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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
No Wasted Strips AND Tells Time, May 15, 2005
I've recently started using the Accu-Chek Compact meter. The previous reviewer states that you cannot "turn on" the meter without a test strip coming out. THIS IS NOT TRUE. I almost didn't get this meter because of that statement. Luckily, I checked it out.
If you want to check previous readings or use the meter "as a watch," just hit the Memory button. The meter turns on, showing the current time, date and previous blood sugar reading. No strip. If you want to test your blood sugar after checking time, etc., THEN hit the On button. All this information is in the instruction booklet and the Quick Reference guide. You can't help but learn this unless you never looked at even the Quick guide.
As for how I like it? I love it. It holds 17 strips and I take it everywhere. It's great to be in a restaurant and not have to fumble with a container or, worse, foil wrap. The strips eject (usually) with the press of a button. It also takes "normal" batteries (two AAAs). The viewing screen is large (1 1/2" x 1 1/2") and displays results in large numerals, which is good for anyone with eyesight issues. The test strip barrels are small--about 1" by 3/4" in diameter--and there's only one simple way to load them, so no worries there. The meter stores 100 previous results and has a feature that allows you to average or "trend" the previous 7 days' readings. It may also download results onto a computer with software and cable (not included).
The only reason I gave it 4 stars is that I find it a little bulkier than my other meters. It's about 4 1/2"L x 2"W x 1"H. I would also like to see it store more than 100 readings. Also, sometimes the strips do not eject and I pull them out--not a true problem for most, but I wanted to note it. And I'm not crazy about the lancet device and lancets that Accu-Check sends with its meters. I find the flat lancets difficult to uncap, load and to work with in general. I'm liking BD's "fat" lancet device and cylinder-shaped lancets a lot. They've made the lancing much softer than previous generations.
Overall? Thumbs up for the Accu-Check Compact.
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13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Accuracy of the Aviva, All in One system, February 22, 2009
I just started using the Compact Plus a few weeks ago, and I absolutely love it. Nothing beats Accu-Chek products to begin with, in my opinion. The ability to have the lancet device, pre-loaded test strips, and the BG meter all in one system is just unbeatable. Middle of the night testing is a breeze now (even while half-asleep). No need to fumble for test strips or grab the lancet device. It is all right there, and all in one hand. I have found the meter to be very accurate, and comparable to the Aviva (which I believe to be the most accurate meter on the market). The screen is very easy to read(however, read note below). As another poster said, you can recall a 7 day, 14 day, and a 30 day BG average (press M once to turn the meter on, then hold M and S together to get a 7 day average hold them down again for a 14 day average and so on). I have not ordered the USB cord yet, but it does have the ability to download the last 500 readings .Which is great. I very much wanted to give this system a 5 star rating, but I also wanted the rating to be completely honest. There are a few negatives that I do think are important to note. The bright screen is great inside, but is a bit hard to read outside. The meter does make sound when pulling out a test strip (not too loud, but it may bother those who want an ultra quiet meter), and it does require a bit more blood then the Aviva. It would be nice if the drums held more then 17 strips too(I test on average 10 times or so a day). The pros 100% outweigh these few negatives. As an active, busy Type 1 diabetic I can't say enough about this meter. It is a great device, bravo Accu-Chek.
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sleek, convienent and wonderful!!, March 6, 2009
Having just recently been diagnosed as Type II, the first thing I knew to do was seek out a glucose meter I would use and keep on using. I first sent away for an older model that was free but required the use of key-coding chips and whatnot, and testing quickly became something akin to a kid with a chemistry set-- strips, codes, lancets, etc. What I love about the Accu-Check is the way it's all contained into one unit.
Having the strips preloaded in a drum is wonderful-- you don't have to fumble getting them out of a vial or avoid touching either the electrode end or the blood uptake end. This also means they have a longer shelf life than just the "use within 3 months of opening" rule of regular strips. I imagine this would especially be a boon to anyone with arthritis in their hands or who have limited range of motion in their fingers-- press the lil' button and it spits out a strip. Done.
The lancing device, which is removable or can be used still attached to the meter itself, really DOESN'T hurt much at all compared to the one I got w/my free meter, so when they say it's less painful, they're serious. Apparently it has something to do with vibration-- other lancets hit the skin and wiggle which causes more pain, whereas the Accu-Chek doens't-- in and out and that's it. The device also works like a ballpoint pen: click to load, click to fire the lancet, click again to eject the needle. Again, no doubt a boon to people with arthritis who may not have the fine motor control to pull a teeny lil' lancet out of the device.
Because the strips do come in a drum the whole device IS larger than most other meters on the market, so if size is important, you might want to take that into consideration, but IMHO having the machine load and unload the strips FOR you more than makes up for the larger size (it also means you have to carry less gear: I carry my meter, some lancets and that's IT; no need to carry around everything else with you and no more accidently knocked-over vials of test strips that scatter everywhere on the floor!!
I highly recommend this product and wish I could shake the hands of the engineers who designed this meter. Bravo!!
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