Omnis Health – Embrace Taking Glucose Meter Review

The Omnis Health Embrace is a relatively newer talking blood glucose monitor. Incredibly, I had not yet reviewed a talking meter when I first reviewed the Embrace in March 2012. Unfortunately, I am not sure I picked the right one to start with.

The Embrace has some admirable qualities, but I don’t think the meter is ready for prime time yet. Let’s start with the positive and see where this leads us.
 

Key advantages

• Talking Feature: Many diabetics need verbal assistance with using their glucose meter. Omnis has a nice video demonstrating the talking feature and other features of the meter. I touch upon a little more regarding the talking feature below in the disadvantages.
• Price: Let’s face it. This meter is cheap. You can pick up the meter for about $15 and 50 test strips for about the same price.
• Auto Coding: Again, if you want (and even need) testing simple, this is a no code glucose meter option.

Key Disadvantages

• Marketing Material: The Omnis Health Embrace website is simply awful. It lists a couple of key features of the meter but almost nothing else. For most information, including where to buy the meter, the company wants you to fill out a contact form. Really?
• Website: How about that talking feature? Does it come in other languages besides English? You can’t tell by looking at the Omnis website. The website gives no information. The meter brochure states that it is “bi-lingual” and later in the brochure it states that you can set the meter “to select another language” besides English. Only after looking through 6 different products downloads, not on the main Embrace meter page by the way, did I find that the other available language is Spanish.

 
For those of you who only speak English, you probably don’t care, but this type of oversight is indicative of the entire site. Another example of poor quality control is that the site obscurely lists a second glucose meter as being an available product, but then has no information on it. Huh?

• Accuracy: Glucose meter accuracy is something akin to finding the Holy Grail. All meters can have accuracy issues. The Embrace, however, seems to have a more vocal following of disgruntled customers. Anecdotal stories I found suggest that customers are not happy with the meter results.

Test Strips

The Omnis Health Embrace uses Embrace No Code Test strips. For a price comparison of all test strips, check out our Test Strip Deals page.

other Consideration

Omnis Health was founded in 2008. That is about all I know about them from reading their website. Omnis claims to want to be your “committed partner.” However, the company does not provide a telephone number to contact them. Wow. I hope you never need to call and ask a question about your Embrace meter.

Technically, the meter can download testing results to data management software. However, the software appears to be little more than a spreadsheet. You will need to buy the cable to do this download, which at least one user has suggested is almost impossible to get from the company.

Bottom Line

Look, most of my reviews on this site find some redeeming quality of the product I am reviewing. In this case, it would be an inexpensive talking meter. However, the accuracy concerns expressed by users and the complete lack of quality product materials make this meter a complete wild card. I am not sure it is worth the savings.

Technical information