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Breathalyzer Pricing Can be Broken Into Four Main Categories
Single Use and Gimmick Breathalyzers: These include the low entry-cost AlcoHawk One Test ($4.95) and the Safe Drive Deluxe ($49.95). This second model is re-usable; it interfaces between the gimmick category and the reusable personal breathalyzer category. Reusable Personal Breathalyzers: These include AlcoScan, AlcoHawk, and BACTrack models ranging from $59.95 - $99.95. These are the brand names and are FDA 510(k) certified and DOT/NHTSA approved. We offer the AlcoScan AL2500 for $45.00 and the AlcoScan AL2500 Elite for $55.00 on our friends page. We do also offer a reusable personal breathalyzer for which we have verified accuracy but that is not FDA certified for $19.00 on our friends page. Professional Accuracy Breathalyzers: Used by law enforcement, especially in smaller municipalities, by high-end personal users, and by safety departments in industry these breathalyzers include the AlcoMate Premium (from $125.00 on our friends page), and the AlcoTector (from $449 at Craig Medical). The AlcoMate Premium is especially highly regarded because of the Pre Calibrated Sensor Modules that are easy to replace without sending the breathalyzer in for servicing. Car Interlock Draeger Breathalyzers: If you have $1000 to spend, a car interlock may be up your alley. Do your homework though. Many vendors of these products cannot sell them to you for legally mandated purposes. |
1.) We scoured the internet looking for objective reviews of consumer and professional breathalyzers. Unfortunately, every review we found was published by a manufacturer or a retailer of breathalyzers. Not exactly an objective source. What we have found is that reputable retailers sell the AlcoMate and AlcoScan line of products. That is why we've chosen these as our primary product line. 2.) We were able to find one review where AlcoHawk and AlcoMate were directly compared by someone other than a breathalyzer retailer. They (Popular Mechanics) concluded that the AlcoMate Prestige (similar to the AlcoMate Premium but without the convenience of pre-calibrated sensor modules) was big, expensive, and very accurate. Unfortunately there was no comparison of the AlcoScan and AlcoHawk products, which are more comparable to one another on price. 3.) Breathalyzers, even the very affordable models, can be used in concert with BAC Tables and common sense. If, under controlled conditions, your breathalyzer matches your predicted BAC per BAC tables, then you'll have some confidence in the readings it gives you under less controlled circumstances, such as towards the end of an evening where you haven't necessarily been keeping track of every drink's exact alcohol content. 4.) We advocate using a comfortable margin of error. Even though the FDA certified breathalyzers are accurate to +/- 0.01% BAC, we don't recommend driving at or above 0.05%. In fact, we won't drive until our reading is at or below 0.02%. Keep in mind that, while 0.08% is the legal limit in most states, NHTSA has shown that even at 0.05% your chance of a fatal accident increases eleven-fold. |
