BACtrack C6 Keychain Breathalyzer With Smartphone Connectivity

Hard to get it start working, some time it need to restart couple time before works

A few years ago I bought a BACtrack Keychain Breathalyzer from Amazon. That unit served me well and I was very happy with it.

After a while, breathalyzers have to be recalibrated. This means returning the unit to the manufacturer to have the work done. After doing a Google search, I came to the conclusion that it would be cheaper to buy a new breathalyzer rather than having it recalibrated. Even more so, for someone like me, who lives in Canada, as there is the shipping cost to send the unit out to the U.S. and then have it returned to Canada.

For this reason, I bought a BACtrack C6 Keychain Breathalyzer. It is a very nice looking device, it is easier to use than my old one. All very positive. Unfortunately, the device I received did not work.

Every night I have a glass of wine with dinner. Once I received the BACtrack C6, after waiting 20 minutes after dinner, as per the instructions, I took a reading. It came back 0000. So I tried it again the next 2 nights and, this time, I waited 45 minutes before trying. Again 0000.

I thought that maybe I wasn’t drinking enough wine to get a reading. To confirm that, I did something drastic, I drank 2½ ounces of rye, neat, no ice, and waited 45 minutes before taking a reading. Again, it came back 0000. I waited another ½ hour and tried it again, same result 0000. I did that 2 more days in a row, the result was always the same.

The BACtrack C6 has now been returned to Amazon.

I didn’t want to spend a lot on a alcohol-level reader because I wasn’t sure how often I’d use it and not sure how accurate any of them are so I bought this one because it was the cheapest by the company that seemed reliable and because it was so small as to be easily carried around in my pocket and because it allows you to see your results and track your history on your iPhone or Android by downloading the app.

Also, I figured it was an easy thing to lose while out drinking, so didn’t want to spend a hundred bucks on it.

Setting up takes just a second and you can charge it with the USB port, so that’s fast. It’s intuitive so you can pretty much go from there. To test it, turn it on and check; it should be 0.0. Start drinking – wait 15-20 minutes – and take your first reading. The number should go up, maybe 0.01 or even 0.02. The more you drink, the higher it will go; that’s how you know it’s working.

As to accuracy, I think so. There were two of us and mine rose in level slower than his; I weigh 30 pounds more than he does so it takes more alcohol to get me drunk than him, I think, plus I have a higher tolerance due to heavier use over the past 40 years, lol.

The most important things to remember, as they will remind you in the instructions, is that you need to wait 15-20 minutes after each drink to get a good reading; if you check your level earlier, your body hasn’t absorbed it enough. Don’t worry that if you don’t take a reading right away it won’t be accurate; it’s the opposite: you need to wait for it to be accurate. (Sort of the opposite of waiting 30 minutes after eating to go swimming, lol.) Also, this is for fun; no guarantees that you’re not drunker than they say.

Also, remember that you’re expecting levels to be 0.0x, not 0.x, know what I mean? In many states, a 0.08 level will get you a DUI. NOT 0.8. If you blow a 0.8, you’re already dead. So if you want to get the highest number if you’re out with friends and think it’s funny to see who gets drunkest, stop at 0.14, not 1.4. If you blow a 1.4, you’re already dead.

The only problem I’ve had is I haven’t been able to figure out how to get the tester to switch back from when you use the app to just getting the result from the tester. You should be able to test it both ways, I think; not using the app you should be able to just test and if you want to store results and get other information, you switch the tester to a different setting. It’s in the instructions but haven’t gotten to it yet.

The results seem accurate – the numbers went up the more I drank. Again, wait before you test or you’ll get a crazy number, and that number might be really high (I think because the alcohol is still partly in your mouth or something like that). Also, breathe deep before you blow. I don’t think you have to breathe really, really deep, but even if you do, it won’t affect your result adversely.

The higher-priced products may be more accurate and/or give you more bells and whistles, so if you plan on using it often or for purposes other than just for fun (or, if you drink a lot all the time and want to have something reliable that might last a long time, buy those).

I’m glad I have this; I should’ve purchased one years ago. It does make me more aware of the effects of each drink and now I can measure how my level changes compared to how I feel after each drink.

Happy to have this. Now I feel aafe driving after I’ve waited enough and tested for BAC after drinking.

So far, I’m very happy with the BACtrack C6. It’s small enough to keep on my keychain so that I have it at all times. I did a few test readings and it all seems accurate. I used the app on an Android Phone that is not listed but it still works perfectly. The only small drawback is that it takes a little time for the device de connect to the phone, but it’s about one minute so it’s ok. The upside of the app is that it will give you an approximate time for when you are sober.