[poodlebone]

I have a Paradigm pump so all of the sets I've used have been Minimed's with the proprietary connection.
Started with Quick-Sets. Worked great for the first few months and then I started getting one bent cannula after another. I tried with and without the Serter. I tried inserting sitting down, and standing up, Nothing worked.

At the same time I was using Quick-Sets I also got some Sof-Sets. They go straight in like the Quick-Sets but don't have any built-in adhesive, so they needed to be taped down with IV3000, Tegaderm etc. The sets came with two pieces of tape with holes cut out in the middle to fit over the hub. I liked that the set was very flat, which was possible because the tubing doesn't connect right at the site. Instead, it disconnects along the tubing, about 4" away from the site. I had fewer problems with these than with Quick-Sets, but having to tape them down was very annoying.

I then switched to the Silhouettes, which scared the **** out of me when I first saw them. Even scarier was the Serter device. I dreaded every site change, especially when my Serter jammed. One day I got brave and did it manually, and it was horrible. Went back to the Serter, then got brave again. After the second manual insertion I forgot all about the Serter.

While using the Sils I also tried the Sure-Ts, the ones with the tiny metal cannula. I liked the idea of them more than I actually liked using them. I didn't care for the two adhesive pads. The site was very flat, flatter than the Sof-Set, because the connection/hub is separate, connected to the cannula by a short length of tubing. So you have the cannula stuck down, then the tubing, then another adhesive pad with the connector. I liked that it was the same connector as the Silhouettes, which meant I could switch between the sets without changing my tubing. I like that when I put the set in and it hurt, I could peel it up and stick it somewhere else (since it's metal), but I also had to tape it down after moving it because the built-in adhesive no longer stuck.

Now I use the shorter, 13mm Silhouettes. They work great for me, no kinks, and in over a year of using Sils I've had only two sets that I had to remove due to problems and one of those was because I inserted it in a really bad area. I find them to be extremely comfortable and insertion really isn't a big deal, especially with the shorter cannula. I love that I can use my upper abdomen, where there isn't as much fat as other areas. Even before I lost weight and had a lot more padding up there, the 90° sets hurt too much to insert above my waist.