational diabetes. I am now testing again after menopause. This is night and day relative to what I used to use -- this thing is a dream. The monitor is small and easy to use. The lancet device is SO MUCH BETTER. Even on the "large blood drop" setting (ie, the "poker" for your finger is adjustable to various depths) where you extract more blood, you can barely feel it...and yet, when you wait a moment after using it, enough blood comes out of the tiny little hole to make the test work. My old lancet device used to hurt -- A LOT -- all day long. It left holes all over my hands. This won't do that. The other remark that I would make is that the instructions for this device are very clearly written. Sometimes with these types of devices, you get so frustrated trying to figure them out. Bayer must have devoted quite a bit of time to ensue that the user manual is clearly written. This is not some manual that was written in China. I didn't have to go and reread anything -- just opened it up and within 10 minutes, after perusing the booklet, did my first test. I don't have a life-and-death situation to monitor, so it is important to consider my situation if you do (ie, people for whom this device is a lifesaver might have other thoughts). But, for someone who is using it just to watch the sugar now and then, it is a piece of cake. One tip: the only problem I did have was when I used my test strips. The first test I did gave me a number outside of the valid test strip range. I had not done a gentle shake of the testing solution prior to using, which the manual says is necessary. I redid the test after gently shaking the bottle and it came out fine.

I like these lancets the best. The colors are fun but the wire is a slightly thicker gauge so it creates a slightly larger blood drop. I clot easily and other lancets will sometimes only allow a drop too small for a reading so I have to prick myself a few times to make it work.These lancets I usually only need to do it once.

I purchase these for a family member in another state who has limited transportation. They are a fraction of the price he can purchase them in a local store and work perfectly with his Bayer Contour system. Having the different colors is very useful and was recommended by his pharmacist and diabetes educator. He says they are easier to use than other brands he tried previously.

I know its unorthodox and not the intended purpose buuuuut I use these to gently and safely pop pimples that are ready to go - then I cover with duoderm dressing cut into a small square. In the morning my face is looking much better, but without all the scarring and damage that comes from pushing/touching with fingers!

I don't really "love" these sharp weapons with which I draw blood every day. All I am testifying to is that they usually fit the Bayer machine and penetrate the skin so as to make it bleed. The fact that they are "colored" doesn't improve or detract from the products usefulness for me.......I suppose there are reasons it may for some others.

These lancets work great the first time and don't cause damage to the fingers like the older style lancets always did. I barely feel the stick. I love the colors. It's a nice change from the white/grey ones. They whole Bayer system works great for me and I highly recommend it.

I have used hundreds of lancets and these are my favorite for function. I really like the brightly colored lancets because something about the colors appeals to me (must be the kid in me) but they don't work as well for me. I don't know exactly how this can be because a sharp needle is a sharp needle; right? I think maybe these are slightly finer than the others and therefore hurt less and get blood out more easily. Whatever the reason, they are the best I have found and I can get a large quantity for a great price by shopping diligently on Amazon.

I purchased this as a way to monitor my glucose during my pregnancy for precautionary measures. For a someone that is not familiar with testing glucose or using a monitor, I will state from experience this unit is easy to use, lightweight, comes with a small zipper bag to allow for easy portability and storage. If you are looking for an easy to read screen then this monitor has it. The read outs are displayed in extra large numbers and it provides a memory function as well. The instructions are easy to understand and follow.

It took too long to get the monitor and strips but the monitor seems to work quite well. It does not report results the same way as my previous monitor though I might be mistaken. From the instructions this unit will measure about 10% higher. If that is the case then both machines are very close. The strips for this machine cost far less.

I bought this item for my grandpa who is not diabetic, but his doctors hadn't been checking his glucose levels and he loves sweets! So I figured for under $10, we could prick our fingers and make sure we were within normal range. The little device works well and isn't too confusing. It came with 10 strips and pokers (the needle-like thing you prick your finger with?) and it all stores nicely in a little zipper pouch.

Easy to use. I would have given it 5 stars had they included some test strips. Why include needles and no strips? Anyway, I like being able to periodically check my blood sugar since diabetes is rampant in my family.

Meters are meters, right? If you are diabetic and need a glucometer, you'll find this one to be easy to use and portable. I bought two so I could keep one at work and one in my backpack. I also use the higher-end Bayer that will send results to my insulin pump. I was careful to find units that all use the same test strips. The Bayer system is easy to use and relatively error-free. It requires very small amounts of blood in sampling, and quickly (5-seconds) provides results. My only complaint with the system is that Bayer sucks at making carrying cases. Sure, the meter fits in its little plastic holder, but inserting and removing canisters of test strips is a major pain. The elastic loop is too small and is twisted, making insertion of the canister nearly impossible without three hands. As I don't have three hands...

In all, this is a very affordable meter that performs well. I just wish Bayer would put some more effort into the storage case, because in the end, you use the case as much as you use the meter. At 3-6 times a day, that is a lot of potential irritation with a design.

These are best lances for me. It are sharp but not too sharp. They go deep enough but not too deep. Unforuntlly this is no closure on capping the used lance.

what can you say about a pain inducing item... its not its fault that I do not like them - necessary evil but better than needing a knife to cut yourself to get blood... yep I'll keep buying more

A silicone coated lancet, a little less painful than a non-coated lancet. Any time pain can be mitigated I'll take it. Especially when getting blood for testing with a glucose meter.

The one thing that I have always love about these lancets is the fact that you have the cover to put back on the needle when you are done with the lancet. The bad thing about the lancets is that if your not careful what your doing you can end up sticking yourself accidentally when trying to place the cover back on the lancet. I bought these for the second time because they go with my Lancing Device and to buy a separate lancing device would be silly.

Extremely consistent. Each one is virtually exactly the same as the last one.The only problem is unless I use it with my Genteel lancet holder they hurt a lot. With the Genteel they don't hurt at all, absolutely painless so that is good.They are strong and lance well. The required blood comes out every time when used in combination with Genteel lancing instrument.I liked the many different colors because each user can have their own color which reduces the chance of cross contamination by inadvertently have the same lancet used on more than one person. The price is good also.

Tire of the same grey lancets every time you use your glucose meters? Well, this is the solution. It provides 7 different colors in the box. Compliments the 100 count Contour test strips, so when they are out, the lancets are out. The lancets in the box could include more diversity though, a box can be sometimes dominated by one color although the others are there. Also, the way the lancets feel can be deceiving. When placing the lancet in the Microlet 2 lancet device, it feels as if the lancet can be bent or broken. Another upside to these lancets is that they produce a real low amount of pain compared to many other lancets that I have used. This is also a downside. The low pain induction sometimes have to force you to dig the Microlet device into your skin(finger, arm or leg) in order to produce results. Overall, highly recommended if you are tired of the dull and boring lancets everytime you use your glucose meter or want to reduce the amount of pain that you feel when you prick your finger.

I do not have diabetes and am not required to check my glucose level. However, I was diagnosed with pre-diabetes 3 years ago. I started dieting and walking and 3 months later, my doctor said there was no sign of diabetes and my cholesterol had also improved. But I like to check my glucose level at least once a week to make sure everything is on track. I was also a fan of the True Result meter, it gave such low readings. But it was recalled because it was inaccurate. I replaced it with the Bayer Contour Next EZ. I read all the reviews about the readings being high so I used the last of my True Result strips and tested with both meters for a week. The Bayer was always higher than True Result. The readings over 7 days range from a difference of 19 points to 32 points. For me, the good news is that even the highest reading was still within the normal range. But if I had diabetes, I would not be happy with these results and I would probably not trust either meter.

Thise seems to be a semi-competent meter BUT relative to a meter which was calibrated against medical lab tests, it registers a fairly consistent 18 points higher at the low end of its range, which is the end of the rage which is important to me.

I have reactive hypoglycemia, and can easily see spontaneous rapid blood sugar drops into the 30's and 40's or below. So having a meter tell you your blood sugar is 70 when it's really 50 isn't a great thing.

I had formerly used a "TrueResult" meter which was great... it aligned perfectly every time it was checked against lab blood draws... like, zero variance, which was amazing. And it was consistent... successive tests on the same blood drop were within 2 points. But the company which made it evidently figured out they could make more money selling sucky inaccurate ones, so now they sell "TrueBalance"... feel free to check out the huge number of 1-star results on that from dangerous inaccuracy and inconsistency.

Indeed, there are a LOT of meters now which are dangerously innaccurate... like, see my review of the Verio IQ.

Accuracy and consistency are two things you really need if you're seriously testing. If a meter isn't consistent - that is, if it gives wildly different readings from the same blood drop, like MANY now do, it's trash and shouldn't be used.

This meter seems, per my testing, to be relatively accurate... reasonable consistency with multiple tests on the same blood drop... but as I say, an average of 18 points too high. So while I have bought as many TrueTest strips as I can find on Ebay, I will seemingly be moving to this one when they are gone forever. And thus begins my regimen... subtract 20, add 2, every reading from then on.

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update: I registered it online, once, and the company sent me FIVE purple nylon carrying cases in separate envelopes. Not sure what I'll do with the other four, and the cases aren't that impressive, but I guess they're hoping to make up in quantity what they lack in quality?

Works fine, reads 3-5 points above a Bayer USB meter and one from another manufacturer.

No complain on quality. Did not receive all the items listed in the picture. Package Item number shown in picture is different from received.

This is OK But the strip's only about 50 % work

These were inexpensive and work great!

Bend too easy.

Cool set and for the right price.

My Microlet Lancets arrived today. "Bayer" is not shown anywhere on the box. It says Microlet. "Bayer" is not seen on the top cap of the colored lancet, as the product photo shows. These are not "Bayer" , but they are generic. They do fit in the Contour Next.

I kept reading rave reviews about how painless these lancets are, but I don't find them any better than any other brand I've used.

These lancets work okay for me; but I feel slightly more pain using these, the ones I received from the marketplace, than the original ones I got with the kit purchased from the drugstore. I'm comparing the experience using the same depth, same pen, etc. It may be these are manufactured slightly thicker than the originals.

Was really looking forward to using this to monitor my blood sugar as I am starting to see "pre-diabetic" tendency showing up on blood work as I get older. However, sometimes I was shocked by the number and so I would take a second reading immediately after the first one and that second reading would be even higher. So I lost confidence. I called the manufacturer and they said it was "normal" but how could it be when I used the same drop of blood both times and within 30 seconds of each other.

Fist time user of a glucose monitor. I purchased this because it had high ratings in consumer report. I'm a little frustrated with four things. Where is the USB cable that i am supposed to be able to download my tests to my PC? Not only is it not included, I can't seem to be able to find it or order it from Bayer! The monitor is supposed to be able to allow you to add more blood if the first sample was insufficient, the feature is called second chance. By the time I saw that my monitor was reporting L-3, it was too late to add more blood. Test strip wasted. I tried to reach online help in a chat, but their web site is screwed up. No one ever responded to my questions. Where is the app or download that is supposed to enable the user to track their readings? Just to test the repeatablility of device I tested my blood two consecutive times, one was 8 more than the other! Which one is correct?

NO test strips included. How can you sell a blood glucose monitor without even one strip included so you can actually use the product? Fail.

Be advised, this kit does not include everything required. The control solution and test strips need to be purchased separately. Not something well advertised at all.

Bought this in December 2013 and liked the sturdy feel of the monitor and lower cost of test strips. Noticed that the readings from this unit were slightly higher (about 5-10 units) than the brand it replaced, but didn't think too much of it as my glucose readings were jumping around a bit in the morning. In June 2014, had some lab work done and my fasting glucose was taken twice over a two-week period. On both days, the official lab readings were much lower than the reading obtained on this monitor just 5 minutes earlier. One reading was off by 10 units and the 2nd reading was higher by 18 units on this monitor. The unit seems to be OK up to about 80, but is then overly-sensitive and comes back with a reading that is proportionally higher, as your actual reading hits 90, 100, etc., adding up to 18 units at least in my case.

Tested it the last two days against a novaMAX monitor, which was tested and consistent with my 2nd lab result, and the Bayer Contour Next was 18 units and 13 units higher, respectively. It has caused a lot of unneeded stress over the last six months with all of the higher daily readings!

These hurt! I am new to the world of lancets as I am just visiting briefly whilst dealing with a bout of gestational diabetes, but the lancets that came with my testing kit were great...I was shocked that there was really no pain or discomfort involved. These are a different story...I do NOT recommend these. Yes, they work in my contour next tester, but other than that...ouch!

The name is misleading. These are every bit 28g. Go for a 33g or the Tiniboy 38g on Amazon. Don't let the colors fool you, these things are not less pain than every other standard lancet on the market.Extra star for the colors but these things hurt.

I HATE THESE THINGS. MY REVIEW SHOULD NOT EVEN BE CONSIDERED BECAUSE I DON'T LIKJE TO PRICK MY FINGERS. I AM NOT A DIABETIC, I JUST CHECK MY GLUCOSE EVERY ONCE IN AWHILE BECAUSE OF A FAMILY HISTORY OF SUGAR.

This comment is mostly regarding Amazon's pricing policy. The lancets are excellent and suit my needs perfectly.In the 5 minutes that I was looking at this listing and reading the reviews, the Amazon price went up a dollar!!! Are we now playing the stock market with this online company? I use the product and am quite pleased with it, but Amazon is starting to get out of hand with their pricing. This is not the only item I've noticed this happening to. Labelworks labels that I bought here back in February went up in price by THREE DOLLARS. When it started out at $14.99 and went up to $17.99 I became quite annoyed. I'm no math genius but that's quite a percentage increase in less than one month.

Though one of the cheapest Blood Glucose Monitors there is, I will not be using anymore. Here is why. It is produced by Bayer which also is in support and in the works with Monsonto - this from the Hague Monsanto Tribunal:
"In case of a Monsanto merger, make sure Bayer takes full legal responsibility - letter to EU antitrust commission

As you will be aware of, Bayer and Monsanto want to merge into an even bigger agro-chemical and seed giant. Throughout the world there is a lot of protest to this concentration of power, from farmers’ organisations, NGOs and concerned citizens. To get the green light for the merger, the antitrust authorities in some 30 countries have to approve it. The request to the EU is expected to be filed by Bayer sometime this month."

I want nothing to do with Bayer products.

Bayer should get out of this business. My first one was often showing 20+ mg/ml over another reliable (ie, tested against lab) device (and more expensive meter aka onetouch). Called their support line and they were very helpful and walked me through testing the unit and ended up sending me a replacement unit. The replacement unit is only slightly better in that it shows 10+ mg/ml over other meter matching lab results.

Ended up throwing both in the trash (batteries removed first) and going with a cheaper (made in the USA) TRUEResult unit instead.

Amazon was nice enough to refund the full amount, thank you!

I don't know if I got a faulty monitor or what, but almost everytime I use it I get an error stating that I didn't give a large enough drop of blood. I suspect it's because the lancet isn't pricking my finger hard enough. I have it set to get the largest drop of blood but it's just not working. In the first two days I used all of the lancets & strips that came with the machine & I only got one good reading. I had to squeeze my finger so hard to get the blood to come out & now my finger is super sore. I read lots of great reviews but unfortunately I didn't have the same experience. I think I'm gonna have to send it back sadly. It's upsetting because I purchased additional lancets & strips to go with this particular monitor. I'm very disappointed & cannot recommend this glucose monitor based on my poor experience.

I'm pre-diabetic and am controlling my blood sugar through diet. What I've discovered is that glucose readings differ widely between brands. I think one has to just find a meter that is suitable for one's individual body chemistry.

The Bayer Contour next EZ is the most inaccurate meter I've used. It reads 10-20% higher than my other two meters. It also gives impossible readings, such as showing that my blood sugar is LOWER after I eat than before I've eaten!

The next time I go to the doctor, I will bring all three meters to calibrate them against the doctor's lab test results.

The Contour next EZ just doesn't work for my body chemistry, but it is a nice meter - it's more solidly built than my Accu-Check and the strips are thicker and easier to handle. It just doesn't accurately measure my blood sugar.

Wildly inconsistent readings when testing with testing fluid.

These lancets work okay for me

The box delivered is marked "Microlet" without trademark symbol. It is not a Bayer HealthCare product. It is by Ascensia Diabetes Care. It is counterfeit. It is made in Poland like Bayer's.

These are a generic version. I know this because the real Bayer lancets have the Bayer logo printed on the protective cap. These will Certainly get the job done, but save yourself the money and buy the generic brand rather than these!

Box and product were opened and damaged!!!!

Replacement sent as alternative

Don't work as well as the clear lancets.