Fluke 1AC II VoltAlert Non-Contact Voltage Tester, Pocket-Sized, 90-1000V AC, Audible Beeper, CAT IV Rating

I first saw this tool being used on that home improvement show, Holmes on Holmes. Mike Holmes was testing all this substandard wiring and figuring out that a lot of it was live when it shouldn't be, using this tool. I am no Mike Holmes, I'm just an experienced do-it-yourself guy, but I have done a LOT of electrical work over the years, including all the electrical work in a full gut kitchen remodel, a full gut bathroom remodel and so on. I have had my electrical work inspected and permitted multiple times without incident, so I do know how to do basic household wiring correctly. The only time I ever got shocked in all that time was in a situation where the original wiring was done wrong. They ran two separate circuits through the same, ordinary light switch box. Who would do something that stupid? Apparently somebody. I shut off the circuit I was planning to work on without incident, but the other circuit in the box was still live and I didn't know it. Fortunately, it was just a 15Amp circuit and so this was more unpleasant than anything else, but it was a nice reminder that, even when you do know what you are doing, you don't know whether the guy who came before you had the same skills you have. In another house I lived in, I figured out that the guy before me actually had two circuits feeding the same outlet (I called in a pro on that one IMMEDIATELY) but you just never know what crazy stuff you might find. This is a great tool to keep you safe from all that kind of stuff. You just wave it near a wire and it tells you the wire is hot with a tone and a bright light. The thing I like about it is that the end of the probe is shaped like one blade of an electrical plug, so it slips into the socket and then the pen will stay there continually making a sound as long as the outlet is hot. That is incredibly handy in trying to figure out whether you have the right breaker or not. It is also a Fluke, which is one of the most respected brands in electronics/electrical testing. This is a high quality product that works reliably every time I've used it. Do yourself a favor -- buy this and use it every time before you do any electrical work. It will help to keep you safe -- it is a crazy world out there. We all know that not everybody who does electrical work should do electrical work. There is a lot of scary, unsafe, substandard stuff out there. Don't get yourself hurt or killed because you couldn't be bothered to buy this and take 5 seconds to wave it at something you are about to work on that you "know" is safe. It is really a no-brainer to buy this and use it every time. I never do electrical work without it now.

Worked as advertised!

All noncontact voltage detectors are a compromise. You can get one which is discriminating enough to avoid false readings, but then it will have a very short range. You can get one that is sensitive, but then false readings are a problem. and you can get one with variable sensitivity, but then it becomes fiddly and ambiguous. Since none of these choices is clearly better than the others, all three types are available on the market from reputable manufacturers. The Fluke is in the 1st category. It is not adjustable and it does not give you a bar graph signal strength reading. It is discriminating with low sensitivity. In order to detect voltage, it has to be touching or very nearly touching the cable, and it has to be on the same _side_ of the cable as the live conductor, not the neutral or ground. It takes a couple of seconds to alert, and a couple of seconds to shut off again when you move it away from the cable. This is all it does, and it does it reliably. Forget about detecting a cable in a wall or inside conduit; it's not gonna happen and you'll know not to waste your time trying. Before buying the Fluke, I tried the Klein NCVT2 and NCVT3. I was able to make both of them generate false alerts simply by holding them in one hand and moving my other hand near the tip, and I rejected them for that reason. However, if you need higher sensitivity for applications that the Fluke will not cover, I suggest looking at those models, as they seem to be the highest quality from the "high sensitivity" class. For the adjustable type, look at the Sperry adjustable model. I saw some complaints that the Fluke won't detect a live outlet (the tip is too fat to fit in the slot). This is true. I consider this an acceptable trade-off: testing an outlet is the easiest thing in the world with a plug-in tester, and I would always prefer that to non-contact tester because it is also more reliable. Since you don't _need_ a non-contact tester for an outlet, I think it is not worth compromising other aspects of the design in order to support that use case. Also, be advised as you read these reviews that all the different models are lumped together. You may want to filter reviews for the specific model that you actually want.

Quick delivery, reasonably-responsible packaging from Amazon, Excellent product compared to others of same type that are available to the homeowner, hobbiest, commercial user. We tried 4 other types, all name brands (including a Sears unit); all were overly-sensitive and could not/ or would not narrow down their detection to a single hot wire in a junction box, or gave false hot readings on cold lines. Two of the four tested units detected signals when held in the air...2 feet from any wiring! We finally went to an electrical contractor's supply house and were told to go with the Fluke voltage detectors. Two models were available...but input from two electricians (not sales or counter persons) said go with the 1AC-A1-11 version only. Best $$ value was with Amazon...retail outside pricing was all over the map! Include product instructions are clear, concise, and the product works very well...it actually reads/is able read the hot wires in a bundle, no false beeps at very close range, can be shut off, and so far has been bullet-proof. UPDATE: Product in use now for 5 weeks: has been flawless, same battery, no false readings, used recently to find an open wire in the attic feeding a ceiling light fixture ...found the break (tone stopped beeping) within 10 minutes of running this tool along the exposed romex (insulated wire cable) running from a junction box to wall switch (break found inside a wire nut in a splice box in the attic!), Love this tool...and it just saved me $$$ from having to call an electrician or run a new romex line. Store this tool in a pouch or "Mag-lite" type case or belt pouch so it doesn't get crunced by your socket set or vice grips! (A valuable accessory that should be included). Product rating should be 10 out of 10, not just 5 out of 5. See note on protecting with a storage pouch. In conclusion: Not a gadget or stocking stuffer...a tool that works and stands out compared to the competition; and yes, I'm picky! Weatherbug

After reading other reviews, I had some concerns as to whether what was being shipped was a genuine Fluke product or a knock-off. To reduce the risk of getting a clone, I chose the "sold by amazon.com" option rather than one of the other sellers. When I opened the box, I was disappointed to see that the unit was packaged in a white plastic bag, rather than a blister pack, such as one of the other reviewers has posted a picture of. In the bag were the printed instructions, which appeared to be originals and not a photocopy. Note that the instructions say "printed in China", but if you download the instructions from Fluke's website, that is also what they say. On the other hand, the unit I received looks identical to the photograph's on Fluke's website, unlike the unit another reviewer posted pictures of, which had odd graphics and did not even say "Fluke". Bottom line: I think I got a genuine Fluke, despite the lack of original packaging. So, how does it work? Quite well. The tip has to be very close to the live conductor to trigger. It will sound on the hot edge of flat Romex, but not on the neutral side. In fact, you can even perform this trick on 18ga zip-cord. If you slide it down the length of a round power cord, such as most power strips have, it will detect the twist of the conductors and only sound when the hot lead is on the side you are holding the tester on. If you wanted a tester to tell you if there is any power in the vicinity, you might not like this behavior. On the other hand, if you want to identify hot versus neutral conductors in close proximity, it is great. Other comments: Good: + it flashes periodically to tell you it is on + it beeps as well as lighting up continuously when it triggers + you can turn the beeping off + it shuts off if you forget to turn it off (and you know it is off because the periodic flash stops) + excellent short range discrimination Less good: - may have shorter range than some would like - the tip is somewhat thick - you have to really push it into an outlet slot (an upside to this: in most cases it will stay there if you let go, so you can walk to the panel and listen for the beep to stop as your try breakers) - my unit lacked factory packaging

Works perfectly, good safety features, super easy to use, well known brand. Don't cheap out on something that can save your life! Came with working batteries.

The best !

I'm not a licensed electrician so I need all the help I can get. The Fluke was a little more expensive than some of the other ones, but it's worth a few dollars more to me to do all I can for my safety when dealing with electricity. I like that it has audible and visible warnings .

Working as intended

Working so far very good. Fluke quality.

Excelente, hace su función de inmediato , el envío tarda unos 3 días pero vale la pena

excellent

Tester