I posted in another thread that I use an Accuchek Mobile Meter as a back-up meter to a Contour Next. The selling feature of the meter is that it does not use test strips. It uses a cassette that has a test tape on it that is good for 50 tests. The beauty is you never have to deal with strips. You just open it up, the test strip appears and you put the blood sample on it.
The lancing device locks to the meter so basically you grab the device and go. The lancing device holds a drum with 6 lancets, so you are good for like 6 years or 3 years if you do the time change thing
There is no extra stuff to deal with like lancets or test strips.
It is powered by 2 x AAA batteries, which can be convenient but it is a bit heavy.
I complained about it being bulky and in typical FUD fashion @Eric challenged my unsubstantiated qualitative claims. So here you go - quantitative claims - the dimensions are in inches.
Convenient - one device, not fooling around with trying to stick in a test strip.
Display - easy to read
Well built. It feels quality. It is like an expensive car. It just feels nice to hold.
Things I do not like:
It is a bit heavy and bulky (but in reality it is smaller than most meters when you add the strip container in.
It does take some time to start to test (but that is probably less time than pulling out a test strip and stick it in.
It reads about 0.5 mmol/l (9 mg/dl) lower than the contour meter that I use when my BG is below 5 mmol/l (90 mg/dl). This is not a bad thing but it is noticeable.
EDIT - The test cassettes expire 90 days after you install them in the meter. I have not been able to defeat this. You also cannot use test cassettes past their expiry date.
I have found the numbers fairly repeatable and between 5 and 8 (90 and 144) it matches the contour for numbers and repeat-ability. It just over reports lows in my opinion.
Feel free to ask questions.
I got the meter because I wanted the lacing device for my son. I love the lancing device. The meter came free with the lancing device when I (my insurance) purchased 100 test strips.
That is an interesting take. It would do a bit better in the rain than a standard meter.
You would need to hold it vertically and then open the cover at the bottom. That would generally keep the tape dry enough to do a test. When testing, you basically smear blood on the tape. It is not drawn into the strip like most other meters, so there should be less of a water issue. You do not want to dilute the blood too much but a little does not hurt.
With the standard meter, trying to get a strip out and into the meter can be close to impossible without ruining one or too.
As you probably guessed, it is not waterproof but it is well built and can take a test in the rain.
I have this meter and it worked perfectly as a swimming meter for me (by which I mean the meter I keep on the pool deck with my glucose tablets and other supplies)because the strip cassette doesn’t seem sensitive to humidity or water (some meters don’t work under those conditions), it can be used with one hand, and there are no strips or lancets or other do-dads to remember. The one negative is that if you don’t use up strips fast enough they expire, after which the meter locks you from using them, even after changing the date (in my experience). So I quit using it when I found myself with about 70 strips I could no longer use because I hadn’t tested enough.
I was thinking about possibly getting one for running in the rain. But the expiration date puts a damper on things. How long do you have to use the strips?
You have 90 days to use the cassette once you install in the meter. I have tried to change the date, pull the batteries etc. but it remembers and I have not been able to defeat the 90 days.
You get a warning 10 days before it expires.
Also, the meter will not accept a cassette that has expired. (as in past the expiry date printed on the box) I think you can cheat this by changing the date on the meter, but I have not tried it yet.
I forgot to put this in the review as a problem. I will edit.
Given that @Eric tests 50 times a day, this should not be a problem for him
I was thinking specifically as a meter for running in the rain, not so much as a daily use meter.
The 90 day window does kind of hurt that idea.
I am guessing the cartridge just has a chip built into it with the date. It might be possible to swap chips, such as taking one from a new box.
Much like the way Keurig tried to implement their own DRM by using an infrared light to check the code and read the wavelength of the reflected light, so that you would only use Keurig coffee pods in their coffee maker.
I just looked for my meter and an expired cartridge I used to have, but it appears I got rid of it (the one I had was older than the one in your picture). Maybe I’ll pick up a new one to do some experimenting on. It was a really nice meter for specific purposes.
I lost my Contour Next One a couple of months ago. I have not idea where it is. I have been using a Contour Next USB instead.
For some reason, I have not seen an ad for a free Count Next One since I lost the meter. The last Counter Next One I got, I did a bit of begging and pleasing with the pharmacist for him to sell it to me for free, so I am waiting for a coupon this tiem
I don’t think Pharmacare (or the companies, or whoever offers these things) offers free Next meters. I had to buy my Contour (original) as well as my Conour Next. The Contour Next One I got free for answering some survey questions.
Before using this meter, by the way all the meters of Accu-Chek, check the batteries first.
We have used the Instant and Guide and they had all the same annoying error (E-9), a message came up: please replace batteries… Well we did first with brand new ones, and to our horror the same message appeared. Then we checked the cel batteries with a Volt meter and there were all fine, all 3 volts. So this meter is faulty, not the batteries. A trick can be used, replace the batteries (2) from place, from left to right and pushed the OK button for 20 seconds, and check again… To our astonishment all worked fine. We think the software which is in the chip in planted is buggy, the design maybe German or Austrian, but te manufacturing is Chinese…beware, check the batteries first…
and I have not been able to defeat the 90 days.
