Well it may be a meter that’s eclusively sold under relion name… but yeah there is no relion factory that makes anything it’s the store brand…
Currently they seem to be using Arkray products. I bought the meter years ago though so it will have been different and maybe I’m even mixing up something I purchased from Walgreens with Walmart; it was a long time ago. This (older) diatribe post on meter accuracy identifies the ReliOn Confirm or Micro (it is not clear which) as more accurate and the other two as less so, but the ReliOn Prime meter @Feinstei uses is a newer meter.
I currently use the Contour Next One meter and I like this because it is relatively small, yet it still has the problem that with the lancet, a vial of test strips and the pouch to hold them all together the system is just too big to be really convenient. Fortunately I don’t have to carry it any longer because I have a CGM.
When I started with the Contour I did buy it and the test strips on Amazon; I paid $40 for a startup kit, another $40 for one hundred test strips (cheapest I could find at the time, I didn’t need the lancets!) Three months later I decided I needed spare meters so I spent $14 (2x$6.98) to get two spare meters. Note that those are the prices I actually paid in November 2018 and March this year; they’ve all changed a little.
Years ago I picked up a cheap meter from Walgreens (I think) that just replaced the top of a vial of test strips, that was really convenient but still required a separate lancet.
The Dario Health system looks promising, particularly as the subscription plan runs at $30/month (billed $90/three months) and includes the test strips in the basic plan. That’s a fixed cost (apart maybe from lancets) and probably within reach for anyone on a budget, particularly as filling a single prescription for test strips will normally cost well over $100 at the start of the year! BTW I don’t know what they are selling on Amazon (the previous link) and that is one thing I would not buy on Amazon; it looks like a “basic” subscription ($90) bundled with the meter ($70)
just to put in my 2 cents, if anyone out there uses the freestyle Libre reader, it also has its own port for test strips to do finger sticks. (of course they are expensive, though, like all of their strips 
.)
Thanks Thomas, my husband and i finally figured it out!!
Daisy Mae.
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yup. its very helpful. thanks a zillion, Thomas!!!
I have been reading the comments in this thread but no one states that you can get the meters from the manufacturer for free, Just go to their website and they have different programs that can fit your needs. Like printers, the manufacturers give away the meters and get you with the cost of supplies. If you see a certified diabetic educator, they provide starter kits at no cost.
I can’t say enough about going to the manufacturers websites for free or discounted products. Most of the programs exclude anyone that is part of a government sponsored pharmacy benefit plan but there can be other programs. Also look at foundations that assist patients with the cost of medication and supplies for certain disease processes. Do your research!
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