David

Thank you for the review of this meter. I already love the WaveSense KeyNote and was looking forward to using it full-time once I have the new Dexcom CGM.

Now I'll be eagerly waiting to get a Jazz.

It looks like the strips are the same as for the KeyNote. The MAGE feature sounds excellent and I like the USB interface. I wonder if AgaMatrix will publish the programming interface to their meters. Now that would also be a radical improvement.

I'll see if I can get one to check out from my AgaMatrix contact. 

David Mendosa

4/10/08 10:14pm

Dear Bernard,

 

I would love to see your review of the Jazz.

 

The strips are probably similar to those of the KeyNote. But because of the notch in the Jazz strips, they are a bit different.

 

Best regards,

 

David 

Hi Daivd,

Is AgaMatrix taking orders? I'd like to get one of the first ones when they become available.

David Mendosa

4/11/08 12:17pm

Phil,

 

I don't think so. But if I were you, I would certainly try!

 

David 

David Mendosa

4/14/08 12:16pm

While AgaMatrix may not be taking orders for the WaveSense Jazz, Advanced Diabetes Supply is taking advanced orders, according to a message that President Tim Cady just sent me:

 

"f you get inquiries about the Jazz, we can take orders so that when it is available, we can help people ASAP.

 

"You can give them my e-mail [tbcady@earthlink.net], website (northcoastmed.com) or our phone # 1-800-730-9887.

 

"Maybe they’ll want another Wavesense product in the meantime and we can upgrade them when the Jazz becomes available."

 

Does the company need people to test the prototype of the meter before it comes to market?

I would be willing to sign up to test one for them.  I hope the test strips are not like the ones that

the Abbot (Freestyle Freedom etc.) I much prefer being able to tell when I have enough for a

sample.

Now that I have the Jazz Meter, I can't fnd the software for the interface. Any suggestions? I e mailed the company and they said to go to their website, but all that did was refer me to stores that don't carry it.

David Mendosa

5/14/08 5:15pm

Dear Laurie,

 

I referred your question to the company, AgaMatrix, that makes the Jazz meter. Here is the reply that I just received from the senior manager for marketing:

 

Wondering who has a Jazz meter since it's not for sale yet? Our new version of Zero-Click will support Jazz, but won't be available until the fall.

Laurie

5/14/08 8:25pm

So sorry - mine is a wavesense keynote meter. Does Zero Click support that one? I apologize for the confusion.

 

Laurie

David Mendosa

5/14/08 11:10pm

Dear Laurie,

 

Yes. I have used that software with the Keynote as I wrote at http://www.healthcentral.com/diabetes/c/17/9189/accuracy/

 

David

I read the post on the Jazz, and I switched to this meter because of what was said about it's accuracy. I have found that it is probably the most accurate meter that I have ever used.

However, I have been getting a large number of strips that generate "Error 4." With one particular lot of test strips, the number of strips that generate "Error 4" is extreme. This morning, I went thorugh almost 20 test strips before I got one that gave me a reading.

I have used BG meters since the time that they were first introduced to the market, and I have never had a meter that was this finicky. In my opinion, the performance of this meter from a reliability standpoint is not acceptable.

I have contacted Wavesense technical support several times about this issue, and I have been told that this problem occurs during warm and cold months.

My experience is this. I have two Jazz meters, and the problem is not specific to either of the meters. Both meters generally give Error 4 at about the same rate. This indicates that it is the strips that are the problem.

What I was told by tech support is that the error primarliy results from the strips having been exposed to temperatures beyond the recommended storage temperature.

In the Jazz manual, it says that if this error occurs, to try to bring the strips to a temperature of between 70 & 75 degrees F.

I have more strips on order, and I am hoping that 1) they will have a different lot number than I have seen before, and 2) that if they have a different lot number, they will perform significantly better than my results so far. If they do not, I will switch to another meter mainly because of the fact that it sometimes takes using a large number of test strips to get one good result is not a trade off that I consider acceptable.

I was also told by tech support that if the error occurs, I should try to warm the strips gently, and wait 45 or 50 minutes to try the next test.

In my opinion, all bg meters and strips need to be made so that they will operate properly under a very wide range of environmental conditions. Getting a reading from a meter is something that a diabetic needs to be able to count on. I doubt that there are any diabetics out there that would disagree with this. My sincere hope is that Wavesense engineers are working on solving this problem.

I will post another comment when I get my next batch of strips. Hopefully, things will be different. The promise of near-lab accuracy in bg determination is something that I think diabetics seek. The Jazz has that promise, and seems to achieve it when it gives results, however, for the time being, I can only recommend that this meter be approached with caution as it may not give a reading at all at a time when a reading is needed most.

David Mendosa

1/15/10 11:43am

Dear Wiyosaya,

 

Thanks for your thoughtful post. Please let us know what happens with your next batch of test strips.

 

Best regards,

 

David

wiyosaya

2/22/10 12:03pm

I recently received test strips from a new batch. Of four vials of 50, one had no problems at all, two had four failures, and the last one had a failure rate of about one in five to one in four.

 

With strips from one lot that was previoulsy not particularly problematic, I have recently been having strips fail at a significantly higher rate than I experienced with the initial strips from this lot. From what I have experienced, a "normal" failure rate is about 4 per vial of 50. Some of the vials from this lot have more than 10 strips fail. From another lot, I have had 20 or more strips fail out of a vial of 50.

 

From what I have been told, this problem occurs when the meter is operated outside of its optimum temperature range of 70 - 75F, and I am not the only one experiencing it.

 

Rather than continue using this meter and having failure rates that are, in my opinion, excessively high, I have gotten a different meter. The normal temperature range on that meter is 50 - 86F, and in comparison, the meter is a joy to use. In this post, I am not going to mention that meter because I want to stay focused on the Jazz.

 

It sounds like there are people out there for whom the Jazz would work well. However, since I am not one of those, and there are times (particularly when low) when I need a reliable reading without having to make 10 or 20 measurements in a row, I am not one of the people for whom this meter works well.

 

In my opinon, the issue is one of quality control. That four vials of test strips could have such a drastically different failure rate to me indicates something amiss in the manufacturing / quality control realm.

 

That I have had a bad experience with this meter does not mean that someone else will, and I certainly hope that others who make the decision to use this meter do not find it as problematic as I did. I will also recommend that if your experience is as bad as mine, call the customer support number and let them know that you are also having problems.