Customer Reviews

BreathKey Keychain Breathalyzer - World's Smallest Breath Alcohol Tester

5 star:		(28)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

The "Breathkey" is a very compact, light and convenient device. It seems accurate and gives me a reading in line with how I feel. It reads out in thousandths of a percent - there's a world of difference between 0.081% and 0.079% in terms of a DUI. I like it more the longer I own it. I have just purchased a second BreathKey to keep in my car, whilst the other one lives in my briefcase. I live in the Sonoma Wine Country and go on a lot of tastings. I now find I spit much more wine than I'll swallow.

(As an aside, I have a "friend" who suggests it's small enough to keep in my "pocket protector" with all of my pens.)

Caveats-

1) I've noticed that the first result often differs from subsequent results, so I always test twice and believe the highest reading.

2) You must wait 20 minutes after you finish a drink to use it. The residual alcohol in your mouth will otherwise give a false high reading (as would, I assume, a police unit).

2) If you get the error message, "blow hard" or, "blow long" it's for the next test, not the one you're doing.

3) It seems to take a rather long time (30 to 45 seconds) to reset between tests, this is only an issue if you have multiple people testing.

Summary-

I think my reservations and hence 4, instead of 5, stars may be true of all such devices, not just the Breathkey. If that's correct, this should be a 5 star review.

The unit is accurately calibrated right out of the box and remains accurate for 6 to 12 months, at which time you return it with $12, or so, for recalibration.

Perhaps the best thing about an accurate breathalyzer is developing a sense for your BAC from how you feel. It's interesting to me that I begin to feel a "buzz" at 0.04%; half of the legal limit. I turn my keys over to a non drinker whenever I feel any "buzz" at all. It's also interesting to see how sloooowly the alcohol wears off.

Another point about alcohol and driving is that even though you may be below the "legal" limit, if you have an accident and found to have any alcohol in your system, you now have a significantly higher exposure to prosecution, and diminished latitude in mounting a defense. Facts are facts, no?

I think this breathalyzer is excellent! The results are right where I expected them to be depending on how much I had to drink. Much better than a DUI!

I have two suggestions for getting an accurate reading:
1. Do not take a deep breath before blowing into the breathalyzer. All that extra air will dilute the alcohol vapor that goes into the analyzer.
2. When blowing into the breathalyzer, try your best to capture the end of your breath. That will give you a much more accurate reading. Think about it . . . it makes sense . . . you would want to measure the alcohol deep in your lungs to get the best results. I've tried it using the first part of my breath one day and got a reading of .056, a minute later, using the "deep lung" air, the reading was .078. Trust me . . . the cops will take the "deep lung" air for the test if you're pulled over.

I purchased this Breathalyzer over others, as its accuracy is FDA certified. The fuel sensor is the same used by police and the battery is long lasting. When I tried it, I was stupefied by the results. After turning on the button, it simply asks you to WAIT, then it will beep and ask you to BLOW into the small hole for four seconds (four beeps) until a solid beep occurs. After a minute or so, your test results will appear. I intentionally measured two shots of vodka with a tall soda mix and drank it over a 30-minute time slot. Then I waited 20 minutes. My blood alcohol level was 0.11 and I felt absolutely sober! 0.08 is the legal limit in most states. Your blood alcohol will not change if you eat or drink water or coffee. Only time will eliminate alcohol from your system. It took nearly 70 minutes before I was under 0.08. That was very scary. I checked my blood alcohol several times and the results were very steady. I would advise getting this device and showing your friends their results.

Many reviews of these FST say that the readings were varied. As a cop myself, many people do not know that you must wait 20 minutes from your last sip or drink to get an accurate reading. So keep that in mind when buying this product. For the most part, a majority of these FST's are accurate, if you use them correctly.

Upon receiving this product my wife and I had a little test session and found this to be rather unreliable. While it is cheap and really convenient and small, we would get very different readings on subsequent breaths using the recommended techniques (trying to capture the end of our breaths and not blowing very hard) and, more often than not, in the wrong direction. After we both drank 4 shots and waited a half-an-hour (purely for research sake. . .) only once out of several tries did it correctly tell us that we were over the legal limit - often telling us that we were far under (the majority of the results ranged from .02 to .06). I would suggest going with something a little more accurate and likely more expensive if you are rely on the device.

Inexpensive, compact, easy to use. The best way yet to prove to myself that perhaps I shouldn't be driving. I am very conservative about driving after drinking ... but how many times have I been at a party, managed the cocktails to "1 per hour", and then wondered if I've crossed the line during the evening. My 'perfect' self discipline has been easily confirmed several times with the breath key. Great device - and FDA approved - 1st class! My business associates will find a very useful 'corporate gift' this year - before the Christmas/New Year's parties begin.

I ordered this product as a gift to my 22 year old son. Being the age he is, he tends to go out drinking with his friends so I thought it would be a good idea. I researched similar products but I was very particular with what I wanted: small, fits on a keychain, no accessories needed to use, easy to carry on you at all times, etc. Another important feature I wanted was a breathalyzer which would read out down to the 100th number. I didn't want drunk/not drunk nor a .08 reading vs .07, I wanted .071 or .079 as there is a big difference when deciding on having 'just one more'. This is the only product I found with all the features I wanted! Regardless of price! My son has had it now for about a month and loves having it! Not to mention all the other party goers want to use it also which is wonderful! Anything to keep the roads and our kids safer! I would highly recommend this product to anyone looking for a good breathalyzer!

I read reviews from other breathalyzers and there is one thing in common: They all need to be recalibrated after 6 months. I have no idea how to recalibrate, nor do I really know if it needs recalibrating. So, it appears, any device you buy is really only guaranteed for six months. This little guy does the trick and it's half the price and 1/4 the size. Anyway, it works for me and I am happy with the purchase.

I really like this product. it does what is says it will. It's pretty cool to quantify how drunk you are, to see how fast you get drunk, and most useful how quickly you sober up. By the way the upper limit of .2 is plenty high. I love this thing.

At first I was a frustrated that "lifetime battery" meant you just can't change it, and it will last a few years. I've heard from one of their representatives that if you send it in for recalibration, they will replace the battery, which you cannot replace yourself. So that is inconvenient, but not the worst thing ever. After hearing this I've edited my review; however, I cannot edit my star-rating. Oh well.

The main reason I bought this gadget was to ensure that my BAC was zero the morning after a night of drinking. Although the accuracy is a little sketchy, it gives a good ballpark BAC and I trust it when it says zero, which is all the peace of mind I need. I don't recommend buying this so you can drink then drive, thinking you are under the legal limit. It's not accurate enough for that, not to mention that would just be a stupid plan!