22/03/2012 by admin.

The AL6000 Breathalyzer has now been available for almost 10 years. As it is one of the most popular digital breathalyzers in the UK we decided to review it first.

What we like about the AL6000

• Great design, smart professional looking digital breathalyzer
• Ergonomic design, fits in your hand comfortably
• Reliable & robust in every day use
• Comes supplied with batteries
• Suppled with 5 professional breathalyzer mouthpieces which can be re-used, if it has just been purchased for personal use.
• The latest models of Al6000 give the buyer the ability to change the sensor every 300 tests, fitting a new pre-calibrated sensor, set by the manufacturer for accuracy.
• Easy to change sensor-simply pull out old one, push new one in (no screwdriver or technical expertise required)
• The AL6000 breathalyzer does not have to be sent away for service.
• Replacement batteries easily available-takes 2AA batteries
• Replacement sensors for AL6000 are inexpensive & widely available for around £17-20 pounds
• The Al6000 breathalyzer is able to give accuracy of +/_ 0.1%BAC at 1.0%BAC, this means that a test result of 0.10%BAC should not vary by more than 0.09% to 1.1%BAC in a close series of sucessive tests.
• The semiconductor sensor is tough and resists clogging and corrosion as well as any of the other breathalyzers of a similar price.
• With careful use you should expect around 300 accurate tests from each sensor, but this is dependent on careful useage and storage and to a degree, the levels of alcohol measured.
• Replacement mouthpieces widely available and inexpensive.
• The AL6000 breathalyzer offers excellent value for money at around £58

Things to take into consideration if purchasing an AL6000 breathalyzer or a replacement sensor

• Smokers should expect shorter sensor life as tar and CO do not mix well with alcohol sensors.
• Be sure to ventilate the breathalyzer well after use as condensation can cause the sensor to rust and fail if it is packed away immediately after use.
• When purchasing al Al6000 breathalyzer it is important to buy a unit with the correct display option, as this cannot be changed later and is fixed at manufacture. Modern models have the decimel place spray painted on the front screen of the LCD display which is read if the display is to be read in %BAC (percentage blood alcohol concentration)
• At this point it may be helpful to point out that the majority of modern breathalyzers display blood alcohol level readings, confusing when you are blowing breath through them, but as nearly all legislation is now quoted in BAC, the units are set to do the conversion calculation for you. Ignor the decimel place and just read from the first positive digit and the breathalyzer displays BAC in mg/100ml, so for example you can interpret the same result as .080%BAC and/or 080=80mg/100ml BAC
• The AL6000 breathalyzer has 2 modes of testing Nor = normal and Fst = fast  the fast mode is what it says and the breath sample and accuracy are reduced for a fast test.
• In reality most users of AL6000 breathalyzers nearly always test in normal mode as this significantly increases the accuracy of the result.
• Normal mode takes a 5 second deep breath lung sample and will indicate with a Flo display if the breath sample is not maintained for the full sample time.
• When buying a new sensor for an Al6000 be sure to match the colour circuit board to the one your breathalyzer has as they are not interchangeable. Most have red circuit boards, but older models are green and they cannot be mixed. If the wrong sensor is inserted the breathalyser will not work and the sensor is not usable once it has been connected to the breathalyser.
• New sensors will have a test count of 6-12 tests needed for their calibration.
• One last point the unit used to have NF certification, but this was not renewed by the manufacturer Sentech and had lapsed. Now with the new French breathalyser law the manufacturer has re-applied for the French NF certificate which should be issued for the breathalyser before the July 2012 French law starts, so this breathalyzer is a good bet for anyone looking for a digital breathalyzer to take to Europe.

Our Opinion : All in all the AL6000 breathalyser offers excellent value for money and is a great buy for anyone considering buying a digital breathalyzer.

You can buy an AL6000 digital breathalyzer in UK here

http://www.valuebreathalysers.co.uk/acatalog/latest-alcoscan-al6000-professional-digital-breathalyser-testing.html

You can buy replacement sensors for the Al6000 breathalyzer here

http://www.valuebreathalysers.co.uk/acatalog/pre-calibrated-sensor-module-for-al6000i-alcomate-prestige-breathalysers-testing.html

Posted in breathalyzer for driving in france, AL6000 Review, Breathalyzer reviews, Breathalyser reviews, breathalyzer buying guide, AL6000 Breathalyser | 1 Comment »

22/02/2012 by admin.

French officials have confirmed their intention to introduce as planned the legal requirement for all vehicles to carry breathalyser tests and the suggested implementation date will be July 2012 for the new french law.

Single use disposable breath tests set at the French 0.05%BAC will be sufficient. The 0.05%BAC Mission disposable breathalyser kit packs meet all European quality requirements and this includes the French industry standards, so drivers travelling with these kits will comply with the legal requirement. We have been asked if the kits meet French NF quality marks, but the NF standard is not applied to single use breath detectors which are classified for EU use under the CE certification and in the case of the Mission product, you also get the far more stringent IVDD (InVitro Diagnostic Device) certification, meaning it meets the exacting standards required for use in health care settings.

Frequent travellers or tourists intending to travel for extended periods in France may also choose to opt for a hand held digital breathalyser. These cost from as little as £33 plus VAT for the DA5000 digital breathalyzer. These give a far more accurate measure of Bloood Alcohol levels, giving a direct reading from 10 right up to 400mg/100ml blood alcohol concetration. The DA5000 Breathalyzer is ROHS certified for use right accross Europe and comes pre-set with an alarm setting of 0.05% which complies with French driving legislation currently. For personal use no additional mouth piece tubes will be required for the breathalyser, and the only additional cost will be replacment sensors every 300 tests and batteries. With no expiry date, and an accurate direct and immediate reading of alcohol always on hand, these digital breathalyzers make a useful and cost effective alternative to single use alcohol breath testers. Other digital breathalysers meeting French requirements include :AL6000 Breathalyzer and AL7000 breathalyzer 

Posted in breathalyzer for driving in france, France breathalyzer law, French breathalyser, breathalyser France, breathalyzer kits france, breathalyzer buying guide | 1 Comment »

07/12/2011 by admin.

We received this question earlier this week:

‘My teenagers have just passed their driving test & are borrowing the car. I want to make sure they are not drinking and driving when they are going out in the evenings. They have promised they won’t but I know they are susceptible to peer pressure and I want to be sure. Which breathalyzer would you recommend ?’

Answer

We understand accuracy is very important in this situation as they are young inexperienced drivers, and you probably want to operate a zero tolerance to drinking while driving in this situation.

Look at the single use breath alcohol detectors. Select the zero tolerance sensitivity if you want them to abstain completely which would be our advice.

Knowing you are going to test them will help them to resist the peer pressure as they know they will lose their car privilege if they test positive.

Click here to see the single use disposable breathalyzers

or
If you prefer a digital breathalyzer for home use
Click here to look at the DA5000 digital breathalyzer

Posted in Best home breathalyzer, Diposable breathalyzer, Best Breathalyzer, Breathalyser reviews, breathalyzer buying guide, breathalyzer Kits UK | 1 Comment »

08/09/2011 by admin.

Which is the best breathalyzer for my money ?

Every year at around this time of year we are asked this question. For many it is the start of the autumn and winter social calender that prompts a personal breathalyzer purchase.

Why buy a breathalyzer you may ask ?
With the start of the office party season looming many people want to be able to check  that they are ok to drive ‘the morning after the night before’

We would never advocate drinking and driving as it is so dangerous. It is much safer to take a taxi or get a lift with a non drinking colleague to the party. However there has been a lot of cases in the news over the last couple of years of people being breathalyzed on their way to work, and still being over the limit !

Others are simply researching for a great christmas gift for a male relative, boyfriend or friend. I’m sorry I know it’s only September, but christmas cards are in the charity shops already and it certainly makes a change from socks.

We thought you may find it useful if we reviewed, what are in our opinion the best value for money breathalyzers on the market for christmas 2011

Accuracy and reliability matters

When making a breathalyzer purchase online for yourself or to give as a gift it is important to remember that accuracy and reliability of readings are important, and that you do get what you pay for. Avoid cheap keyring breathalyzers as they are just for fun breathalyzers really, and should not be relied upon.

Instead choose a quality personal digital breathalyzer such as the latest model  DA5000 breathalyzer which once again continues to offer great value for money for christmas 2011 or a single use disposable breathalyzer if you only need an occaisonal test

If you are happy to spend a little more then opt for superior & more robust AL7000 breathalyzer with clip in clip out sensor.

Click here to see a range of great value quality digital breathalyzers & single use disposable breathalyzers for christmas 2011 that are available to buy online 

Let us know what you think and which are your favourite breathalyzers for 2011 if you have a breathalyzer review then please leave it in comments

Posted in Best Breathalyzer, Best home breathalyzer, Best breathalyzer review, Breathalyzer reviews, best breathalyzer 2011, Best Breathalyzer to buy, breathalyzer buying guide, Best breathalyser | 2 Comments »

16/11/2010 by admin.

Seasonal drink driving awareness is upon us again and the purchase of digital breathalyzer products increases as individual and business purchasers seek to protect and educate. Breathalyzers are often criticised for allowing or tempting users to drink and then drive while under the prosecution limits, but none the less under the influence of alcohol. In practice their use is far more commonly restricted to individuals testing that all alcohol has gone the morning after a social event, prior to considering driving, and company and business policy is more safety orientated and educational versus punative.

There are a large number of breathalyzers on the market which make choosing which one is right for your needs difficult. With this is mind we thought it would be useful to do breathalyzer buying guide, to help make choosing a breathalyzer easier.

Lets start with breathalyzer terminology which in itself can be confusing. Most breathalyzers either diplay BAC or BrAC

BAC = Blood alcohol concentration commonly displayed as a percentage %BAC or mg/100ml

BrAC = Breath alcohol concentration

Few breathlysers display in BrAC, most are mg/100ml BAC display units, doing the electronic conversion for the tester. These scales can be confusing, but just remember all European prosecutions are on the basis of eqivalent BAC levels, so a simple BAC display is best.

Do you require a fuel cell breathalyser or is a semi conductor sensor adequate ? Well fuel sensors do offer a small amount of greater accuracy, but at the levels we are talking about this 4th decimel place is simply irrelavent to all but scientific researchers. If you insist on a fuel cell breathalyzer,  you are going to pay a lot more and have to return the breathalyzer to a service centre for calibration service every few months to maintain the accuracy.

Go for a semi conductor sensor breathalyser model with changeable sensor modules. Simply replace the sensor module when the breathalyzer instructs with a new pre-calibrated sensor and never have to send the unit away for service. Models start from under £40 and the sensors are under half the price of a service centre calibration. Most semi conductor breathalyzers give 3 decimel place accuracy (more than enough for all self and business testers)

Best value breathalyzers this season remain the DA5000 , with the AL6000 and AL7000 models coming a close second

Posted in Breathalyser reviews, Best Breathalyzer, Best breathalyzer review, breathalyzer buying guide, Breathalyzers for sale, Best Breathalyzer to buy, Best breathalyzer on market, Best breathalyser | 1 Comment »

14/11/2008 by admin.

Often overlooked the DA7000 offers a few unique features and great value for money.

Ideal for business users, healthcare and & individuals demanding the highest levels of accuracy the DA7000 has a robust design for everday use. Its unique auto-diagnostics ensures sensor function for every test, indicating to the user when to exchange the sensor module to ensure every test result is accurate.

The DA-7000 offers higher accuracy utilising the NEW Semicom sensor technology, with auto diagnostics to ensure performance. Easy to change sensor modules for ”self” service changing when instructed to renew sensor.

Full presentation box, battery, user manual, 6 mouth pieces & carry case with strap.

The DA7000 Breathalyser uses universal mouth piece tubes available in either standard or professional formats.

Posted in Breathalyzer reviews, breathalyzer buying guide, DA7000 Breathalyser | 1 Comment »

29/09/2008 by admin.

Many breathalysers are available on the European market, and the choice for consumers is confusing, with many seemingly similar breathalyzers making claims on accuracy, value and performance.

Whichever breathalyzer takes your fancy here are some key features to consider when choosing a digital breathalyser to buy:

• All digital breathalysers will require calibration service regularly to keep them accurate
• Breathalysers offering changeable sensors avoid you having to send the complete breathalyzer back to a service centre
• Breathalyzers taking mouth pieces give more accurate results than “blow at the hole” models
• Breathalyser should take standard batteries
• Buy from a reputable established breathalyzer dealer, your warrantee is with the UK supplier.

I recommend avoiding key ring and micro breathalyzers. They are not reliable for long periods, and are unlikely to be cost effective to service, so these very cheap breathalyzers should be viewed as consumable novelty items. I would not personally rely on one!

Expect to pay between £40 and £50 for a reliable digital breathalyser which is likely to meet your expectations of reliability, build quality and accuracy. In this price range I recommend the DA5000 digital breathalyser with pro mg/100ml BAC display 

Posted in breathalyzer buying guide, Breathalyser reviews, Reliable breathalyzer, DA5000 breathalyzer, Buy Breathalyzer, Best breathalyzer on market, Breathalysers, DA5000 Breathalyser, Best breathalyser, Best Breathalyzer to buy, Alcohol | 1 Comment »