Syringe comparison: BD, Easy Touch, Sure Comfort, True Plus

[zling]

Disclaimer: I am very new to injection medications so I am not willing to blame the leftover liquid in the syringes on the syringe. I will call it a skill issue for at least 2-3 more months. I also haven't actually used the Easy Touch yet but I will next week! TruePlus was given to me, Sure Comfort and Easy Touch came in kits, and I bought the box of BD Veo.


Syringes I have:

TruePlus [1ml, 31g, 8mm]: First 2 needles I used. I had to use much more force to get these needles in than the others. I didn't like the feeling of waiting for it to pierce my skin and when it finally did it pinches. This is what drove me to try other brands of syringes.
The needle looks just a fraction of a hairline thicker than the others. There was liquid left in the syringe when I was done, enough that I felt a little bad about wasting it.

Sure Comfort [1ml, 31g, 8mm]: Again, have only used 2 of these. These were a lot smoother than the True Plus, still felt that bit of tension but really not a big deal. Biggest problem I had with these was the leftover liquid. Seemed like there may have been even more than the TruePlus. I think it has to do with their (TP and SC) rubber stopper design.

Easy Touch [1ml, 31g, 8mm]: I haven't used these ones yet. The needle looks thinner and sharper than the SC and TP. One big advantage for the EasyTouch is that it shows the .5 unit marks while the others did not. Will try to remember to update this when I use these next week.

BD Veo [1ml, 31g, 6mm]: This needle is shorter than the 8mm the other 3 had. It's the same gauge but it looked thinner to me. The shorter needle takes a lot of the anxiety away for me. Needle went in nice and smoothly, barely even felt it. I liked that the rubber stopper was thinner than the others, made it easier for me to see. Still had some left over fluid. Does everyone get this or do I just need more practice?
These do seem to be more expensive and harder to find than the 8mm syringes. I'll probably end up sticking with these in the long run despite there being much cheaper options.

 

[moonpies4misfits]

Interesting. My personal experience with BD was quite the opposite. I recently got a box of BD 31g 8mm after hearing many praise them. They will barely puncture my skin without a decent amount of force which becomes rather painful, and they have been leaving bruises. Just last night I tried in about 5 different spots and two different syringes before I could get one in without significant force. Maybe I got a bad batch (ordered from Total Diabetes Supply). I decided to try backfilling and this seemed to help some, so I'm wondering if the needle is dulling significantly when puncturing the vial. I have also noticed that the needle kind of pulls on my skin when removing it. I wonder if moving up to a 30g will help with the dulling when drawing for the vial.

In contrast, the same gauge and needle size from Easy Touch was painless roughly 8 out of 10 pokes, and I only experienced bruising twice out of an entire box of 100.

 

[moonpies4misfits]

I also wouldn't worry too much about the leftover liquid. There is less in there than it looks like. If you compare the stopper when it's removed to a syringe with the stopper still in it, you'll see it looks larger. The plastic almost has a magnifying effect. Since these are insulin needles they are meant to be very precise. It's probably no more than a small drop of liquid.

 

[brentm]

I decided to try backfilling and this seemed to help some, so I'm wondering if the needle is dulling significantly when puncturing the vial. I have also noticed that the needle kind of pulls on my skin when removing it. I wonder if moving up to a 30g will help with the dulling when drawing for the vial.

In contrast, the same gauge and needle size from Easy Touch was painless roughly 8 out of 10 pokes, and I only experienced bruising twice out of an entire box of 100.

Is backfilling what it sounds like? Burn one syringe to draw from the vial then shoot it into a brand new one?

On the 3ML bottles, the caps have such a large mass that if I don't nail the exact dead center of the silicon, my needle gets stuck in the plug mass. I usually toss the needle when this happens as it does seem to dull the point a bit.

Overall, the BD feels somewhat better than the EZ Touch to me with one poke through the silicon membrane. But it does seem to vary.

 

[Jailbreak7]

Interesting. My personal experience with BD was quite the opposite. I recently got a box of BD 31g 8mm after hearing many praise them. They will barely puncture my skin without a decent amount of force which becomes rather painful, and they have been leaving bruises. Just last night I tried in about 5 different spots and two different syringes before I could get one in without significant force. Maybe I got a bad batch (ordered from Total Diabetes Supply). I decided to try backfilling and this seemed to help some, so I'm wondering if the needle is dulling significantly when puncturing the vial. I have also noticed that the needle kind of pulls on my skin when removing it. I wonder if moving up to a 30g will help with the dulling when drawing for the vial.

In contrast, the same gauge and needle size from Easy Touch was painless roughly 8 out of 10 pokes, and I only experienced bruising twice out of an entire box of 100.

I too am unimpressed with the BD's... I expected a lot more based on all the praise.. Seems like EasyTouch is still the winner in my book...

 

[moonpies4misfits]

Is backfilling what it sounds like? Burn one syringe to draw from the vial then shoot it into a brand new one?

Yep, basically. You remove the plunger and shoot it into the back of the syringe, then when you put the plunger back in you have to flick the syringe to get the air bubbles to the top so your solution doesn't squirt out. I only wasted one syringe doing this as I filled multiple syringes. It's more steps and you have to be even more diligent about sterile technique. Personally I wasn't a fan of having to do this but my skin has had enough. I'm currently doing multiple pokes a day with Ipamorelin and BPC and I'm covered in bruises from the last week with BD. I decided to ditch my last day on the BPC and Ipam so I won't be needing to do multiple pins a day anymore. Will probably only be doing Tirz and DSIP until this box runs out.

Overall, the BD feels somewhat better than the EZ Touch to me with one poke through the silicon membrane. But it does seem to vary.

See, I'm really wondering if I just got a crappy batch of the BD. I'm usually really good about puncturing the membrane perfectly in the center and rarely hit the sides. I'm also thinking there is a lack of lubricant or less lubricant than normal in my box, as there is a lot of drag when removing the needle too. I can actually feel the needle tugging at my skin when I remove it when normally I can't feel that at all. I may try ordering a smaller pack of the BD to see if I have the same issue with another batch.

 

[moonpies4misfits]

I too am unimpressed with the BD's... I expected a lot more based on all the praise.. Seems like EasyTouch is still the winner in my book...

Have you also noticed the plunger doesn't move as smoothly?

 

[brentm]

Have you also noticed the plunger doesn't move as smoothly?

Call me paranoid, but I've wondered how much counterfeit product has made it into the genuine supply chain.

I could have sworn I felt a difference between my Amazon Easy Touch and the ones supplied to me by Hallandale. With the Hallandale's feeling smoother.

Yep, basically. You remove the plunger and shoot it into the back of the syringe, then when you put the plunger back in you have to flick the syringe to get the air bubbles to the top so your solution doesn't squirt out. I only wasted one syringe doing this as I filled multiple syringes. It's more steps and you have to be even more diligent about sterile technique. Personally I wasn't a fan of having to do this but my skin has had enough. I'm currently doing multiple pokes a day with Ipamorelin and BPC and I'm covered in bruises from the last week with BD. I decided to ditch my last day on the BPC and Ipam so I won't be needing to do multiple pins a day anymore. Will probably only be doing Tirz and DSIP until this box runs out.

See, I'm really wondering if I just got a crappy batch of the BD. I'm usually really good about puncturing the membrane perfectly in the center and rarely hit the sides. I'm also thinking there is a lack of lubricant or less lubricant than normal in my box, as there is a lot of drag when removing the needle too. I can actually feel the needle tugging at my skin when I remove it when normally I can't feel that at all. I may try ordering a smaller pack of the BD to see if I have the same issue with another batch.

What speed do you poke and withdraw? I told my wife I started moving the needle faster and also rest my wrist to minimize any lateral movement while the needle is inserted.

I described my speed as "lightly throwing a dart". If I go real slow I can see the skin crater slightly before it pierces it.

I'm sure with as many as you're doing you've experimented with all the variations. My only other idea would be to try different areas of your body. I typically go right into my triceps muscle. My wife prefers the back of her arm which is fattier. Never have done the stomach area personally.

 

[moonpies4misfits]

Call me paranoid, but I've wondered how much counterfeit product has made it into the genuine supply chain.

I could have sworn I felt a difference between my Amazon Easy Touch and the ones supplied to me by Hallandale. With the Hallandale's feeling smoother.

I ordered mine from a Diabetes Supply site. Amazon won't ship syringes with needles to.my state so I have no experience with them.

What speed do you poke and withdraw? I told my wife I started moving the needle faster and also rest my wrist to minimize any lateral movement while the needle is inserted.

Same speed as I used with the Easy Touch. Didn't matter with those. I could go supler slow with Easy Touch and not even feel it and have almost no resistance. I also have lots of fascial adhesions in some areas so I sometimes do have to move the needle even with Easy Touch. If I tried to go faster I'd end up with even more bruises because I wouldn't be able to gauge if thats a bad spot or not. With the BD it didn't matter if I tried the abdomen or thigh. I can't do the arms because my boobs make it very hard to reach without some crazy contortionist moves.

I'm sure with as many as you're doing you've experimented with all the variations. My only other idea would be to try different areas of your body. I typically go right into my triceps muscle. My wife prefers the back of her arm which is fattier. Never have done the stomach area personally.

The fact that I have to experiment so much at all with BD is a deal breaker in my book. I went through a 100 qty box and multiple smaller packs with Easy Touch without these issues.

 

[zling]

Interesting. My personal experience with BD was quite the opposite. I recently got a box of BD 31g 8mm after hearing many praise them. They will barely puncture my skin without a decent amount of force which becomes rather painful, and they have been leaving bruises. Just last night I tried in about 5 different spots and two different syringes before I could get one in without significant force. Maybe I got a bad batch (ordered from Total Diabetes Supply). I decided to try backfilling and this seemed to help some, so I'm wondering if the needle is dulling significantly when puncturing the vial. I have also noticed that the needle kind of pulls on my skin when removing it. I wonder if moving up to a 30g will help with the dulling when drawing for the vial.

In contrast, the same gauge and needle size from Easy Touch was painless roughly 8 out of 10 pokes, and I only experienced bruising twice out of an entire box of 100.

Maybe quality is different between product lines. I've seen some comments about not liking the BD but that can be said about any of them.
I almost bought the Easy Touch, but I couldn't find them with a 6mm length needle.

 

[moonpies4misfits]

Maybe quality is different between product lines. I've seen some comments about not liking the BD but that can be said about any of them.
I almost bought the Easy Touch, but I couldn't find them with a 6mm length needle.

Yeah, I haven't tried the Veo ones because I like to go in at an angle and I worry with the 6mm I might not go deep enough. I angled too much once on my thigh and my ISR was way worse than normal with Ipamorelin. The more I think about it, the more I think that I got a batch with less lubricant than normal because I have to use a little more force when I puncture the vial too.

I wish I had bought a 10 pack to try out instead of a full box. I'm gonna use them still they're gone, I'll just have to put up with the bruises for now.

 

[Jailbreak7]

Have you also noticed the plunger doesn't move as smoothly?

YES!!! Annoying.. and I even "run it dry" once just to get it to move easier (just go half way up and down once before drawing).. maybe that's why they advertise bigger flanges.. cause you need them

 

[zling]

Yeah, I haven't tried the Veo ones because I like to go in at an angle and I worry with the 6mm I might not go deep enough. I angled too much once on my thigh and my ISR was way worse than normal with Ipamorelin. The more I think about it, the more I think that I got a batch with less lubricant than normal because I have to use a little more force when I puncture the vial too.

I wish I had bought a 10 pack to try out instead of a full box. I'm gonna use them still they're gone, I'll just have to put up with the bruises

I think it'd be worth your money getting a new box. The point of rotating injection sites is to avoid irritation and scar tissue. Can't imagine giving yourself a bruise every time would help with that.

 

[moonpies4misfits]

I think it'd be worth your money getting a new box. The point of rotating injection sites is to avoid irritation and scar tissue. Can't imagine giving yourself a bruise every time would help with that.

I'm done with my BPC and Ipamorelin cycle and I won't be pinning nearly as often for a bit so it should be fine.

 

[MakeItaDouble]

I typically go right into my triceps muscle. My wife prefers the back of her arm which is fattier. Never have done the stomach area personally.

Please clarify - you aren't REALLY injecting IM, are you? Or are you not referring to GLP peps?

 

[tangoecho311]

I only buy needles/syringes directly from a pharmacy or medical supply. I use Excel Comfort Point 1mL 30g x 5/16" (0.31 x 8mm). I really like them. I like them better than the BD syringes that came with my compounded tirz. I got these from AMSCO when I ordered my BAC water and sterile drapes. They also had a good deal on alcohol wipes, so I stocked up.

How's your technique? I always find it best to make a "C" with my non-dominant hand, pinch the fat/skin until the skin is very taught. Then use my dominant hand and hold the syringe like a dart. In a quick motion jab, then inject. You really want to squeeze with your non-dominant hand. I find this easiest when you're injecting subq into the belly. My things don't have as much fat and it tends to be more painful there for me.

 

[moonpies4misfits]

How's your technique?

Same exact technique I use with Easy Touch without issues. Then tried other techniques to no avail. BD doesn't seem to be giving me *as much* trouble on the thigh, but I don't have a lot of fat there so space is limited. Thankfully I have two of those lol.

Will definitely be going back to Easy Touch but I may try Excel next. Total Diabetes Supply only has 28g in the Excel, so I may try ordering some from AMSCO next

 

[octoroach]

just another person saying I think it is all personal preference, I like others, bought BD based on all the praise. Today I just had to push it in hard, it was not going in, no other syringe has done this to me, and this is the 2nd one I've tried from BD. hard pass

 

[tangoecho311]

I may try ordering some from AMSCO next

AMSCO was really great to work with and I think I had my order within a week. They do send an email out after your order asking what kind of business you are. It's an automatic email, FYI. Some people got a bit wigged out by it. I even added on a couple things after I placed my initial order and they were happy to add it on. And shipping was reasonable.

 

[moonpies4misfits]

AMSCO was really great to work with and I think I had my order within a week. They do send an email out after your order asking what kind of business you are. It's an automatic email, FYI. Some people got a bit wigged out by it. I even added on a couple things after I placed my initial order and they were happy to add it on. And shipping was reasonable.

Yeah, I ordered some bac from them when the "where are we gonna get bac???!!?" frenzy happened lol. I didn't even bother to see what else they carried lol