I decided to purchase this probe because My experience with Fluke's products has been sincere. I mean, I have used other two brands before apart from Fluke (Greenlee and another red-one), the probes are useful but the continual use damage the switch/clip plus the red-one uses button alkaline batteries (LR-44 expensive!!!). This tool in solid, a clear sound and/or light shows the presence of an electric current and uses 2 AAA batteries. Many times with other tools the sensibility to real electricity was uncertain, simple neutral wires carrying no return load showed current alert because of electric induction. I don't need false alarms everywhere, so better to assume that everything is hot and save the money or use a voltage tester. This tool has a digital switch and it can differentiate between a neutral and a hot wire just 1 inch apart. I don't trust my life to any person at all (but God), but I accept the readings this probe shows as accurate and reliable, for more than that use a probe voltage tester of a respected brand. I haven't seen any better volt alert than this one so far. Fluke 1AC-A1-II Volt-Alert AC Non-Contact Voltage Tester
It's funny how if like myself, you research about every single purchase online before buying. I did this with this very item and was dumbfounded at how at every single source, this item was given either the very highest or 2nd highest review able to be given. All except one single person both here and at one other retailer site. I am NOT an electrician, do not understand it so all the more reason I needed guidance. But as a person who worked in the automotive repair Field for over 22 years before I retired, I knew ALL my techs would only buy this particular brand of tester for whichever application we needed to test.
Well low & behold, I went to the manufacturers own website which CLEARLY stated (and addressed) the single dissenters "complaints" or questions regarding use of this tool. I could only assume he was unable to follow the clearly stated instruction (NOT in any way "buried"). I bought the unit and first time out of the box went to work on an overhead garage light. My wife told me she tried replacing a burned out bulb with 2 others and we needed to call a garage repair tech since the socket was DEAD. Took this tester and found it showed to actually have power. Hmmm.....So who would guess the wife had pulled out a paper bag from out closet with several bad supposedly new bulbs? Kept trying till I got one that worked. Saved me an $80.00 plus service call 1st day.
The Christmas tree lights was the same story finding & isolating bad bulb and not wasting money for a whole new set. Now, regarding a single complaint about wanting a green light for one thing, red for another for safety> Well for someone like myself who is NOT educated in electricity and the like, I actually prefer always a RED light that reacts differently to different circumstances. It makes me too scared to drop my guard and get careless.
So there you have it, a completely NON professional review by an old guy scared to death of getting zapped. But this paid for itself the first 5 minutes and before I even read the instructions. In fact, I haven't since getting it. It is so OBVIOUS when you simply turn it off & on, how the beeper/buzzer works nobody should ever need any instructions! Really, i have no clue and it was so obvious to me, it was a cakewalk! This brand is trusted by more tradespeople than any brand I know for test equipment. I am glad I took a chance. I love this simple, easy to use, reliable, durable, with EASY to replace batteries device. Shocking huh?
I have used several different voltage testers; this one is the best. The tip flashes periodically when the tester is powered on, which turns out to be convenient. The tester powers off automatically after a (long-ish) period of time and gives an audible 'beep' when it does so that you know that it powered itself off. The unit is ruggedly built.
But most importantly the tester is very reliable at its primary job -- detecting the presence of an electric potential. The unit is sensitive enough to allow you to even tell which side of an NM cable has the hot wire. The tip fits perfectly into the hot side of a receptacle and can beep continuously while inserted thus allowing you to take off to another room to find the appropriate breaker (or otherwise remove the potential) when working alone.
This tester costs a little more than some, however, it does everything well and is worth the extra versus the cheaper units.
This is the only volt alert I would use and trust. It is a quality product that has lasted me for over 5 years so far. It is sensitive, accurate, durable and has a handy clip when you slide it in your pocket. The auto shutoff is nice (with an audible alert to let you know it's turning itself off). The illuminated tip is good for dark places like an attic. I'm getting one for my brother and father as gifts. I wouldn't trust any brand other than Greenlee and Fluke. I think all others are dangerous and a waste of money.
This is a tool everyone should have who works in any form of construction, form renovation of a house to industrial equipment installations (below appropriate operating voltages of course). It does not take much current to cause harm, with this you will always verify that power is de-energized without having to trust those panel directory cards etc.
Pros:
Low Cost, High reliability, heartbeat light to tell you it is on and functioning, lightweight, small, portable.
Cons:
None, this does everything I would have expected it to do. Don't expect too much out of it and I would NOT use it as a circuit tracer. If you want to do circuit tracing, get a real tracing kit, which are more expensive but vastly more useful for that operation.
This (or any non-contact voltage tester) is a must-have for anyone who has to work with, or near wiring. The audible signal makes this an ideal tool for finding the circuit breaker to an outlet in another room. Simple and safe to use. Periodic flashing when "on" is a very convenient feature that makes it almost second nature to use when you've got other things on your mind than "did I leave this on or off"? This little item has already "saved my bacon" a few times... well, maybe "saved my sanity" is more accurate, it can really take out a lot of confusion when dealing with several circuits and you don't remember which ones are live. - Voltage Testers - Scanners - Cool Tools - Tools'
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