Diabetes Blog – Happy-Medium.net

Full disclosure: I was sent a new Accu-Chek Guide by Roche so I could try it out. I was not asked to write about it. All opinions, good and bad, are my own. Read on for my thoughts.

I’ll be honest… I’ve been a fan of the Accu-Chek glucose meters going back to the Accu-Chek Nano (which I still have two of and still use), and I’m about to tell you why. In fact, there are three reasons why I’ve liked these meters for years.

1. Accuracy. Since my first Accu-Chek Nano, the readings I’ve received have been something I could rely on. Even after beginning on my Dexcom continuous glucose monitor, I’ve noticed that my results are almost always within 10 mg/dL of my Dexcom readings. Actually, they’ve been nearly always within 5 mg/dL of my Dexcom readings. Hard to get more accurate than that.

2. Consistency. Those accurate readings have remained, no matter how long I’ve used a meter. It’s really great when you have a feeling that your meter will give you result that you can count on, even if it’s high or low.

3. Improvement. Even though my Nano was pretty good four years ago, my Aviva Connect meter, which I received just about a year ago, has been great too. It’s also been something that’s been able to be synced with mySugr and Tidepool accounts, and believe it or not, there aren’t a lot of meters that are doing that, or doing it with Bluetooth technology.

While I can’t say I know a lot about the company, I can say that I’ve been happy with what they’ve produced for a number of years. So… how does this new Accu-Chek Guide measure up? Here are the pros and cons… since I like happy endings, I’ll give you the cons first.

Cons: Actually, the only con I can think of (feel free to add your own in the Comments section, if you have one) is the marketing of the new container for strips. It’s true that when you open a brand new container, the strips are neatly lined up and easy to access, and they don’t spill if you turn the container upside down. Once you’re about halfway through though, it’s easier to knock one or two (or a few) out of place and then they’re much more likely to fall out when you don’t want them to. Still, it’s not like the previous containers were that great. They went for an improvement, and I think it is an improvement, just not as good an improvement as they’re touting.

Pros: See my notes above about accuracy, consistency, and improvement. In addition, probably the biggest thing that makes me a fan of this meter are the strips themselves. The strips have a flat surface, meaning that instead of having to get blood on a narrow part of the strip to get a proper reading, you can actually get the blood on any part of the strip to get a proper reading.

Check this out (video courtesy of me):

When I saw that for the first time, I was hooked.

Now, let’s talk about price. Not the meter price, because you know glucose meter makers will make their meters extremely inexpensive in order to get you to buy the strips, which is where the real money is made. Roche, makers of the Accu-Chek Guide, is doing something different when it comes to pricing on strips. For people who have trouble affording the expense of strips, they’re implementing something called the Simple Pay Savings Program.

Here’s how it works:
You can get a savings card from your doctor, or from Roche. With the savings card, the first vial of strips would cost $19.99. Each additional vial after that, for the same prescription, is an additional $10.00. That means that two vials (100 strips) would cost $29.99, three would cost $39.99, and so on. You can use the savings care to get up to 12 vials, or 600 strips, per prescription.

All in all, I find this meter another compelling offering from a maker I trust. You might have noticed that I’ve almost entirely stopped reviewing products here, mostly because I get more offers to review things than I have time to write, and also because I want to only endorse things I truly believe in. Take this with a grain of salt if you must, but I really like the Guide.

Please remember that other than the meter and 50 strips, I’m not getting anything for this review. If you have a different experience with the Accu-Chek Guide or other meters from Roche, let me know in the comments below. As always, your experience may be different, which is just one of the reasons why we should communicate with one another.

I should also mention that Diabetes Mine did a fabulous and more detailed review of this meter last week. CLICK HERE to check it out.

Finding diabetes devices you can rely on is a tall order sometimes. Personally, I’m glad to have another meter I can count on.