As product tester has often an opportunity like this to test and compare.
In November last year I was able to test the ACE Breathalyser AF-33 and gave this device four stars. Now the Dräger Alcotest is 300 arrived.
Both alcohol testing devices were in the categories price, handling / use, accessories and implementing the measurement test.
Price:
The ACE Breathalyser AF-33 (Made in Korea) costs about 120 euros and the Dräger Alcotest 300 (Made in Germany) about 400 Eur (April 2015).
Replacement Mouthpieces for the ACE: EUR 15 for 25 pieces corresponds to 1,67 EUR per piece
Replacement Mouthpieces for the Dräger: 39 Eur for 100 pieces corresponds to EUR 0.39 per share.
An annual calibration to be carried out cost around 40 EUR for both devices.
Handling / operability:
The breathalyzer ACE is smaller and flatter than the Dräger. Both devices are made of plastic, but makes the Dräger a more solid impression, but also may be due to weight (about 200 grams), thus more than double of the ACE device (85 grams).
Both devices can be well operated with one hand, but this can be operated with both the left and right hand only the Dräger as the mouthpiece of both sides can be used. Pleasant in hand but feels the ACE.
Accessories:
The ACE comes with the breathalyser, manual, 2 Micro (AAA) batteries (stated by the manufacturer about 1000 measurements thus possible), 5 mouthpieces and a bag.
Dräger: Breathalyzer, manual, 2 Mignon (AA) batteries (stated by the manufacturer about 1500 measurements thus possible), 1 mouthpiece, case, strap
Performing the measurement:
Both devices explains sufficient manual everything necessary. It is given for both the recommendation about 15-20 minutes after the last alcohol consumption with the measurement to wait because residual alcohol in the mouth can affect the results. In addition, the device should be recalibrated once a year, when you turn to show both the Dräger and the ACE to the next calibration time. The reading is the Dräger unique, example: to calibrate the latest by 26.02 2016 at the ACE: d36, means in 36 days to recalibrate.
The measurement with the ACE device. After switching on the instrument displays the number of measurements made and the next calibration time, thereafter followed by a countdown (10 seconds according to the manufacturer is the warm-up time from 15 seconds to a maximum of 2 minutes.
and only then can be blown. An acoustic signal indicates the amount of time needs to be blown. It feels very long. It also takes up the measurement result is displayed. A repeated pressing the button switches the device off, thereby turning off can save Also, the unit of its own accord from.
With the second button the last ten it will return results.
The measurement with the Dräger device. Here there is only one button. After switching on the device shows the next calibration time and the device is almost immediately ready for measurement. An acoustic signal indicates the amount of time needs to be blown. Here surprisingly short and the measurement result is also shown much faster than the ACE.
Again, the device can be turned off with the button, and there is also an automatic shutdown, the ACE turns off much faster.
The alcohol content in the breath appears on both devices directly in parts per thousand, with a deviation of +/- 0.05 per thousand.
Both devices have been tested with a test subject with different alcohol levels. Here both devices always showed the same result in 10 measurements.
