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"my only gripe is that you have to buy the next model up at an extra £100 to be able to download the readings to a computer"

"very very confusing"

"anyway it's extremely accurate tested against my policeman mate's machine and really depressing"

"28 resolves the time stamp issue"

"bought this product after reading many other reviews on other similar products and choose it based on reviews written about this particular one although i thought it was a very pricey item i based that against the cost of losing my licence and jumped in"

"i bought this recently having previously owned a cheap alcohol tester that gave out very spurious readings that i didn't have a lot of confidence in"

"the one thing that did irritate me is the lack of blow tubes in the pack 5 is very stingy considering i've spent 150 quid 3 times what i did last time it's just annoying and a way of getting some more cash out of you"

"if you go for a cheap alternative then i would say you’re putting yourself at risk trusting something unreliable and so potentially misleading puts you in a worse position overall"

"only annoying thing is that it is more 'bulky' than my old one and i now have to find a suitable case!"

"for me it’s a morning after double check and emphatically not a tool to take it to the limit before getting in the car"

"years ago i tried a cheap no brand unit based on semiconductor technology that told me i was under the limit despite clearly being in a state where i wouldn’t trust myself with anything more dangerous than a butter knife… anyway this unit offers a decent sized fuel cell sensor the ability to vary the limit for different jurisdictions and an annual at a reasonable cost calibration service"

"if you go for a cheap alternative then i would say you’re putting yourself at risk trusting something unreliable and so potentially misleading puts you in a worse position overall"

"one can set the limit to whatever one choses and as i work in an industry with zero tolerance to alcohol it's reassuring to know that one is clear first thing in the morning"

"don't waste your money on cheap units as the whole point is accuracy and prevention of problems"

"may not be the lowest priced fuel cell device but also not the most expensive so good value for what it is"

"what scared us was that he felt fine and had driven into work on numerous occasions before"

"if you go for a cheap alternative then i would say you’re putting yourself at risk trusting something unreliable and so potentially misleading puts you in a worse position overall"

"can’t think of a single negative"

"the only criticism would be the ribbon cable that connects the two parts of the unit is a weak point in design and ultimately prone to failure having taken a broken unit apart to see what the poem was"

"when done the unit beeps and makes a click i assume the inlet blocking to prevent too large a sample and you read the results in your chosen units against a simple traffic light background"

"i still felt drunk the next day so didn't want to get in my car and spent the whole day walking everywhere"

"it also gives a time to zero estimate that turned out to be pretty much on the money for me"

"you cannot however breath in to the device during your night of drinking or certainly soon after finishing a drinking session as you could damage the device or it could give a false read so it is no good for knowing if you are under directly after you have had a couple of drinks etc all of this to be fair is explained and the logic behind it regarding the way the human body deals with processing alcohol so that is not a limitation to the device but more a limitation about our bodies"

"firstly do not buy cheap breathalysers unless you are just using them for fun they are worse than not using them at all the last thing you need is to be lulled into a false sense of security!"

"i've always worked on the principle being 6' 4" and 17 stones of 1 pint just about ok to drive 2 pints borderline so don't even think about it"

"don't waste your money on cheap units as the whole point is accuracy and prevention of problems"

"appears to be a quality product instructions suggest that you do not use for at least 90mins after drinking in order to get an accurate reading and that if you take a reading too soon you may damage sensor surely the whole point is to be able to take a reading shortly after having a few drinks otherwise"

"i don’t know because i have not been tested by the police and would rather not be"

"apparently the unit is designed to over read slightly as there is always a + margin of error so the displayed value is slid upward to ensure no under reads"

"i delayed my review so i could thoroughly test this breathalyser"

"firstly do not buy cheap breathalysers unless you are just using them for fun they are worse than not using them at all the last thing you need is to be lulled into a false sense of security!"

"made life worry free"

"bought this product after reading many other reviews on other similar products and choose it based on reviews written about this particular one although i thought it was a very pricey item i based that against the cost of losing my licence and jumped in"

"she was profoundly upset although she knew that people can have alcohol in their system the next day she assumed that was heavy drinkers"

"ordered the model down from this but was upgraded to the pro model at no extra expense have used this 12 times and very impressed blew into machine with 4 pints of lager and gave a very accurate reading not only that it tells how long you have to wait till sober or under the limit easy to use arrived"

"feels very soild and really like the blow display that was lacking on cheeper unist so you know your doing it right"

"years ago i tried a cheap no brand unit based on semiconductor technology that told me i was under the limit despite clearly being in a state where i wouldn’t trust myself with anything more dangerous than a butter knife… anyway this unit offers a decent sized fuel cell sensor the ability to vary the limit for different jurisdictions and an annual at a reasonable cost calibration service"

"love this machine friend of mine recently lost the license and it really put the shits up me i do like a glass of wine it usually stop drinking quite early say 9 pm could easily drink 2 bottles and on a weekend maybe a bit more feelingok the next day piss head yes i know need to cut that down ummed and arred for a couple of weeks"

"it just removes uncertainty!"

"you can update the software using a supplied usb cable although a required driver is not digitally signed so my computer refuses to install it"

"apparently the unit is designed to over read slightly as there is always a + margin of error so the displayed value is slid upward to ensure no under reads"

"it takes the uncertainty out of driving the morning after"

"bought this as i could no longer trust my ‘costco’ issue unit"

"there lies the problem"

"im more than happy with this product and wouldnt hesitate to recommend it especially for people who like a decent drink"

"there is absolutely no excuse for drink driving and with this you can know with confidence that you are beyond reproach in terms of alcohol"

"there is absolutely no excuse for drink driving and with this you can know with confidence that you are beyond reproach in terms of alcohol"

"for me it’s a morning after double check and emphatically not a tool to take it to the limit before getting in the car"

"this is essential in my opinion as i am undergoing problems with an employee with an alcohol problem"

"it is a british product having to comply to bs standards so i have more confidence in it than i would in a product from china or the far east"

"have notified the supplier expecting a response but no reply so have returned for a refund"

"a number of colleagues have lost their jobs due to this now if i still have alcohol in my system at 05:00 i can be a little late with few reprocussions"

"i had to contact alcosense with a small problem with the machine and the customer service was simply exceptional"

"has any one else had this problem"

"bought this as i could no longer trust my ‘costco’ issue unit"

"you can update the software using a supplied usb cable although a required driver is not digitally signed so my computer refuses to install it"

"you cannot however breath in to the device during your night of drinking or certainly soon after finishing a drinking session as you could damage the device or it could give a false read so it is no good for knowing if you are under directly after you have had a couple of drinks etc all of this to be fair is explained and the logic behind it regarding the way the human body deals with processing alcohol so that is not a limitation to the device but more a limitation about our bodies"

"only annoying thing is that it is more 'bulky' than my old one and i now have to find a suitable case!"

"the reading gives a blood alcohol value as well as a simple "red don't drive" "amber below legal limit" and "green low or no alcohol" indicator"

"i cannot genuinely comment on accuracy as i don't have a lab but the ease of use and interface is hands down better than all the cheaper units i've used as well as the older alcosense i owned which gave very little feedback on errors or mis reads"

"bought this after many write ups recommending this tester was happy with the product until we noticed that it ran out of calibration back in october surely they are not all like that"

"you cannot however breath in to the device during your night of drinking or certainly soon after finishing a drinking session as you could damage the device or it could give a false read so it is no good for knowing if you are under directly after you have had a couple of drinks etc all of this to be fair is explained and the logic behind it regarding the way the human body deals with processing alcohol so that is not a limitation to the device but more a limitation about our bodies"

"perfect for my needs i travel to a lot of festivals as you know sunday morning comes far to quick but i now know when i drive home i am legal and it may cost abit but not as much as the loss of you driving license"

"only quibble is the 'sober in' estimates seem to be off"

"i use it mostly as a morning after check but also if we go out for dinner and i have a glass or two of wine with a meal i check that i'm well under the limit: there is no excuse for driving under the influence"

"according to the specs it never under reads so if this tells you your ok to drive then you're ok"

"personally i only need it for the morning after as i’d never take the car out if i’m drinking so this gives me the piece of mind to just get on without having to worry about being stopped"

"i’ve had the cheaper ones and had no faith in them"

"slide the front panel up and insert a blow tube when "ready" appears blow into the tube a display guides you while you blow as to whether you are blowing too hard or too soft"

"i can slow my rate of intake to keep my reading safely below the limit"

"all publicans should have one to help their regular customers adjust their intake in order to enjoy the pub craic and be confident that they are legally below the limit"

"the one thing that did irritate me is the lack of blow tubes in the pack 5 is very stingy considering i've spent 150 quid 3 times what i did last time it's just annoying and a way of getting some more cash out of you"

"the only criticism would be the ribbon cable that connects the two parts of the unit is a weak point in design and ultimately prone to failure having taken a broken unit apart to see what the poem was"

"my only gripe is that the box was squashed on receipt and i am hoping that the breathalyser is ok obviously you can't test it !"

"made contact and replacement sent these having just over a year very disappointed"

"as we had so many of them i decided to try one out the morning after a heavy night i'm pretty sure i was over the very low legal drinking limit however the breathalyser said otherwise luckily i wasn't driving anyway and it was just out of interest"

"its pointless and stupid but ticks the box of being legal in france"

"bought to replace expired breathalysers in our car kit for our trip to europe next year"

"it replaces previous product from the same company that is now time expired"

"but i do feel unhappy about it"

"so we bought these as it is a twin pack because if you only have one and the police ask you to use it you are then illegal straightaway if you do not have another one!"

"closer to brexit and to my mind french authorities are more strict than ever"

"at the current time there's no fine so i won't be bothering again until france has sorted itself out in this respect"

"even before that it was generally accepted that the law was not being enforced"

"have seen that other's have received kits with short expiry dates or actually expired"

"the price is attractive and the purchase far not ciponvenient and attractive than buying overpriced products from the ferry or tunnel operator"

"this is one of those must haves that you never want to use and hopefully throw away once it's expiry date runs out!"

"as expected fast delivery need to have for travelling through france and have the nf requirement"

"wouldnt recommend"

"seemed to register fine on test but try explaining that to a vindictive gendarme!"

"buying through amazon the product delivered has a use by date of over 12 months which is useful for multiple trips to france if not used"

"it lives in a dark recess in the boot of our car"

"so now restrict my drinking to to a small glass of wine"

"my husband chose this brand because it is the one sold on the ferry so he knew it was trustworthy not actually used and hope never to need to but very pleased it meets legal requirements for travel"

"not sure if we could have picked one up cheaper at the ferry terminal or in france on arrival but for peace of mind i wanted to get in advance and get in the car"

"i previously bought these from the eurotunnel terminal at folkstone with 2 years in date however the ones received through amazon only have 12 months before being out of date"

"french police so strict would'nt risk taking the cheap breathalyzer over to france "

"you will probably find these products cheaper on amazon but make sure they have nf certification like this product if not you could find yourself facing a 500 euro fine i have been going to france for 12 years now and have been stopped twice and my kit checked over buy the correct gear like this product"

"google "nf certification" if you are unsure about this"

"i assume that they are up to the required standard indeed these are the units used by the french police the package is neat and attractive and expires in august 2019 !"

"look you need these if you are going to france you can wait to be robbed on the ferry or forget and be robbed by the french police or just order them from here"

"just returned from france where i was random breath tested by the old gendarme negative of course because it was the middle of the afternoon"

"seems ok but i didn't realise they were 25mg limit for france i know it's in the title i didn't read it and realise the different legal limits"

"if your testing to see if somebody has had anything to drink at all it wont show up any amount of reading only shows up if over a limit other tests show if there is any in the persons system so even if they are under the limit you know if they at least had some"

"shame that to me this purchase feels like another nonsensical eu tax on tourism france is already so expensive did not need to have to pay so the crs or gendarms can do their job"

"good product but expiry date is only 15 months after purchase sellers of this product should be forced to give a minimum expiry of at least 2 years and stop expecting the customer to have to put up with old unsold stock"

"haven't found very easy to decide whether over limit or not"

"it must have the nf compliance many don't and totally useless for compliance"

"you can't test it unless you use it but i assume the french have this so should be ok"

"i do not agree with the french law but these do the job far cheaper than the the aa in euro tunnel although you can purchase for 2 euros each in french pharmacies although you gotta get there first without being stopped its not worth the 70 euro fine for not having them"

"just have to pack them in the car along with the warning triangle the hi viz vests the bulb set complete the first aid kit the fire extinguisher the insurance certificate the spare engine the 'get out of jail free' card etc etc"

"hopefully i won't have to find out for real whether they work or not but as they have a shelf life of around two years i won't have to replace them too soon"

"i had to replace my lst pack as it was time expired"

"however it did not arrive and autokit gave me a refund"

"seems ok but i didn't realise they were 25mg limit for france i know it's in the title i didn't read it and realise the different legal limits"

"did the job didn't have to use them at all through france on my trip to rome last year the apparently notorious gendarmerie couldn't have been less interested in my travels though so dunno if they work i just bought the pair to tick a box and not get ripped off on the ferry really"

"this is highly unlikely as i never drive if i have had a drink"

"see below links"

"there are cheaper products without the nf certification but if you have already annoyed a gendarme enough for them to stop you probably better not to annoy them any more by having the wrong kit"

"i got these for the christmas period because some one i know got stopped the next day and failed the breath test"

"got this for our up coming trip to france as its the same brand the french police use so no chance of getting one thats not legal"

"our relationship with the laws of europe however might change significantly in the near future so until i see official confirmation that this requirement has been removed i intend to carry one"

"second time of purchasing these due to be travelling through europe in july august and realised my last set had expired"

"one motorhome owner was stopped by the french police on the motorway and then fined for not wearing his hi vis when he got out the motorhome to find out why he had been stopped!"

"didn't have to use them the french police couldn't catch me!"

"they have no mercy"

"shame that to me this purchase feels like another nonsensical eu tax on tourism france is already so expensive did not need to have to pay so the crs or gendarms can do their job"

"some other products don't carry this mark and may be classed as illegal"

"i am not a heavy drinker but was going out for a few parties and needed to drive the very next morning so i got the test to make sure that i would be ok i am happy to say when used they did not even register but it gave me piece of mind to know i was ok to drive"

"not planning to use them unless requested to do so"

"i assume the "best before date" means it needs changing after that date so pay attention!"

"obviously without using the product i can't say if it works ans as i am taking it abroard as a legal requirement for overseas driving i don' t plan to open then uinless necessary which is unlikely"

"product as stated"

"i chose this product becaue it is produced one of only two manufacturers in the world to have passed the strict nf certification"

"it wouldn't surprise me if these became law in the uk too if you carry a warning triangle in your boot you should have these too and you could unknowingly be the hazard"

"these said i was absolutely sober when i was absolutely off my face drunk and would have killed someone if i'd attempted to drive"

"this is necessary because if you get stopped by the french police and are breathelysed then with only one breathelyser unit in the car which has been used you cannot legally continue your journey as you have no breathelyser on board!"

"buying through amazon the product delivered has a use by date of over 12 months which is useful for multiple trips to france if not used"

"i was surprised by the result and although i wasn't over the limit i delayed my trip home for a further 3 hours to make sure i was 100% ok"

"rendering it useless to me"

"there are cheaper products without the nf certification but if you have already annoyed a gendarme enough for them to stop you probably better not to annoy them any more by having the wrong kit"

"bought these to replace an expired set"

"remember the french limit for blood alcohol level is half that of the uk"

"apparently the law for these in france is non enforceable now and they are no longer required"

"have not tried yet so cannot tell more info"

"not had to try one don’t drink and drive but i tried one that had passed its use by date and it was quite straightforward"

"so we bought these as it is a twin pack because if you only have one and the police ask you to use it you are then illegal straightaway if you do not have another one!"

"unfortunately my trip is too soon to send back for a refund"

"there are cheaper products without the nf certification but if you have already annoyed a gendarme enough for them to stop you probably better not to annoy them any more by having the wrong kit"

"got this for our up coming trip to france as its the same brand the french police use so no chance of getting one thats not legal"

"drivers will no longer face on the spot fines for not having one as part of a random spot check"

"don't forget the warning triangle yellow jackets and bulb set too"

"i am not a heavy drinker but was going out for a few parties and needed to drive the very next morning so i got the test to make sure that i would be ok i am happy to say when used they did not even register but it gave me piece of mind to know i was ok to drive"

"the law was never applied"

"hopefully will never have to use"

"there just isn't enough colour variation from its dry state to the activated colour"

"obviously not used yet"

"have not used so cannot comment on how easy they are to use"

"hopefully will never use it!"

"this is one of those must haves that you never want to use and hopefully throw away once it's expiry date runs out!"

"my own view is that for such a small amount of money it is worth having them so as not to annoy the french police unnecessarily if you do happen to be stopped for a spot check"

"like many people i bought these after they were to become compulsory when driving in france"

"i did notice there's an expiry date on them though thankfully our trips well within this date so it's not a problem"

"it's a legal requirement to carry these and although there is no actual penalty for not doing so it's something the policiers will certainly check if you are stopped"

"something to wave at the gendarmerie despite there not being a fine for not having one i have no idea whether or not this works i have absolutely no intention of drinking and driving it's just there to tick a box"

"also keep in mind there is no return policy on this product"

"it's unlikely you'll be asked at the french port of entry because they are more interested in illegal immigrants drugs and weapons but the gendarmerie en route in france do spot checks"

"conned into buying these as it was stated that these were a legal requirement for travelling in france and drivers would be fined for not carrying them even though i'm teetotal"

"i purchased these breathalysers for a drive through france later this year so obviously can't say how they performed but they offer incredible value for money and will keep you safe from the french police should you be stopped"

"alcosense so if you don't want a gendarme handing you a fixed penalty then these are probably the best fiver you can spend before going to drive in france"

"i previously had two mandatory breathalysers from a different manufacturer and upon expiry date tested them against my calibrated alco sense and they were difficult to read"

"i bought mine now to avoid any rush on them when people realise that it's a legal requirement for the seasonal booze cruises in november & december"

"i am sorry this is use less and most likely not meeting eu legal requirement will strongly advice not to buy this product"

"difficult to rate without using one and i don't want to do that in advance of the holiday"

"you're supposed to have at least one so if you get stopped by the police and have to do a breath test you must have another spare to remain legal"

"there are reports online that the french requirement for motorists to carry these breathalysers has not been fully implemented or has been delayed"

"and you wont have a problem"

"loads of cheaper breathalyser's online but are no good as these do not comply with the french police guidelines"

"but the 5* rating given on the basis that the nf certification is reassuring the instructions helpful and the kit looks straightforward to use i just hope i never feel the need to"

"only bought to go to france with in case stopped by police"

"hope i never have to use these but they came quickly well packed and have an expiry date of july 2020 so i expect to get a couple trips at least before they expire"