Testing our Tester: was- Any Thoughts or Suggestions?

Does anyone have any ideas, or knowledge on how to make a glucose standard to more closely determine the precision and bias of the meters? Because I have been able to do so well lowering my A1C, I am a little hesitant to switch meters until I have more information, and know which meter is closest to the actual numbers. Yes, I know this is more detail than most people want or need, but it's just part of my nature to want the extra details. Anyone have any information that may help?

Ron Sebol on the DSM-L "Diabetes Self Management" list is a detail-oriented retired engineer and I remember he has gone to the trouble of making a solution using accurately measured amounts of glucose and water to test meter accuracy. He uses crushed (to a powder) glucose tablets and a precisely measured amount of water to get a known concentration that is then used to test meters. I don't remember the numbers, but that information is in the archives of DSM-L, or it might be easier to just ask your question there.

I can dredge up the joining information for DSM-L if you wish, or perhaps vicki (whimsy2) has it at her fingertips. Do know that DSM-L is not a chatty list, being strictly moderated to the topic of diabetes control, but the archives are a treasure trove of information on controlling bg's and a lot about using nutritional supplements as an adjunct to control, etc. The tests that the manufacturer ran you through on your meter using their test solution I assume, will tell you if your meter is broke or a strip is totally whacked, but they are useless IMHO for checking accuracy because the range of "good" numbers is very wide, at least it is on my Accu-Chek system.

Not wanting to go to the trouble of Ron's "glucose-water" experiment to check my meters, what I've done to keep track of the accuracy of my meters (I have 4 Accu-Chek Advantage's of various ages) is to take them with me when I have lab-work done and test at the same time as the lab draws my blood and compare the numbers. They've always been within 5mg/dl of the lab number and most times closer than that. If I were in your situation, the decision of which meter to use would be the one that has the strips paid for by insurance as there's no way that I can afford to buy them out-of-pocket in the quantity that I use.