It is now time to put the Alcosense Pro to the test and that means the fun part which is having a drink.
First things first and it is essential to set the Alcosense up. That requires the installation of three AAA batteries. Simply slide the back cover and that is done. After that it is a case of following the simple set up procedure which is incredibly straightforward. Even if you make a mistake it is possible to continue the set up then double back
I thought wine would be the best next day test. High in alcohol by volume nice to taste and easy to drink compared to some spirits that are more of a challenge. I decided to go for a red, nothing fancy, indeed it was a solid 13% the sort of bottle that most of us would probably sample on a typical evening out.
It was a Pinotage from Cape Kyala in South Africa, dated as 2023 and cost just £4.50 from a supermarket, so proper plonk. It was described as spicy, full-bodied with bold flavours of red berries and spiced plums with a dark chocolate finish. Apparently perfect with BBQs. Steak or lamb. Hard to disagree with that, but my budget would only stretch to a cheese and biscuits.
The difficult bit over with, I finished drinking at 11.20 pm and retired to bed.
If I didn’t want the bother of powering down it would shut itself down after a couple of minutes.
I got up before 7am and very simply performed the test. I felt fine, just a tad dehydrated and switched on the Alcosense. With the blue light of the blow hole lit up, I inserted the tube. One thing I was not prepared for was blowing. Well, the consistency required of my puffing. Quite simply, I had to keep it up. A slow and very steady pressure was needed in order to register my output. The Alcosense was excellent at providing advice on the readout and telling me when I wasn’t doing well enough. The ‘blow coach’, which is a patent pending element apparently, works very well indeed.
Anyway, the Alcosense Pro very quickly told me that I should not drive. At 6.50am I was speedily informed that I would be sober to drive in one hour and 36 minutes. There is a reset alarm to make things even easier. So I went back to back to bed. Got up again and sorted out breakfast and it was roughly an hour and half later and yes I was now clear to drive. I certainly felt fine, although I would probably prefer to wait another couple of hours to be on the safe side and just because I would feel properly rested and recovered by then.
I have used the Alcosense Pro a few more times and discovered if you want to muck about and see what the alcohol reading when you are drinking, don’t. The instructions warn you not to and also the Alcosense will let you know instantly that the sensor is overloaded and that it will take 24 hours to recover itself. The top tip is, don’t carry it around when and where you are drinking, simply park it next to your bed, in the drawer and use it in the morning. You will be very pleased that you did.
Any problems with it? Not for me but there is a clear troubleshooting guide and if that baffles you then there is free phone number in the UK and another contact if you are based abroad at the time you are using the Alcosense.
Initially I was slightly daunted by the technology but it could not have been easier to set up and use. Indeed, there are so many features that you find yourself using out of curiosity like the ability to recall of the previous 128 results. Plus you can vary the brightness of the display.
I find it hard to understand how you could possibly undertake a pleasant tour of Europe and beyond, or any journey in the UK with an overnight stop without an Alcosense Pro. The ability to change the alcohol level quickly for the region is crucial. The overall ease of use and the reassurance it gives you makes it indispensable.
The current retail price is £149.99 which considering that it will help protect your insurance premium, reputation and possibly life, that’s a very small price to pay.
Find out more about Alcosense here…
