BACtrack S80 Breathalyzer | Professional-Grade | FDA 510(k) Cleared

I bought this for our company holiday party. It's an open-bar affair, maybe eighty to ninety boisterous, twenty-something millennials in attendance; my idea was to hand out wrist bands (Advantus Crowd Management Tyvek Wristbands: they worked great) in exchange for keys/Uber receipts, and make people blow in the breathalyzer to get their keys back. Those who failed the BACtrack could get their keys from the lobby the next morning. Great idea, right? In execution, not so much. Almost immediately my people landed on the idea of having a personal mouthpiece (I bought two fifty-packs of BACtrack Breathalyzer Mouthpieces for fairly cheap, also a smart move) and "competing" to see who could get the highest BAC. Many times I heard, "I'm only at a 0.06, time for another pickle-back/Jamo" followed by, much to my chagrin, a hearty round of cheers. Needless to say the BACtrac S80 Pro Breathalyzer was immediately retired. My wife and I did gauge ourselves at home, for fun, and found the breathalyzer to be rather accurate. Also interesting as that my wife, who weighs less than half of what I do, blows a 0.11 after three glasses of wine where I'm at a 0.05. I will always be DD, with this thing as a good backup gauge. Also important, and this is reiterated repeatedly in the instructions: you have to abstain from consuming alcohol for 15-20 minutes to get an accurate reading, otherwise residual booze in the mouth/throat will presumably throw this thing off. Sure the BACtrack S80 Pro is pricey, but during college I messed around with a bunch of cheap breathalyzers that were never very accurate. This thing is always spot-on, and well worth the investment. I haven't measured it against a police breathalayzer, knock on wood, so mirroring the sentiments of the thing's documentation I would caution against overreliance. I've used it for a month now without having to change the battery. We marked peoples' personal mouthpieces with colored sharpies at a party so that people could have their own without being wasteful. They also wash just fine, so I can reuse them for the next soiree. The instructions are crystal clear, you have to blow for a sustained ten seconds or so, this is very easy to explain even while intoxicated. A caveat: super inebriated people might vomit when trying to take a deep breath/blow, so prognosticate and monitor accordingly. We lost the carrying case, but it was handy when we had it, with a space for a spare battery and a dozen or so mouthpieces. Comment with any further questions, this is a big purchase for something that might seem like a novelty, but one that I heartily recommend for fun, durability and utility.

I need to have a means to check my BAC before driving. I am a very good driver - in almost 30 years, I have never so much as dented a car I was driving except the one time I was stopped at a traffic light and got rear-ended. That said, just because I think - even *know* - that "I can drive", the law may say otherwise. With limits reduced to a meager 0.08%, I am entirely positive I have driven over that limit before and I don't want that to happen again. I cannot afford a DUI. I shopped around and immediately discarded all of the cheap-o keychain options. I am not interested in fail/pass (read: alcohol present vs. not, at all) device. I want an accurate measurement. If I am at 0.08%, or above, I look to either find another mode of transportation or wait it out some, depending. In purchasing this device, I spent more than I had anticipated, but this is an occasion where quality cannot be sacrificed. It arrived quickly after ordering. Within the box was a nice carrying case, the device, an instruction booklet, a registration reminder, a pair of AA batteries, and a half-dozen individually sealed mouthpieces. I reviewed the instruction booklet. It is front-loaded with a few pages of general information RE: alcohol consumption. After that, there are a couple pages dedicated to the operation of the device. The instructions were stone-cold simple except for ONE thing. It made reference to pressing the "Power Button" which is, in fact, the "Start" button. I took a measurement and it seemed to operate just fine, registering a solid 0.00% result, which is good since it is still the middle of the afternoon and I am not an alcoholic. The device is solidly built and everything fits nicely in the case, which zippers shut. It can easily fit in one of the several storage cubbies in our car. I intend to throw a spare set of batteries in there and leave it in the vehicle. Anyway, my wife and I have an active social life and, quite often, it involves some booze. I'll probably be using this device once a week. I will update this review with tales of "actual usage" as they unfold. I may just "calibrate" it tonight, for kicks. There is nothing I see, so far, though that renders this anything less than a five star product. Only tips are: Have spare batteries. Register the product online (takes 30 seconds). Wait 20 minutes after your last drink before expecting an accurate measurement. Be prepared to send it off for calibration once a year. That should do it. Good luck and stay safe and out of trouble! EDIT: The night I purchased the device, I drank some beers and measured the results. They were exactly what I expected them to be. Measuring after waiting 20 minutes after each beer yielded increasing results. I did this for eight beers. About two hours after no longer drinking, the results started to go downward. I am confident I will not only have a good measurement when it comes time to drive, but I will also develop a better sense of what different levels of buzzed/drunk translate to in terms of raw BAC numbers...and how long those numbers take to diminish after stopping drinking for the evening. This is good information to have. EDIT2: After using this device for some months, I absolutely love it. I have basically trained myself to enjoy the evening, but end it under the legal limit. When I go to the car, I check my level and, almost without fail, I am able to predict what it is within 0.005...just based upon what I have consumed and how I feel. No more guesswork. No more risk. I cannot recommend this enough. I have had friends witness my use of the device (and the eerie accuracy of my predictions..."I feel like about a 0.065"...BOOM!) and they have been quite impressed. Hopefully the behavior will rub off on a few of them and they, too, will render themselves immune to unnecessary trouble. EDIT3: 6/26/2015. Well, some nasty person broke into my Jeep Wrangler while I was attending a rock concert with my son, destroyed my locked glove compartment (but couldn't get it open), cracked open the locked middle console, and stole my BACtrack S80 (among other things). I just ordered $800 worth of Tuffy gear (secure glove compartment, middle console, and rear compartment), so that's not going to happen again, but, more pertinent to this product, I am purchasing the same exact BACtrack S80, again. That is how good it is. Meh. It was up for calibration, anyway.

The BACtrack S80 Breathalyzer has become an essential part of our safety toolkit, and here's why we trust it implicitly: Better Safe Than Sorry: The philosophy "better safe than sorry" perfectly encapsulates why we chose the BACtrack S80. Having it in our car adds an extra layer of safety, ensuring responsible decisions on the road. Easy to Use: The simplicity of using the BACtrack S80 is commendable. It's a straightforward process that anyone can handle with ease. The user-friendly design ensures quick and accurate results without unnecessary complexity. It also has a great case the stores easily in the glove compartment. Professional-Grade Accuracy: When it comes to measuring blood alcohol content, accuracy is non-negotiable. The BACtrack S80 delivers professional-grade accuracy, giving us confidence in its readings. It's a reliable tool that doesn't compromise on precision. DOT & NHTSA Approved: The fact that the BACtrack S80 is DOT and NHTSA approved adds an extra layer of credibility. Knowing that it meets the standards set by these regulatory bodies reinforces our trust in its accuracy and reliability. FDA 510(k) Cleared: The FDA 510(k) clearance further attests to the BACtrack S80's commitment to quality and safety. It's not just a breathalyzer; it's a device backed by regulatory approval, ensuring it meets stringent health and safety standards. Portable Convenience: The portability of the BACtrack S80 makes it a convenient companion wherever we go. Its compact design allows us to keep it in the car without taking up much space, ensuring it's always within reach when needed. Most Accurate We've Tried: We've tried various breathalyzers, and the BACtrack S80 stands out as the most accurate. Its consistent and precise readings make it a standout choice for personal and professional use. In conclusion, the BACtrack S80 Breathalyzer has become an indispensable tool for maintaining safety on the road. Its ease of use, professional-grade accuracy, and regulatory approvals make it a top choice for anyone prioritizing responsible and safe decision-making. Investing in the BACtrack S80 is an investment in peace of mind.

Pretty cool. It’s teaching me how to tell how much I’ve had. But I will still rely on the machine for accuracy.

Update: I received my new S80 Breathalyzer. I think the batteries it comes with are garbage so I just threw them straight in the trash and put some Kirkland (Costco) batteries in it. I'm a firm believer in the whole "One is none, Two is one" saying; I can't say with certainty that this breathalyzer is accurate (without comparing it to another [properly performing] breathalyzer). It does seem to be accurate. After a night of drinking, my friends and I have all used this device one after another and each got different ratings specific to our personal BAC, 0.03, 0.14, 0.08 etc (and then even re-blew getting same specific, respective results for each individual). Overall I think when calibrated properly, it is a quality product. Giving it 4 stars and not 5 because the first device did not work, and then also the hassle of having to repackage it and then spend my time driving (and wasting my gas) to get to a UPS store, so that I could fix Amazon's mistake for sending me a malfunctioning product (which I didn't get any sort of coupon or discount for). It makes me feel that Amazon is such a giant that they just don't care about those kinds of things anymore (that's what happens when you start seeing an oligopoly in business). I will say that Amazon was very quick to react to my issue and immediately mailed me a new, properly functioning device. I would recommend this device to a friend. Older: Little disappointed. I bought this breathalyzer thinking it would be the better/best device on the market. I read the user guide book cover to cover. Unless I forgot something, I followed the breathalyzer usage instructions to a T. I installed the batteries this device came with. Everything physically appears to work properly at first glance. After drinking I would wait 20 minutes before blowing into the device (via mouthpiece of course) for the prescribed amount of time/breathalyzer start/stop prompt. I have not tested this device after heavy drinking. I merely tested this device once after drinking one beer, and a second time after drinking two beers. Each time I followed the instructions and got a reading of 0.00 BAC. Surely that can't be accurate. If you drink two drinks, each with 5% alcohol, 20 minutes later there has to be more than 0.00 alcohol in your blood (unless I'm totally crazy). Helpful hint: carry around the extra mouth pieces in the case, and also keep some Q-tips in there for easy field cleaning/retesting. I am sending this item back and having them send me the same one. If the next one works (actually works properly), I will update my review (and increase star rating as necessary).

This product worked for ~200 reads. I sent it to calibration through BACtrack and they emailed me a week later to let me know that my unit had failed calibration. BACtrack Solution to my problem: Refund the calibration charge, as a courtesy (a given). Send the unit back to me as well as a $40 coupon to purchase another unit from their website. My problem with their solution: 1. The battery is rated for ~1500 reads... the unit itself isn't operable after ~200 reads. 2. I paid for a unit that could be calibrated for this very reason 3. Why would they charge a calibration fee for a unit that can supposedly be calibrated, but can fail calibration at the same time? Shouldn't they be able to re-calibrate so that it passes the specifications? 3a. There is obviously a quality problem here. I hold them responsible just as I would hold Apple responsible to replace the faulty chipset on my MacBook when it was found to be faulty due to quality (which they did). How many people actually send their breathalyzer in for calibration? Well I calibrate all of my measuring tools because I have been exposed to highly regulated pharmaceutical labs that run devices requiring calibration on a monthly or even daily basis. If BACtrack can't identify this as a quality issue and honestly address it, why would I trust them to let me know when I am blowing over the legal limit? Would you guess that your device isn't going to pass calibration after 200 reads? Would you keep using it knowing that its not guaranteeing precision or accuracy? Probably not. My proposed solution to BACtrack: Send me a new one and keep the broken one, as a matter of ethical customer service decision-making. If you can't guarantee quality after 200 reads, then stop telling people that the battery will last 1500 reads. If you can't build a device that can be re-calibrated, then don't charge me for calibration. My bottom line is that I either get a replacement from BACtrack, or I purchase the Trace from Costco and leverage my membership guarantee every time it doesn't pass calibration. I've wasted enough time writing this review. Get your breathalyzer "calibrated"... more like "validated" soon! It's a fool-proof way of guaranteeing that the breathalyzer is working FOR YOU and not FOR BACtrack's pocketbook. ***UPDATE*** I spoke to BACtrack customer service on the phone and here is what I got. The units are expected to last anywhere from 3-5 years (time dependent not based on number of reads). I have owned this thing for nearly four years. I'm very disappointed with BACtrack's dishonesty when marketing their product as being used for 1500 times on a single battery cycle, when customer service clearly states 3-5 year lifespan (maybe print a "best by" date???), even with "calibration". I suggest they change their verbiage from "calibration" to "verification" soon. Their calibration service consists of reading the device at high, low and mid BAC standards and comparing it to the acceptable range. There is no method of calibration, just verification. According to their customer service, this is a common occurrence after owning the device for three years. At least put an expiration date or some sort of specification that lets your customers know about this or else you'll inevitably have blood on your hands. For example, imagine an AED chest pad or battery doesn't have an expiration date. If it fails to properly operate and there is not safeguard or printed date, then good luck to you buddy!

If this device tells you that you are too intoxicated to drive, you probably are. If it gives you a reading under the statutory threshold of intoxication, that may be reassuring but it won't help you if you run into a law enforcement BAC test on the way home that differs from the reading you got on this device. But within reason, this device will give you a pretty good idea if you are too messed up to drive or far enough on the downside of statutory intoxication to drive safely if you drive carefully. But you drive carefully all the time anyway, right? The BAC readings I have received from this device in tests at home are consistent with what I would have predicted based on the alcohol content and the quantity of the beer or wine I consumed. We all have somewhere around 160 ounces of blood in our bodies. If you drink 12 ounces (two glasses) of 13% wine, you are consuming about 1.6 ounces of alcohol. Mix that into your blood, and by simple arithmetic you have a blood alcohol level of .1, which makes you legally intoxicated whether you think you are or not. Two cans of 7.5% beer (24 ounces) will put you at just about the same level of alcohol consumption. If you are consuming something stronger, two ounces of 40% scotch will put you right at the edge of the statutory intoxication threshold (.08) and three ounces will put you over it. It takes less alcohol to be legally drunk than you probably think it does. Subjectively, this device gave me an interesting insight. My sense of impairment was strong enough when I blew .06 that I would not have trusted myself to drive a car safely based solely on my own perception of my level of impairment. I didn't need a digital read-out to tell me I would want to wait at least another half hour before trying to drive, and maybe engaging in some exercise while I was waiting to burn up the alcohol faster. So far in-home testing of this device has produced readings that seem consistent with my subjective sense of intoxication on different occasions, and on single occasions as I test myself through a two hour period after consuming alcohol, the BAC extinction curve seems to match pretty closely my declining subjective sense of intoxication (or increasing sense of intellectual and reactive competence if you want to think of it that way). The magic word, of course, is estimated. These devices do not directly measure blood alcohol content, but rather estimate it from the amount of correlated chemicals contained in a timed slice of forced breath (five seconds on this device). There are medical conditions that can give elevated or positive readings even when little or no alcohol has been consumed, so read up about false positives, test yourself when you are alcohol free, and be prepared to evaluate unexpected results if you receive them. Used thoughtfully, this device can train you in the first place to realize what a level of statutory intoxication feels like. Secondarily, if you want to test yourself in the parking lot before driving home, and barring the complications of diet, chemical compounds in the air that you are breathing at the time you blow into the machine, or other such meddlesome variables, it will give you a decent indication of whether you are good to go or ought to take a long walk around the edge of the parking lot before firing up the car and driving off. This is NOT an excuse machine. It is a measurement device designed to give you the best information about your condition that it can based on standard assumptions about normal human metabolism and contexts in which test readings are taken. Keep the variables in mind, stay well on the good side of the statutory threshold, and all should be well.

This is the best you can buy on the consumer market. When I was younger and heavy into drinking, I had a court-mandated, portable, briefcase Intoxalock device (not a proud moment, I know). Me, being as conniving as I was at the time, figured out exactly how much I could drink safely within the time window before the next sample cycle. This thing was more accurate than the probation-issued interlock device. Not saying I’m proud of my behavior (10 years ago), but just testifying to the accuracy of the device. Keep in mind, after X amount of blows, the detection element itself is going to be slightly saturated with ethanol residue and may potentially show lower than actual readings, hence the need for recalibrations. I would say they’re trustworthy up to like 200-300 cycles, but depends also on the frequency of use and how long it sits before the next use, as far as years between, not days. If anything, as a wiser adult, it has helped me know my safe limits. Definitely worth the money.

Una cerveza , 0,02. 2 cervezas 0,04. 3 cervezas, 0,06

Très bonne qualité, seul inconvénient le mode d'emploie n'est pas en Français

The BACtrack S80 Professional Breathalyzer has been a game-changer for me. It’s so reassuring to know I can drive with confidence after a dinner or BBQ without relying on guesswork or counting drinks. Instead of risking my life and others by guessing my blood alcohol level, I now have accurate, reliable information at my fingertips. The device is easy to use, and the after-sales service for annual servicing has been excellent, ensuring my breathalyzer stays in top condition. If you value safety and responsibility, this is a must-have tool. Highly recommended!

well packed arrived on time

parfait rien a redire