Lifescan Blood Glucose Meter

The One Touch Phenomena

The Lifescan blood glucose meter family of products, called the OneTouch, is the company's sole line of business. LifeScan is completely focused on diabetes testing. In fact, over three million people use OneTouch glucose meters to manage their diabetes daily. Despite its smaller testing focus, LifeScan is actually part of a much larger corporate umbrella owned by Johnson & Johnson.

One Touch Blood Glucose Meters

I like the One Touch glucose meter family of products. The company does a good job explaining the differences of each meter and why one particular meter is different than the other. Interestingly, most companies do not take the time to do this. There are currently four OneTouch Meters.

OneTouch UltraMini. This is one small glucose meter and comes in multiple "hot" colors. It is small, fast, and easy to use.

OneTouch Ultra2. The Ultra2 offers fast testing, approximately 5 seconds. It also allows the user some advanced features, like pre and post meal glucose level averages.

OneTouch UltraSmart. The UltraSmart is aimed at people looking to make insulin adjustments. Incredibly advanced reporting features is also touted as being the only meter which helps reduce your A1C levels.

OneTouch UltraLink. The UltraLink is simply pretty cool. If you are on an insulin pump (MiniMed Paradigm Insulin Pump), this device will wirelessly send a signal to the pump to establish the right dosage based on your glucose test results.

LifeScan Blood Glucose Meter Comparison Chart

	One Touch UltraMini	One Touch Ultra2	One Touch UltraSmart	One Touch UltraLink
Auto. Shut Off	2 minutes	2 minutes	1-3 minutes	2 minutes
Battery Type	One CR2032	Two CR2032	Two AAA Batt.	Two AAA Batt.
Battery Life	6-12 months	6-12 months	6-12 months	240 Tests
Alt. Site Testing	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Memory Capacity	500 Tests	500 Tests	3,000 Tests	500 Tests
Storage Temp.	NA	NA	NA	NA
Operating Temp.	43 to 111 F	43 to 111 F	43 to 111 F	43 to 111 F
Result Range	20 to 600 mg/dL	20 to 600 mg/dL	20 to 600 mg/dL	20 to 600 mg/dL
Sample Size	1.0 microliter	1.0 microliter	1.0 microliter	1.0 microliter
Test Time	5 seconds	5 seconds	5 seconds	5 seconds
Weight (battery)	1.4 oz. (yes)	1.5 oz. (yes)	2.8 oz (yes)	3.0 oz. (yes)
Size (Inches)	4.25 x 1.26 x 0.67	3.12 x 2.25 x 0.9	3.8 x 2.3 x 0.9	3.5 x 2.4 x 1
Backlit Display	No	Yes	Yes	No
Coding Req.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Software Avail.	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Warranty	3 Years	3 Years	3 Years	3 Years

Recently Discontinued Lifescan Glucose Meters

Older models that may still be in service, but not actively marketed include the OneTouch Select, OneTouch Ultra, OneTouch Basic, OneTouch SureStep, OneTouch Fast Talk, InDuo System, and OneTouch Profile.

Additional Information - Lifescan Blood Glucose Meter

The company is located in Milpitas, California and employs approximately 2,500. LifeScan offers its own proprietary software for its glucose meters called the OneTouch Diabetes Management Software. The software is free to OneTouch owners and provides good tools and support.

The company also has an interesting and unique program called OneTouch Gold. This service is free and provides a ton of information and support for diabetics including 1,000's of recipes, customizable meal and exercise plans and special coupons.

Lifescan's website can be Found Here. If you are looking for Lifescan blood glucose meter owners manuals, they can be Found Here.