The Best Breathalyzers (Reviewed & Tested) in 2020

What to Look for When Buying a Personal Breathalyzer

There are a number of things for you to look out for when you are choosing a personal breathalyzer.

• What technology do they use? Most alcohol breath analyzers use fuel cells and these are very accurate. It may be best to avoid the semiconductor breathalyzers as these are really just toys and cannot be relied upon.
• Do they need to be calibrated? All breathalyzers need to be calibrated to remain accurate. However, you obviously cannot use the device whilst it is back at the manufacturers being calibrated and this can be annoying. You can get around this by choosing a device that has a removable cell. You simply order another one and change them over. All units come ready-calibrated and ready to use.
• How are the results displayed? Most devices have a four-figure digital readout. They usually have back-lit LED screens that are easy to read. It is important that you choose a device that gives fast results that are displayed clearly. The best breathalyzers give a result in 10-15 seconds.
• Size of the device. The whole point of these devices is that they are portable. You must be able to pop it in your pocket or in your purse so that you can take it with you on a night out. It helps if the mouthpiece folds in and if the case is robust.
• It would be good to look for a device that has multiple mouthpieces so that you can share your device with your friends without the risk of passing on germs.
• Compatible with a smartphone. You may like the idea of using your device with a smartphone. All you have to do is download an app and the results will be displayed on your phone. Often the last 10 readings are also recorded.
• Time to zero. Many devices will give you an estimate of how long it will be before your alcohol levels return to zero. However, you should always test again to make sure.
• Approved by agencies. Look for devices that are approved by the Department of Transportation and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration and the FDA.

Why You Should Consider Buying a Breathalyzer Test

Driving under the influence of alcohol is a serious offense in the US and is an irresponsible thing to do. When you drink and drive, you are risking your own life and the lives of others.

An alcohol breath analyzer is a very handy gadget to have around. Here are some of the main reasons that people buy them:

• They save lives

Every 45 minutes a drunk driver kills someone in the USA. These devices can save lives.

• They prevent fines

The average fine for drink driving is around $480 but this rises to thousands of dollars when fees and other fines are added. This will cause a serious dent in anyone’s budget. You could also end up in jail.

• They tell you when you are sober

You may still be over the limit the day after drinking a lot of alcohol. These devices tell you exactly when it is safe for you to get back behind the wheel.

• They remove the guesswork

No-one can actually tell if they are over the legal limit for alcohol without a breathalyzer. You may feel in control but your judgment is impaired after you have been drinking.

• They are more accurate than counting units

You may think that you are fine to drive because you have consumed below the legal limit but everyone’s body is different. Your age, weight, body composition and gender all influence your blood alcohol levels. One person could be over the limit after one beer but the person sitting next to them will not. These devices give you accurate information.

• They inform your decision

All states in the US currently adopt 0.08% as the legal limit for driving. However, you may prefer to avoid driving at a much lower level. This is a moral decision and these devices give you accurate results to inform that decision.

Types of Breathalyzers

Breathalyzer tests have undergone significant improvements since the early days of breath alcohol detection. There are now three main types available.

• Electrochemical fuel cell analyzers

These devices use an electrical current to detect the alcohol levels in a breath sample. There are two electrodes with the cell. One is made of gold and platinum and this is where any alcohol in the sample is oxidized into acetic acid. The more alcohol there is, the more electrons will be produced by this reaction.  In turn, the more electrons there are, the greater the electric current that will flow to the other electrode.

The size of the electric current is displayed on a dial or as a digital display. The fuel cells are very small and require little power to make them work. Therefore, they are highly suitable for personal portable devices. Another advantage is that the result does not get influenced by contaminants such as acetone (an issue for diabetics), carbon monoxide or toluene. They also last for around five years. In terms of disadvantages, they are expensive to manufacture and cannot detect if the breath that has been tested came from deep in the lungs. You could possibly get a false positive if you have very recently drunk alcohol and the sample alcohol is therefore from your saliva and not from your blood.

• Infrared optical sensor analyzer

This is essentially an infrared spectrometer. They identify chemicals within a sample of air by measuring the way that molecules absorb infrared light.

Ethanol (alcohol) molecules are known to absorb a certain wavelength of infrared radiation. The more of that wavelength is absorbed, the more alcohol in the sample. Then a photocell produces an electrical pulse which varies according to how much of that wavelength of infrared has been absorbed. A microprocessor matches the electrical pulse with BAC level and gives a reading.

This type of alcohol test is the most accurate breathalyzer and will not get confused by mouth alcohol. Because they are so accurate, they are used in court cases and will work for many years as long as they are calibrated. The disadvantage is that they are large and not portable.

Some breathalyzers used by enforcement agencies at their bases are both infrared and electrochemical sensors to ensure total accuracy.

• Semiconductor analyzers

As the name suggests, these breathalyzers have a semiconductor inside them which produces a small electrical current. When alcohol reaches the semiconductor, it alters the resistivity and changes the current. The bigger the change, the more alcohol there is in the sample. The results can be variable though and they are sensitive to climate, altitude and cigarette smoke to name a few. On the plus side, they are cheap to make and have been widely used in personal breathalyzers.

How Do Breathalyzers Work?

When you drink alcohol (ethanol) it enters your bloodstream. As you breathe out, a small amount leaves your bloodstream, enters the air in your lungs and leaves the body in your breath. The more alcohol you have in your blood, the more ethanol there will be in your breath.

Breathalyzers used to detect the level of alcohol using a type of spectrometer which absorbs infrared radiation at different wavelengths. Alcohol has a particular infrared signature that could be detected. However, modern breathalyzers rely on an electrochemical process. It oxidizes the alcohol and makes an electrical current between two electrodes. The larger the current the higher the concentration of alcohol. The concentration of alcohol is usually displayed on a screen.

Best Breathalyzers FAQ:

Q:  How accurate are they?

A:  This depends on the type of portable breathalyzer that you buy. The semiconductor types are generally considered to be little more than a novelty toy. However, the fuel cell breathalyzers are highly accurate provided that they are calibrated properly.

If you buy a device that is approved by all the law enforcement agencies you can be satisfied that they will give you an accurate result.

Q: How do I use my breath alcohol tester?

A:  Full instructions will always be provided with the breathalyzer. Wait for at least 20 minutes after eating or drinking anything before you test. Do not use alcohol-based mouthwashes at this time and avoid testing in high wind or enclosed spaces. Never blow smoke into the mouthpiece, as it will damage the sensor.

The instructions usually direct you to attach a mouthpiece to the portable breathalyzer, press and release a button and when the unit is ready, blow into the mouthpiece. It takes around four seconds for most devices to collect enough air. They may indicate this with a sound. Within a few seconds, you will have a readout of the result on a screen.

Q:  Can I cheat a breathalyzer?

A:  The simple answer is don’t ever try to do this because it is dangerous. There have been various myths over the years that you can cheat a breathalyzer by drinking coffee or putting a coin under your tongue but these are false. There is some truth in the idea that hyperventilating before the test will work but that is not recommended.

Q:  How often should I calibrate my breathalyzer?

A: All breathalyzers will arrive calibrated and ready to use. The manufacturer will give instructions on how often they should be calibrated and you usually have to send the unit away to get this done. It is very important to ensure that the device is correctly calibrated to guarantee accuracy. Most need to be calibrated once every 12 months or more often if they are used very frequently.

Some models no longer need to be calibrated. Instead, you can order another precalibrated unit to fit into the device. The advantage is that you do not have to do without the device whilst it is being sent away.

Q:  Who invented the breathalyzer?

A:  It wasn’t until the large-scale manufacture of vehicles in the early 1900s that the issue of drinking and driving came to light. New York was the first place to introduce drink driving laws but measuring a person’s level of intoxication was difficult. All the police could do was make a guess based on things like bloodshot eyes, the smell of alcohol on the breath and testing if the driver could walk in a straight line. In 1927, a scientist called Emil Bogen started some research into detecting levels of alcohol in the air. This formed the foundations of breath alcohol concentration (BrAC) testing and relating it to blood alcohol concentration (BAC). By 1938, an early prototype of the breathalyzer called a drunk-o-meter had been invented by Professor Rolla Harger at Indiana University.

However, it was 1954 before another scientist, Robert Borkenstein, built on this early work to make a portable breathalyzer test. His basic design has been gradually improved over the years to reach the cutting-edge breathalyzer technology that we see today.

Sources:

1. How Breathlyzers Work - How Stuff Works
2. How Does a Breathlyzer Test Work - Forbes