Harm Reduction IV Product Review Thread

[dopiate]

I searched around to find out if a syringe brand i bought was any good and could not find anything.

I also thought about posting this in healthy living but figured it would not get much attention.

This thread is to be used to post what products you use for your IV usage and anything you like/dislike about them.

Sources and pricing are welcomed as they are in the intent of harm reduction.

This can include anything from syringes to alcohol pads.

I will start us off with the inspiration for the thread:

Easy Touch Insulin Syringes 31G 5/16" 1cc 100 count Review

I purchaesd these from researchsupply.net for $12.99 US

They come with tip/plunger caps and are packaged in 10 packs.

Positives:
- Plunger action is quite smooth
- Units are easy to read
- Plunger has a "catch" after the 100 unit mark so that it doesn't pull out easily

Negatives:
-Quality control is HORRIBLE on these.
>On average 2 out of 10 of the orange needle caps fall off in the package! The orange caps actually have huge cracks down the side.
>On average 1 out of 20 syringes do not suck up water!
>On average 1 out of 25 needles are inserted to far into the barrel leaving a .25 inch exposed needle and the plunger hits the needle in the barrel
>About 25% of the needles have satisfactory sharpness the other 75% is a mixed bag

Overall i give the Easy Touch 31G 5/16" a 3 out of 10. It would be a 0 out of 10 if it wasn't for the smooth plunger action and that i like the small needles.

I do not recommend these syringes to anyone unless you are absolutely broke and want to use a new syringe every time.

I do not trust the sterility of the syringes when i open the 10 packs and there are 2 exposed needles poking through the bag.

Edit: I would like to note that the style of needle cap that was failing was completely flat at the tip of the cap. As far as i can tell both Exel and Dinorio syringes use the same style cap and as such i will not even try out these brands.

 

[herowinn3r]

i just get cases of 500 from my local needle exchange. they come individually wrapped and in boxes of 100. they are mad by B-D, of course. i'm pretty sure this is the standard IV needle here in canada. they are 28 1/2 G(.36mm x 13mm) 1cc.

and like every 1 in 30 has a problem with getting clogged right off the bat.

sometimes i run out and its the middle of the night so i have to go to the pharmacy to get a "party pack", which is a bag of 10. the 24h pharm downtown rapes you on the price, $5 for 10. every where else in the city the pack is about $2-$3. pretty sad really, but oh well. these are also just the standard B-D syringes.

 

[Too many doses]

I took care of it

-C.H.

 

[mmmCHRISx]

I'm jw if anyone has ever used a 23g needle, and could any harm come from using it only once ?

 

[mmmCHRISx]

by once I mean using that big of gauge one time. Like an emergency shot

 

[dopiate]

by once I mean using that big of gauge one time. Like an emergency shot

I think you'll be ok. 23 is pretty big so you're going to have you use a large vein.

Here's another one:

Millipore 0.22 Micron Filter Review

These were purchased from researchsupply.net for $4.00 US per filter

They have a luer lock fitting to attach to a syringe and a luer slip fitting on the end if you want to filter straight into a vial, which is what i do.

I filtered a 30ml of a 1mg/ml Subutex solution that was very quickly pre-filtered by me with cotton.

The solution before micron filtering was very cloudy and had fine particulate settling in it.

After filtering 15ml the plunger felt about twice as hard to push through.

After 25ml i was pushing as hard as i possibly could to get it all through, which it did.

Despite pushing really hard there was no difference in the visual output of the solution.

The solution was absolutely clear with no detection of settled particulate after an overnight sit.

I have ordered Whatman GD/X micron filters and Monoject Syringes and will post comparison reviews of them when i receive them.

 

[mynstral]

I've been using Dinorio 30G x 5/16" 100-U rigs for a short while now (bought a case of 1000).

Overall, I rate them a 4 out of 10. Although I haven't seen nearly the quality control issues dopiate has with his Easy Touches, some (2 in 10?) of the needles don't seem to be as sharp as they should be and I've seen the occasional one have a nice little hooked nose right out of the bag.

The pull/push action is pretty smooth and the plunger seals excellently with the barrel -- if I pull a little too fast a vacuum will form, and the plunger is sucked back down to the solution level immediately if I let go.

And in case you haven't tried using a 5/16" needle before, let me save you the trouble: they're almost too short. If you want to hit a vein that's not right on the surface or if you have trouble with falling out of the vein because you might not have been in far enough and pushed a little too hard, you'll have a lot of trouble using something this short.

I just got some B-D Insyte-W 24G x 3/4" peripheral IV catheters but haven't had a chance to try them yet (took a 2 week break that ends tomorrow, my birthday). I'll report back once I give one a test with a coke session.

 

[Captain.Heroin]

I have used 31G, 1CC, 5/16" and 100ct = $34.99
31G, 1/2 CC, 5/16" and 100ct = $34.99
30G, 1/2 CC, 1/2" = $free (from SEP)
29G, 3/10 CC, 1/2" = $free (from SEP)
28G, 1/2 CC, 1/2" = $free (from SEP)

all of the above BD.

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

5/16" is enough needle for me and then some. The 1/2" needles are way too long.

I also have 27G 1CC 1/2" by BD as well, and I refuse to use them (way too large of a gauge).

At the moment, the best I have are the 28G, 1/2 CC, 1/2". Here's a pic of some of them.

 

[groovee2]

I used 28G, 1 CC, 1/2" made by BD. The local needle exchange called them Biggie Smalls.

 

[bingey]

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

 

[phatass]

indeed, in france you can get unlimited free supplies of needles, sterifilts, sterile water, and small cook up metal cups... you can also buy a "steribox" for 1 Euro which has all of the above+ a condom

 

[dopiate]

indeed, in france you can get unlimited free supplies of needles, sterifilts, sterile water, and small cook up metal cups... you can also buy a "steribox" for 1 Euro which has all of the above+ a condom

That's awesome...the closest needle exchange is 3 hours away from me.

BD 28G 1/2cc 1/2" Syringe

I got 3x10 packs of these from a family member and decided to give them a shot.

Due to all the hype about BD syringes i had high expectations.

Pros:
-Needles are sharp! I would feel comfortable using these 3-4 times if i re-used fits
-Quality of materials is much better than EasyTouch but on par with Terumo
-I liked the feel and size of the 1/2cc's better than 1cc but alas my solutions are 1mg/ml and i sometimes use 0.7cc's. I might start making 2mg/ml solutions
-Nice clean register
-Quality control was great. All 30 of the syringes were alike and performed equivalently (even though they were all equivalently sticky).

Cons:
-Plunger was really stiff! I was surprised, i had a VERY hard time registering with these, the Easy Touch's were wayyy better
-Needle was way too big for my taste. It left fairly big track marks
-I prefer 5/16" needles because i have easy veins all over the place and 1/2" is too long

Overall i would give the BD 28G 1/2" a 7 out of 10. The plunger problem was the biggest deal breaker for me along with the large needle gauge.

 

[dopiate]

Terumo 29G 1cc 1/2"

I purchased 25 of these from gpzservices.com (getpinz.com) for $7.75 US

These come individually sealed without a plunger cap which i quite like except i would imagine re-users would prefer a plunger cap.

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

Con's
-I like the individually wrapping but it makes for a lot of waste
-For my needs the gauge is a little too big, not much, but a little.
-Needle is a little long for my needs

Overall i would give the Terumo 29G 1/2cc 1/2" a 9 out of 10. If i could find these in 31G short i would never need another brand. Apparently they make them but i can't find them anywhere!

 

[dopiate]

I've been using Dinorio 30G x 5/16" 100-U rigs for a short while now (bought a case of 1000).

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?

 

[bingey]

^
whats up with the needle cap

from the way you describe them they sound like the BD , flat sometimes fall off (they are supossed to be stuck to be 'tacked' to the barrel and twist off the first time but in practice this hardly ever applies and they occasionally slip off , also the needle has a tendency to slide out / deviate when you put the cap on resulting in poking your finger which i really loathe once the needle went straight through the cap and into my thumb still makes me cringe when i think about it

 

[benzaldehyd]

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

 

[Captain.Heroin]

^
whats up with the needle cap

from the way you describe them they sound like the BD , flat sometimes fall off (they are supossed to be stuck to be 'tacked' to the barrel and twist off the first time but in practice this hardly ever applies and they occasionally slip off , also the needle has a tendency to slide out / deviate when you put the cap on resulting in poking your finger which i really loathe once the needle went straight through the cap and into my thumb still makes me cringe when i think about it

This is why you should use the plunger cap to hold the needle tip cap when re-capping a needle. This is so if it does pop out the side, your fingers don't suffer.

This is also why I like 5/16" tips better - they don't poke through nearly as often as 1/2" tips.

 

[Jabberwocky]

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.

i'll go through my bag in the morning and post the types of swabs and water i use but they're the kind that come packed in the kits i get from the hospital or chemists. theres only ever a difference in the swabs from time to time. i'll try and find the microns ive used as well. and ill even give a better review of the equipment

 

[dopiate]

It appears the problem with the caps is that i imagine when the syringe is pressed into the cap, the cap cracks and then falls off in the package.

Sorry for crappy camera phone pics.

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.

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

 

[Captain.Heroin]

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

I know what you mean: I prefer 30G or 31G, but only have 28G and 27G at the moment. I can only use the 28G, the 27G are unreasonably large.

I really don't mind using 29G or 28G, they're close enough to 31G and 30G.