Where are you getting your supplies?

[Protimenow]

With the discount - Savewithreliaston - I got 48 strips for around $209.

Roche tries to keep meters and supplies out of the hands of self testers, but I don't think they have a problem with sales to distributors who sell to consumers. Roche probably does this to 'keep their hands clean' -- if something happens to the user, Roche isn't responsible because THEY aren't the ones who sold the meter or strips to the end user.

 

[slipkid]

Just wanted to put this here in case it's useful to anyone. There are lots of third-party retailers in Canada that sell Coagucheck supplies direct to consumers.....

And the best thing about that is the free back bacon they include with every order!

[Bonus points to anyone that has the slightest clue what I mean by that joke]

 

[Chuck C]

Just ordered 48 strips from Reliaston.com. All went smoothly.

You get a 10% discount if you give them your email address. With the discount it came to $206, all inclusive. That's only about $4.29/strip.

Just following up my post, which I made after placing my order. My 48 strips were delivered 7 days after I ordered them. Expiration was July 31, 2025 as promised. They have earned my business for now.

 

[pellicle]

They have earned my business for now.

trust is always on lease isn't it ...

 

[Jennifer Dotson]

Thanks for sharing the info Lisa and welcome back to the forum.

I see that diabeticstreatment.com also sells new Coaguchek xs meters for $591:

https://www.diabeticstreatment.com/roche-diagnostics-04837975001-coaguchek-xs-meter-care-kit

I am just checking with them today (having just passed the time delay for my insurance to "cover" INR testing), and discovered this kit is on backorder.
I see MDR has refurbished xs meters for $249 - tell me about why I wouldn't want a refurb?
Continuing to look. If anyone has any additional leads on coaguchek XS meters I'm interested.

 

[Chuck C]

I see MDR has refurbished xs meters for $249 - tell me about why I wouldn't want a refurb?

I bought my Coaguchek xs used. It's worked great for over 3 years.

 

[Protimenow]

I'm not sure there's much involved in 'refurbishing' an XS. They're made to work. Maybe they change the cover over the display (these may get scratched during use) or changed the battery cover or strip guide, but I don't think that there's anything functionally to be done to 'refurb' an XS.

NONE of my XS meters were bought new (with the possible exception of one that cost me about $30 and was part of a large group of meters that were probably 'dumped' by Roche in anticipation of discontinuing the meter). With the exception of a used XS plus that failed, all of my other XS meters have worked fine -- one for nearly a decade AFTER I bought it used.

Personally, I wouldn't have a problem with a refurb -- OTOH, if you've got the money, perhaps spending a bit more for an InRange wouldn't be that bad an idea -- especially if you get one bundled with a lot of strips (and maybe saving you a few hundred dollars in the process).

 

[Jennifer Dotson]

OTOH, if you've got the money, perhaps spending a bit more for an InRange wouldn't be that bad an idea -- especially if you get one bundled with a lot of strips (and maybe saving you a few hundred dollars in the process).

What do you see as the biggest reason an InRange is worth more than a Coaguchek XS?

I see the value of getting some strips in the deal, since for the XS at least they seem to run roughly $5/strip(=test) with occasional deals like Reliaston's open box specials.

 

[Protimenow]

I don't see a tremendous amount of advantages in the InRange, but because Roche has discontinued the XS, it's possible that at some future time, they may make strips that won't work in the XS meters (just speculation, and if they do, they'll probably take a few years to do this). The InRange firmware can be updated over the Internet - XS can't. If you want to send results over the Internet, there's a bluetooth connection that lets you transfer results to your computer or an app that can transmit the results.
In theory, there may be a useful app in the future that can record (and perhaps analyze) test results.
Plus, the InRange has a color display (as opposed to the rather tired black and white of the XS.

Finally, InRange is more future-proof if Roche plans any changes to its support.

I'm still comfortable with my XS, but if somebody wanted to give me an InRange, I wouldn't refuse it.

 

[Jennifer Dotson]

I don't see a tremendous amount of advantages in the InRange, but because Roche has discontinued the XS, it's possible that at some future time, they may make strips that won't work in the XS meters (just speculation, and if they do, they'll probably take a few years to do this). The InRange firmware can be updated over the Internet - XS can't. If you want to send results over the Internet, there's a bluetooth connection that lets you transfer results to your computer or an app that can transmit the results.
In theory, there may be a useful app in the future that can record (and perhaps analyze) test results.
Plus, the InRange has a color display (as opposed to the rather tired black and white of the XS.

Finally, InRange is more future-proof if Roche plans any changes to its support.

I'm still comfortable with my XS, but if somebody wanted to give me an InRange, I wouldn't refuse it.

Right. That all makes sense.
And from my research the InRange isn't really easily available, but I was able to get that refurb XS for $250 easily. Really, I was discussing it with my wife, and the horizon we think we should be using for this kind of equipment is something like 3 years anyway - who knows what the scene will be after that. Maybe InRange will be more available, maybe there will be some other new thing.
In some world, maybe we'll all have actual health coverage so we don't have to worry so much about this and the setup with doctors will actually make financial sense. But I digress.

 

[Protimenow]

When you figure that the Reliaston offer of an InRange with 24 strips (which they sell for $128), plus the 10% off (SavewithReliaston), I'm not sure it a new InRange for a little more than $100 higher than the refurb with some cheap things thrown in (lancets? Alcohol wipes? Give me a break), the new InRange may not be a bad idea. If I had the choice between the two - and could afford it, I'd probably be comfortable paying the premium and knowing that I would be more future proof with this new model than I would be with a discontinued(?) XS.