To choose a good breathalyzer for your company or home, you need to understand how such devices work and what types they are. In this article you will learn by what criteria you need to choose a breathalyzer and get acquainted with the list of the best devices of different price categories.
general information
More recently, breathalyzers could only be seen in the hands of state traffic inspectors or medical professionals. Today, more and more motorists want to purchase them for independent use at home. This device will allow you to control the alcohol content in the blood and reliably find out whether it is possible to drive.
Breathalyzer is an accurate device that can determine the concentration of alcohol in human blood. To perform the analysis, you only need to properly exhale a certain amount of air into the device.
After a quick analysis, the result can be seen on the display. The unit in which alcohol intoxication is determined is called ppm. One ppm shows that one liter 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 30s of the twentieth century in the United States. They could not show exactly how much alcohol is in the blood, but they determined fairly reliably whether the test person 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 increased, and medical workers had the opportunity to quickly check a suspicious driver or employee for sobriety.
What is the difference between different types of breathalyzers
To make an analysis for alcohol, you just need to exhale air into the device through a special tube - the mouthpiece. Mouthpieces for breathalyzers can be either disposable or reusable. There are models without mouthpieces, but their accuracy is slightly lower.
The exhalation should be long, about 5-6 seconds. This is necessary so that the volume of exhaled air is enough for analysis. When the device is ready, it will sound a click or beep. 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 measurement accuracy depends primarily on the type of analyzer. They can be of several types:
- Semi-proximal sensors are sensors in which alcohol vapors are burned.
- Electrochemicals are able to determine the concentration of ethyl alcohol in the blood with the help of a special reagent, which enters into a chemical reaction with ethanol.
- Photometrics can absorb alcohol vapors by infrared radiation.
Devices with semiconductor sensors are inexpensive, but they can have an error of up to 20%. Verification of breathalyzers of this type should be carried out more often. In addition, the analyzer will have to be changed every three months.
More expensive and reliable are electrochemical devices. In this case, you do not have to constantly change the sensor, but it needs to be periodically configured. The error during the change will not exceed 10%, which is a good result for home use.
The most durable and accurate are devices with a photometric sensor. However, the cost of such breathalyzers is high. Most often, sensors of this type are used in professional devices.
Features for choosing a breathalyzer
Those who drink alcohol may need to measure blood alcohol levels. This is necessary to make sure that the driver is sober and can drive. To determine which device is best for you, you need to think about a few points in advance.
Price
First decide how much you are willing to spend on a breathalyzer. The price of the device depends on the type of sensor, brand fame and quality of components. The more expensive the device will be, the more accurately it will show the result. If exact numbers are required from him, and is to be used often, then preference should be given to a well-known brand product. How much can a breathalyzer cost? The price of high-quality devices starts from 2000 rubles. Cheaper devices costing 500-1000 rubles do not differ in measurement accuracy and durability.
Frequency of use
When choosing a breathalyzer, you need to consider how often it will be used. Agree that buying the most expensive device does not make sense if it will be used once or twice a month. But if the device is used often, and even by several people, then the breathalyzer should be professional.
Accuracy and certification
Car fleets, medical facilities and other organizations that need to determine sobriety buy exclusively certified devices. After the due time, breathalyzers should be checked in certified laboratories. The error of professional devices is negligible and amounts to only 0.1%.
For breathalyzers for personal use, certification is not required. Therefore, the error when measured by a non-professional breathalyzer can reach significant values: from 10 to 20%. Therefore, a simple device for home use can only be approximately estimated whether a person is sober.
Vapors of alcohol are kept in the breath for a long time, so the device will be able to accurately determine whether a person drank in the near future and whether he was able to completely sober up after yesterday's holiday.
Service cost
Any breathalyzer needs maintenance. For example, for some models you need to buy replaceable mouthpieces for breathalyzers. In addition, the device may fail. You should be aware that not all testers can be repaired. Devices related to the low price range, after a breakdown, you just have to throw it away.
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 should I look for when choosing breathalyzers? The top of the best devices is based on the analysis of several parameters:
- Accuracy is one of the most important indicators.
- Measurement stability . The accuracy of the readings should not be reduced even after a large number of measurements.
- Reliability. The device must not fail and break quickly.
- Convenience of use. It is necessary to think over 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 a huge selection of devices, we suggest that you familiarize yourself with brief reviews of the best breathalyzers of different price categories.
Sims-2 Drivesafe ll
We’ll start listing some noteworthy breathalyzers. 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 are required for this. The life of the tester is large, and verification should be carried out only once a year.
The device is compact, fits comfortably in the hand. The analyzer in the device is electrochemical, which means that you can not be afraid of false readings. Reviews of the device indicate that it never gives a failure. The price of the tester is quite high, but it is not inferior to the most expensive professional devices in accuracy.
Advantages:
- High precision electrochemical analyzer.
- Reliability.
- It does not need frequent verification.
- Accuracy up 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 breathalyzers on the market today. Its price is 130,000-140,000 rubles (including the printer). This high-class device can analyze not only the alcohol content in the air that the subject exhaled, but also its residual content in the oral cavity. This will eliminate the influence of recently drunk drugs or food eaten.
Advantages:
- Simple operation and compactness.
- Analysis results can be printed immediately.
- The device determines the presence of traces of ethanol in the oral cavity.
- Needs calibration no more than once a year.
- It can be used with or without a mouthpiece.
The only drawback of the device is its high price.
Drager Alcotest 6810
Another of the most popular professional breathalyzers 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 in memory up to 1000 measurements.
Advantages:
- Accuracy.
- Ability to print the results.
- It communicates with the printer via optical communication, without wires.
- The device is recommended by the traffic police.
- Can be used with and without mouthpiece.
The disadvantage is the high price.
AlcoHunter Professional +
Are there any good and inexpensive breathalyzers? The top of the best appliances continues with the more affordable AlcoHunter Professional +. Its price is 8,000 rubles. This high-quality tester is not inferior in accuracy to expensive professional devices. It has a simple and intuitive interface. The environment does not affect measurement accuracy.
Advantages:
- Determines a small dose of intoxication.
- Inexpensive.
- The batteries last a long time.
- Strong case.
- Ease of use.
Disadvantages:
- A large period of preparation for use.
- The high price of components.
Dingo-025
The small price of this tester is attractive - only 3,000 rubles. This appliance is great for personal use. It is equipped with a simple semiconductor sensor, quite accurate. Due to its small size, the analyzer can be stored directly in the glove compartment of the car. This is not the fastest breathalyzer. The manual says that you will have to wait 60 seconds to measure.
Advantages:
- 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 breathalyzers? The top of the best is completed by 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, timer, alarm clock and thermometer.
Advantages:
- Pocket size.
- Sensor calibration can be done once every three years.
- Mouthpieces are not required for operation.
Disadvantages:
- You cannot take more than 5 measurements per day.
- Falsely reacts to food, food.
The information in this article will allow you to choose a good breathalyzer at a pharmacy or specialty store. The quality of measurements of the presented analyzers is not inferior, and in some models even exceeds the accuracy of the equipment used by the traffic police inspectors.