First Alert CO615 Carbon Monoxide Plug-In Alarm with Battery Backup and Digital Display
by First Alert
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List Price: Our Price: $31.95 You Save: $28.04 (47%) Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Buy Used: from $29.29 (click here) Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of First Alert CO615 Carbon Monoxide Plug-In Alarm with Battery Backup and Digital Display
Customer Review: Works Well, But Irritating Qualities
Summary: 3 Stars
The unit appears to function well (though it hasn't had to detect any CO yet). However, it has numerous irritating qualities.
As mentioned in the manual, it disables itself after a few years (supposedly because it has become less effective at that point - but it's also a way to get you to buy a new one sooner).
The CO level only shows up if you press the indicator button. Other units display the current CO level at all times. The First Alert only displays a blank screen.
The display is difficult to read in most lighting conditions.
You are forced to use the battery backup (whether you want the feature or not - and it is NOT an important feature). Once the battery is low, the incessant chirping is unnerving - forcing you to replace the batteries. It also does not work well with rechargeable batteries: The lower voltage (1.2 volts) of rechargeable batteries causes the unit to consider them discharged long before they actually are (which means you're getting the incessant chirping - usually at night - every month).
You risk damaging the product fighting to get it out of its plastic packaging after purchase. It's hard to open and can cause injury (sharp edges when cutting the hard plastic).
Customer Review: Just what I was looking for
Summary: 4 Stars
This product came as advertised. I read several of the reviews on this device and did not have the same trouble as other customers in regards to the battery door. I was able to open the battery door and install the batteries without a hassle. One of the main reasons, that I gave it 4 starts instead of 5 is because knock on wood, I technically have not had to use it, in the sense that I have not had a reading for carbon monoxide which is a good thing. I didn't want to give it 5 stars without knowing it will truly work. I did like the 5 year alarm it had, to tell you when it was no longer functional. I also wrote on the device with the date I started to use it as well. The only other complaint I would give the device would be displaying the current reading on the device. I don't mind that it does not display automatically, but I don't like how I have to hold the button for several seconds before it displays. I almost feel like I am resetting the device.
Overall I am happy with the device for the price point and going off the other reviews I have read on the device. Hopefully I will never need to determine if it works as design.
Customer Review: Should have bought a different brand
Summary: 2 Stars
I had read in some of the other reviews that the battery door was difficult to manage and you can't see the CO levels without hitting a button, but I thought, surely we can figure it out with the help of the manual. No such luck. The battery door closed fine without batteries inside, but both my husband and I unsuccessfully tried multiple times to make it shut after inserting batteries. We even removed and reinstalled the batteries several times to make sure we had them in all the way. It made us wonder if the unit was really working. Our only way of guessing that the CO levels in our house are safe was the fact that no alarm sounded when we plugged it in, but how could we know if the lack of alarm meant the house was safe, or the unit was defective? Never did find the button that I thought we were supposed to be able to push in order to see the full display and find out what exactly the CO level is.
Overall, we found this CO alarm confusing and unusable, and sent it back immediately. We have not tried any other CO detectors yet, but this one definitely got itself crossed off the list of possibilities.
Customer Review: Very compact, well made, simple
Summary: 5 Stars
I researched CO detectors pretty thoroughly before buying, as I needed three of them and it was going to run me around $80-$100 according to my first look. After reading through all the Amazon reviews and Consumer Reports, I settled on this one and I am glad I did. I have never owned any other CO detectors, let me say up front, but this model is great for most homes in my opinion. It's compact, just a tad larger than a 12-oz. can of soda. An older nonfunctional one that came with my house was twice that size. The little LED light tells you it's operating but is not garish, way less than a nightlight. And the manufacturer apparently listened to all the previous complaints about the battery compartment because I had no problem at all installing them and I believe the instructions even had a note about that. It does have a lifetime, it stops working at 5 years. But in response to those reviewers who derided this fact - consumer/home safety websites clearly show that that you should replace CO detectors every 5 years. So I think this product item is actually a very good thing.
Customer Review: First Alert CO615 Carbon Monoxide Detector
Summary: 5 Stars
Purchased three of these so I now have one on each floor of our home. We had one on the second floor, where the bedrooms are located, and it was over 10 years old and I just learned they are to be replaced every 5 years. I put a label on each of the new ones indicating the date on which to replace them. I used them by just plugging them,. They come with an extension cord but had no need for it. I guess they are working, I haven't had them sound or register any reading of carbon monoxide. I did use the test button and they sounded, so they say they are working properly. Purchased one more unit to take to our trailer at the vacation park, so we are protected where ever we are staying. The State of Wisconsin just enacted a law requiring these on each floor of a residence, but interestingly there is no penalty for failing to install them. Maybe some people will get them because of the law and it will save someones life. The penalty is if you don't have them and there is a problem you could pay for it with your life.