I posted my thoughts on changing from an old Accu-Chek Spirit (not Combo) a few days ago. I have copied an edited version below about why I chose it above other pumps:
I have recently changed from an old Accu Chek Spirit to the Veo. I would have liked a Veo-Chek! There is no pump out there that does everything that I wanted and I had to give up a "must have" for any of them.
I really wanted CGM, my consultant said that I'd have to self fund that element, but I need the option at the moment to try & deal with some of my issues.
There are two CGM pumps, the Veo & the Animas Vibe. I chose the Veo as it has a remote control. I discounted the Combo as it did not have CGM and that was more important for me in the end, though I would have loved a full scale remote.
The Veo (in common with most pumps now I think, but not with my old Spirit) was a Bolus Wizard, where you input the BG reading (the Contour meter uploads it to the Veo automatically), the amount of carb in the meal & according to your previously input settings, the pump suggests the bolus amount based on the BG reading, the amount of insulin that may be left over from any previous bolus & the insulin/carb ratio that you have set. You can set multiple insulin/carb ratios for different times of day as well.
I never had any of that on my old spirit, so have found it makes life very easy, but it also makes the remote control less useful as you can't do any of that on the remote, it has to be done on the pump. I believe that the Combo has a bolus wizard that does the same/similar thing, but all can be done frmo the remote control.
The remote on the Veo is like a car key fob. It can deliver only a basic bolus. Set it up so that each key press delivers 1/2 or 1 unit (maybe more options, I'm not sure as it's all very new), press the button that many times, it beeps/vibrates the number of presses back to you, you confirm and it delivers that amount of insulin.
Now, having tried the bolus wizard, I have only used the remote twice since I got the pump three weeks ago as the bolus wizard is so useful. I found the remote absolutely indispensible when I was wearing a dress at new year & had the pump strapped to my inner thigh. It would have been embarrasing to grapple up my dress as each course of my dinner arrived & I decided how much insulin I needed to have with it. Having the remote meant that I could bolus discreetly & easily. I also used it at a party when I didn't want to be dragging the pump off my waistband every five minutes when I went back to the buffet for more nibbles.
CGM-wise, I am coming to the end of my second sensor & have found it very useful, but seems to be less accurate overnight. The helpline reckoned that I probably put pressure on the sensor when I'm sleeping & this reduces the amount of interstital fluid in my cells, reducing accuracy. It tends to tell me that I'm low when a finger prick test says I'm not. However, it is very expensive, so I won't be able to use it all the time, I have some issues which I hope a sustained period of sensor use will address, then I have the option of using it intermittently when I think it will help some more.
It is very difficult to get CGM funding on the NHS & my clinic wouldn't even consider it for me, despite having two others on their books who are NHS funded. I accepted it without a fight as my old pump still had three years to run & I was happy that they accepted my argument that I needed a more flexible pump than I already had.
Costs are as follows:
Transmitter & 5 sensors (starter kit) £687 reduced to £585 if ordered with the pump. My DSNs were able to get this starter pack thrown in for free with the pump, so that saved me a lot of money.
Additional sensors are £275 for 5 and £525 for 10. Each lasts six days. They expire after six months, so you can't buy a load & store them for ages. The transmitter is in warranty for 12 months, though the rep told me that many are still going after 3+ years.
I like to wear my pump in my boot during the winter & if I am going out, hide it in a bra pouch or thigh pouch, so a fully functional remote control would be wonderful. But, on balance, I decided that CGM was more important. The Veo is more complicated to use than my old Spirit, more button presses etc. but it does have a lot more features; I have got used to it very quickly & so far am happy with it.
I think that my DSN would have preferred me to have a Vibe (but this may be due to the fact that they use Animas & Accu Chek far more often than Medtronic so are more comfortable with advising patients on those pumps), but that has no remote at all so I discounted it early. It does have a colour screen (as does the Combo I think), the Veo is just black/grey LCD. You can upload the Veo data to the web with a usb which comes with it & use Medtronic software to analyse the pump data. Apparently you can give your HCPs access to this data online too, though i've not considered that as yet.
I have a very low basal requirement (only about 14u a day) & the ability to change my basal by 0.025 has already made a difference. One of my problems is maintaining a steady fasting basal & all the basal testing in the world with my old pump never sorted it out, if I changed down by 0.1 my BG would rise, up by 0.1 I would be hypo. I now have four times the flexibility. Using the CGM (and skipping a lot of meals at the moment) is really helping me to understand what goes on.
That's why I chose the Veo.
