I've heard good things about the One Touch also. If you have difficulty getting a large enough drop of blood, you might have an easier time with something that takes one of the really teeny samples, like the Freestyle Lite (and others, too, but I know that one), which takes only .3 microliters. Of my two cats that I test, one bleeds easily and always gives me enough for whatever meter I wanted to use, but the other is really stingy with her blood and barely gives me enough for the Freestyle.
I always get the strips online. They are absurdly expensive in the stores but quite reasonable online. I haven't done Ebay yet but usually end up at Hocks or another diabetic supply house. When I start, I do a Google search for my brand of strips, get an idea of how the prices are running (they vary from one shopping expedition to another), then home in on the places that have good prices.
By the way, I just noticed last weekend: Kroger in this area has just lowered the price of meters to something closer to what Walmart charges. At Kroger the price varies a little by store - $19.99 in a poor part of town, $25.99 in a wealthier part of town - but is the same for every brand. Walmart has a lot of different meters, all for $18.82. As I recall, Target has a similar price but not quite as much selection. Of course, I'm sure the prices are different in different areas. The take-away lesson is simply that you don't need to pay much for a meter. Some of mine I have found at Walgreens (on sale) for just under $10, and I had a $10 coupon from the paper, so the meter was free. I don't think I've paid more than $5 out-of-pocket for any of my meters (except the ReliOn, ironically), and I have a bunch.
