The ACCU CHEK Compact Plus Glucose Meter is one of the two main Accu-Chek glucose meters being marketed by Roche. The other is the Aviva. The company still offers several older models, but does not market them significantly.
The Compact Plus is designed to be the “be all, end all” choice for consumers with a plethora of functions and benefits. Roche’s exact term for is that the meter is an “all in one solution.”
I really like the back light (one of the best in the industry) and the way the entire package comes to together, with the lancet connected to the monitor. Oh,and the test strip drum is pretty handy too!
Let’s check out all of this and more below.
Key Advantages
- Test Strips. The Compact Plus uses a 17 test strip drum cartridge that loads directly into the meter. This is great, as you do not have to handle individual test strips for each test.
- Back Light. The meter has a very bright back light. This feature has its obvious benefits.
- No Coding. A “No Coding” benefit just offers you one less thing to do or worry about.
- Alternative Site Testing. The meter offers you some of the most AST options available on the market today: finger, palm, upper arm, forearm, thigh and calf.
- Lancet. The lancet has 11 depth settings so you can customize to your skin type.
Key Disadvantages
Most users of the Compact Plus rave about it, so the disadvantages tend to be fairly minimal. We will note that the meter is fairly large compared to many meters on the market today. Other users have noted this as well. However, the caveat to this disadvantage is that the test strips are included within the meter, so, overall, the meter makes for a decent size package.
Test Strips
The Compact Plus uses a 17 test strip drum cartridge called the Accu-Chek Compact Test Strips. A price survey found that you could purchase 51 test strips (Three 17 test strip drums) for approximately $25-35 dollars.
The Accu-Chek test strip drum has received the Arthritis Foundation’s “Ease of Use” Commendation.
To Compare the BEST prices on strips, check out our Diabetic Test Strip Price Comparison page.
Bottom Line
While the Accu-Chek Compact Plus glucose meter is touted as an “all in one” solution, other meters have more advanced programming options, such as the OneTouch Ultra Smart. Overall, however, we were very impressed with the Compact Plus.
The entire package was neatly put together, meaning it is nice to have the test strip drum included in the meter and have the lancet attached to the side. This makes it easy to carry with you. The 7, 14, and 30 day averages are handy, as is the back light feature. Great all around meter.
Other Considerations
Roche is one of the largest and well known providers of diabetes glucose meters in the industry. Not surprisingly, then, they provide some great resources for their customers. They have 24/7 customer service operators to help with their products.
Their diabetes software, Accu-Chek 360 Diabetes Management Software, is well regarded. I really like this software. It takes a holistic approach to care and allows you to enter your exercise and other health readings such as, cholesterol, ketones, blood pressure, weight, etc. It also has one of the more comprehensive language capabilities on the market (12 different languages). It costs approximately $35, but it does include the cable.
They also have two other monitoring options called Diabetes mart Pix Device Reader and Diabetes Assistant Program. Thee Device Reader allows you to download the meter’s data without using a data cable. It cost approximately $99.
They have also partnered with DLife to provide forums, expert columns and articles. Roche also has its own articles and resource center for members.
By Erich Schultz, last reviewed March 2013.
Technical Information
| Model | Compact Plus |
|---|---|
| Auto. Shut Off | 1-5 minutes |
| Battery Type | Two AAA |
| Battery Life | 1,000 Test |
| Alternative Site Testing | Yes |
| Memory Capacity | 500 Tests |
| Storage Temp. | 36 to 86 F |
| Operating Temp. | 50 to 104 F |
| Result Range | 10 to 600 mg/dL |
| Sample Size | 1.5 microliter |
| Test Time | 5 seconds |
| Weight (battery) | 5.2 oz. (yes)(lancet incl.) |
| Size (Inches) | 4.9 x 2.5 x 1.3 |
| Backlit Display | Yes |
| Warranty | Lifetime |
| Coding Required | No |
| Software Available | Yes |