BACtrack S80 Breathalyzer | Professional-Grade Accuracy | DOT & NHTSA Approved | FDA 510(k) Cleared | Portable Breath Alcohol Tester for Personal & Professional Use

will SAVE YOU if you misbehave

good

OK let me just say the obvious - don't drink and drive - good, that is out of the waySo I purchased this device after being stopped a few weeks back by the local gendarme. I had been out to dinner with a co-worker, had a few glasses of wine, and was heading home, when we were stopped for speeding. It happens. I was asked to exit the vehicle for field sobriety tests, and for a breath sample - now, most people know a handheld unit by the side of the road is only an indicator, not something admissible, but I blew anyway, came a hair under the .08 limit (.058 actually), was warned I could be charged with impaired operation, and generally just had the shit scared out of me. Ultimately we were let go.It got me thinking - I always considered these to be for someone intent on beating a DUI by measuring their BAC, but I never thought of the multiple times over the years, I simply lost track of that shot of bourbon, or that glass of wine - not out to get buzzed, just out perhaps after work for a few with friends, and how many times apparently, I may have been close to or even over the limit without even knowing. Scary stuff - and to those who say 'even one drink is too many', I agree, but the reality is, most of us do it from time to time, so I'm not playing the moral compass here.So everyone online, including online tests by enGadget, Wirecutter and the rest kept mentioning this slick little unit. After much research, I grabbed one, just to make a determination of where I was heading out - the unanticipated side effect, was it also made me conscious of my intake. If I wasn't comfortable, regardless of the number, I always had Uber (which I love anyway). I paid 129.00 for the unit, and factored in calibration, which should be about every 6 months based on usage, and the fact it seems to be a popular thing among my friends, curious as to where they stand before leaving. AGAIN, it is just a reading - your BAC will continue to rise as your body processes alcohol on the way home if you have had a drink, so use it to make good decisions, nothing more.SO ... things I like about this one? NHTSA and DOT approved, single button operation, long battery life (1500 reads if what I read is correct), fuel cell sensor, compact, and fast - once you blow, you get most readings in 5-10 seconds, and can do a follow up test almost immediately. The screen is big, backlit, and easy to use - and one thing I NEVER imagined? It's a great conversation starter - not to be shallow, but the girls will come to YOU, and it's fun to talk to them about it - oh so blame me! lol I'm single.Other things I like? the great little padded carrying case which holds everything you need, the supplied mouthpieces, and yea even silly things like the fact the give you a pair of Duracell 'copper top' Batteries and not some cheap throwaways.If there are CONS I haven't seen them yet, but it's early - like anything else, this is just a tool nothing more. It arrived well packaged, and the next day from Amazon, has a one year warranty, and is consistently rated the best in its category.One last item of interest ... I showed this to my co-worker who was in the car originally. She reached into her purse laughing and ... pulled out an S80 (apparently she has owned one for the past year). She loves hers also.So in closing, if you are buying one because you like to go on benders, it's probably a better idea to re-evaluate why you go out, and/or download the Uber App to your phone - If you are wondering where your BAC is after dinner, want to check your teens, have an interlock in the car and want to avoid being locked out, or need to verify 0.000 each morning before going to a DOT job, this is the unit. Enjoy.Cons? I haven't found one yet, but give it time -

I need to have a means to check my BAC before driving. I am a very good driver - in almost 30 years, I have never so much as dented a car I was driving except the one time I was stopped at a traffic light and got rear-ended. That said, just because I think - even *know* - that "I can drive", the law may say otherwise. With limits reduced to a meager 0.08%, I am entirely positive I have driven over that limit before and I don't want that to happen again. I cannot afford a DUI.I shopped around and immediately discarded all of the cheap-o keychain options. I am not interested in fail/pass (read: alcohol present vs. not, at all) device. I want an accurate measurement. If I am at 0.08%, or above, I look to either find another mode of transportation or wait it out some, depending. In purchasing this device, I spent more than I had anticipated, but this is an occasion where quality cannot be sacrificed.It arrived quickly after ordering. Within the box was a nice carrying case, the device, an instruction booklet, a registration reminder, a pair of AA batteries, and a half-dozen individually sealed mouthpieces.I reviewed the instruction booklet. It is front-loaded with a few pages of general information RE: alcohol consumption. After that, there are a couple pages dedicated to the operation of the device. The instructions were stone-cold simple except for ONE thing. It made reference to pressing the "Power Button" which is, in fact, the "Start" button. I took a measurement and it seemed to operate just fine, registering a solid 0.00% result, which is good since it is still the middle of the afternoon and I am not an alcoholic.The device is solidly built and everything fits nicely in the case, which zippers shut. It can easily fit in one of the several storage cubbies in our car. I intend to throw a spare set of batteries in there and leave it in the vehicle.Anyway, my wife and I have an active social life and, quite often, it involves some booze. I'll probably be using this device once a week. I will update this review with tales of "actual usage" as they unfold. I may just "calibrate" it tonight, for kicks.There is nothing I see, so far, though that renders this anything less than a five star product. Only tips are: Have spare batteries. Register the product online (takes 30 seconds). Wait 20 minutes after your last drink before expecting an accurate measurement. Be prepared to send it off for calibration once a year. That should do it.Good luck and stay safe and out of trouble!EDIT: The night I purchased the device, I drank some beers and measured the results. They were exactly what I expected them to be. Measuring after waiting 20 minutes after each beer yielded increasing results. I did this for eight beers. About two hours after no longer drinking, the results started to go downward. I am confident I will not only have a good measurement when it comes time to drive, but I will also develop a better sense of what different levels of buzzed/drunk translate to in terms of raw BAC numbers...and how long those numbers take to diminish after stopping drinking for the evening. This is good information to have.EDIT2: After using this device for some months, I absolutely love it. I have basically trained myself to enjoy the evening, but end it under the legal limit. When I go to the car, I check my level and, almost without fail, I am able to predict what it is within 0.005...just based upon what I have consumed and how I feel. No more guesswork. No more risk. I cannot recommend this enough. I have had friends witness my use of the device (and the eerie accuracy of my predictions..."I feel like about a 0.065"...BOOM!) and they have been quite impressed. Hopefully the behavior will rub off on a few of them and they, too, will render themselves immune to unnecessary trouble.EDIT3: 6/26/2015. Well, some nasty person broke into my Jeep Wrangler while I was attending a rock concert with my son, destroyed my locked glove compartment (but couldn't get it open), cracked open the locked middle console, and stole my BACtrack S80 (among other things). I just ordered $800 worth of Tuffy gear (secure glove compartment, middle console, and rear compartment), so that's not going to happen again, but, more pertinent to this product, I am purchasing the same exact BACtrack S80, again. That is how good it is. Meh. It was up for calibration, anyway.

Llego en buen tiempo y en perfecto estado.