I bought a Blood Alcohol Content tester...

[BigToque]

I drank 3 beers over 1 hour which should have given me a BAC of roughly .05.

My first test (after waiting 20 minutes) was .05, 2 mins later it was .07, 2 mins after that it was .09, then it was .07 again, 2 mins later it was .05 again...

It's advertised as +/- .01 at .02 BAC... What a waste of $100.

 

[jlee]

Yeah, I don't think it's very accurate...

You need one of these. 😀

 

[Howard]

Plot the values next time. Maybe it'll reflect your actual metabolism of the alcohol?

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: Howard
Plot the values next time. Maybe it'll reflect your actual metabolism of the alcohol?

BAC typically drops at approximately 0.015 an hour..going from 0.09 to 0.05 in four minutes is an inconsistency on the machine's part.

 

[BigToque]

Originally posted by: Howard
Plot the values next time. Maybe it'll reflect your actual metabolism of the alcohol?

I'm writing them all down 🙂

I just wonder if the unit needs time between each test and if you do a test too soon after a previous test there may be residual alcohol that affects the new result.

 

[an51r]

May I ask what the purpose of owning your own BAC meter is?

 

[jlee]

Originally posted by: BigToque

Originally posted by: Howard
Plot the values next time. Maybe it'll reflect your actual metabolism of the alcohol?

I'm writing them all down 🙂

I just wonder if the unit needs time between each test and if you do a test too soon after a previous test there may be residual alcohol that affects the new result.

Does it have replacement mouthpieces? We have handheld preliminary breath testers (not sure on the make/model) with disposable breath tubes- if someone fails to blow properly and reuses the tube, it can get a higher reading than it should.

 

[MetalMat]

I have the alochawk, last weekend when I got dropped off I blew a .25 into it 😕

 

[BigToque]

Originally posted by: an51r
May I ask what the purpose of owning your own BAC meter is?

Sometimes I drink a lot at night and would like a tester to help me gauge what my BAC is sometime the next day so I can decide if it's alright for me to drive.

If I have 12 drinks over an evening, typically I would be fine to drive in 12-13 hours, but it would be nice to have a 2nd opinion.

 

[BigToque]

Originally posted by: JLee

Originally posted by: BigToque

Originally posted by: Howard
Plot the values next time. Maybe it'll reflect your actual metabolism of the alcohol?

I'm writing them all down 🙂

I just wonder if the unit needs time between each test and if you do a test too soon after a previous test there may be residual alcohol that affects the new result.

Does it have replacement mouthpieces? We have handheld preliminary breath testers (not sure on the make/model) with disposable breath tubes- if someone fails to blow properly and reuses the tube, it can get a higher reading than it should.

No replacement mouthpieces.

I bought the BACtrack B70 off of Breathalyzer.net.

 

[MetalMat]

Originally posted by: BigToque

Originally posted by: an51r
May I ask what the purpose of owning your own BAC meter is?

Sometimes I drink a lot at night and would like a tester to help me gauge what my BAC is sometime the next day so I can decide if it's alright for me to drive.

If I have 12 drinks over an evening, typically I would be fine to drive in 12-13 hours, but it would be nice to have a 2nd opinion.

Yeah, and I have mine to make sure I am ok to drive, anything over a .05 and I dont drive

 

[BigToque]

Originally posted by: MetalMat

Originally posted by: BigToque

Originally posted by: an51r
May I ask what the purpose of owning your own BAC meter is?

Sometimes I drink a lot at night and would like a tester to help me gauge what my BAC is sometime the next day so I can decide if it's alright for me to drive.

If I have 12 drinks over an evening, typically I would be fine to drive in 12-13 hours, but it would be nice to have a 2nd opinion.

Yeah, and I have mine to make sure I am ok to drive, anything over a .05 and I dont drive

In my province the limit is .05, so unless this thing gives me a .03/.04 I wouldn't risk it.

 

[BigToque]

Well over a 30 minute period, my BAC has been between .03 and .09 and it's not decreasing over time. It's completely random as far as I can tell. The only thing I know for sure is that there is alcohol in my system...

 

[Fenixgoon]

if i drink, i don't drive. much simpler that way.

 

[MetalMat]

Originally posted by: BigToque

Originally posted by: MetalMat

Originally posted by: BigToque

Originally posted by: an51r
May I ask what the purpose of owning your own BAC meter is?

Sometimes I drink a lot at night and would like a tester to help me gauge what my BAC is sometime the next day so I can decide if it's alright for me to drive.

If I have 12 drinks over an evening, typically I would be fine to drive in 12-13 hours, but it would be nice to have a 2nd opinion.

Yeah, and I have mine to make sure I am ok to drive, anything over a .05 and I dont drive

In my province the limit is .05, so unless this thing gives me a .03/.04 I wouldn't risk it.

Round here is is .08. and after 1 DWI I make sure I will never drive drunk again

 

[BigToque]

Originally posted by: MetalMat

Originally posted by: BigToque

Originally posted by: MetalMat

Originally posted by: BigToque

Originally posted by: an51r
May I ask what the purpose of owning your own BAC meter is?

Sometimes I drink a lot at night and would like a tester to help me gauge what my BAC is sometime the next day so I can decide if it's alright for me to drive.

If I have 12 drinks over an evening, typically I would be fine to drive in 12-13 hours, but it would be nice to have a 2nd opinion.

Yeah, and I have mine to make sure I am ok to drive, anything over a .05 and I dont drive

In my province the limit is .05, so unless this thing gives me a .03/.04 I wouldn't risk it.

Round here is is .08. and after 1 DWI I make sure I will never drive drunk again

I once had a 24 hour suspension for blowing .052

I don't risk it anymore.

 

[geno]

I've heard doing back to back tests with those produces inaccurate results, for better or worse.

 

[alkemyst]

One of the reasons for a real breath test they record more than one and go with something in the middle.

In reality no scientist would accept something that has no set concentration. The test relies on the average person's level of blood in their respiration and then measuring what percent of alcohol is in that level of blood.

On top of that the breath test also relies on a level of blood alcohol causing the same level of intoxication across the board.

 

[jemcam]

I thought you were supposed to wait 30 minutes after your last drink to get an accurate test, otherwise the alcohol in your mouth skews and exaggerates the test?

Did you RTFM?

 

[CRXican]

are you blowing with your mouth our your lungs?

 

[n yusef]

Originally posted by: BigToque

Originally posted by: an51r
May I ask what the purpose of owning your own BAC meter is?

Sometimes I drink a lot at night and would like a tester to help me gauge what my BAC is sometime the next day so I can decide if it's alright for me to drive.

If I have 12 drinks over an evening, typically I would be fine to drive in 12-13 hours, but it would be nice to have a 2nd opinion.

Maybe the solution to your problem is to not drink 12 drinks in one night. Enjoy your liver while it's still there.

 

[quakefiend420]

Originally posted by: jemcam
I thought you were supposed to wait 30 minutes after your last drink to get an accurate test, otherwise the alcohol in your mouth skews and exaggerates the test?

Did you RTFM?

you are, i have a little alcohawk that i picked up from woot a while back...for 30 bucks, it seem pretty accurate

 

[spidey07]

Originally posted by: jemcam
I thought you were supposed to wait 30 minutes after your last drink to get an accurate test, otherwise the alcohol in your mouth skews and exaggerates the test?

Did you RTFM?

This. It says in your mouth for a while and that will give an artificially high reading.

 

[alkemyst]

Originally posted by: n yusef

Originally posted by: BigToque

Originally posted by: an51r
May I ask what the purpose of owning your own BAC meter is?

Sometimes I drink a lot at night and would like a tester to help me gauge what my BAC is sometime the next day so I can decide if it's alright for me to drive.

If I have 12 drinks over an evening, typically I would be fine to drive in 12-13 hours, but it would be nice to have a 2nd opinion.

Maybe the solution to your problem is to not drink 12 drinks in one night. Enjoy your liver while it's still there.

My liver would go on strike if I didn't keep up with the consumption...if you aren't giving it anything to do each night it will just shrivel up and die.

 

[geno]

Originally posted by: n yusef

Originally posted by: BigToque

Originally posted by: an51r
May I ask what the purpose of owning your own BAC meter is?

Sometimes I drink a lot at night and would like a tester to help me gauge what my BAC is sometime the next day so I can decide if it's alright for me to drive.

If I have 12 drinks over an evening, typically I would be fine to drive in 12-13 hours, but it would be nice to have a 2nd opinion.

Maybe the solution to your problem is to not drink 12 drinks in one night. Enjoy your liver while it's still there.

Sure thing there, goody-two-shoes.