Customer Reviews

BACtrack S75 Pro Breathalyzer

5 star:		(17)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

I decided to purchase the S75 after my sister gave me an old breathalyzer she had received from Sharper Image or a store like it. I definitely saw the value in using a breathalyzer when going out and having any amount of alcohol to drink, but the results I got were all over the map, so I questioned its accuracy. That meant it was time for a new purchase!

I checked out a number of brands and models of Breathalyzers and went with the S75. This model is one of the "professional" models from Bactrack, so it's the same technology used by law enforcement. More than the fact that sounds good -- it really works! I have used it - actually I have purposely tested it, in different circumstances and over time and results are accurate and consistent. It's easy to use and small enough to stash away at home or in the glove compartment - highly recommended!

I am very pleased with my purchase of the S75 breathalyzer. I have cross-checked it with a police breathalyzer and was amazed at its accuracy and that the general public can get their hands one for such a reasonable price. Highly recommended!

In my city, DUI arrests and convictions have sky-rocketed, to the point where we logged four times as many last year than did our neighboring cities. In some of the higher-profile cases, the offenders stated they didn't feel impaired and didn't realize they had enough to drink to cause an illegal reading. I decided I'd better find out at what point I would register as an illegal driver and set about researching the various breathalyzer units to find one inexpensive enough for me to purchase while accurate enough to be useful. Many of the less expensive ones were reported as inaccurate and measuring significantly different numbers within a space of a few minutes. Fuel cell technology vs semiconductor technology was the hot topic, with semiconductor technology being proclaimed less accurate and fuel cell technology being the type used by police departments. The BACTrack S75 Pro offered fuel cell technology and positive consumer reviews.

I have been delighted with the device. It reliably produces the same reading if measurements are taken within a few minutes of each other, and its readings are in line with the numbers expected according to software BAC calculators found on internet websites. It allows the user to read the results in several different units of measure: mg/L, BAC (which is g/210L), ug/L, mg/100mL, and promille. BAC is the unit of measure used in DUI laws here. The unit of measure on my BACTrack had been set to mg/L for my first test, which produced a reading of 0.18 - more than twice the legal measurement of 0.08 - after a single beer! After digging into the user guide I discovered the problem, set the BACTrack mode to display BAC units and obtained the more reasonable reading of .037.

I consider the purchase of the BACTrack 75S Pro to be one of my smarter moves.

This latest BACtrack Breathalyzer is very accurate (giving you the extra decimal of precision). Additionally, the calibration time has been shortened from the earlier models, which is nice when multiple people want to get quick readings before driving home. Recommended for anyone who wants to get a reliable result from their Breathalyzer quickly.

Working in the court system, I would highly recommend this. First, you need to know your BAC if you're going to go out, then drive. Too many arrests. That being said, this unit is easy to use, easy to read, gives accurate readings. It should be recalibrated once a year. It fits nicely in my purse. In less than 20 seconds, I have a really good idea what my BAC is. This is the second one I own, first one is BACtrack B70, which needed recalibration after less than 6 months, probably because all my friends were using it to check their BAC. It's really worth every penny. I also recommend B70.

After testing this out a couple nights in a row, it seems to be extremely precise. I finally have a breathalyzer of comparable or better quality than ones the cops use.

Been using it for about a year and.....

THE GOOD: It is extremely accurate. It has allowed me to become pretty good at recognizing when I need to stop drinking. From using it religiously when I go out I can now tell when I'm a .06 before ever touching the device. Yep, I'll "feel" something and I'll stop drinking. When I check on the BACtrack some 10 to 20 minutes later I get a .06 reading - or thereabouts. Very nice! It has been a real lifesaver. No guess work or math to do. When I "feel" the alcohol, it's time to stop drinking and know that I'm under the limit and gonna blow something around a .06. Or it's time to handover the keys and keep drinking.

THE BAD (& reason it doesn't get 5 stars): It seems like I can never blow in it correctly the first time, but my wife can. Yea, I know that sounds like a dirty joke, haha. Seriously though, I get a "flow" error almost every single FIRST time. My wife, never a problem. But by the second or third try it will register. So, somewhat annoying. Also, waiting 10 to 20 minutes is a bit annoying too.

HOWEVER, I praise the BACtrack for this little bit of info it has given us quite consistently - We have discovered that I "feel" a little bit of the alcohol effects when I'm at about a .06 to .07 and that I sense or feel no effects below that. My wife, on the other hand, is sloshed at levels as low as .05. Interesting. We all know that BAC is not a perfect measure of intoxication and that alcohol affects men and women differently. Now we know, in our case, just what the correlation and differences are. Pretty cool (and safe) to know!

Great product. I recommend it for anyone who drinks. We keep it in the car and I think I'm gonna order another for the other vehicle. An easy way to be safe.

Had high hopes for this unit, we party a great deal and I am sure I have driven home over the limit even if I "knew I could do it". My life and wife were not worth taking chances, so I got this to make 100% sure I am qualified to drive. Where we live public transportation to party is not an option. When it works it is accurate, easy to use and gives repeatable results. However, I often get flow errors no matter how hard or soft I blow, despite changing many settings. I would have rated it lower except only I get the flow errors, and with patience I eventually get it to work. If not for this inconvenience, I would have given it five stars. I recommend it highly, and urge you to consider if the price of a good quality unit - $100 or so premium over crap worth the consequences of getting an inaccurate unit. Unless you are getting it as a gag device, you may make some pretty serious, potentially life altering decisions based on the results this unit gives you. Think about it.

My S75 Pro is somewhat accurate if you add about .02 to the BAC it displays. This company really needs to work on calibrating these units. I would not drive until it displays at least .06 or lower at least ½ hour after my last drink.

Being in the law enforcement sector, I procured a real breathalyzer; an Intoximeters Alco-Sensor III (the industry standard from St. Louis, MO), a $600+ unit. Then ran a little experiment including: 8 regular beers (4-5% ABV) and a 210 lb male over a four hour period. After 14 readings with both units (every ten minutes or 20 minutes after last consumption-this allows for evaporation of vaporous alcohol in the mouth and esophagus which would give a falsely high reading) ranging from .021 to .136BAC, the average differential was .01-.02 with the Alco-Sensor reading up to .025 higher than the BACtrack. Only 1 out of 14 readings was higher (+.008) on the BACtrack than the Alco-Sensor.

Well, you get what you pay for. This Korean made unit priced well into the consumer market level gives inaccurate, yet consistent readings. From browsing the other reviews, I would make a safe bet that any BACtrack unit reads lower than actual BAC. If you don't double the level it displays, I would at least add .02
This means waiting around at least an hour after your BACtrack displays your state's legal limit (.08, or .10 for some states)

The machine does everything it says. The only thing I would add is they don't tell you you have to wait 20 minutes after EATING or DRINKING or SMOKING before blowing into the breathalyzer, otherwise it can give false results. It does state this in the little booklet that came with it but I wish I had known this before I bought it. I'm not a smoker but many people who are, I'm sure won't want to wait 20 minutes after smoking to check their BAC. Also, a lot of times you may be leaving dinner and don't want to have to sit there 20 minutes to figure out if you blow over the legal limit or not. Or if you're out drinking trying to enjoy yourself, you'll have to wait 20 minutes, test yourself to see if you can have another drink or not. It seems very accurate and everything else about the machine, I'm totally satisfied with.