Breathalyzer: top best, review, specifications, instructions

To choose a good breathalyzer for your company or home, you need to understand how such devices work and what kinds they are. In this article, you will learn by what criteria you need to choose an alkotester and get acquainted with a list of the best instruments of different price categories.

general information

More recently, alcohol testers could be seen only in the hands of state traffic inspectors or medical workers. Today, more and more motorists want to buy them for their own use at home. This device will allow you to monitor the blood alcohol content and authentically know if you can drive.

Breathalyzer is an accurate device that can determine the concentration of alcohol in a person's blood. To perform the analysis, you only need to exhale a certain amount of air in the device.

After a quick analysis, the result can be seen on the display. The unit of measure in which alcoholic intoxication is determined is called the ppm. One ppm shows that one gram of blood contains one gram of ethyl alcohol. That is, if the device shows 0.3 ppm, then in one liter of blood contains 0.3 grams of alcohol.

The first devices capable of assessing human intoxication appeared in the 1930s in the United States. They could not show how much alcohol was in the blood, but it was fairly reliably determined whether the subject drank or not.

The quantitative content of alcohol in the blood is also of great importance. Devices that can determine the degree of intoxication appeared in 1953. Over time, their accuracy has increased, and medical professionals have the opportunity to very quickly check the suspicious driver or employee for sobriety.

What distinguishes alcohol testers of different types

To make an analysis for alcohol, you just need to breathe air into the device through a special tube - the mouthpiece. Mouthpieces for alcohol testers can be either disposable or reusable. There are models without mouthpieces, but their accuracy is somewhat lower.

The exhalation should be long, about 5-6 seconds. This is to ensure that the volume of exhaled air is enough for analysis. When the device is ready, it will sound a beep in the form of a click or a peep. After that, the tester will quickly process the received material and display the measurement result on the screen.

The device consists of several parts. Actually, this is the analyzer itself with a sensor, a mouthpiece and a display. The accuracy of the measurement depends primarily on the type of analyzer. They can be of several types:

• Semiproducts are sensors in which pairs of alcohol are burned.
• Electrochemicals can determine the concentration of ethyl alcohol in the blood with a special reagent that reacts chemically with ethanol.
• Photometric can absorb alcohol vapor by infrared radiation.

Devices with semiconductor sensors are inexpensive, but they can have an error of up to 20%. Checking alcohol testers of this type should be conducted more often. In addition, the analyzer will have to be changed every three months.

More expensive and reliable are electrochemical devices. In this case, it is not necessary to constantly change the sensor, but it needs periodic tuning. The error in the change will not exceed 10%, which is a good result for home use.

The most durable and accurate are the instruments with a photometric sensor. However, the cost of such alcohol testers is high. Most often, this type of sensors are used in professional devices.

Characteristics for choice of breathalyzer

Those who drink alcohol, you may need to measure the level of alcohol in the blood. This is necessary to make sure that the driver is sober and can get behind the wheel. To determine which device is the best for you, you need to think ahead a few things.

Price

First, decide how much you are willing to spend on the breathalyzer. The price of the device depends on the type of sensor, brand fame and quality of components. The more expensive the device is, the more accurately it will show the result. If exact figures are required of it, and it is often necessary to use it, then preference should be given to the goods of a well-known brand. How much can the breathalyzer cost? The price of high-quality devices starts from 2000 rubles. Cheaper devices worth 500-1000 rubles do not differ in the accuracy of measurements and durability.

Frequency of use

When choosing an alkotester, you need to consider how often it will be used. Agree that buying the most expensive device does not make sense if it is used once or twice a month. But if the device is used often, and even a few people, then the alcohol test should be professional.

Accuracy and certification

Car parks, medical institutions and other organizations that need to determine sobriety, buy exclusively certified devices. After the due date, the alcometers must be tested in certified laboratories. The error of professional devices is insignificant and is only 0.1%.

For alcohol use personal certification, certification is not required. Therefore, the error in measuring a non-professional alkotester can reach significant values: from 10 to 20%. Therefore, a simple device for home use can only approximate whether a person is sober.

The vapors of alcohol are kept in the breath long enough so that the device will be able to determine exactly whether the person has drunk in the near future and whether he could completely become sober after yesterday's holiday.

Cost of servicing

Any breathalyzer needs maintenance. For example, for some models, you need to buy replaceable mouthpieces for alcohol testers. In addition, the device may fail. You should know that not all testers can be repaired. Devices related to the low price range, after the breakdown, will simply be discarded.

It is best to choose models in which you can replace the most important part (analyzer) with your own hands or with the help of a wizard. Also, before buying, you need to clarify whether it is possible to get spare parts for the selected model.

Instrument Parameters

What parameters do you need to pay attention to when choosing alcohol testers? Top of the best instruments is based on the analysis of several parameters:

• Accuracy is one of the most important indicators.
• Stability of measurements. The accuracy of the readings should not decrease even after a large number of measurements.
• Reliability. The device should not fail and quickly break down.
• Ease of use. We need to think about where and how the device will be used. For business trips and long trips, a compact device is suitable.
• Availability of spare parts and consumables.

To navigate in a huge selection of devices, we offer you to familiarize yourself with brief reviews of the best alkotester of different price categories.

"Sims-2 Drivesafe ll"

Let's begin to list worthy attention alcohol testers. Top of the best starts with a device called Drivesafe ll. Its price is 18 000-20 000 rubles. This device is easy to use, no special skills and knowledge is required for this. The resource of the tester's work is large, and verification should be carried out only once a year.

The device is compact, it lies comfortably in the hand. The analyzer in the device electrochemical, and therefore, false readings can not be feared. Reviews of the device indicate that he never gives a refusal. The price of the tester is quite high, but it is not inferior to the most expensive professional precision instruments.

Pluses:

• High-precision electrochemical analyzer.
• Reliability.
• Does not need frequent verification.
• Accuracy to hundredths.

The only drawback of the device can be considered the need to use mouthpieces.

Alcotest 7510 Drager

This device is one of the most accurate alkotesterov, presented to date in the market. Its price is 130 000-140 000 rubles (together with the printer). This high-end device can analyze not only the alcohol content in the air, which the subject exhaled, but also its residual content in the oral cavity. This will eliminate the impact of recently drunk drugs or eaten food.

Pluses:

• Simple operation and compactness.
• The results of the analysis can be immediately printed out.
• The device determines the presence of traces of ethanol in the oral cavity.
• Needs calibration not more than once a year.
• Can be used with or without a mouthpiece.

The drawback of the device is only one - a high price.

Drager Alcotest 6810

Another one of the most popular professional breathalyzer is Drager Alcotest 6810. Its price is about 100 000 rubles. It is small in size, easy to manage, reliable. The device is equipped with a printer, which means that the result can be immediately printed. The tester stores up to 1000 measurements in memory.

Pluses:

• Accuracy.
• Ability to print the results.
• Communicates with the printer through optical communication, without wires.
• The device is recommended by the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate.
• Can be used with mouthpiece and without.

The disadvantage is the high price.

AlcoHunter Professional +

Are there good and inexpensive breathalyzers? Top of the best devices continues the more affordable model AlcoHunter Professional +. Its price is 8,000 rubles. This quality tester is not inferior in accuracy to expensive professional devices. It has a simple and intuitive interface. The environment does not affect the accuracy of the measurements.

Pluses:

• Defines a small dose of intoxication.
• Inexpensive.
• Batteries serve a long time.
• Robust housing.
• Ease of use.

Disadvantages:

• Great period of preparation for use.
• High price of components.

"Dingo-025"

Attracts a small price of this tester - only 3000 rubles. This device is great for personal use. It is equipped with a simple semiconductor sensor, accurate enough. Due to its small dimensions, the analyzer can be stored directly in the glove compartment of the car. This is not the fastest breathalyzer. The instruction says that for measurement it is necessary to wait 60 seconds.

Pluses:

• Ease of use.
• Bright display, backlight.
• Small size.
• Quick response.
• Low price.

Disadvantages:

• The need for calibration after 200 measurements or every six months.

Sititek Pro2

What are reliable, but inexpensive alcohol testers? The best finishes the Sititek Pro2 analyzer with a price of 1 500 rubles. This multifunctional device will be an excellent assistant to the motorist. The device includes the functions of a clock, a timer, an alarm clock and a thermometer.

Pluses:

• Pocket size.
• Calibration of the sensor can be done once every three years.
• For work, mouthpieces are not required.

Disadvantages:

• You can not do more than 5 measurements per day.
• False responds to food, food.

The information given in this article will allow you to choose a good breathalyzer in a pharmacy or a specialized store. The quality of measurements presented by the analyzers is not inferior, and in some models even surpasses the accuracy of equipment used by inspectors of the State Traffic Safety Inspectorate.