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The Nova Max Glucose Monitor made by Nova Biomedical was the first on my list to review, primarily because it was the quickest one to get. I was able to acquire this free monitor by going to their website and filling out a quick survey which produced me a voucher. This voucher accompanied with a prescription from my doctor, let me walk into my nearest pharmacy and without any trouble, receive a free glucose monitor. So let's get on with the review...
Opening the box, I was supplied with several documents including a owners manual, log book and an easy first setup sheet (with visual aids). An over sized, black zippered holding bag contained the Nova Max glucose meter, ten test strips and a lancet pricker. They also provided me a round battery and 10 lancets to go with the pricker.
The Nova Max glucose monitor was bigger than I expected. Even though bigger than other meters made today, it wasn't too much of an eye sore. It could still fit in your jean pocket if need be. I was most disappointed in the bag that holds all the equipment. The compartments didn't hold everything properly, and even though it was over sized, it still didn't seem to fit everything. I wish they put a little more thought into the design.At first thought, I guessed the battery was for backup purposes, I was wrong. It seems, as I was following the beautiful looking direction sheet, that the battery must be installed in the device prior to use, even though there is no mention of this in the directions. I was all ready to use the device but couldn't because I needed to install this stupid battery, couldn't they just put it in there to begin with?
The battery wasn't hard to install and only took about 30 seconds for me to accomplish. Please note that I am young and tech savvy, so this might be more difficult for someone else. After installing the battery, I pushed the memory button to configure the initial date and time. This setup was extremely easy and I don't believe many would have trouble with it. I was pleased with the size of the display and easy to read format.
This is the first monitor I have ever used that didn't require coding. I just popped in a test strip, pricked my finger (alternate site testing available), applied the drop of blood (small amount needed) and five seconds later I received an accurate result (compared to what I was feeling). The number was easy to read and I felt confident with the result.Nova Max was designed with simplicity in mind. There is only the basic memory reading for each testing and it also gives your average BG for 1, 7, 14 and 30 days. There is no back light to read your results in the dark.
Pros:
- Easy to setup.Cons:
- Easy to use.
- Larger readout screen.
- Fast readings
- No coding.
- Alternate site testing (forearm)
- Accurate.
- Clear Directions except for battery install.
- Very good lancet pricker.
- Too basic?Ratings:
- No software included for recording/graphing results.
- Had to install battery on first use.
- Bigger than average.
- No back light.
- Horrible holding bag.
Price - 5/5 Stars (Free)
Ease of use - 4/5 Stars
Appearance - 3/5 Stars
Features - 1/5 Stars
Overall Rating - 3.5/5 Stars
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