Harm Reduction IV Product Review Thread

[Captain.Heroin]

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.

It's a hell of a lot easier to have someone else help me though, that way 99.9% of the time, it's really easy to make it in a matter of seconds, and I don't miss.

I don't buy syringes at the moment, and I'm pretty my SEP carries mostly BD's. And if they did have other brands, they would more than likely be a 27G or larger, whereas I only use 28G-31G.

 

[dopiate]

It's a hell of a lot easier to have someone else help me though, that way 99.9% of the time, it's really easy to make it in a matter of seconds, and I don't miss.

I don't buy syringes at the moment, and I'm pretty my SEP carries mostly BD's. And if they did have other brands, they would more than likely be a 27G or larger, whereas I only use 28G-31G.

I guess you're lucky to have that person around you 24/7.

Any one have any products they'd like to review?

 

[Captain.Heroin]

Captain's Reviews

I guess you're lucky to have that person around you 24/7.

Any one have any products they'd like to review?

Haha, yeah I guess I am. I have had friends who came and went who would've lent a helping hand, but not whenever I need help.

I have some products I'm probably going to review, I was just waiting for some others to go first to set a prototype for a review, then I'd follow that format.

I'll probably work on mine now.

Products I have tried:
gauge, volume, needle size
31G, 1CC, 5/16"
31G, 1/2 CC, 5/16"
30G, 1/2 CC, 1/2"
29G, 3/10 CC, 1/2"
28G, 1/2 CC, 1/2"

I also have 27G, 1CC, 1/2" but I can't bring myself to using them. I have a friend who has used them (due to the fact I have 400 extras sitting around and refuse to touch them...lol) but he's only used a 31G before, and has only IV'd maybe a half dozen times. So...I don't know how useful that will be.

Also, every brand is BD. I will also list where I got them from, etc.

For the purposes of measuring liquid to prepare a dual shot, the 27G's are great and all, I just can't use them.

I'm going to start writing reviews in a little bit, I think I might get my %) face on before I start...

That was pretty nice. Now for the reviews.

I'll go chronologically in time with the first needles I have used, and end with the latter.

BD 31G, 1 CC, 5/16", 100 count, $34.50 with free shipping.

These came from healthwarehouse.com, and they ship relatively quickly (2 to 5 days is the normal range for delivery, whereas they say it can take up to 10 days for free "ground" shipping. You can pay for earlier delivery.)

They arrive in bags of ten, needle and plunger caps.

Positives:
Most needles are smooth and usable.
These are a nice, fine gauge.

Negatives:
Quality control wise, some of the plungers were sticky, some of the needles were bent.

10 out of 10 scale, with 10 being the best...
quality control -> 7
comfort -> 9
overall satisfaction -> 8

______________________

BD 31G, 1/2 CC, 5/16", 100 count, $34.50 with free shipping.

These came from healthwarehouse.com, and they also were purchased at a pharmacy (for what price I do not remember - sorry). I first purchased them from the pharmacy, and I'll use that batch for my review.

They arrive in bags of ten, needle and plunger caps.

Positives:
More feasible size for my purposes (1cc is a bit excessive for my purposes).
Very uniform, very sharp, well shaped needles.
The needle cap slides back on easier than the 1cc model.
The plunger is as smooth as can be.

Negatives:
(This does not apply to the pharmacy batch but the HW batch) - One of the needles I received looked like a beast clawed at it. There were heavy scratches in the barrel, and I couldn't verify whether or not the sterile pathway had been compromised. I complained to BD and received a coupon and a metal canister with a return address label and postage to give them back the messed up one. The coupon was for a free 100ct. box of BD syringes. Not having to shell out $34.50 was pretty nice for a change and changed a slight negative into a positive.
There really aren't any other negatives with this product.

10 out of 10 scale, with 10 being the best...
quality control -> 9.5
comfort -> 10
overall satisfaction -> 10

______________________

BD 30G, 1/2 CC, 1/2", free at exchange.
I cannot find a bag, and I have already re-exchanged them, so I can't really show you a picture, sorry.

They came to me in bags of ten, with both needle and plunger caps.

Positives:
Registers slightly better than a 31G, and doesn't leave too much bigger of a track mark.
Needle is more robust; less likely to bend or have a mis-shaped face than the 31G's.
Less likely to be clogged than a 31G.

Negatives:
More likely to hit a nerve, but not much more likely.
I hate 1/2" needles; I only need the first half of a 5/16" needle. I have good technique, so I guess 1/2" needles are just less feasible for my purposes.

10 out of 10 scale, with 10 being the best...
quality control -> 9
comfort -> 8
overall satisfaction -> 8.5

______________________

BD 29G, 3/10 CC, 1/2", free at exchange.
I can't find a bag, I only got four of these to begin with, and have already re-exchanged them. OR DID I? *rummages around in used box of pins* Sweet, I found 2 out of the 4 I originally had.

They came with needle and plunger caps, though I only had 4 to begin with, so I didn't have a bag of them. I do believe that they came in bags of ten though.

Positives:
3/10 CC size is most ideal for my purposes.
29G is not too bad compared to a 30G
Good quality control, very smooth path.

Negatives:
1/2" on something this small is so unecessary it's like overkill. Not feasible, but overall not too bad of a complaint.

10 out of 10 scale, with 10 being the best...
quality control -> 9.5
comfort -> 7.5
overall satisfaction -> 8.5

______________________

BD 28G, 1/2 CC, 1/2", free at exchange.
I still have quite a few of these, however they come in a unique box that I already have uploaded pictures for and will now link them here.

^ | The smaller box on top is the 200 count of 28G, the one below it and to the side are the 27G, however the front of the boxes below looks exactly like the one above it, besides for the label | ^
These came from the exchange in boxes of 200. I get a kick out of the whole "For medical facility use only" label. They are just laying in a clear plastic bag in the box by themselves, no bags of ten. Saves a lot of time breaking a bag of sticks open by hand every time I go through ten of them. As you can also see in the picture, the 27G's come in 10 bags whereas the 28G's don't. Puzzling, eh? I still don't know why they do it that way myself.

They also come with needle and plunger caps.

Positives:
Good for registering
Very sturdy needle
Mostly positive quality control

Negatives:
1/2" is overkill
Sometimes the plunger is a tad sticky
Despite positive quality control, the ones that aren't as nice are kind of jacked up looking. Some are bent heavily, others have curved faces. Then again, the quality control is a tad better than the smaller gauges, which can vary more in terms of the face of the needle.

10 out of 10 scale, with 10 being the best...
quality control -> 8.5
comfort -> 8
overall satisfaction -> 8

 

[Captain.Heroin]

I also know I said I was going to post my reviews in chronological order, however I forgot the very first box of syringes I bought.

I'll do the review for that now. For the record, do not buy these syringes, they were a pain in the ass. Do NOT let the brand name fool you.

Sure Comfort 31G, 1 CC, 5/16", 100 count, $15.00 with free shipping. (I don't know how much I paid for them around a year ago, however they were around half the price of BD's)

These came from healthwarehouse.com, and they took a while to ship (but that may not have been the company's fault but my building manager's fault - so don't take my word for it. In my current residence, they ship fairly quickly).

They arrived in bags of ten with needle and plunger caps.

Positives:
None. These were horrible.

Negatives:
Every needle wasn't uniform - they were curved, bent, had lips, etc. They honestly looked like they had already been used once. They were just of very poor quality, and BD's needles are much more precise than these are. If I had known the low quality of this needle, I wouldn't have bought them.
The name should be "Sure Torture".
More painful to insert one of these than a 28G.
I will never get these again and, honestly, would have given them away to a hobo.

10 out of 10 scale, with 10 being the best...
quality control -> 2
comfort -> 0
overall satisfaction -> 1

My overall satisfaction is still a "1" because I was still able to shoot up, and the caps were on all of the syringes. Both of these facts merit ONE point, no more though.

______________________________

If anyone else has any other IV products they would like to review, I encourage you to do so. If there was a thread like this, I would have surely only bought BD's (or really any other brand other than "SureComfort").

 

[immanuel can]

[these aren't the exact ones, but it's the best i could get in terms of an image]

i always use 31G, 1CC, 5/16" that i get from walgreens in packs of 10 for like $2.50. they're the only kind i've actually ever used so i don't have anything i can compare it to. i've never had any sort of problem with them, so i can't complain.

after reading through some of the posts in here, i'm under the impression that maybe a larger gauge might work better? i understand that technique obviously plays a big role, but would using a 29 or 30 really make any sort of difference?

 

[dopiate]

[these aren't the exact ones, but it's the best i could get in terms of an image]

i always use 31G, 1CC, 5/16" that i get from walgreens in packs of 10 for like $2.50. they're the only kind i've actually ever used so i don't have anything i can compare it to. i've never had any sort of problem with them, so i can't complain.

after reading through some of the posts in here, i'm under the impression that maybe a larger gauge might work better? i understand that technique obviously plays a big role, but would using a 29 or 30 really make any sort of difference?

Work better for what?

If you have problems with your veins being too deep than a 29/30G 1/2" would be better.

If you have problems registering/pulling up water then 29/30G might be better.

I have 30G Monojects and they draw up and register much better than the 31G Easy Touch but i will withhold judgment on that until i use a 31g syringe from a legit legitimate company.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

after reading through some of the posts in here, i'm under the impression that maybe a larger gauge might work better? i understand that technique obviously plays a big role, but would using a 29 or 30 really make any sort of difference?

It depends on a few things, but honestly, if you can register 9 out of 10 times (or even 8 out of 10 times) on the first try, you are OK with using the 31G's.

I have a few veins that I can always hit with a 31G, but with a 30G I can hit nearly every vein I attempt to hit, and on the first try. This is because the fineness of the 31G can cause the vein to roll instead of puncturing through it, whereas a larger gauge is better at puncturing.

 

[cashel_7890]

I always use 29 G 1 ml syringes , i tried the 30/31 g half a ml short-tips once and was totally confused my ex-girlfriend berated me for being so foolish as o get short-tips although we were both skinny with bulging veins neither of us could register with those ridiculously short tips (and we both had very different techniques from almost 45 degree quick forcefull "jab" as compared to my technique which consists of slowly sliding the tip in as horizontally /parralel to the vein as possible .

anyways lately i have been using only 29 G 1 ml terumo's myjector (insulin fixed tip orange cap) the only difference with the BD's is the cap and that they are distributed for free at the needle exchange , also i noticed less defects with the myjector compared to the BD"s(read none but maybe there is some kind of quality control at the exchange although i'd doubt it) , the only disadvantage is that the BD seems to have a sharper point/ needle

The Terumpo Myjector 100 unit Insulin Syringe

for acidifying the bases (all the heroin here is in base form) , i usually use medical grade ascorbic acid from the exchange in emergency it's vinegar or anhydrous citrate from the chinese food store.


for cottons i use those ear cleaning sticks with the little piece of cotton q, never got cotton fever from iy yet they aren't sterile , i'd greatly prefer the "sterifilt" which iis widely available in france and luxembourg but not here unfortunately

I use everything mentioned in this thread...1ml terumo sryinges, sometmes strerifilts, sometmes micron filters(the ufo ones)


I hate BD's, its too hard to pull the plunger back, they arent as smooth and just quality is crap. I will never use anything other than terumo.

 

[dopiate]

I use everything mentioned in this thread...1ml terumo sryinges, sometmes strerifilts, sometmes micron filters(the ufo ones)


I hate BD's, its too hard to pull the plunger back, they arent as smooth and just quality is crap. I will never use anything other than terumo.

I agree with you. Terumo's Thinpro line has needles up to 31G but i cannot find them ANYWHERE!

Gpzservices.com has 30G Terumos but they are only 3/10cc and i need at least 1/2cc.

 

[immanuel can]

It depends on a few things, but honestly, if you can register 9 out of 10 times (or even 8 out of 10 times) on the first try, you are OK with using the 31G's.

I have a few veins that I can always hit with a 31G, but with a 30G I can hit nearly every vein I attempt to hit, and on the first try. This is because the fineness of the 31G can cause the vein to roll instead of puncturing through it, whereas a larger gauge is better at puncturing.

thank you. this was actually quite helpful. i haven't been IVing quite long enough to know the little specific things on why a certain type of syringe would work for thus & such reasons. when i was shown how to, i was shown with the type of syringe stated above, and so i just stuck with it. i have somewhat small arms and veins that are (i think) on the small side. (i don't really know what a 'regular' sized vein might look like..) so, because of this, i assumed that the shorter/smaller needle would suite me well. i have had some problems registering, though, so i'll have to try the 30G next time.

 

[dopiate]

Whatman GD/X 0.2um 25mm Micron Filters

I purchased a number of these from researchsupply.net for $3.75 USD each

The Whatman filters contain a 0.7um layer, a 0.45um layer and a final 0.2um layer unlike other filters that contain only one layer.

I recently reviewed the Millipore 0.2um micron filters and these are much better.

Millipore advertises a larger diameter filter but the Whatman's technology is more effective.

How i use my filters is i grind up 30mg of subutex and add 30ml of water. I then suck up this solution 3x with a 10ml syringe and push it through the micron filter into a medical grade sterile vial.

With the Millipore filters the plunger got so hard to push around the 25ml mark that i thought i was surely going to break something. It should also be noted that I pre-filtered with cotton.

With the Whatman, i neglected to pre-filter with cotton because they advertise a built-in pre-filter. I was able to push through 30ml of solution with tons of particulate though the filter without a noticeable difference in plunger difficulty between the 1st ml and the last ml.

Next time i am going to attempt a 2mg/ml solution versus 1mg/ml to see if it will work.

The filtered solution was absolutely and completely clear in the vial, as it was with the Millipore.

I recommend the Whatman GD/X 0.2um micron filters over the Millipore 0.2um micron filters any day.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

thank you. this was actually quite helpful. i haven't been IVing quite long enough to know the little specific things on why a certain type of syringe would work for thus & such reasons. when i was shown how to, i was shown with the type of syringe stated above, and so i just stuck with it. i have somewhat small arms and veins that are (i think) on the small side. (i don't really know what a 'regular' sized vein might look like..) so, because of this, i assumed that the shorter/smaller needle would suite me well. i have had some problems registering, though, so i'll have to try the 30G next time.

No problem man, let me know how it goes.

Whatman GD/X 0.2um 25mm Micron Filters

NSFW:

I purchased a number of these from researchsupply.net for $3.75 USD each

The Whatman filters contain a 0.7um layer, a 0.45um layer and a final 0.2um layer unlike other filters that contain only one layer.

I recently reviewed the Millipore 0.2um micron filters and these are much better.

Millipore advertises a larger diameter filter but the Whatman's technology is more effective.

How i use my filters is i grind up 30mg of subutex and add 30ml of water. I then suck up this solution 3x with a 10ml syringe and push it through the micron filter into a medical grade sterile vial.

With the Millipore filters the plunger got so hard to push around the 25ml mark that i thought i was surely going to break something. It should also be noted that I pre-filtered with cotton.

With the Whatman, i neglected to pre-filter with cotton because they advertise a built-in pre-filter. I was able to push through 30ml of solution with tons of particulate though the filter without a noticeable difference in plunger difficulty between the 1st ml and the last ml.

Next time i am going to attempt a 2mg/ml solution versus 1mg/ml to see if it will work.

The filtered solution was absolutely and completely clear in the vial, as it was with the Millipore.

I recommend the Whatman GD/X 0.2um micron filters over the Millipore 0.2um micron filters any day.

Nice review. I'm thinking of getting some of these.

 

[jimborg]

Terumo 29G 1cc 1/2" insulin

Pro's:
-Needle's are sharp, not as sharp as BD's, maybe a 2-3 re-use if i did.
-Plunger action is very smooth
-I love the needle caps, so much better than the Easy Touch's! I don't feel like i'm going to stick myself every time i pick it up.
-Register is clean
-Leaves less of a mark than 28G BD

Maybe it's just me, but registering with one hand with these seems about as easy as pulling a donkey's tooth bare-handed (with one hand). It could just be my lack of experience, but the flared-out plastic circle at the top of the plunger is really difficult to manipulate one-handed.

 

[TheDankaholic]

No problem man, let me know how it goes.


Nice review. I'm thinking of getting some of these.

If you really want to get some of these let me know Captain Heroin. These are the ones I always get, and I got the hook on them for $2. I can easily drop you the contact that will send them to you for the same price. I too agree they work awesome compared to other micron's i've used. Just let me know by PM if you really want to grab a few for $2 each and i'll give you the contact.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

I will let you know. I'm doing better than I have been.

I'm gonna need time though, so I will get back to you. Thank you for the reminder though.

 

[carl]

I use these BD rigs. 30g 1cc 1/2 inch tip

They come in ten packs from my local Safeway, and I pay a whopping $4.00 per pack.
I've never had a quality issue, other than pushing the tip through the cover a few times and poking a finger. I've started using the method CH posted, using the plunger cap to hold the needle cap while recapping it.
I find the needles to be the sharpest of any I've tried, although the plungers on some batches are harder to manipulate one handed than some others. I find I can usually use these for two or three goes if I can't get any cleans (pharmacy is closed).

 

[Captain.Heroin]

My Personal Clinic

I've started using the method CH posted, using the plunger cap to hold the needle cap while recapping it.

Cool. I like this method because it's fun (you just have to flip the syringe upside down to recap the plunger, pretty convenient) and also, it's the "proper way" to recap syringes. Whenever I go to the SEP and get 200 ct boxes, you can see on the back of the box it suggests you "never" recap a syringe, but if you have to do so, to hold the needle cap with the plunger cap.

I had no idea that these boxes existed until I got 3 of them from the SEP.

A. Follow CDC guidelines. Do not reshield used needles. Discard unshielded needles and syringes in approved sharps containers.

B. If this is not possible, reshield needles using a passive reshielding technique, i.e., do not hold the shield during reshielding process. Advance the shield over the needle and seat it securely on the syringe with a twisting motion. Do not force the shield over the needle, as it may penetrate the sheild causing injury.

C. Follow your institution's procedures for safe handling of sharps.

and on the front it says

For Medical Facility Use Only.

Looks like I have a clinic in my own bathroom! %)

 

[w01fg4ng]

This thread rocks.

 

[dufftx]

terumo 29 gauge 1/2 inch are my favorite, in my opinion the plunger is really responsive, dont have to pull on it to register

 

[amblerg]

I just got a few terumo 25g, removable tip tuberculin syringes, they were laying around the office. just sitting there.

they are very nice, glide well and are decent for up to about 10 uses. I use mine at least 10 times per rig, washing with alcohol diluted and other times diluted bleach.
after 10, its fairly dull.

terumo makes nice works tho. I used to be able to get these and 31g tips (since you can remove the needle tip on some terumos), and I would have that nice thin 31g on there, and I had enough fresh tips so that I would use the same barrel but new tips each time. dilluted bleach washes and alcohol applications to the puncture area, of course.

The needle exchange bus down philly is so hard to catch with their schedule.