Harm Reduction IV Product Review Thread

[dopiate]

I just got my box of Kendall Monject 30G 5/16" 1cc syringes so i'll finish a 10-pack and post up how i feel about them compared to the others.

A little quickie:

BD Alcohol pads versus Kendall Alcohol Pads

Both come individually packaged.

I got a box of 200 Kendall wipes from researchsupply.net for $3.00 US just cause i was ordering a bunch of other stuff.

I just had a few of the BD laying around.

They are both about the same size (a square inch) except the kendall is a thinner material and is folded over (two ply). The BD is much thicker and is one ply.

The BD material is much more saturated with alcohol than the Kendalls. Sometimes i wonder if the kendall are even doing anything.

I would not recommend Kendall alcohol wipes but instead would recommend BD alcohol wipes

 

[phr]

i think Braun Syringes are the best, 100% sterile and very cheap.

Do they make hypodermics that aren't 100% sterile? :D

27 guage 1/2'' 1cc terumo's : an IVer's best friend. smooth plunger, easy to register and only every a 0.01% of a defect. over the countless number of these i've used over the last 4-5 years i can only recall one or two batches which had a fault where the tip hadnt been attached properly, not abling to draw up the shot.

i have used BD's and a few retractable needles as well but BD's have a stiff plunger which can make it difficult to register and actually push down when you're injecting.

Agree on everything. 1/2'' 27 gauge 1cc Terumo's are my favorite as well. Smooth lubricated plunger, and due to the gauge you register extremely easily. I also have the same complaints about BD's.

I'm not sure why you guys think 27's are too large. If you don't reuse, rotate, and have good technique, you're fine. Even someone knowing what they're looking for won't be able to see my point of entry with a 27G...

 

[dopiate]

I'm not sure why you guys think 27's are too large. If you don't reuse, rotate, and have good technique, you're fine. Even someone knowing what they're looking for won't be able to see my point of entry with a 27G...

Have you tried larger gauges like 29, 30, 31?

I'm just not sure why you would want to use a thicker needle when you can use a thinner one.

I can register perfectly with a 31 gauge fit.

 

[Jabberwocky]

EDIT: and leftwing i have no clue why you would want to use 27G fits unless you like the look of fat track marks.

unless you have a shitty technique then you don't get track marks with 27's. like phrozen it's extremely hard to recognise where you've been shooting if you're rotating sites and not using the same spot over and over. the very worst the leave is a tiny sand-fly bite mark, tiny,

 

[dopiate]

unless you have a shitty technique then you don't get track marks with 27's. like phrozen it's extremely hard to recognise where you've been shooting if you're rotating sites and not using the same spot over and over. the very worst the leave is a tiny sand-fly bite mark, tiny,

I just figured i'd rather get stabbed with a knife a hundred times than a sword a hundred times. I don't see the advantages.

And my 31G needles don't even leave a mark the size of a sand-fly sperm.

 

[Jabberwocky]

whatever man, what works for me doesn't work for you. that's differing opinions for you.

 

[bingey]

31 are too thin for me , the needle can't poke through tough skin like on your feet and some parts of your hands , also they simply don't register as well as 27-29 , i think thats why when you ask for an iv needle around here people always give you 27-29 gauge needle's (the short tip 31's are really intra-cutanal needle's in my book , a stiffer/wider needle simply handles a lot better imo)

in fact one time because of necessity i had to use 25 and was pleasantly surprised , because of the ease with which i registered , they didn't leave much more damage than a 29 (ok it did bleed like a mother and leave these mini-crusts)

 

[Captain.Heroin]

I just figured i'd rather get stabbed with a knife a hundred times than a sword a hundred times. I don't see the advantages.

And my 31G needles don't even leave a mark the size of a sand-fly sperm.

The idea is I don't think leftwing sits around with a big bag of coke IVing every 10 minutes like some people on BL do.

If you don't even IV every day, a 27G will be just fine. I use multiple times a day, and 28G is the largest I would want to go. The track marks I get are about the same from 30G to 28G, but if I went any larger I think that there would be a very noticeable difference.

If I only used once a day or less, 27G really would be fine for me. But, if I were to use 27G's 3 times or more a day, I would start to be able to tell a difference.

I do prefer 31G or 30G, these are my favorite sizes. However, I don't mind a 29G or 28G. At first I thought 30G's would be a challenge (before the 30G's, I had only used 31G's) but they're very similar in size. When I had only used 30 or 31 G, I thought the 28G's were going to be hell to have to use, but they really aren't. They make for pretty easy registering. Personally, I find a 30G to 28G most ideal for registering, and a 31G most ideal if I'm going to be using multiple times a day. However, I can use 3 or 4 times a day with a 28G and I'm just fine.

BTW dopiate - the 28G I use doesn't leave a mark most of the time. Plus, a 31G can make the same mark a 28G can depending on technique. I feel that a 27G makes it a bit more noticeable, but if you only use once in a blue moon, it shouldn't be noticeable before the day is up.

Honestly, you can straight fuck yourself up with some bad technique and a 31G. It's more about technique than what gauge you use. I honestly haven't noticed the difference bteween a 28G and a 31G, because with good technique, neither should be a problem. If you inject up to 10, 20, or more times a day, then yeah, a 28G will obviously cause different track marks than a 31G. But it's not good to inject 20 times a day, and even with a 31G, if you inject up to 20 times a day (or more) you're going to have track marks, no matter how good your technique is.

31 are too thin for me , the needle can't poke through tough skin like on your feet and some parts of your hands , also they simply don't register as well as 27-29 , i think thats why when you ask for an iv needle around here people always give you 27-29 gauge needle's (the short tip 31's are really intra-cutanal needle's in my book , a stiffer/wider needle simply handles a lot better imo)

Well...I also never use my feet or hands, or anywhere near them.

I do agree that the 28G and 29G do register quite well, but I also find this with the 30G.

in fact one time because of necessity i had to use 25 and was pleasantly surprised , because of the ease with which i registered , they didn't leave much more damage than a 29 (ok it did bleed like a mother and leave these mini-crusts)

Haha, yeah, I've had a site that bled like a motherfucker...but that was also from a 31G. I've seen some people bleed pretty bad from a 27G as well, and that is why I stick to a 28G and don't go any larger. If I'm using my arms, a 28G and above doesn't make me bleed like some people have with a 27G.

 

[dopiate]

Alright i will let it go. The short needles don't bother me at all either, there hasn't been a vein i could not hit with a 5/16" and i think it protects from hitting arteries as well (other than hand/wrist maybe).

Back on topic, i'm going to give an early review to my new syringes:

Kendall Monoject 30G 5/16" 1cc

I purchased a box of 100 from diabetespeoples.com for $14.89 US with free shipping this is a pretty good deal if anyone is looking, they also have BD for $24.99 but they are only 90ct.

Each syringe is individually packaged like Terumos and do not have plunger caps. I like opening the syringe package every time but i really like having the plunger cap too.

Pros:
-Needle sharpness is very good, i'm going to say below Terumo and BD but above EasyTouch
-Needle feels robust and is much more difficult to bend than the 31G EasyTouch
-Plunger action is smooth, on par with Terumo
-Has single unit graduations (i.e. 95 units is possible)
-Easy to register, much better than 31G EasyTouch
-The platform at the top of the plunger is over-sized and easy to push down
-Build quality is very good, just below BD/Terumo
-Needle caps "snap" on and stay on!
-For the price they can't be beat

Cons:
-Does not have a plunger "catch" after the 100 unit mark, making it easy to pull the plunger out if you're working with large amounts of liquid
-Needle is about 20% shorter than the EasyTouch's of the same length. I had no problem with this though.
-Most needles out of package are tilted about 5 degrees in any direction, this is very minor and poses no problems
-Plunger shaft is weaker than most other brands but not noticeable under normal IV routine.

I will comment on any quality control problems after i use more of these.

Overall i give the Kendall Monoject 30G 5/16" 1cc an 8 out of 10, these would be perfect if Kendall made a 31G version but i will probably buy these again.

 

[Jabberwocky]

The idea is I don't think leftwing sits around with a big bag of coke IVing every 10 minutes like some people on BL do. .

Haha, yeah, I've had a site that bled like a motherfucker...but that was also from a 31G. I've seen some people bleed pretty bad from a 27G as well, and that is why I stick to a 28G and don't go any larger. If I'm using my arms, a 28G and above doesn't make me bleed like some people have with a 27G.

i have no probs with bleeding. a quick wipe with a tissue and some pressure with a bit of cotton and it clots in no time though ive never had too much of a problem with the bleeding unless i neglect to compress it and cover it for a minute or so with cotton.

edit = i had swab originally where tissue is but the swab inhibits the coagulation of the blood leaving it bleed for a bit afterwards and promotes bruising to the injection site. use alcohol swabs to sterile the area of injection before and equipment

 

[Captain.Heroin]

i have no probs with bleeding. a quick wipe with a swab and some pressure with a bit of cotton and it clots in no time though ive never had too much of a problem with the bleeding unless i neglect to compress it and cover it for a minute or so with cotton.

Not too bad. The only place I've had a flood of blood which did frighten me for a second was when I used my penis once. It was with a 31G too, but it worked which I'm glad for.

 

[HighonLife]

Leftwing you kinda look like Jack Osborne in that pic

Capn H: your penis?

 

[mynstral]

From the pictures i have found of Dinorio syringes they have the same needle cap as the Easy Touch's. Have you had any problems with the needle caps having fallen off in the 10-packs?

Not a single one. In fact, some are alost too tight (nearly all are too tight to take off one handed, which prevents me from trying and accidentally nicking myself or otherwise dulling the tip -- I have to take the time to use two hands and do it right).

There's also a dab of adhesive on both the cap and syringe that's broken when they're uncapped I assume this is standard practice for all syringe+needle combos, but thought I'd note it just in case it's not.

My only real complaint is the bevel. I mean seriously, Dinorio, do better.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Capn H: your penis?

Only place I can register by myself w/o another person's assistance. Only did it once.

 

[Virtuoso]

Only place I can register by myself w/o another person's assistance. Only did it once.

Wait, what? Why? I cannot think of a situation that makes sense.

 

[justinw]

My favorites were the 31G 1/2CC 5/16".

Same here except I like 1CC. A few weeks ago I had a friend grab some from CVS and he accidentally got 1/2". I had never had anything bigger than a 5/16" before and they were just massive to me and unnecessary. my veins are right on the surface and effortless to register

This picture is a perfect example of the issue i'm having, all i did was pick this package up out of the box and there were two syringes sticking through the packaging.

That's fucking horrible quality control, especially for a product that's supposed to be sterile. If I were you I'd take a better picture and send an email or letter to the company. That's just unacceptable. Not just the sterility but you could easily stab yourself reaching into the box to pull out a 10 pack. I'm going to take a wild guess here and say they're made in China. No offence to anyone Chinese but the country isn't exactly Germany when it comes to quality control and quality products in general.

 

[Eagleman]

I used either Monoject or Ideal. They are vet syringes with luer-lock/luer-slip tips for quick attachments and detachments. The smallest pin I can get is 28g. And as far as mmmChris' question, a one or two time shot with a large needle won't leave a permanent mark as long as you take care of it (apply pressure immediately after withdrawing and keep site clean). Just don't get in the habit of using them too much, cuz for awhile all I could get was 22g and used them for months. My right elbow (cephalic vein) is completely scarred.

 

[dopiate]

That's fucking horrible quality control, especially for a product that's supposed to be sterile. If I were you I'd take a better picture and send an email or letter to the company. That's just unacceptable. Not just the sterility but you could easily stab yourself reaching into the box to pull out a 10 pack. I'm going to take a wild guess here and say they're made in China. No offence to anyone Chinese but the country isn't exactly Germany when it comes to quality control and quality products in general.

I absolutely want to talk to manufacturer except the problem is that their website, easytouchsyringes.com is inactive. I'm trying to go through the retailer i bought them through but they are being soo slow. I mean, thats 20 syringes out of 100. I can't think of a product that is that effectively bad.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Wait, what? Why? I cannot think of a situation that makes sense.

The BD's are sticky and I can't register with one hand. I place it, someone else plunges.

 

[dopiate]

The BD's are sticky and I can't register with one hand. I place it, someone else plunges.

Dude, i had the same problem. It took so much effort for me to do it one handed. I recommend buying either some Terumos or some of these Monojects, they are like butter.