670G case too fragile?

I’ve had the 670G system since last November. In July I went on vacation and wound up looking for a foreign Walgreens to get a “backup plan” since my pump was fried after swimming for a bit in waist-deep water. There was a large crack in the back of the pump on the left side of a belt-clip ridge so the internal circuitry got toasted.

I’m currently using the replacement pump they sent me and now THIS one has a crack in the same place! This has only been in my posession for 3 months.

What the hell?? I am not a full body-contact sports person and am not overly clumsy. I’m not even tall!! How can Medtronic assure folks that you can swim with this pump without a watertight case if its shell is so goddamn fragile!? :angry: According to them, the case isn’t fragile but they thanked me for my phone call and my feedback and will be overnighting me yet another replacement pump which will arrive tomorrow.

I’m the kind of person that likes my pump to be as unobtrusive as possible so the idea of having to carry it around in a silicone sleeve isn’t very thrilling. I can’t imagine this will slip easily in and out of pants pockets… :frowning:

Has anyone else had the same problem? The tech support person claims that he hasn’t.

hi @lolaveed70, I don’t have a 670. but I can tell you that structural plastic is brittle. not as in “brittle diabetic” but as in it doesn’t yield under stress… it cracks.

thinking out loud: as long as they are replacing it… then I guess you should inspect it often and have them replace it if/when you see a crack. I don’t swim with any of the pumps I have worn, regardless of claims of water tightness, I find that I don’t need insulin when I am swimming, and I find it’s .potentially risky.

anyway I’ve smashed my fair share of belt clips… maybe close to 20 shattered clips in my 19 years of pumps, but so far not cracked a pump… Now that my pump is off warranty I might try to be more careful with it. sorry I couldn’t help much. good luck.

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I have replaced my 670g three times over two years due to this same crack. The plastic is WAY too brittle to handle the pressure of being sealed waterproof. I have told them their materials aren’t good enough. Starting auto mode over from scratch is painful. They better fix this problem for the next generation pump, or I will likely switch to a different manufacturer when the time comes to get a new pump

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Thanks Ryan - I’m glad I’m not the only one. They said that it was mentioned during a staff meeting that from now on they will be recommending to pump-users to put the pump into the free silicone case that comes with it(??). I never got one with my system so they are sending me one with the replacement pump.

I do not trust the waterproof integrity anymore - how can anyone trust that a pump that cracks so easily could be waterproof?? I just don’t like leaving a $4,000 medical device on the beach or by the side of the pool :worried:

Just to share a blast from the past - I switched from Minimed (now Medtronic) to Tandem several years ago. When I got my first Minimed it cave with a monstrous sport case. As I recall you could not disconnect the older pumps to treasure a bath or shower, so you had to put your pump in the case and leave it on the edge of the tub or tags or in the water with you. It had a secure rubber seal with a slit for the tubing so it stayed dry. Believe it or not I still have mine - somewhere. I imagine it’s good fit contact sports (not that I play them any more) as well as swimming if you don’t mind the bulk. I know you’re looking for something discrete and unobtrusive but thought I would share a little history. As for my then-Minimed pumps, I think my last one was a 508 something or other. All of mine were very durable - a little nick or scratch here and there but nothing affecting function. I’m sorry to hear yours have not been so durable and wish you the best finding a case that works for you.

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I actually just switched from a 670g to tslim x2 and I intended to use up some more of my medtronic supplies to give myself a buffer of tandem supplies but a broken case outside of warranty period ended my plans. Mine cracked right up the back into the battery compartment. I also had one other replaced for cracking. I finally found that just wearing mine inside my pants pocket was the only way to keep it alive. I broke many clips and finally broke the rails that hold the clip onto the pump. That is how it started off in my pocket , but once there I didn’t seem to have as many issues. I broke the rails only about 9 months into 670 and case broke about 2 years in replacement lasted roughly 1 year and I traded my 1yr old 630 in on my first 670 . I broke I don’t know how many clips on the 630 but I never did break the pump. I only broke one revel series pump in 8 yrs.

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Thanks so much for sharing. I do remember those bulky cases. I had an “original” one from when I first got a Minimed pump back in 1997 or 1998. You had to make sure there was Vaseline on the seal around the tubing, also! LOL

Since you posted this reply, another pump cracked and there was damage to the battery case. Battery life dwindled from 3 weeks to 2 weeks to 1 week each time I put a new battery in. I’m now sporting my fifth replacement pump. As per the usual, I’m making an effort to ensure it never drops; even when inside its silicone case, which is most of the time if not ALL of the time. I bid farewell to the days when I could just slip the pump easily into a pocket -sigh-

Hi Jason. I have a small panic attack every time I accidentally yank the pump off the clip. These new clips seem to have a safety breakaway thing that allows them to stay intact in case the pump gets caught on something and pulls away from the clip.

In women’s clothing, pants tend to fit closer to the body so not every style allows me to hide in the pocket; especially with the stoopid bulky silicone case which I hate. Nonetheless, Customer Service has urged me to keep it in the case all the time to prevent damage due to dropping or banging into walls (it happens sometimes) so I’m pretty sure they know that the plastic they use for the pump shell is not strong enough for daily, active life.

I also had a Tandem Tslim and I loved its sleek profile. It was so small! My biggest complaint was that it was incapable of surviving being out at the beach in the summer. I was on vacation in Ocean City, MD and just from walking from the car to the beach sent this pump into a shutdown alarm. I had to not eat for the entire afternoon and was forced to keep my pump in the cooler on a baggie filled with ice. It took hours for it to normalize and I was lucky the insulin inside its metal shell didn’t get fried.

Maybe one day there will be a perfect pump that never breaks, doesn’t alarm unnecessarily and is the perfect size to hide in any pants pocket :smile:

I hear you there are faults to be found with every single pump on the market. I must admit i have not had issues with my tslim over heating yet,knock on wood. I work on locomotives for the railroad outside all summer long. I have gone to a T1 tactical case for my tslim and have been happy with everything except i can not hardly feel it vibrate anymore i rely on my phone for the notifications now. Like i said nothing has zero issues.

I recently switched to Omnipod but I wore my Tandem (and Minimed) in my pocket or on my waistband. And I discovered how good my reflexes were when I went to sit down and my pump fell toward the floor. I’ve been pumping for about 25 years now and it didn’t occur to me until a year or so ago, that if I wrapped the tubing through the waistband and leg of my panties, it caught it before it hit the floor. I don’t know if drops were the cause of your cracks but if so that could help.
I was reading the top of the post and saw your Minimed pump was supposed to be waterproof - or I suspect technically water resistant but I could be wrong. Who here on the forum remembers another pump that was on the market around the same time as Minimed’s 504 series - whose claim to fame was that it could be worn on the water. Anybody recall what pump that was?

I never use the clip, just slip it into a cargo pocket and go (make button holes in all my pants so I can slide the tube through) and have had several replac with that same crack. I have had the same discussions as others with Medtronic and they always come to the conclusion it is my fault for being too rough with it and back this up my telling me it isn’t a known problem.

I replaced the 670g 3x in the years I wore it and one replacement cracked within months. I’m Unsure why they cracked. My suggestion is to try Dexcom/Omnipod 5, I had extra 670g supplies and Aetna was already paying for me to use Dexcom and guardian when I switched at no cost. The Omnipod has no strings which is easier and more discrete, I find Dexcom more reliable for BS readings and am happier using the pod and Dexcom system than I was with Minimed Medtronic’s.

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