You only need one meter but you will need many thousands of testing strips, so please be careful before you buy. Strips cost anywhere between around £7 for 50 strips to £30 or more. The ones with the cheapest strips, which are very popular on this forum, are the Codefree and the Tee2. They are available on line.
Try here for the Codefree meter
http://homehealth-uk.com/product-category/blood-glucose/blood-glucose-monitor/
and here for the extra strips
http://homehealth-uk.com/all-products/sd-codefree-test-strips-to-be-used-only-with-the-sd-monitor/
There are discount codes if you buy in bulk. (applied at the check out stage)
5 packs 264086
10 packs 975833
The Tee2+ is here
http://spirit-healthcare.co.uk/product-category/shop/tee2/
Be aware that free meters are usually only free because the strips are expensive - that is how the suppliers get their money.
All meters have to achieve the same accuracy standards before they can be marketed.
- Within± 0.83 mmol/L of laboratory results at concentrations of under 5.6 mmol/L
- Within ± 15% of laboratory results at concentrations of 5.6 mmol/L or more
You need one that reads in mmol/l if you are in the UK and certain other countries, and mg/dl if in the States and certain other countries. You will soon learn there are a lot of different measurement units, which can be very confusing.
Personally I use the Accu Chek Mobile by Roche with a Codefree as a back up. They are convenient and easy to use, but the replacement strips are about £25 for 50, so not cheap.
Once you get your meter we can help you use it to your very best advantage.