Sounds like you are saying that the Vibe has lots of defects, huh? Knock on wood, my latest pump is 2 years old, with no replacements. Years ago, I had all sorts of MM pump replacements. Button errors, cracks, total failure, screen failures, and other issues that I can’t think of at the moment. Seems to me that MM has stepped up quality control in recent years, based on my own experience only.
IIRC, I’m on my 5th model of MM pump.
Amen. Everyone has to find their own solution. Mine is pretty simple. When I bolus, I start a timer on my smartphone and make sure the volume is turned up. When it sounds off . . . time to eat!
I like lots of things about the Animas pump - but, yeah, there are some things I’d prefer different or better. It works, though. It’s nice to have the Dexcom data on in, though I carry the receiver as well most of the time (for the louder alarms and for Share).
I appreciate the much louder alarms of the dexcom receiver. MM alarms are worthless to me so if the Animas isn’t loud like the receiver, I’d have to carry both as well, defeating the purpose.
Animas Vibe’s vibrations are very strong (hence the name?) but its alarms are lost on me. Of course, they wake my wife, but so does a spider spinning… 
i keep reading about pre-bolusing and i am hearing all the time how long the bolus has to be before eating. i am so shocked that most people wait as long as 1 hour before they start to eat their meal. i pre bolus for 10 -15 minutes when i am in target range. if i wait any longer then that i crash. i was under the impression that Novolog takes 15minutes before it starts working, so why would i have to wait any longer? the only time i give myself 1/2 hour before eating is if i am eating a high carbs meal, especially if that meal is bfast (like oatmeal. and, if my BG is low (70 ) i eat almost right away…maybe 5 minutes at the most)
i am so curious about this. is this part of YDMV ???
It is part of YDMV, very much so. The action times of insulins vary greatly from person to person, so the only way to really get accurate numbers is to test on yourself. Just because the manufacturer or someone else says “15 minutes”, that doesn’t mean it will be 15 minutes for you.
Example: for me, Novolog takes nearly a half hour to begin lowering my BG. So if I’m using it, I need to bolus that long before eating. R takes about 40 minutes (for me), and Apidra about 15. To get the optimum result, you have to find out your own numbers. Knowing that insulin x requires y minutes for George or Mary really isn’t terribly useful.
i have used MM pumps for the past 17 years without a glitch. maybe they are simplified (don’t know ) but i have been a very happy customer. i am on my 5th pump (my second Paradym ) even when my insurance runs out and i can choose to go with a diff company’s pump, i have stuck with MM. and i LOVE their customer service. i really think they are a top-notch organization.
thanks for clearing that up. ( and just as an aside, if my BGs are high, i will do a longer pre bolus till i think that my BG is closer to target range before i start eating; and this is NOT easy or very practical at restaurants 
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Restaurants are a real PITA, no question. Nearly impossible to get right. Who knows when you’ll get stuck in traffic, or they’ll be short staffed and extra busy, or run out of something you ordered, or . . . . . etc.? You have to flexible and just accept the fact that you usually can’t be as accurate as you can at home.