We’re big proponents of breathalyzers here at the Liquor Snob offices, because we think their judicious use can really help you keep out of trouble. One of the biggest names in the consumer breathalyzer industry is Alcohawk from Q3 Innovations, which offers a large line of these Blood Alcohol Content (BAC) testers at varying price points.

A couple months ago we covered the Alcohawk Micro keychain breathalyzer, which has been very popular with our readers, and now we’ve rounded up three more Alcohawk models for review and comparison. We’ve outlined the statistics of each model, as well as our favorite features, and then compared them to one another as well so you’ll have the information you need when you buy your own.

Source: Liquor Snob – Alcohawk Breathalyzer Review – December 15, 2005

Here in the party season, consider some smart gifts that could save a life: a digital breath alcohol screener. Alcohawk sells two types that feature oxide sensors to accurately estimate your blood-alcohol level in seconds.  The Sharper Image sells a professional-grade screener that gets about 300 tests on a 9V battery for $99.95. Also available is the Alcohawk Micro screener for $59.95, which fits on a key chain. It gets about 300 tests on a AAA battery.

View a PDF of the article: The Los Angeles Times – December 7, 2005

Everyone thinks he knows some formula that exactly calculates his level of inebriation, usually involving multiplication of the size of the hoagies he ate and the number of Kamikazes he drank divided by the hours he was in direct sunlight. But carry over one wrong remainder, and you’re in the clink faster than you can say the alphabet backward. Thanks to this little gizmo, the guesswork is not longer necessary. In just a few months, the Alcohawk has already been successfully and appropriately used by me and my friends at least a dozen times. Except that one time, at a house party, when we used it to see who could “win.” To be honest, it was more fun than Hungry Gungry Hippos.

View a PDF of the article: Indy Men’s Magazine – AlcoHAWK Breathalyzer – November, 2005

View a PDF of the article: Detroit News – Kids and drinking: How some parents cope – Sept 6, 2005

Breathalyzers like these are being used to test for alcohol at school events. Photo by Michael Conroy, AP

High schools to test students for alcohol

It was getting so that few teachers at Westwood High School in suburban Boston wanted to chaperone school dances. There were drunken quarrels and dramas. At one school event, a student was rushed to the hospital with alcohol poisoning. [Full Story]

Also covered in CNN, Yahoo! News, MSNBC, New York Newsday, Miami Herald, Kansas City Star, Fresno Bee and Phillyburbs.com.

View a PDF of the article: CNN – High schools to test students for alcohol – April 22, 2005

Just pucker up and blow.

That’s all you need to do to take advantage of a new gadget that might come in handy when you’re wondering whether either you or your companion should be driving home from the party.

The Alcohawk ABI is a hand-held digital breathalyzer that advertises itself as “the only FDA-cleared screener on the market.”

A “state of the art semiconductor oxide sensor” on the gadget allows you to test your personal fumes or those of your family or friends in three seconds, according to Alcohawk press materials.

The device runs on a 9-volt battery (included) or plugs into a car dashboard power source.  Its “one button and blow” operation can read blood alcohol up to .40 — which, by the way, is over the New Jersey limit of .08.  The Alcohawk is about $100 on line at Target and The Sharper Image. — Kathleen Shea

View a PDF of the article: The Star-Ledger – Portable breathalyzer gets FDA nod – Feb 23, 2005

There’s still time to buy an Aclohawk ABI Digital Breath Alcohol Screener for your Super Bowl party.

You could use this handheld device on friends and family who have had too much to drink but insist they can drive home.

The Alcohawk is a professional-grade breath alcohol screener cleared by the Food and Drug Administration and approved by the U.S. Department of Transportation.

It passes accuracy standards required by federal transportation agencies.

A 9-volt battery, included, powers the breath alcohol screener for about 300 uses. It also plugs into a car dashboard power socket.

The Alcohawk uses a semiconductor oxide sensor to measure breath alcohol content quickly and accurately.  A user simply presses a button, blows into the mouthpiece and waits just three seconds for a number to appear.

It is sold at Sharper Image stores for $99.95.  If you can’t get to a store, look for online sources at www.q3i.com.

View a PDF of the article: The Courier-Journal – None for the road – Feb 3, 2005