# Blood alcohol tester



## Rod (21/9/17)

This is probably or maybe in the wrong area

I purchased a breathalyzer many years ago and it was hopeless , did not work

I have seen a lot on ebay , at varying prices , some cheap , some expensive

can anybody recommend something they know does the job and is affordable , that works with in reason


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## MartinOC (21/9/17)

Get one that uses Fuel Cell technology. Pay the extra $'s for the technology. Around the $200-$250 will get you an accurate meter.

Don't let your friends "push it" that want to test how pissed they are. Remember - It's a tool to keep your licence, not a toy.

Use fresh batteries.

Any reading you get that's close to the limit & you decide to drive won't be admissible in court if you get caught by the cops with more accurate meters.


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## Andy_27 (21/9/17)

What do you want it for? Just to see what you go at a party? If you're looking at one to see if you're good to drive, I'd say don't bother. If you have to ask yourself the question, you're probably not good to drive. If you want to drive, dont drink. Try and count drinks and you'll end up with a charge if, you're lucky.


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## moonhead (21/9/17)

Depends on what you want it for, if you're looking to keep your license, you'll want a half decent one, as Martin said, Fuel Cell, about $200-300.

You also need to keep them calibrated, which is a once a year thing, from what I understand, you'll need to pay the manufacturer to re-calibrate it for you to keep it accurate. (I've been told this is about $100)

If you're just wanting to use it at parties to see how pissed everyone is, elcheapo off ebay will work, but probably not for long, and certainly not accurate enough to tell you if you can drive.


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## Camo6 (21/9/17)

A friend of mines father works for Drager who apparently produce the units the Vic police use for RBT.
While it's not something I've ever seen the need for, a few of us recently had the opportunity to buy their personal model for near cost price. I've found it to be a great little unit. 
We've compared readings between the units and there was little variance. It's acually quite fun to see the differences in readings between our various builds. One thing's for sure, they're all a pack of lightweights.
It has a built in battery and recharges via usb/phone charger. It requires recalibrating after a certain time or number of uses but a mate who has had one a few years has only had to do it once so far. Drager will recalibrate for about $50 I've been told. It comes with extra mouth pieces and a nice little pouch and is the size of a small dvd remote or similar. I'm pretty happy with the unit.
Link below was off a quick google search but looks like the unit I have.

https://blowmefirst.com.au/products/breath-testing-alcohol/drager-alcotest-3820-fuel-cell/


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## mstrelan (21/9/17)

Camo6 said:


> https://blowmefirst.com.au/



Risky click of the day...


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## Meddo (22/9/17)

I use one of these for USD$100 and I'm very happy with it. Fuel cell as mentioned and repeatability is great - I normally blow three or four times in a row and they'll all be within +/-0.001. I've had their "smart" Bluetooth model in the past which worked really well for a while but then they buggered up their Android software and it stopped working with my phone, hence the more agricultural replacement. I normally just use it as a next-day check and give myself a good margin of error - if it's reading over say 0.015 then that's good enough for me not to get behind the wheel.

https://www.bactrack.com/products/bactrack-trace-professional-breathalyzer


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## Matplat (22/9/17)

I think it would be useful to have one, sometimes I'm having beers at home but then need to grab something from the shops that we've forgotten for dinner. I may not necessarily feel particularly drunk, but I can't go out because I don't know whether I am over or under. 

I agree, I don't think it should be a tool to push as close as you can to the limit. But I think it would definitely be a useful tool.


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## Ducatiboy stu (22/9/17)

The police offer this kind of service for free


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## Pnutapper (22/9/17)

Could always wait until you get done, and then the nice Magistrate will arrange for an interlock device. They need calibrating once a month, and by all accounts are quite accurate.


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## DJ_L3ThAL (22/9/17)

Meddo said:


> I use one of these for USD$100 and I'm very happy with it. Fuel cell as mentioned and repeatability is great - I normally blow three or four times in a row and they'll all be within +/-0.001. I've had their "smart" Bluetooth model in the past which worked really well for a while but then they buggered up their Android software and it stopped working with my phone, hence the more agricultural replacement. I normally just use it as a next-day check and give myself a good margin of error - if it's reading over say 0.015 then that's good enough for me not to get behind the wheel.
> 
> https://www.bactrack.com/products/bactrack-trace-professional-breathalyzer



I've got the BACTrack Mobile Pro, has nice app integration and appears to be very reliable and accurate. About t $150 and $60 per calibration inc shipping both ways


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## Meddo (22/9/17)

DJ_L3ThAL said:


> I've got the BACTrack Mobile Pro, has nice app integration and appears to be very reliable and accurate. About t $150 and $60 per calibration inc shipping both ways


Yeah that's the one I had (probably still got it in a drawer somewhere) but it stopped giving any readings at all and had a heap of Bluetooth connection problems so it got retired. Disappointing cos it was a great little unit.


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## Meddo (22/9/17)

Would rather know in advance personally and just stay off the road. I've had a mate who got done the next morning when he had no idea he was still affected, and I've also checked myself with the Bactrack breatho in the morning when I thought I was donuts (and my drink count suggested I would be) but actually blew around 0.03. I've got no sympathy for drink drivers and want to make sure that I'm not accidentally one of them. Also given that I'm subject to occasional random breath tests at work, I once waited an extra hour or so before heading in after I checked myself at 0.01 in the morning after losing track a bit at a Sunday Day on the Green.

Off-topic slightly but another mate who got done has got one of those interlock devices and while it's great in theory I'm not quite convinced by the implementation regarding the random tests while driving. Mostly because the unit itself is so unwieldy it seems to cause a hell of a distraction trying to wrangle it and give the sample while still controlling the vehicle. Dunno what the answer is but a bit of refinement wouldn't hurt.


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## Pnutapper (22/9/17)

Meddo said:


> Off-topic slightly but another mate who got done has got one of those interlock devices and while it's great in theory I'm not quite convinced by the implementation regarding the random tests while driving. Mostly because the unit itself is so unwieldy it seems to cause a hell of a distraction trying to wrangle it and give the sample while still controlling the vehicle.



I have often wondered the same thing. Surely it must cause a bigger distraction than a phone whilst driving? (Particularly if the driver happens to also be hammered.)


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## Rod (22/9/17)

DJ_L3ThAL said:


> I've got the BACTrack Mobile Pro, has nice app integration and appears to be very reliable and accurate. About t $150 and $60 per calibration inc shipping both ways



At that price and regular calibration , I have lost interest

At the moment use RU pissed to have an estimate , obviously if in doubt , do not drive


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## Meddo (22/9/17)

Pnutapper said:


> I have often wondered the same thing. Surely it must cause a bigger distraction than a phone whilst driving? (Particularly if the driver happens to also be hammered.)



Ha, if that's the reason for the difficulty then I guess it's doing its job


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## Ducatiboy stu (22/9/17)

I am so lucky we have a courtesy bus....that thing is like my personal taxi I am in it so much


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## laxation (22/9/17)

Ducatiboy stu said:


> I am so lucky we have a courtesy bus....that thing is like my personal taxi I am in it so much


It sure is handy!

Although I wouldn't necessarily call my wife that to her face...


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