Peptide pen vs insulin syringe
Written and maintained by the AVERON Research Desk · Last reviewed September 2026
There are two common ways to measure small volumes of a reconstituted solution: a disposable insulin syringe or a reusable dosing pen that holds a cartridge. Both work on the same volume scale. They differ in how the measurement is made, how repeatable it is, and how they are handled. This page compares them as measuring tools.
How each one measures
An insulin syringe is filled by drawing liquid from the vial up to a line on the barrel. The accuracy of the measurement depends on reading that line correctly against the top of the liquid, and on removing any air bubbles.
A dosing pen holds a glass cartridge filled with solution. A dial sets the volume mechanically, displayed as a number in a window, and pressing the button delivers that volume. There is no line to read by eye.
The scale is the same
On a U-100 syringe, 1 unit is 0.01 mL. The AVERON Peptide Pen V2 uses the same relationship: 1 click is 1 unit, which is 0.01 mL. A given number on the pen and the same number of units on a U-100 syringe represent the same volume. Converting that volume into an amount of compound still depends on the concentration of the solution. See insulin syringe units explained.
Side by side
| Insulin syringe (U-100, 1 mL) | AVERON Peptide Pen V2 | |
|---|---|---|
| How volume is set | Reading a line on the barrel | Mechanical dial with a numeric window |
| Range | 1–100 units (1 mL) | 1–60 units (0.6 mL) per setting |
| Increment | Depends on markings, often 1–2 units | 1 unit |
| Reusable | No, single-use | Yes, the pen body |
| Consumables | A new syringe each time | Glass cartridges (3 mL) and pen needles |
| Filling | Drawn from the vial each time | Solution transferred into a cartridge once |
| Feedback | Visual only | Audible click, visible number |
Where a pen helps
Repeatability. Setting a number on a dial is more consistent than judging where a meniscus meets a printed line, especially with small volumes and in poor light.
Fewer punctures of the vial. With a syringe, the stopper is punctured every time a volume is drawn. With a pen, the solution is transferred into a cartridge once, and the cartridge is then used directly.
Protection. The cartridge sits inside the pen body, shielded from light and knocks.
Where a syringe is better
No setup. A syringe needs no cartridge transfer, which makes it simpler for occasional measurements.
Larger volumes. A 1 mL syringe goes up to 100 units in one draw; the pen setting tops out at 60.
Switching compounds. A fresh syringe for each measurement means nothing is carried between solutions. A pen should use a separate cartridge for each compound.
What a pen does not change
A pen does not remove the need for reconstitution. The powder still has to be dissolved in the vial and the solution then transferred into a cartridge. The concentration still has to be calculated and written down. What the pen changes is the measuring step after that.
Needles
Pens use pen needles, which screw onto the pen; syringes have a needle built in or attached. Both should be single-use and sterile. The AVERON pen takes standard pen needles to ISO 11608-2 and standard 3 mL cartridges to ISO 11608-3.
At AVERON
AVERON supplies the AVERON Peptide Pen V2, 3 mL cartridges, 31G × 6 mm pen needles and 1 mL U-100 insulin syringes.