2.3.2015

Fluke are a well known company who manufacture electrical test equipment for professionals, ranging in price from this item to gear costing several thousands of pounds. A lot of engineers and businesses use and trust Fluke which is why I chose to purchase this voltage tester - my life is more valuable to me than a couple of quid saved elsewhere. Being the size of a fat ballpoint pen it's easily carried and all the electricians I know carry one in their top pocket, ready to hand. I use one myself and recommend it.Despite the occasional unfavourable review here I have found my tester to be nothing less than entirely robust, dependable and accurate. As with any tool though you'll get the best results,and avoid frustrations, if you fully understand the best technique for using it. On that score and since a few folks seem to be having problems maybe Fluke could improve their instructions, but the tool itself does work very well. Hopefully the following tips will be of use to you, and help you avoid the snags encountered by those unhappy reviewers:1) I recommend you purchase from a reputable UK company to ensure you receive a genuine item. Sadly there are a lot of fakes around these days and that cheap foreign bargain is not worth the gamble. There is in fact a genuine version of this tool intended for the Chinese market - 1AC-C2 II is the Chinese variant, and this listing is for the European variant 1AC-E-II. Both are essentially the same but to avoid potential litigation issues if you're a professional, use the Euro version!2) The probe has two operating modes - visual plus a beep when mains current is detected and silent with visual indication only. One brief press of the switch activates the probe and you'll hear a double beep indicating sound plus visual mode. Detection of a live conductor causes a constant tone and constant light. Whilst on, the tip of the probe gives a brief double flash every two seconds to indicate it's switched on and ready to detect. This is a vital safety feature that not all probes have. Without it you could be lulled into thinking a wire is safe when in fact your probe is just switched off or has gone faulty even! To access the silent mode simply use a longer switch press when turning the probe on. Switch off from any active mode with one long press. It's really very simple. The probe has a handy auto-off function after a couple of minutes not being used.3) This probe is designed to detect a current carrying conductor with a voltage range of between 200 and 1000V AC. The vast majority of users will probably be testing domestic mains circuits with it, and for that it's exceptionally useful, for instance whilst re-wiring and trying to locate which wires in a big bundle near a consumer unit might still be live. You can also easily check if a socket is live by sliding the nose into a pin hole. Unlike the reviewer who said it didn't work for him I've never had a problem.4) MOST IMPORTANT: You need to realise that this tester is accurate and it does work, but it cannot detect a live wire if it's sitting behind other wires. If it could do you'd never be able to accurately predict what was live within a dense bundle after all, so this is a good feature. So, when testing a cable - especially larger sizes - hold it between two fingers and rotate it at least 360 degrees around the base of the probe nose, touching the probe. That way you'll scan all the conducting wires within the cable, not just one side. You can discriminate between individual wires within a sheathed cable this way.5) The probe takes two AAA batteries which last a very long time. They are accessed by sliding the entire yellow section away from the probes nose. The cover does not come right off by the way, so stop pulling too hard when mostly open. This is a great feature that prevents a lost battery cover - not an unknown situation with some items. Releasing the cover needs a firm push down at the head of the pocket clip and you might need a screwdriver for leverage.So, I hope that helps you - I'd be happy to answer any other issues if folks have them. Just leave a comment after this review and I'll respond.

3.5.2016

Fluke are a well known company who manufacture electrical test equipment for professionals, ranging in price from this item to gear costing several thousands of pounds. A lot of engineers and businesses use and trust Fluke which is why I chose to purchase this voltage tester - my life is more valuable to me than a couple of quid saved on an unknown brand look-alike. Being the size of a fat ballpoint pen it's easily carried and all the electricians I know carry one in their top pocket, ready to hand. I use one myself and recommend it.Despite the occasional unfavourable review on other Amazon listings for the same product I have found my tester to be nothing less than entirely robust,dependable and accurate. As with any tool though you'll get the best results, and avoid frustrations, if you fully understand the best technique for using it. On that score and since a few folks seem to be having problems maybe Fluke could improve their instructions, but the tool itself does work very well. Hopefully the following tips will be of use to you, and help you avoid the snags encountered by those unhappy reviewers:1) I recommend you purchase from a reputable UK company to ensure you receive a genuine item. Sadly there are a lot of fakes around these days and that bargain from China is not worth the gamble. There is in fact a genuine version of this tool intended for the Chinese market - 1AC-C2 II is the Chinese variant, and this listing is for the European variant 1AC-E-II. Both are essentially the same but to avoid potential litigation issues if you're a professional, use the Euro version!2) The probe has two operating modes - visual plus a beep when mains current is detected and silent with visual indication only. One brief press of the switch activates the probe and you'll hear a double beep indicating sound plus visual mode. Detection of a live conductor causes a constant tone and constant light. Whilst on, the tip of the probe gives a brief double flash every two seconds to indicate it's switched on and ready to detect. This is a vital safety feature that not all probes have. Without it you could be lulled into thinking a wire is safe when in fact your probe is just switched off or has gone faulty even! To access the silent mode simply use a longer switch press when turning the probe on. Switch off from any active mode with one long press. It's really very simple. The probe has a handy auto-off function after a couple of minutes not being used.3) This probe is designed to detect a current carrying conductor with a voltage range of between 200 and 1000V AC. The vast majority of users will probably be testing domestic mains circuits with it, and for that it's exceptionally useful, for instance whilst re-wiring and trying to locate which wires in a big bundle near a consumer unit might still be live. You can also easily check if a socket is live by sliding the nose into a pin hole.4) MOST IMPORTANT: You need to realise that this tester is accurate and it does work, but it cannot detect a live wire if it's sitting behind other wires. If it could do you'd never be able to accurately predict what was live within a dense bundle after all, so this is a good feature. So, when testing a cable - especially larger sizes - hold it between two fingers and rotate it at least 360 degrees around the base of the probe nose, touching the probe. That way you'll scan all the conducting wires within the cable, not just one side. You can discriminate between individual wires within a sheathed cable this way.5) The probe takes two AAA batteries which last a very long time. They are accessed by sliding the entire yellow section away from the probes nose. The cover does not come right off by the way, so stop pulling too hard when mostly open. This is a great feature that prevents a lost battery cover - not an unknown situation with some items. Releasing the cover needs a firm push down at the head of the pocket clip and you might need a screwdriver for leverage.So, I hope that helps you - I'd be happy to answer any other issues if folks have them. Just leave a comment after this review and I'll respond.

23.4.2014

I received my Fluke VoltAlert (an 1AC-E II European one in April 2014 from Amazon) in a padded envelope with nothing more than a basic text instruction sheet. I was not disappointed with the lack of a box or proper packaging, but I was a little surprised.WARNING: To be fair the device is not intended for use by people unfamiliar with mains voltage wiring, so if you're expecting an illustrated manual on how to use it and are unsure - you SHOULD be calling a qualified electrician. Mains voltages kill and bad wiring can start fires.The BATTERY COVER is removed by squeezing the yellow part of the pocket clip and sliding the grey part away from it in the direction of the probe tip.

30.12.2018

Coming from the day of real instruments and ye olde neon screwdriver,, I was rather reluctant to put my trust in this item. What ultimately persuaded me was the name of Fluke.... not cheap, but they do make top quality kit and have their name and reputation to protect.But... do take NOTE: This unit is designed to work up to 1000Volts. It's lower detection limit is about 200 Volt. If you are trying to use this unit below 200 Volt it will not warn you !!! Instead... look at the Fluke Volt-stick which goes down to 90 Volts and might be more suitable for working on our standard UK 230-240 Volt Ranges. It is for sale here on Amazon. This the VoltAlert will work on 230-240 but I would not trust my life on it.

20.2.2021

These are an excellent safety check and one that could save your life. We use them on ships (I'm a Chief Engineer) all the time because every engineer can have one in his pocket on him at all times for a quick double check before any work is done.It does not of course remove the need to follow proper procedures including isolation permits etc. if you work in an industrial environment but as a final test it's a great tool.They can be used as fault finders as well especially in areas where you have a lot of cables and you are looking to find the dead/live one. It's hard to describe just how much cable is around an offshore construction ship which is diesel-electric.

6.9.2016

I needed a simple way to test for live wires and this was it. The Fluke brand inspired confidence and the additional features are great. I'm always forgetting to turn it off so the auto shutoff really saves me!Some reviewers comment that it isn't very good and occasionally dosen't work. What you need to understand is that this device has a very short range so when you see a clip of it being run alongside a 3 core cable and going off and on what you are actually seeing is the live conductor twisting around inside the flex. Want to check if a cable is live? Easy, just run the tip around the diameter of the cable to detect the live wire.

17.4.2020

Simply the Best.The sensor is "right on" which is perfect for any electrician, technician, home user.. Some people complain it is not too sensitive. Let me tell you - you do NOT need it to be more sensitive! Examples: if you have a bunch of wires close to each other and you try to find the hot ones, it would detect/beep all around them if it was more sensitive, while this tool detects the exact HOT wire. Also this level of accuracy and sensitivity is very important to find broken hot wires in a 3 wire electrical cable or any cable.. it would detect it/ beeps only on the one side of the cable where the HOT sits at and this is what YOU WANT it to do. Not detect the whole cable as people complain.

27.12.2019

Amazingly simple and I can have this on me without feeling I have it.Will beep and glow on detection of ac where you touch the tip. You can silence the beep with a tap of a recessed button and just have the red glow if you are needing to be quiet, say in a studio or someplace like that.Will pick up wifi as a positive if put near a router as an ac signal because the radio wave is ac I guess but it's not an issue for me - i just pointed it at everything to be sure for review.You can trace live cables from outside appliances in most cases so you can avoid getting a jolt.Always be safe with high voltages and turn off at mains if unsure.

11.7.2016

I have used a range Fluke equipment for many years and although more expensive than most other manufacturers you do get what you pay for. This detector is the real deal and performs well. I started off with a "Voltstick" which is good, but this Fluke is better and has the added benefit of letting you know it's actually working by flashing until it detects 200+ volts, whereupon it gives a steady glow. The design looks good (typical Fluke) and is very easy to use. It comes with a clear set of instructions and on the body of the detector it warns you "to test before and after use"... this is always good advice.

29.3.2019

The item (supplied by Amazon) is a 1-AC-II base model with an 'E' suffix as you can see from the attached pics.It is the 200-1000V version that is supplied in Europe.The Amazon website description wrongly states it is a 1-AC-A1-II. The Fluke website says this about the 'A1' model...90 V ac to 1000 V ac (A1/A2), 200 V to 1000 V ac (E1/E2/P1)So that suggests it should be the 90-1000V version - it is not.It works perfectly in the UK and is solid and if the many, many YouTube videos are anything to go by, very reliable too.I hope this helps you to work out exactly what model you are getting.

31.10.2013

Don't buy cheaper versions of this type of tester,as I did it will save you taking them back.I purchased the cheaper version and it wasn't very accurate and gave false readings. With this Fluke tester you can test a 13a socket outlet by putting the probe into the live side of the socket the cheaper one didn't always work . The Fluke tester beeps which you can turn off and the LED flashes to confirm its working and then solid when it detects voltage.Its very well made and should give good service.So don't bother looking at any other non contact testers buy this one.

23.2.2019

Loving this Volt tick, use it every day. I feel confident trusting it. Better than my Kline one. Seems sturdier and the continuous test feature is reassuring, Though I still make sure it's working properly at least once a day. Accurate about 99% of the time,(never a false negative) has given me a couple false positives on wires that have induction but if you hold it slightly away from the wire you can figure out when it's live or dead. Normally at 120v it chirps about 1cm away. When it's induction it chirps essentially only when you're touching the insulation.

26.11.2019

An essential little tool to ensure you don't get an electrical shock! My old Fluke (30 years old) finally died and this new replacement is just as good and has some great improvements too. I wouldn't be without it, and I'm sure it's saved my life on several occasions. I always test and retest the power every connection I make after seeing my rather gung-ho uncle flung 15ft across the room after a 240v shock when I was about nine! That sort of thing leaves an impression... on both of us!

12.1.2018

What can I say, it's a FLUKE. Enough said.Sure, you can go cheap and buy alternatives but Fluke is the only brand that I trust with my life when it comes to lethal voltage monitoring.Other products have failed or mis-diagnosed lethal voltage presence but not Fluke products.Fluke products have never let me down over past 40+ years and won't let you down either.If you value your loved ones and your own life, trust Fluke products over cheap knock-offs. Worth every penny spent.

7.11.2016

Feels like a quality device and works as it should. However, please note that the description and technical details show the wrong device and there are two different models in the pictures shown. The item supplied is the 1AC-E II, not the 1AC-A II.Although it's a good piece of kit, I was slightly disappointed because I was expecting a sensitivity range 90~1000v not 200~1000v.Other reviews indicate this was not a one off mistake. Make sure you are ordering the right device.

Fluke 1AC II - Reviews

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