Big, Bad Breathalyzer Roundup

We've covered quite a few breathalyzers here at Liquor Snob, and we're sure it can be quite confusing if you want to pick one up. We've rounded up all of our key breathalyzer coverage and product reviews to make your decision easier while you're shopping around.

Alcohawk Elite Breathalyzer Pro Package Kit
Current Price: $189.99
Review Snippet: "We were impressed with how pimped out this thing was, with a blue LED readout and an internal thermometer to make sure your readout is as accurate as possible, not thrown off by temperature factors. The battery is good for 100-200 testings."
Alcohawk Elite Review

Alcomate Prestige
Current Price: $139.95
Review Snippet: "it's got a patent pending gizmo they call a "pre-calibrated alcohol sensor module," which you can replace on your own without the hassle of mailing the whole unit back. God we love progress."
Alcomate Prestige Review

Continue reading: "Big, Bad Breathalyzer Roundup"

Alcomate Prestige Breathalyzer

We have to admit, we've been on a bit of a breathalyzer (Amazon)kick lately, but hey, you never know when you're going to need one around. Dropping a little cake on one of these puppies might help you or one of your friends know when there's been a little too much celebrating going on, and it's a damn sight cheaper than the costs of driving drunk.

The latest breathalyzer we've discovered lately is the Alcomate Prestige, a handheld model that makes the claim to be law enforcement grade, which would imply it's very sensitive and accurate. One thing about most breathalyzers is they're so sensitive they'll get out of whack after repeated use, and you have to send the machine back to the manufacturer annually in order to get them recalibrated.

Not so with the Alcomate Prestige - it's got a patent pending gizmo they call a "pre-calibrated alcohol sensor module," which you can replace on your own without the hassle of mailing the whole unit back. God we love progress.

Amazon - Alcomate Prestige Breathalyzer - available in red or silver

Alcohawk Elite Breathalyzer Pro Package Kit

Check out this bad boy - an Alcohawk Elite breathalyzer (which we reviewed highly), but it comes in a sweet briefcase-looking thing. Now that's something we can see ourselves walking into the bar with before one of our trademark "long nights."

Amazon - Alcohawk Elite Breathalyzer Pro Package Kit

Connectables PB2000 Breathalyzer

Sometimes what you're looking for in your breathalyzer is some portability. You want to make sure you're not driving over the limit, but you also don't want to carry around a box bigger than your cell phone to do it. That's where the PB2000 comes in - it's small enough to fit on a keychain, plus it's easy to use. You just blow - the light turns yellow if you're between .04 and .08, and red if you're above .08.

Amazon - Connectables PB2000 Alcohol Tester

AlcoScan AL-6000 Breathalyzer

We've found another breathalyzer that's piqued our interest - this one is made by an outfit called AlcoScan. Their AL-6000 model reads blood alcohol percentages up to 0.40 in increments of 0.01%...we know from experience that point 40 is pretty durned drunk. The breathalyzer is sold as professional grade, which means...well, we don't know what it means but they also claim to be DOT approved and the unit comes with a leather pouch and a whole gang of mouthpieces. How can you go wrong?

AlcoScan AL-6000 Breathalyzer

Alcohawk Professional Grade Breathalyzer

With New Year's Eve rapidly approaching, 'tis the season to be thinking about how much you've had to drink before you get in the car. Actually, it's always that season for that, but you know what we mean. It can be difficult to know whether you're in the red zone and shouldn't drive, and there can even be situations where you're above the legal limit without even feeling much of a buzz. This is when a breathalyzer comes in handy, and if you're like us you'd rather administer it yourself rather than wait for a cop to do it.

We've been hearing a lot about the AlcoHawk Pro lately, and they've all been good things. We especially liked the notes over at Gizmodo and Uncrate, and we're hoping to get our hands on a Pro to test it ourselves.

You can pick up an AlcoHawk Pro or check out other breathalyzers at Amazon, and don't forget to read our Alcohawk breathalyzer reviews from last year to find other options for your breathalyzing needs.

Sharper Image Reaches Breathalyzer Deal

We've always been big proponents of breathalyzers because they can give you a little bit of information about your BAC before you get behind the wheel. However, Sharper Image just had to pay over a million bucks in a settlement because their breathalyzers weren't quite as accurate as they claimed.

That's not saying pocket breathalyzers aren't useful - just take them with a grain of salt. Our old rule of thumb - use a pocket breathalyzer before getting behind the wheel. Our new rule of thumb - if we think we need a breathalyzer, we shouldn't be getting behind the wheel anyway. Why? Because the cops have breathalyzers that are VERY accurate.

Electronics retailer Sharper Image agreed on Friday to stop selling personal breathalyzers and pay $1.2 million in restitution as part of a settlement regarding the devices.
The company incorrectly claimed the "Digital Breath Alcohol Tester" devices were accurate to .001 percent blood alcohol content, according to tests by San Diego’s Consumer Protection Unit.

via Boston Herald

Breathalyzer Pen Shows BAC and UV So You Can TCB

We're of Scottish stock here at Liquor Snob, so if there are two things we know about, it's drunkenness and sunburns. You've probably already guessed that our livers are pale and poxy, but you might not know that our skin is so fair that sun exposure has been known to cause us to burst into flames like a Guy Fawkes dummy. Finally the gods have smiled on us and given us a tool to monitor both our alcohol consumption and our intake of UV rays from our greatest enemy, the sun:

So you’re at your favorite sports bar watching the big game with your friends. Before heading out and driving home, perhaps it’d be a good idea to make sure you’re not legally intoxicated. At this point, it’s just a matter of whipping out the Alcohol Breath Test Pen, blowing into the top and hoping that the green LED doesn’t turn red. If it’s red, hail a taxi, buddy, because you’re in no condition to drive. Also included in the pen is a UV indicator, letting you know whether or not you should be wearing sunscreen. Yes, this $35 little pen can help save your life and prevent a nasty sunburn.

via Gizmodo: The Only Pen a Drunk Could Ask For

Alcohawk Breathalyzer Review

We're big proponents of breathalyzers here at the Liquor Snob offices, because we think their judicious use can really help you keep out of trouble. One of the biggest names in the consumer breathalyzer industry is Alcohawk from Q3 Innovations, which offers a large line of these Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) testers at varying price points.

A couple months ago we covered the Alcohawk Micro keychain breathalyzer, which has been very popular with our readers, and now we've rounded up three more Alcohawk models for review and comparison. We've outlined the statistics of each model, as well as our favorite features, and then compared them to one another as well so you'll have the information you need when you buy your own.

Breathalyzer Information: On paper, all three of these units are very similar. They're all compact enough to fit in your palm, and weigh in at less than half a pound. They all come with extra mouthpieces, in case you're testing multiple people. They all use sensitive semiconductor technology in their testing, which is pretty much as accurate as you can get without getting up into the professional testers, which cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars. Also, they all test BAC up to 0.4, which is a heck of a lot higher than the typical legal limit of 0.08.

Alcohawk Elite
Typical Price: $139.95
Amazon: Q3I ELITE DIGITAL ALCOHOL BREATH TESTER
Q3ATS: Product Page
Notes: At first we were impatient with the Elite's 60 second warm-up time, because we wanted to blow into it NOW! Then we realized the wait probably had something to do with calibration, and we decided we'd rather have it be accurate than quick. We blew into it for the requisite 5 seconds, and a few seconds later it had responded with a BAC down to 3 decimal points (.027 after our first double).

We were impressed with how pimped out this thing was, with a blue LED readout and an internal thermometer to make sure your readout is as accurate as possible, not thrown off by temperature factors. The battery is good for 100-200 testings.

Alcohawk ABI
Typical Price: $109.95
Amazon: Alcohawk ABI Digital Alcohol Breath Tester
Q3ATS: Product Page
Notes: The first thing that struck us about the ABI was the cool protective zipper case it came in. The other two units were in disposable plastic trays with accompanying mesh carrying bags, but this guy was in a hard shell carrying case, just in case we wanted to do any EXTREME testing. Next time we use it, we'll make sure we're at the top of a mountain or jumping out of a plane.

We were also big fans of the shorter load time, closer to 20 seconds than the full minute we got from the Elite, but the ABI only gave us info down to two decimal places, so that's the tradeoff. But honestly, how many decimals do you need for what you'll be using it for? Another high point is the fact that this puppy is good for more than 300 tests on one battery. Now that's a lot of drinkin'. Oh, and plus, it comes with an AC adaptor, so you can test and drive at the same time. Just kidding.

Alcohawk Precision
Typical Price: $79.95
Amazon: Alcohawk Precision Digital Alcohol Breath Tester
Q3ATS: Product Page
Notes: The warm-up time on the Precision splits the difference between the Elite and the ABI, at about 45 seconds. Like the Elite, the readout is to three decimal places, but we did find that the readout on the Precision clocked a bit lower than what we got from the Elite on occasion. According to the paperwork we got with our Precision it offers the same accuracy as the other models, so it may have been drunken operator error that caused the problem.

Our Favorite: We liked all three of these products. They all felt well-constructed, and we trusted the results we got, especially the consistency. All in all, the three of them gave us a good feel for how tipsy we were, and we felt they let us guage our drunkenness much more accurately than the old "Was that girl hot 20 minutes ago" test.

If we have to pick one as our favorite, however, we have to go with the ABI as our favorite, mostly because of the snazzy carrying case and the AC adaptor. Plug it in before you go to the bar, and wind the cord around the steering wheel as a reminder for a loved one who likes to drive a little on the sloshed side, maybe? Sounds like a good idea to us.

Get more information on these and other breathalyzers, plus buy your own, at Q3 Innovations, which offers a lot of helpful information on their site, including tips on how to choose a breathalyzer. There is also BAC cheat sheet by weight, as well as info on BAC limits by state. The legal limit is .08 almost across the board, but there are some slight variations by state for BAC content and the penalties for exceeding the legal limit. You can also compare and buy breathalyzers at Amazon where you can read other consumer reviews.

Alcohawk Breathalyzers Arrive For Review

A while ago, we told you about the Alcohawk Micro-Digital, a keychain breathalyzer designed to fit in your purse or pocket. There was some discussion after we posted our original story about whether getting breathalyzers was a good idea...some readers thought they would simply convince people to drink more, competing for the highest "score" for blood alcohol content. We like to think people will use them for more noble causes, like convincing friends not to drink and drive, but we can see how both might happen.

We've finally gotten our hands on a few more Alcohawk models, so we can do a full review of some individual breathalyzers and let you know about the features and options of each. The models we've got are the Alcohawk ABI, Precision and Elite models, and you can expect to see reviews up ASAP. As soon as we're done with our breathalyzer races.

Breathalyzer Cell Phone: Possibilities Galore

Apparently cell phone maker LG has introduced a breathalyzer cell phone in Korea, which is flying off the shelves, and it sounds like a pretty sweet packags. Beyond the breathalyzer function, these cell phones include "an advanced remote control for your TV, DVD and karaoke machine, etc." Lucky Koreans.

Not that we have a lot of electronics we need a remote for...or ever sing karaoke...but we can barely get our cell phones to stay connected through an entire call, much less do anything extra. Here's what the article we found had to say about the LG breathalyzer cell phone and its usefulness.

Having an alcohol measurement device attached to something like a cell phone is nothing but brilliant, especially among younger crowds who regularly drink after work or school and like to party. To use the sensor an intoxicated individual simply opens the phone and blows on the sensor, the LCD will tell you whether your level of alcohol in your blood is safe to drive.

We're not sure how sensitive or accurate the sensor in a cell phone might be...or what a sports car phone is... but think of the other possibilities. Making sure you're OK to drive isn't the only application...locking your cell phone so you can't drunk dial is another. Actually, that's the most important thing we can think of. We'd really like you to stop drunk dialing us late at night. We need our beauty sleep.

Read the full article at MobileMag.

Keychain Breathalyzer: Alcohawk Micro-Digital

As strange as it sounds, it can be tough to find someone willing to be the designated driver. Sure, at the beginning of the night, it's easy vow that you'll sit around and drink soda while your friends get progressively plowed, but when push comes to shove not everyone has the willpower.

"C'mon, I'm fine to drive." You've heard it before, and maybe you've even said it, when the blood alcohol told a different story. Yeah, you feel fine to drive, but are you legal? The last thing you need is to see those blue lights spinning in your rear view. At the end of the night it's important to be safe, and now you can let people prove they're sober (or prove it to yourself) before getting behind the wheel.

We found the Alcohawk keychain breathalyzer at Amazon for just such a situation. Get your own Alcohawk keychain breathalyzerand always have a blood alcohol tester nearby when you're deciding whether a cab is in order.