Ideal Electrical 61-063 VoltSensor Non-Contact Voltage Tester, 40-600 VAC, CATIII for 600v

My quest to find a replacement for my broken Mil*kee sniffer quickly turned sour. You see, an exact replacement—which would have been perfectly fine, except for the poor switch design that failed after four years of very light use—promised to take a week to arrive. On the other hand, the alternative big name brand K***n had confidence-bustingly mixed reviews. Eventually, I gave this Light Duty version a shot. While I am no electrician (just an avid DIYer who loves competent tools), I’m sure this is the holy grail: It can tell the hot side from the neutral side of a cable, and chirps assertively when doing so. The watch-style battery compartment seems to have been a design afterthought, though it turns out to be perfectly serviceable. But, I honestly thought it was broken at first, so that was the first thing I checked. As it turns out, this thing doesn’t announce that it’s On when you press the unassuming pocket clip, which is how it is activated. But, once you test it on a known live circuit **WHICH YOU ALWAYS DO, EVERY TIME** the response is immediate and satisfying. It feels more like an extension of myself than a mere tool that toots its horn at every crossing. It’s handsome, has no buttons, and is as ergonomic as you could ask for. Its predecessor was slightly more sensitive, which made it difficult to discern live from neutral. This one hits the sweet spot, sniffing through thick insulation while barking only when threatened. You’ll like this one.

Have problems on 24vdc. Ac voltage no problem.

I was not sure if this would work at first half the lights on out tree went out and we had a hard time finding the bulb. The reviews I read were both negative and positive but I am glad we decided to try it we were able to find it in no time.

Gave up on this fault detector. It gave many erroneous beeps, so I couldn't locate the break in the line.

I misplaced my last one, and ordered this. I'm an electrician and it's part of my daily "wardrobe", hooked on my shirt, in my tool bag, works consistently well and good value for the price.

This Ideal tester works extremely well. This tester does not run the battery down! Not like the F*u*e tester which is a pain in the tail to turn off and runs the battery down in +/- 3 days. I have had two of the F*u*e brand testers, and both are the same, just a pain to turn off. The Ideal tester has a "pocket clip" type switch that you must press and hold to turn the tester on, consequently, when the Ideal tester is in your pocket or your tool pouch the tool IS OFF. The switch is not the only feature that I like. A flashing light in the tip and an audible tone when current is present, makes this tester #1 in my pocket. Ideal has produced a great little package not much larger than those Kindergarten pencils we all used a few years back. The tester has been well thought out. I have this little tester in my pocket and my tool pouch, you should get at least one Ideal tester and put it into your pocket or tool pouch . . .

I wish it blinked or beeped when it turned on to let me know the battery worked, I always have to test it on a live circuit.

I like this tester because the tone is constant so you know the circuit is live. I do not trust single beep devices.

Really handy device when searching out power sources and live or dead lines