breathalyzer?

[sam]

This thing is on sale at Amazon for about $30 and got some good reviews... Wondering if any here had it (or something similar).

Of course, I wouldn't use it to determine whether or not someone could drive; just plan on using it like a toy at some of the holiday parties coming up... for 30 bucks thought it might be fun.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Of course, I wouldn't use it to determine whether or not someone could drive

Why not? That IS what it is designed for. I think it would be great for house parties. Plus it'd give you a reasons to tell the girls they have to blow you before they get their keys back.

 

[lunchbox]

Why not? That IS what it is designed for. I think it would be great for house parties. Plus it'd give you a reasons to tell the girls they have to blow you before they get their keys back.

Because it wouldn't be anywhere near as accurate as a police breathalizer.

 

[jackers252]

I have one that gets calibrated by the US Coast Guard on a regular basis. It ran around $100 and is one of my favorite party toys!

 

[Mischief_Brewing]

A friend and I were talking about this at my last party.

And GMB, I can so see myself getting in trouble with SWMBO for drunkenly making that joke...

 

[Huff360]

See if you can find the instructions online anywhere. I played with one close to that once and you had to wait 30 minutes after drinking anything or you would blow like a .65 or something. Maybe that's normal, I don't know.

 

[sam]

...to tell the girls they have to blow you before they get their keys back.

Haha... nice! Although my wife might have a problem with that. Oh, maybe I could get her to blow me (doubt it).

Yeah, the accuracy of it would be the problem and I think you have to follow some guidelines when administering a proper test... like waiting 30 minutes after your last drink or something. things that a bunch of drunks at a party wouldn't think of.

I ended up buying it a couple of minutes ago... I didn't want to spend $150 on one that was more accurate because, again... drunk people administering breath tests can't be accurate no matter how nice the equipment is. For $30, what the heck.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Because it wouldn't be anywhere near as accurate as a police breathalizer.

Nor would it need be. You won't necessarily be using the results of the test as evidence in court now would you. At most, it would be used to determine whether or not your friend should be driving home or riding in taxi.

 

[GilaMinumBeer]

Haha... nice! Although my wife might have a problem with that. Oh, maybe I could get her to blow me (doubt it).

I've been married 13 years. Chances would be better with a random drunk chick. Even if it really means blowing into the tester.

 

[sam]

Nor would it need be. You won't necessarily be using the results of the test as evidence in court now would you. At most, it would be used to determine whether or not your friend should be driving home or riding in taxi.

True... just wouldn't want it to register low and give someone a false sense of confidence. The good thing is that I bought this for a neighborhood progressive dinner that we have near Christmas... no driving; everyone walks from house to house. The bad news is that there probably won't be any random drunk chicks. (Mmm... random drunk chicks.)

 

[Mischief_Brewing]

True... just wouldn't want it to register low and give someone a false sense of confidence.

It claims an error rating of 0.01-0.02%. That means that if you didn't give the keys to anyone over 0.06% (0.02% below most state's legal minimum) you could almost guarantee they won't get a DUI...but I still wouldn't RELY on it, just use it as a safety precaution for those idiots who say they're fine but are blowing a 0.14%....

 

[theonetrueruss]

I have a different model made by the same company. Seems to work well to me. The real problem is that after a number of uses in the same party.. or breathers with a bit too much moisture in their breath.. the sensor tends to get a little saturated. You can get them re-calibrated and it seems to go back to normal in about a day anyway. Don't assume that you won't fail the cops breath test just because you passed on that unit... but you can assume that you WILL fail the cops test if you fail.

 

[JeepDiver]

It claims an error rating of 0.01-0.02%. That means that if you didn't give the keys to anyone over 0.06% (0.02% below most state's legal minimum) you could almost guarantee they won't get a DUI...but I still wouldn't RELY on it, just use it as a safety precaution for those idiots who say they're fine but are blowing a 0.14%....

Not sure about all states, but I know in several .08% is just where you are automatically considered drunk, so unless there is a technicality, you aren't getting off. The cops can arrest you for anything over .05 at their discretion, then you have to argue it out in court if you were out of control or not.

 

[ArcaneXor]

I have the same model. Seems to work well enough, but it is true that you have to wait ~15 minutes after eating or drinking anything to get an accurate reading.

 

[KuntyBrew]

we had one a at a party I was at when I was in the army we would use it to see who was going on the beer run

 

[SamuraiSquirrel]

I had an alcohawk brand breathalizer. It was one a couple models up from the one you are looking at. I had the alcohawk precision.

Can't speak to accuracy as I never got the opportunity to compare it to a police breathalyzer. It registered alcohol and wasted some somewhere between .1 -.296 lol ......... so it was somewhat accurate lol

Word of caution, if you plan on using as a novelty item (as I did) and walk around having people blow into it then it will wear out quick. You have to wait a certain amount of time with nothing to eat or drink before you blow into it per the instructions (30 minutes or whatever it says in the instructions). I never followed this warning and just drank and mine lasted about 3 or 4 months before it wouldn't register a reading anymore.

 

[jfr1111]

These things are basically worthless, unless you plan on buying it strictly as a novelty item. The fact that you blew well below the error margin of the breathalizer doesn't mean that your alcohol content won't go up anymore afterwards, even if you don't drink another drop of alcohol.

 

[Hannable1975]

These things are basically worthless, unless you plan on buying it strictly as a novelty item. The fact that you blew well below the error margin of the breathalizer doesn't mean that your alcohol content won't go up anymore afterwards, even if you don't drink another drop of alcohol.

+1

As someone who has to cover Driving Impairment Training for work, I am familiar with stories of these cheaper things being in Bars ( actually saw one one time where you PAID $.50 to get an on the spot Breathalyzer - smh - ), and customers "passing" - only to get tickets later when they were stopped . I admit I have had access to play with an official machine, in an unofficial capacity - and the cheap unit we compared to the actual bench unit were of in the UPPER end - i.e. - at once , they were both .02. Later, when the "toy" hit .07, the bench unit, the one that would count if you got stopped - was .10 . Just something to think about - regard these as toys, not as fail safes.

 

[rico567]

Reading the Amazon reviews on this thing, it would actually be ideal for avoiding DUI. You have to wait forever for it to calibrate, then blow into it forever, and even then it likely won't give you a reading......hell, if you do that long enough, you won't have any detectable alcohol in your system anyhow!

 

[alexdagrate]

My alcohawk was fun at the first party I took it to. After that, it was wildly inaccurate.

 

[SeaBass512]

IMO, anybody who "relies" on one of these probably deserves a DUI.I don't wish it on anybody, but I have a pretty low tolerance for people who tempt fate. I've literally had to scrape too many people out of their car for drunk driving...or worse, an innocent person who was hit by said a-hole. Forget worrying about getting a ticket...how about not killing someone?

On a side note, my buddy brought one of these to my bachelor party, just for S&G, nothing more. Surprisingly, I didn't have the highest of the night!

 

[RogerMcAllen]

Nor would it need be. You won't necessarily be using the results of the test as evidence in court now would you. At most, it would be used to determine whether or not your friend should be driving home or riding in taxi.

The way it works is this:
If you even think you may have had too much to drink and take the test, you have definitely had too much to drink and shouldn't drive.

Using this as a party gag is great idea. Using this as a way to judge if people are ok to drive is just an invitation to get someone hurt/killed. As said earlier, blowing a 0.08 is not the DUI limit. It is the do not pass go, do not collect $200, go directly to jail limit. As long as a police officer can prove impairment, you can blow a 0.00 and still get a DUI.

 

[JeepDiver]

As long as a police officer can prove impairment, you can blow a 0.00 and still get a DUI.

That's not true either, some states have a bottom limit (.05 usually) that anything below that you are considered to not be impaired by law (unless drugs or other substances are involved).

 

[IffyG]

IMO, anybody who "relies" on one of these probably deserves a DUI.I don't wish it on anybody, but I have a pretty low tolerance for people who tempt fate. I've literally had to scrape too many people out of their car for drunk driving...or worse, an innocent person who was hit by said a-hole. Forget worrying about getting a ticket...how about not killing someone?

This. I have a simple rule. If I have more than one drink, the car stays where it is and I'm calling a taxi or walking home. There is no way in hell I'm gonna put myself in any sort of situation that could even remotely result in a DUI...

 

[SeanT]

I have this, it was a gift from an ex a few years ago. It seems fairly accurate, and it is a lot of fun at a party. Who knows how accurate it is, though. They claim a certain accuracy, but I can't remember what it is.

 

[petey_c]

I was just thinking about the joke where the blonde gets pulled over by the Highway Patrol. As the officer walks up to the car, he starts unzipping his fly. The blonde replies, Oh no! Not another breathalyzer!!
Hmmm your ex gave you a breathalyzer as a gift... just kidding. I think it'd be kinda funny at a party and maybe give an idea of where .08 is. I'm sure that's what a lot of people say, I didn't think I was that drunk. Maybe make them drive a little more cautiously, drink less. Since I've never had the opportunity to be pulled over (for DUI anyway) by Suffolk County's finest, I don't know where .08 is. It might be a good public service. Sorta like where they have the car with the sloppy steering to demonstrate what it's like to drive impaired/intoxicated. They could do it in a bar, then have another officer down the road a ways, administering the second one...

 

[PanzerBanana]

I'm certain some sort of game could be developed to utilize one of those. As long as it doesn't involve the person with the lowest level going to get more snacks. lol

 

[sam]

tried it out tonight... had 3 beers in about 45 minutes, waited 20 minutes and blew what I guessed from the charts. .03

I think it's worth the $30 if it lasts a few months... again, I purchased it as a novelty so no big deal.

Here's the calibration samples for this weekend...