Comparison Alcogran AG-100 vs Inspector AT500

The measurement range provided by the breathalyzer. It is indicated from the minimum level of alcohol in the blood that the device is able to detect, to the maximum.

It is worth choosing according to this parameter, taking into account the purposes for which it is planned to use the device, what levels of alcohol they will have to measure. For your convenience, you can use the following table:

— Up to 0.3 ‰ — asymptomatic degree of intoxication. There are no obvious signs of alcohol consumption, it is impossible to detect them without special means. In countries where there is no “zero per mille” rule for drivers, the blood alcohol level allowed for driving is usually within these limits (most often it is 0.2 ‰).

— 0.3 – 0.6 ‰ — a slight degree of intoxication. Some violation of concentration and coordination, disinhibition, talkativeness, the appearance of relaxation and euphoria.

— 0.6 – 1 ‰ — the average degree of intoxication. Dullness of sensations, weakening of self-control, loss of logic in reasoning, memory lapses after sobering up are possible.

— 1 – 2 ‰ — the degree of intoxication is above average. Speech becomes almost incomprehensible, reflexes and coordination are severely impaired, mood swings and manifestations of uncontrolled aggression are possible.

— 2 – 3 ‰ — a significant degree of intoxication: confusion and loss o...f consciousness, severe motor impairment.

— 3 – 4 ‰ — a strong degree of intoxication: a violation of the heartbeat and breathing, uncontrolled vomiting and urination, the inability to stand and move straight.

— above 4 ‰ — a critical degree of intoxication, a fatal outcome is likely.

Note that for some breathalyzers, the lower limit of the measurement range is indicated as "0". You can estimate the lowest concentration of alcohol that such a device is guaranteed to be able to detect using the maximum error (see below): the lower limit of the range will approximately correspond to the claimed error.

The maximum measurement error provided by the device during operation, in other words, the largest deviation from the actual result that may occur during measurements. For example, if the error is claimed at the level of 0.1 ‰, and the measurement result is 0.5 ‰, then the actual amount of alcohol in the blood will be from 0.4 ‰ to 0.6 ‰.

In the most advanced models, this parameter is 0.05 ‰ or less ; values of 0.06 – 0.1 ‰ correspond to the average level, more than 0.1 ‰ — low accuracy. The lower the error, the more accurate the device, the more reliable its readings. On the other hand, high accuracy has a corresponding effect on the price. Therefore, when choosing according to this criterion, it is worth considering what exactly a breathalyzer is needed for and how important measurement accuracy is for it. In particular, for devices used by the traffic police, there are accuracy requirements that are expressly specified in regulatory documents.

The warm-up time of the breathalyzer to the working state, in other words, the time that must pass after switching on or after the end of the previous measurement before the device can be used.

The fastest modern breathalyzers warm up in 5 – 6 seconds, time up to 20 seconds is considered quite good; in slower models, this time can be up to a minute. At the same time, it makes sense to specifically look for a device with a short warm-up time only in cases where it is needed for streaming checks and high speed is crucial. And if the device is purchased for individual use with measurements a maximum of 2 – 3 times a day — you can not pay much attention to this parameter: waiting even a few tens of seconds is most often not a problem.

The blowing time is the shortest time during which you need to blow into the device for effective measurement. The shorter this time, the more sensitive and advanced the breathalyzer is, the simpler the measurement procedure and the less time it will take; the fastest modern appliances purge in 3 seconds or less. On the other hand, a short blowing time affects the cost. Therefore, if the device is not planned to be used for mass streaming checks, this parameter can be ignored.

The time it takes the instrument to test — in other words, the time that elapses between the end of the purge and the display of the final result. This is one of the parameters that determine the performance of the device (along with the warm-up time and purge time, see above). At the same time, we note that it makes sense to specifically look for a device with a short testing time ( 10 s or less) mainly for mass flow checks, when “every second counts” — for example, for pre-trip control of drivers at a large auto enterprise. If we are talking about episodic measurements — for example, individual self-control after "celebrations" once or twice a month — you can get by with a device with a low speed.

Built-in counter that records the number of measurements taken. The features of the operation of such a counter can be different — in particular, it can count from the beginning of the day, from the moment it was turned on, from the moment the sensor was last calibrated, etc. These details should be clarified separately. Anyway, the meaning of this function lies in the fact that most breathalyzers have restrictions on the number of measurements per day, and without automatic counting, it can be difficult to monitor compliance with these restrictions. In addition, the calibration and maintenance of the sensor also needs to be done after a certain number of measurements.

Ability to save the results of the last few measurements in the memory of the device. The number of available saves can be different, as well as their storage time: in some devices, the saved results are erased when turned off, in others they are stored until they are erased or overwritten. Anyway, the memory of the last measurements is useful mainly for streaming checks.

A function that allows the breathalyzer to automatically control the correctness of the measurement procedure. To do this, the device analyzes the volume of actually exhaled air, and if this volume is not enough for effective analysis, it reports that the measurement needs to be repeated. As the name implies, the main purpose of anti- cheating is to prevent measurement manipulation, when the test person tries to artificially lower the readings by “blowing out” an insufficient amount of air. Although, of course, this function will be useful if the user violates the procedure unintentionally.

Devices with this function are able to automatically turn off if the user has not performed any actions for a certain time after the last measurement. This saves battery power, eliminates the need to manually turn off the power, and can be a good insurance against forgetfulness. The shutdown time is usually from several tens of seconds to several minutes; in some models, it can be set at your discretion.