The Fora 6 Connect is the latest and best glucose meter yet from the a company with a real history in blood-glucose measurement. On top of being an excellent glucometer this also acts as a ketone meter thanks to its ability to take both types of strips, meaning you only need to carry a single meter.
Testing is quick and accurate thanks to a selection of gold based testing strips, a port light and a simple button controlled interface. This is all backed by Bluetooth connected app support for deeper data analysis and sharing.
The Fore 6 Connect is perfect for Type I and Ketoacidosis but also works well for those with Type II diabetes who simply want to keep track of their blood glucose. Is this the best glucose meter for you? Read on to find out everything you need to know about the Fora 6 Connect.
Fora 6 Connect review: Design and portability
Memory: 1,000 test results
Results: Five seconds
Blood sample size: 0.5 microliters
Battery: AAA
- Large lit display
- Button controls
- Port light
The Fora 6 Connect doesn't look particularly special, with the same basic design as most blood glucose meters. That's because the portable - but not too small - form with mostly screen for a large display is what works best. This unit features a backlit screen with large fonts that offer clear contrast for an easy-to-read result in sunlight or the dark.
Talking of dark use, this also features a very useful port light. This allows you to slip a testing strip into the main meter unit without any fiddling, regardless of how dark your surroundings are. This is bright enough to help but subtle enough not to attract attention if you're trying to take a reading discreetly.
The package comes with a soft case that zips up making it easy to carry your meter, lancer and strips all in one portable package. The addition of a flexible strap to hold the unit in place is a nice touch as you can just leave that in place for testing, zip back up and head out again. The unit takes a single AAA battery that should last you until the memory is full, which is a whopping 1,000 readings. Only the Dario LC Blood Glucose Management System offers more readings.
Fora 6 Connect review: App and connectivity
- Bluetooth connectivity
- Smart app support
- Automatic sync
Once you've taken your reading on the meter there is an eject button which, when pressed, releases the test strip but also automatically turns the meter off and activates Bluetooth sync. That means you can then pick up your connected phone or tablet and the reading will have already synced across automatically.
The app, iFORA HM, works really well in this automated way. This means you can have a long-term back-up of your readings but also can analyse changes easily with longer-term average views. Crucially, this is a useful way to share your results information with your health professionals or loved ones who might want to keep an eye on your progress. The Contour Next One offers similar app features, but can't match the versatility of the Fora 6.
The app offers data clearly laid out in graph and pie chart forms with clear colors that help to make trends and changes super obvious. Averages over seven, 14 and 30 days can easily be jumped between using tabs at the top. Logging of other information is also possible with food, sleep and exercise as some of the examples. These help to add context to allow deeper understanding of variations in levels. Ultimately all this data analysis should help you better manage glucose and ketone levels to avoid going hypo in the future as much as possible.
Fora 6 Connect review: Port light and battery life
- Perfect for night use
- Not a battery issue
The port light isn't something that you get on a lot of blood glucose meters, let alone a unit that is also a ketone tester. The light is just enough without being offensive, as mentioned above. This also means that you don't have to worry about the light affecting your battery life.
Battery isn't really an issue at all as it's a replaceable AAA battery. Since this can be bought at most stores you don't need to worry about carrying one, although that's easily done with the case. Since the battery meter will alert you when low, you only need carry a battery then. And with a good 1,000 readings on a charge that won't happen often.
Fora 6 Connect review: Sampling and accuracy
- Accuracy beyond ISO standard
- Gold testing strips
The accuracy of the Fora 6 Connect is excellent. On top of that you aren't required to do any calibration and the results appear in under five seconds. This could be thanks to the addition of gold, a highly sensitive conductor, in the testing strips. The True Metrix meter is quicker, but not by much.
Despite those high quality testing strips the prices are actually average, meaning you can get both the meter and a batch of strips for a reasonable price, undercutting the big name brands. The downside is the availability isn't great, meaning you'll likely just have to buy them directly from Fora.
While there are strips for ketone testing, these are different to the blood glucose strips, so you will be required to carry both if you need to test each. Of course this is still far easier than carrying two monitors around.
Should you choose Fora 6 Connect?
The Fora 6 Connect is a really impressive blood glucose monitor on its own but when you factor in the ability to also test ketone, this makes it essential for many people. The Fora 6 Connect does everything the best models do including offering a port light, large backlit display and an eject button. On top of that you get auto synching of data to a very capable smartphone app that works across Android and iOS. Local device storage is the best we've seen while battery life is optimized by the use of an easily available AAA battery.
