The Most Dangerous Electrical Tool
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 12 ม.ค. 2024
- This video is for entertainment purposes only, not advice.
Mains testing screwdriver - amzn.to/4bIU3QY
Professional proving dead tool - amzn.to/3ws2Ne5
Non-contact volt pen - amzn.to/48kI3Cn - แนวปฏิบัติและการใช้ชีวิต
I have been using these for 50 years without any issue. The are 2 rules : 1. If the screwdriver lights up the contact point is live so take proper precautions. 2. If the screwdriver does not light up, do NOT assume the contact is dead.
Thanks for watching!
Rule 3: Don't bet your life on a cheap 0,25W Resistor if you can help it.
The old ones had far beefier ones and were made better but still.
Now there are options which are just as simple to use without making yourself part of the circuit.
@@timhartherz5652 Older ones were made with resistors from tube era. Those were often rated for 1kV.
As a younger man I've tolerated many 220v electrical shocks (up to 20KV when working with CRTs) Accidents happen. As an older man with a a heart condition, I treat every wire as if it was live (unless I'm actually in unobstructed sight of both ends). The latter has, again been a life-saver. Never touch the wires, keep one hand away and stand on rubber mats.
They will also light up from capacitance if a cable is not earthed. They have saved me from many shocks over the years.
You hear people saying they're dangerous and/or unreliable all the time, but are there actually any reports of anyone ever heing harmed by one of these? I've been using them all my life and have no intention of stopping. They are incredibly useful and I would trust one of these over a contactless volt tester any day.
It is exactly what I was thinking. I am a professional electrician and it has never failed me nor have I had any problems.
Ive heard stories of people getting shocks, but it would be very hard to get data as it’s generally rare a shock like this would require a hospital visit.
I personally think anything using you as part of the circuit is a terrible design, but everyone is entitled to an opinion. Thanks for watching!
Its more the problem of cheap parts, the 1/4watt resistors and is not rated for these voltages, it can fail open or short-circuit for instance. Poking a 400volt connection is probably also not a good idea. Etc there are tomanny possible failure modes. If you know what you're doing it's most likely fine but for the home gamer it's not something to rely on. I'd say because when using it you are part of the circuit now thankfully almost every installation here is rcd protected. As a funny side not my last step before grabbing a conductor is using the back of my hand as a last live check😅
@@TheDiligentDIYer1759 er, you are always part of a circuit because you absolutely always have a path to ground! Everything is a conductor, it's only the absolute level of impedance that varries.... lol ;-)
And you want to short yourself to 230 volts with no control. Good luck
I saw a fellow Apprentice receive a horrendous electrical shock using something identical to this
Don't
One of these may have saved my life. My son had a non working 13A socket in his house. I checked it with a multimeter and it showed as dead. I used one of these screwdrivers and it illuminated showing it was live. On further investigation I found the earth and neutral were both disconnected somewhere leaving only the line connected.
Non contact volt pen is best in my opinion, thanks for watching!
Below some voltage the light won't glow. You touch the wire and you get shocked ! 😀.
At an isolated transformer it won't glow at any voltage ! You touch both wire and you get shocked ! 😀
Never trust an old installation.
I use a wire finder, as it detects electricity as well and reacts to small voltage and you don't need a closed circuit. In combination with a multi meter you then can find issues with a wire.
non-contact indicators often give false positives. they just glow, especially if there are a lot of wires and they are close, and you cannot know which wire is hot and which is disconnected. Non-contact indicators use a battery, and it often runs out, and even in certified indicators the sensitivity drops; this has happened to me often. Sorry, but the indicator screwdriver is a reliable, life-tested device.
and the most reliable thing is a dial multimeter.
Back in the Eighties when I was training as a Theatre Technician, one of our lecturers had got a shock through a 400 volt neon tester. It SAVED HIS LIFE. While handling a lantern that was running on one phase, it shorted onto the motorised truck that it was mounted on. The truck was on another phase. The tester melted, and every hair on his body burnt off, but he lived. Because of that tester.
Glad to hear it lived, thanks for watching!
This tester is no more dangerous than any other tester. You are talking hypothetically, that can be said whatever you use.
Thanks for sharing your opinion
I have been using my device for more than 50 years. It has never failed, never broken anywhere, never had any foreign matter intrude into it and has always worked. Yes it can be hard to see the neon at times but it has always shown me when a wire or contact is live to mains voltage. Your fears may be sound scientifically but the chance of it happening is extremely slim. Using the bared-ended metal spikes of multimeter probes is far more awkward and way more dangerous.
Thanks for sharing your opinion
Below some voltage the light won't glow. You touch the wire and you get shocked ! 😀.
At an isslated transformer it won't glow at any voltage ! You touch both wire and you get shocked ! 😀
What a BS, the resistor inside the probe effectively prevents shock. These probes are still very popular, since they are foolproof to operate, cheap and very safe. A multimeter requires a battery, the correct ramge setting and the cables need to be plugged into the correct sockets. In addition the cables and tips can be worn or damaged over time. What is worst, you have to use both hands, what I try to avoid when working with mains voltage. If sonething goes wrong there is a definite circuit through my body. While when working only with one hand and wearing shoes with rubber soles, I would hardly recognize even if i touch 240V directly with my fingers My safety rule: always keep a hand in my backpocket.
If your boots were fully insulating you from the ground, the screwdriver won’t light anyway….
If that were the case you would take your boots off.
@@TheDiligentDIYer1759 Ever heard of capacitative coupling?
That's why you should always test it on known mains before you start testing.
I have used them for years and never had a problem, however I have had countless multimeter leads go Intermittent which can be far mor dangerous.
Thank you. I was wondering if anyone was going to correct him@@ruben_balea
I think these things are quite safe unless visibly damaged (i.e. insulation compromised) or if the bulb broke somehow. Which is why when I want to make sure a circuit is *not* live I am using this device on a live circuit just beforehand to verify that it is working properly.
Thanks for watching!
Below some voltage the light won't glow. You touch the wire and you get shocked ! 😀.
At an isolated transformer it won't glow at any voltage ! You touch both wire and you get shocked ! 😀
Neon screwdrivers have saved the day many times. Volt sticks are a liability, All I ever hear is .. damn thing sling it in the skip ,there is a neon in my box.
Thanks for watching!
Volt sticks are unreliable, often show "live" on neutral cables or don't work at all; then there is the battery problem. Networks guys that I worked alongside despised volt-sticks.
Both have their place and are useful.
Had these types of screwdriver for decades,never had or heard of anyone getting hurt !!!!!! I will continue to use myn. Also most deaths are when the mains goes across the chest, hence why your told to keep one hand by your side when testing. The ironic thing is ,that using possible damaged probes, one in each hand for measuring, is far more dangerous,as it put the mains across the chest. . Scare hype for nothing pal.
Thanks for sharing your opinion
Below some voltage the light won't glow. You touch the wire and you get shocked ! 😀.
At an isolated transformer it won't glow at any voltage ! You touch both wire and you get shocked ! 😀
@@kenzo4Ever When was the last time you worked on a job ,with an isolating transformer? & who puts 2 fingers across anything,Seriously.A Neon lamp,has a strike voltageof around 90v !!! As an electronics engineer,you learn very quickly to check and double check every circuit,before touching it, its called having a brain,these days everything is given,but you cant teach common sense.
@@enoz.j3506
OK.
The difference is that I care to warn whereas You dare to insult ! 😀
@@kenzo4Ever Warning fools, was never my strong point.
I was trained to use a Drummond test lamp first and foremost. I also used a neon test lamp extensively, never got so much as the slightest tingle while using it - ever ! The likelihood of a foreign metal object falling into the body of a neon tester or the ingress of water into same is very remote.
Thanks for watching
A Drummond test lamp won’t light up if you have low volts like 180v and still plenty to give a shock if you assume dead !
Things like that would be blindingly obvious.
That's why we were trained NEVER to assume dead until a further test showing live was taken.BTW, I have just checked the Drummond test lamp I was issued with and it is rated 80v to 500v, so definitely a bright light at 180v @@petextanky8421
It will light up at 80v and "glow" at lesser voltages. The instructions on Drummond test lamps clearly state that the lamp should be "proven" on known circuits before and after tests.@@petextanky8421
First used these over 50 years ago. You can get quality ones (screwfix etc), which are waterproof and tough. If you understand how they work. they can be handy. There are not designed for "Testing", only for indicating there's a voltage present. They can also pick up Disconnected earths/cpc s and neutrals in a circuit if you understand how mains electricity works. They do have the they drawbacks, but what would expect for a couple of quid. Billions have been sold with few issues! I wouldn't use them in my job as an electrician.
Good points! Thanks for watching!
Below some voltage the light won't glow. You touch the wire and you get shocked ! 😀.
At an isslated transformer it won't glow at any voltage ! You touch both wire and you get shocked ! 😀
Using a multi meter might lead you to believe that a circuit isn't live when only the neutral wire is isolated while the live wire is still live. The good thing about a mains tester is that you use yourself to replace the neutral wire and avoid depending on it.
At least, that's what I can come up with, correct me if I'm wrong. I'm not an electrician.
Thanks for watching!
I recently purchased such a device and will definitely take extra care in future knowing what to look out for now in terms of how it might fail. I think working on 240V and using this device, even if it failed, would at worse give you a nasty zap. I did also purchase one of those plug-in mains testers and it immediately helped me solve 3 potentially dangerous wiring faults that had been in place for years in my home. I would totally recommend to use one of these if at all possible over and above the mains tester featured in this video as it can give you vital information immediately without even having to dismantle anything or directly expose you to any kind of danger.
Thanks for watching!
I believe I had the first of this type of tester and it worked fine. That was quite a while ago. Now I use an absolutely safe current tester I made myself to test outlets and detect the presences of wiring within walls.
Thanks for watching!
I have both testers .thanks for sharing. I’ve often wondered how they work, so the body completes the circuit.They are handy .😊
Thanks for watching!
Few points to make on this one:
"dangerous" is relative.
Can you point to a single recorded incidence of an injury from a mains testing screwdriver? I can point to a large number of injuries caused by the incorrect use of a handheld multimeter (Which can fail to show the voltage if you have the setting on it wrong (ie wrong terminals or DC setting) and can actually cause an arc flash over if the wrong settings and terminals are used and which often can have damaged leads due to careless use onlow votlage systems and those leads result in electricution of the user.
Any "dual" probe tester also carries a risk as those probes can causes shorts in the EUT and necessarily makes those devices a double hand use, which means a current path more likely to cross the users heart
It's worth noting that the neon bulb used is actually enough to prevent a significant shock on it's own as its ionisation current is very low (hence its use) it is also very very robust and not easily damaged.
IME, the worst thing about mains testing screwdriver is actually the fact it IS a screwdriver, so people are tempted to use them for other things other than mains testing, often damaging the insulation on the shaft, which can leads to user shocks should the user hold the device below the handle
The no1 reduction in risk from "proving dead" is making sure you can get a positive identification of the high voltage potential before you attempt to isolate the circuit. IE if you isolate the circuit and use a mains testing device that does not have a proving unit (ie martindale tester etc) you never see a positive result that proves your testing is set up correctly and working as expected. So i always make sure i can measure and get a "live" result, then isolate and make sure i get a "dead" result.....
Sure, for commercial use you need a proper industry standard tester, but for DIY i'd much rather someone used a testing screwdriver (having proved they get a positive result first before isolation as mentioned) that just guessed....... ;-)
Thanks for sharing your opinion
I have two with no problem for years , very useful with things that may or may not have current like fuse testing
Thanks for watching!
And you forgot a big problem, one I experienced once and that definitely convinced me never to use it again. The capacitive coupling between your body and the ground may not be enough to light the neon bulb! Once I wanted to intervene at home on a roller shutter switch located in height, I cut only the circuit of the roller shutter but there was also another cable for a lamp passed in the same places but on another circuit breaker. FYI, I’m on a fiber stepladder (not aluminum ), I take my test screwdriver, no light on all the connectors, I start to work until I take a discharge on the connector pair of the lamp cable. Being above ground on a non-conductive fiber stepladder, the neon bulb was not lit. I repeated the test and it is only by getting closer to the wall of the house or the floor that the bulb began to light...
Good points, thanks for watching!
Good instructional video for newbies, I've been using these devices for 56 years, and recently purchased a multimeter about 3 years ago, It has the capability of doing everything I need, It comes in a box with a stand and carrying case, and a lighted LED screen that will power off in a few minutes if not used, I purchased it from Amazon for about $6 or $7, and It works very well. subbed. 🇺🇸
Thanks for watching!
There is another danger. In the form of a virtual look-a-like 12V version used as car test lamp with a lead that comes out of the top of the screw driver to clip to ground in the car.. The two tools often co-exist in cheap tool kits. Looking so similar its possible to absentmindedly put the 12V test lamp into a 240V wall socket. A potentially very dangerous mistake.
You have to be joking, don't you?
@@rogerphelps99396 people disagree with you and my comment was aimed at novice DIYers who can be overconfident. You haven't seen the cheap Chinese Handyman screwdriver kits that mix 12volts test screwdriver with 240v neon test screwdriver. We see them in Sydney, and life and death I don't joke about.
Thanks for watching!
I'm amazed they still exist. Sometime back I got one from Poundland that works like this, but can also work contactless by pointing the top towards whatever it is. Works really well too.
Thanks for watching!
while i agree that these should not be used for proving live/dead conductors, and for a quick indication a non contact tester will suffice. i use 1 for finding the live wire as normal sockets here dont have a defined live and neutral side. and for my old lathe to run in the right direction i need to know which is which ( and yes i'm setting up a cee socket so its always correctly hooked up later on havn't had the time and space to do so yet ). do you have any insights on how to cheaply identify the live conductor?
Difficult to know without seeing your exact situation, but a stop gap solution could be a cee to 3 pin converter, they’re pretty cheap and easy to come by. Thanks for watching!
@TheDiligentDIYer1759 yup thats exactly what iv been doing, and have labeled a few sockets with live an neutral side. But confirming whether the person before me actually followed color codes is always the gues. What affordable tool would you recommend for reliably differentiating live and neutral. My non contact isn't to clear about it and doesn't seem like a reliable way to me.
Where do you live that you have sockets without a defined live and neutral side. Here in the UK sockets always have defined live and neutral sides.
Been using one for years. One of the most useful electrical tools I have. Because you have to *touch* thescrewdriver on the conductor, it tells you exactly which one is alive. The proximity devices are ambiguous in this regard. Don't however use them to confirm something is *not* alive unless you have a nearby live sample to compare it with. The shock risk is minimal. One screwdriver I have lights faintly without actually touching it so even safer.
Thanks for watching!
i threw that blue lap pen out last month as it failed after 2 years. i have another scheppach one it it was showing the cable was live and the lap one wasnt, even changed the batteries to see if that was the issue. I always try use 2 or 3 methods to test, not just 1 for this reason.
Yes sensible to use multiple methods. Thanks for watching!
Try a Fluke pen... built to be reliable and last
I had the same with a LAP pen. I’m going to shell out on a Fluke or Megger, as the only brands I trust.
I have been using my Vitrex made in Britain one for fifty years with no problems what so ever, would I replace it with an unbranded cheap one I seriously doubt it, a very useful tool but I only give it the slightest touch certainly would not hold there for more than a second or two, it also has a piece you can take out and put a plug fuse in to test the fuse.
Thanks for watching
I think these work based of the AC as well as the grounds. Because if you have thick rubber shoes on and isolated from ground would the light still turn on ?
For me touching the end with an insulated tool didn’t work, I don’t think it would work if you were fully insulated from the ground either. Thanks for watching!
Yes, it does. (I've done it on occasions.) Your body's capacitance is sufficient to light the bulb without you providing a return path.
I always turn off the circuit when testing and then turn back on to verify tool is reading correctly. Final turn off verifies everything is safe to work on. I agree 100% that contactless is always the safer way to go.
Thanks for watching!
Sir , thank you so much for sharing your technical knowledge .
I am from Sri Lanka .
You are most welcome! Thanks for watching!
Retired now, but have been using them all my life, never had or heard of a problem.
But they tell you the most important thing 'Will I get zapped if I touch?' and small enough to always have clipped in your shirt.
Even if you would get zapped, your hand would move back automatically, and it would be very short.
(...and any electrician who's never been zapped shortly is a liar)
Thanks for watching!
Hi. I was interested in your saying the red probe on a multimeter should be put into the COM. I did a search and other sites say the black probe goes into the COM. So who is right?
I think you’re right and Im wrong, it won’t make much difference for checking live though. Thanks for watching!
@@TheDiligentDIYer1759 come on man. Please stop posting such things on the internet if you are beginner.
Saying the red probe goes to COM is the 13th stroke of the clock, it casts doubt on all the rest. And advising a multimeter is dubious, there are a lot of cheap ones about that are not properly approved for mains voltage. I can see the argument against neon screwdrivers but you have to keep risks in proportion. I would only use one as a backup check. And two probe testers can give the wrong answer in some situations like lighting circuits.
@@TheDiligentDIYer1759 dont think half-assing electrical instructions for views or clicks or subs is the way to go...you dont want dead subs right?
I have a couple of these & they are very useful & reliable. The concept is sound enough as long as the component ratings & construction are such as to absolutely guarantee the current is going to be very small. I use mine according to the old high voltage working adage of always keep one hand in your pocket & stand on an insulated surface/ insulated boots etc.
Thanks for watching!
If you stand on an insulated surface, how then will you be grounded for the tester to work?
@@odoohub5010 There is sufficient capacitive coupling between me & earth to allow enough current to flow to illuminate the neon light. It's not as bright as it is if I touch earth, but that buzzes my finger more than I'm comfortable with or feel is 100,% safe. Wouldn't work if it was DC without solid ground connection.
@@odoohub5010 You need very low current to light up the bulb in tester, even capacity of your body to ground is often enough.
I'm always fretting when testing electrical items that I've attempted to repair, & those tools that were shown, would put my mind at ease. Where can I get them?.
Sorry for the delay, I've added some links in the description now. Thanks for watching!
Blimey, I've been using these most of my life, since I was a kid. I'd just assumed if they were sold to perform the task, they'd be safe and suitable for doing so.
The risk is damage or water ingress. Thanks for watching!
A lot of unsafe shit is sold out there, it do not mean it is safe or right to use it.
@@TheDiligentDIYer1759 i think if you look at the numbers of people hurt or killed by them, they are probably safer to use than driving a car. the only thing hes saying there are even safer options out there
Does the "no contact" probe work for DC too or just AC?
I believe they typically only work for AC, thanks for watching!
Can you shiw how do you identify which one is life and which one neutral with this non contact electromagnetic field based tool? Another question: do you know what will show multimeter if neutral is damaged?
Thanks for watching!
Very lives saver presentation,
Thanks for watching!
I've always wondered how they work and had one as a kid, but was clueless when seeing only one terminal, so didn't know how the circuit would be complete. This is very good publicity of stating the safer alternatives as you don't fully know the volts and amps. You don't know if the resister would blow or accept the current if too high. Imagine the dangers of it being 30A! It would feel unpleasant!
Thanks for watching
I wouldn't use one as a voltage tester but as a terminal screw driver they are great.
Thanks for watching!
Excellent. Thanks
Thanks for watching!
i havent used one of those for years , im not a pro but have done a few houses in my time ( always have had my work checked by a pro) and i have never compromised on my safety equipment and a few years ago i got a Fluke 1AC II VoltAlert - Non-Contact Voltage Detector Pen which wasnt cheap and i trust it BUT if someone is buying one of these things please check its the right voltage range , i didnt even think about it when i bought it and luckily i bought the right one , it was only later that i found out that they do different ranges and if you get the wrong one then it can tell you its dead when in fact its hot , especiallythe cheaper versions may not be as described
love your videos
Very kind of you, thanks for watching!
hello Pro sparkies. I have 3, 1 is broken and used as a normal driver. One lights up brightly on contact with any metal, absolutely anything, conductor or not, and the other works perfectly as it should. I also use the other in the vid for shielded conductors.
Thanks for watching Mike!
Been in the industry over 45 years still got them in my tool box non contact volts stick were not about then got them to plus my Drummond test lamps volt meters etc, neon screwdrivers in the right hands are fine for voltage detection better than nothing, for proving dead I use test lamps and proving unit.
Thanks for watching!
No doubt there will be moves to ban them. Depends on how used. I was wiring up a two way switched lighting circuit for disabled neighbour, so isolated what I thought was the relevant fuse channel. It wasn't possible to shut off supply at the distribution board, as neighbour felt cold. A 'shared neutral' error meant I could not do a DVM check. While working, the thing lit up, saving me from a shock. These should be for alert purposes only but not as a substitute for a multimeter, I would agree.
Thanks for watching!
Sounds like the RCD should trip if you use one of these. Only if the current going through it is more than 30mA though.
Anyone know how much current is diverted into your finger? Depends on the size of the resistor in the thing.
I tested mine and it has a 2.5 M Ohm resistor. So, in 220V it´s about 0.09mA
Thanks for watching!
but how to tell apart nearby live and neutral using non-contact thing?
Depends on the situation
Well my grandpa used one when I was a kid 70 years ago and I still use one! Seems like the usual electrician stuff - too difficult and dangerous for an intelligent ‘common man’! Well care and intelligence has worked for me for 60 years so I’m sticking with that.
Thanks for watching
Thoroughly agree!
You'll aways get people saying they've used one for years and they're quite safe, however, these are often the people with the least knowledge of electricity and its dangers. They'll assume that if it doesn't light up, then the circuit is not live. Bet they don't first test it on a known live circuit to check its working ok, as you would always use a proving unit on a two prong tester before use.
I remember as a 12 year old pushing one into a metal clad socket in the school physics lab, shorting it to earth and creating a loud bang and flash. Needless to say, the physics teacher was not impressed, telling me "A little knowledge is a dangerous weapon", how right he was! stay safe!
Thanks for watching Pete!
I use both. I like the simplicity of the screwdriver and trust it after many decades of use. It does no harm to double check using two different tools
Thanks for watching Jonathan!
Electrical systems have always the potential of being hazardous, however the fact that no one ever died of using such a screwdriver means something to me. The defaults you described are so very rare, that i never heard of something happening like that.
Thanks for watching!
I had a couple of belts from mine so I don't use it anymore. Good Video.
Thanks for watching!
4:24 But you can visually inspect the tool and you can initially touch it a way that would allow you to survive the shock. Like put one hand in the pocket and hold it very loosely so it can fall off in case you get a shock.
To safely use them you need to know how they can fail to light up and some other things.
I like them because of their simplicity.
Thanks for watching!
In the U.S., these are not used for testing mains voltage. They are used for testing low voltage (6, 12, 24) DC in automobiles. Instead of a button on the end, there is a wire that is clipped to the chassis/ground while the probe tip checks for positive voltage.
Thanks for watching!
I have been using these screwdriver testers for many years and never had a problem, I’ve also used the volt pen which sometimes did me a false reading.
Thanks for watching!
Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
20 odd years ago I was told "never rely on a neon" so to this day I've never had one in my tool box
Yep sensible advice, thanks for watching!
Are these able to show if your micowave door seal is leaking also ?
Are you asking if high power microwaves would cause the lamp to light? If so, i expect it would, but you’d probably also feel them.
I think microwave ovens are very safe though, as long as they aren’t damaged.
Thanks for watching!
I found the non-contact tester gave me a false positive when I changed a ceiling light pendant. It indicated that the wiring was live but in fact it was picking up some induced current. I had the MCB turned off. I checked with a neon type screwdriver similar to the one examined. I had previously checked it indicated live reliably when the MCB was turned on. I believe the MCB isolates only the live conductor and not the neutral.
Thanks for watching!
Also called "widow makers".
Banned from our site. Anyone caught with one has to return it to their van. Anyone caught using one is kicked off site for the rest of the week - second offence is a ban from site.
You either use a voltage indicator and proving unit, or find another profession.
The main issues with those toys are:
The light can be unclear - as shown in the video
The "test" voltage uses the body as the return path
The resistor or neon could go faulty, and give a false "safe" indication.
Probably others, but in general DIYers don't / won't listen to electrical advice.
Volt sticks shouldn't be relied upon either. Always follow up proving dead with a voltage indicator and proving unit before work.
Glad to hear, thanks for sharing and thanks for watching!
What sort of people work on your site? Does your site not have anything for regular checks of electrical equipment you use? What training is given? Do the people on your site have no common sense?
Working on Data Centre / CoLo / FLS build and upgrades. Yes, I (and my contractors have common sense, and for me - about 30 years experience woking in the industry at voltages from 54V to 132KV. . @@niv8880
This is very useful to know. I'm the most amateur of amateur DIYer and I've had one of these for at least 25 years and have never used it to test for current. The blade is obviously designed for the types of screws you find in electrical components and battery panels on toys etc so it's good to have around. As it's been rattling around my toolbox/kitchen drawer of doom for decades, there's a good chance that void had been bridged and I wouldn't have known to check. Thanks! By the way, can you use a multimeter to check if it's in working order?
You could put a multimeter with a probe attached to the top and bottom, then measure resistance. It should be very high or give no value at all, if it gives something low, then it’s dangerous to use. Still id just get a non contact tester to be safe. Thanks for watching!
You've be wise not to listen to this content provider
@@niv8880 What piece of information specifically is incorrect?
I have one like this but the other end goes to neutral, I guess it would only break if put on three-phase 410V
Thanks for watching!
I have a Klein induction tester. It works well, is very durable, and not only lights up but beeps. Best of all, it is often unnecessary to touch a terminal with the tool. I've never seen the neon thing that you're using.
Thanks for watching!
They are a excellent tool I have been using one for 50 years or more in fact a friend asked me to buy him one which I will .....Thanks for reminding me
Thanks for sharing your opinion
Thanks god bless
Thanks for watching!
I use those screwdriver/ tester things - many years. A more sophisticated version has red-orange AND green lights inside.
.
Interesting, thanks for watching!
Never heard of anyone being injured by one of these "phase meters" as they are called in my country. And by the way, the 2 devices don't have the same function - the screwdriver tells you which wire caries the phase, while the other detects the presence of high voltage but given the distance of detection, cannot be used to identify the source exactly.
Thanks for watching!
Good video again buddy
Thank you! Thanks for watching!
This one is actually a higher end model if you can say that😅 the even cheaper knock offs often have a cylindrycal carbon-like hard pressed little tablet instead of an actual resistor and the button can not be a button, but a rivet to contact the spring 😅
Interesting, that’s terrible! Thanks for watching!
Yes,in my first year of tech my teacher told me that the best use for that test screwdriver is just to use it as a screwdriver.
The test pen is what I used on a coal mine site 17 years ago & it should only be used as an indicator, not to conclude that the circuit is dead so double check that using a multimeter !
Thanks for watching!
I only trust a DMM, mine is Fluke 17 of which non contact detection is build in and if I want to go further it s the read out that is the most assuring.
Thanks for watching!
Test pen is an essential tool for me to do wiring job.
Thanks for watching!
As ex-electrician myself (later Msc. elec. engineer, now PhD elec. eng), I can say - yes, everything is dangerous if you don't know the limitations.
Yes, these can actually give false information in some specific situations. You have to know these.
Typically as electrician (mostly military) I was never using this professionally. Because there were better ways.
The cheap way to make alternative and much more reliable device is as follows. Buy two old-style bulbs with metal heating wires 220V each. Connect them in series. Then you can safely put on two of them up to 450V, which is over 380V inter-phase, they work also on 220V, even on 110V you can see them light on. So with this you can measure also up to 400V inter-phases in the substations. Wrap this series bulb connection with something, maybe sticky tape, connect 1 meter wires at the ends to measure with both your hands. When you open an electrical cabinet, you first find the zero and the ground. You first check you bulbs are not broken. You find a place where there is obvious 220 V or 380 V and check the bulbs. Then you know they are working. Then you can use the zero you always have with one wire in hand and you can check for 220V with respect to the zero , or to the ground as last resort. You are on the ground, so for your safety ground matters mostly. BTW, according to safety rules, zero never gets interrupted by switches, so you always should have zero available.
Summary - whatever device you use - always measure zero to phase or between phases. Never to your finger with the device in the video. Your finger may work most of the time, but there are rare exceptions you want to avoid.
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I prefer the screwdrivers with an LED, transistor and a couple of watch batteries, they are brighter and much more sensitive. It can be checked before every use by touching both the tip and cap with a finger, it can also be used for testing continuity of fuses and lamps.
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With the volt pen ensure you check it with a known energised circuit. I had a damaged pen from Screwfix and assumed it worked before relying on it as my safeguard. DOH!
Yes good idea! Thanks for watching!
The contactless volt detectors also have their pitfalls. If these light up then there is probably voltage. If these do not light up, then they are either broken, the battery is empty or there is no voltage.
Multimeters can be used up to a maximum of 250V AC. Many cheap multimeters do not have good protection circuits. These are already unsafe at 400V and more. If you plug a multimeter into the wrong sockets you will get a short circuit.
Yeah best to test the non contact volt stick on a known live first. Thanks for watching
So the tool effectively creates an earth leakage path through the user. Would that trip an RCD ?
You’re right it does create leakage, but an rcd is rated to allow up to 30mA of leakage. If the screwdriver is working correctly, it won’t leak enough to trip, same with a socket tester. Thanks for watching!
@@TheDiligentDIYer1759 So if I put my finger through my earth leakage clamp meter the reading us going to be less than enough to trip an RCD.
@@TheDiligentDIYer1759 You are desperate for hits aren't you? You could also argue rubber gloves are dangerous for electrical work - I mean, what if they have a cut in them and especially wet. Why don't you do a video on that?
I would be interested in Diligent DIY's opinion on Electro magnetic radiation, apparently smartphones, smart meter, elect cars, solar panels, electric windmills all have them
EM radiation is everywhere, both natural and made made, even visible light is on the EM spectrum.
Probably something better for a physics channel though, not really in my niche.
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I haven't used one of the neon detectors in decades, however I've never heard of an electrician receiving a shock from one of these devices. In either class of device, you should verify the device is working (by checking against a known live connector) before using them as voltage detectors on presumed-dead wiring.
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I have the same screwdriver, but mine has a wire (attached to where you stuck your thumb) with an alligator clip on end for ground
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One day you may get a bright idea to use one of these to check your lightbulb socket. You aim it to the live center and then you almost certainly touch the neutral circle. Lots of sparks.
Yeah i can see that as a potential danger. Thanks for watching!
We used to build something like this at school. It has a resistor for protection against electric shock. It's totally harmless.
Thanks for sharing your opinion
It's harmless if it is in it's original condition. The video showed potential fault possibilities which could render it dangerous. I think the possibility of moisture ingress was illuminating 🌩
Never had a problem with these.
As with any other Volt test unit: know how it can fail or deceive you. In this case, use it only to establish if the circuit is live. (Not dead).
You can solder a wire with a lead to the top (insulate it) and connect the new end to neutral or ground.
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Photonicinduction did a good video on these a few years ago called “killer screwdriver”
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As a kid I messed about with old radios and wiring all the time and got many many 240v shocks. I got so used to them I'm not convinced they are all that dangerous. As long as your not gripping something live and can't let go. Or if you have a dicky ticker!
Definitely not advisable haha, but yes not usually fatal. Thanks for watching!
Just remember this, no matter how many shocks you've had, the next one could still be the one that kills you. Do not believe the myth that people can become immune to electric shocks.
Very educational. Mentioning the approximate costs of each device shown, side by side, would have made the video even more comprehensive
Yes good idea, thanks for watching!
Hi! Did you've ever really shocked by mains? You describe the fear of malfunctioning of a _AC phase point tester_ like someone that was shocked once slightly or did never shocked at all.
I've got my "mains" in childhood once. It wasn't horrible but unpleasant obviously! Once again I was shocked touching a naked wall outlet behind our refrigerator. It was a very old "gift" from my father who did left us and took the actual plastic outlets with him.
You're advicing to get a good device but it serves another task: just defining is here a safe (current free) cable or not. Or is this volume in a wall is free of electrified cables.
The electrical "screwdriver" is a tester to understand: is a concrete wire "phase" or "zero" (ground). It's very important when you're making electric wiring. And using it to just testing cables for safety isn't good. Personally I have the same contactless tester in my Uni-T multimeter. It works fine even in a cheaper model (which I've bought later to leave in another place, our summer house).
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Haaaa!!!!
I use both of those exact testers 🙂👍
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Thank you
You're welcome!
I believe the CE markings on that screwdriver test lamp means "Chinese export", but it's also marked, "made in Germany" maybe I'm mistaken.
CE means the product is allowed to be sold in the EU, UKCA is the new Brexit version you’ll see on stuff now. Thanks for watching!
Thanks for clearing that up.@@TheDiligentDIYer1759
I have several of those and also a 12v version. Never used them as testers, though. Just as a screwdriver.
I believe they have came with some abiko or fuse kits.
Using yourself as part of electric circuit is not a safe thought.
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I mean the argument that something can get inside is quiet pointles, the bottom part and top part are detachable and one of your basic responsibilities is to check your equipment before using it, you can open it up and clean. Second thing is that some of them do not contain spring alone but spring and fuse. The spring wire tho should burn and shouldnt allow you to receive full voltage by design. Another important thing is rating of the tool which needs to be checked as 230-250V in sockets is usually 9A or 16A, anything like 25A and more and the producer of the tester themselves do not recommend to use it.
Perhaps older versions can be taken apart, but all the new ones I’ve seen cannot. Thanks for watching
As a retired signalling tech support engineer who used to calibrate test kit from meggers to flukes too live line testers.
Any meter , volt pen or other circuit tester
Unless calibrated at least annually on catibrated test machine any item that is supposed to give accurate readings or safe to touch test equipment will have the potential to be wrong.
Sure use a live line tester but for me on sockets for example plug in a lamp turn off at the consumer unit if the light goes out its a good bet the circuits dead .
Double check with your uncalibrated diy test probe and you can be fairly sure its got no power.
I prefer meters to probes but still have a good Fluke non contact one that picks up power by just touching the socket housing its ultra sensitive but not as cheap as the diy prode drivers at around
£25
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The Non-contact voltage tester is WAY more dangerous.
This thing some times will not trigger for some random reasons or will give you false positives.
You should always double check with another tool (like the Neon screwdriver).
Thanks for sharing your opinion
Good points
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Very common tool in eastern europe, for decades. Still very much used. Like any tool, needs to be used properly. Also bites if you happen to touch a grounded part while probing. Unfortunately new models seem to come with physically small resistor.
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If you had ever read any old electrician education materiel from eastern Europe you will know that this is not the right tool to use, the right tool is a tester like the one shown at 1:35 in a more bulky variant, but one thing is what people is taught, an other thing is what they do in reality, they sadly often reach out for the easy fix solution.
@@K2teknik. Do you remember how those old voltage testers with 2 probes worked in 50s-80s? They were passive, without batteries and LEDs. It was just coil with core on spring. Impedance of this coil was very low. So if you dropped one probe, you could get shocked easy. Screwdriver tester was in fact much safer. And there was no way to test just one wire if it is life without connecting second probe to good ground.
I too have been using these for 50 years without incident! Scaremonger!!
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I remember using a neon tester and when I was doing it, I put my hand on the metal panal case - OUCH!!!!!
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All multimeters should have a DC-AC switch. When working on AC voltage ,it should be set to AC.
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Perfectly safe device and have been using this for decades ... all equipment needs to be used properly ... that is all ☺
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I'm a heating engineer. I have to say that I have been using 'neon screwdrivers' for 50 years (just about to retire) with zero problems. I worked with 45 other engineers...and I've never heard of anyone getting a shock from them. I don't like my 'voltstick', as I find that is unreliable, so is potentially dangerous to trust it. But the 'neon'...no issue.
Thanks for watching Barry!