Roche Glucose Meter

Accu-Chek Glucose Meter Reviews

Simply put, Roche glucose meter systems are number one in the market. In 2007, the company held approximately a 32% glucose meter market share, according to a Boston Biomedical Consultants survey. Not surprisingly, Roche has been a longtime player in the diabetes care field.

While the company traces its roots to 1896, it has been a leader in diabetes care since 1974 when it entered the market.

The company is headquartered in Basel, Switzerland and employs over 80,000 people worldwide.

Roche's diabetes care division employs over 5,000 people, with key regional offices in Mannheim, Germany, Burgdorf, Switzerland and Indianapolis, Indiana.

Roche Glucose Meter - Accu-chek Family of Meters

With such a storied company history, it is not surprising that Roche has some of the most well known glucose meters on the market. The Accu-Chek family of glucose monitors has four current meters.

Current Accu-Chek Models:

Accu-Chek Compact Plus. The compact Plus is one of Roche's newest offerings. It is super fast, 5 second test results, and requires no coding.

Accu-Chek Aviva. Another newer model, the Aviva offers a small testing sample, quick results and alternative site testing.

Accu-Chek Advantage. The newest version of the Advantage is super small, maybe the size of a stop watch. It does require coding.

Accu-Chek Glucose Meter Comparison Chart

	Accu-Chek Compact Plus	Accu-Chek Aviva	Accu-Chek Advantage
Auto. Shut Off	1-5 minutes	2 minutes	1.5 minutes
Battery Type	Two AAA Batt.	One CR2032	One CR2032
Battery Life	1,000 Tests	2,000 Tests	1,000 Tests
Alt. Site Testing	Yes	Yes	No
Memory Capacity	500 Tests	500 Tests	480 Tests
Storage Temp.	36 to 86 F	-13 to 158 F	-13 to 158 F
Operating Temp.	50 to 104 F	43 to 111 F	57 to 104 F
Result Range	10 to 600 mg/dL	10 to 600 mg/dL	10 to 600 mg/dL
Sample Size	1.5 microliter	0.6 microliter	0.4 microliter
Test Time	5 seconds	5 seconds	26 seconds
Weight (battery)	5.2 oz. (yes)	2.1 oz. (yes)	1.8 oz. (no)
Size (Inches)	4.9 x 2.5 x 1.3	3.7 x 2.0 x 0.9	3.3 x 2.2 x 0.8
Backlit Display	Yes	No	No
Coding Req.	No	Yes	Yes
Software Avail.	Yes	Yes	Yes
Warranty	Lifetime	Lifetime	Lifetime

Recently Discontinued Roche Glucose Meters

Accu-Chek Active. (discontinued) The Active is touted as a small economical meter. It does require coding.

Accu-Chek Complete. (discontinued) This is a good comprehensive meter that requires coding. Stores up to 1,000 test results.

Accu-Chek Voicemate. (discontinued) This meter is specifically designed for the seeing impaired. It provides step by step verbal instructions and even identifies compatible insulin vials.

Accu-Chek Compact. The Compact is designed to offer less painful testing through an improved lancet device. It also has a 17 test "Drum", which means you don't have to use individual test strips for each test. You only have to refill the meter after 17 tests.

Roche still provides support, including test strips, for these models.

Additional Information - Roche Diagnostics

Like most glucose meter companies, Roche does have a software management system to help track and analyze your testing data. Unlike some of the others, however, Roche charges a $45 fee for the software.

The system is called the Accu-Chek 360 software. Roche's diabetes related website can be Found Here. If you are looking for Roche glucose meter manuals, they can be Found Here.