ZTS Mini Battery Tester - ZTS MINI-MBT
by ZTS
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Our Price: $32.00 Availability: Usually ships in 24 hours Category: Tools See more product details |
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Tools and Hardware Reviews of ZTS Mini Battery Tester - ZTS MINI-MBT
Customer Review: Made in USA
Summary: 5 Stars
When I showed this unit to my wife, she took it around the house and checked all of the batteries that seem to end up in our drawers.
As others have stated, you need to test the batteries more than once. But the instructions recommend this due to various factors.
Since this device tests the battery under load, it should provide a more accurate test than simply using a voltmeter.
There are a few issues though - albeit minor ones.
First, the battery box is a bit difficult to open. Not a big deal, but it could have been a bit easier to open.
Next, the instructions do not state to depress the button on the side of the unit to turn it on. And you cannot turn the tester off - it turns itself off after a minute or two of non-use.
Lastly, the tester is a bit harder to use for left-handers because the negative test lead exits the right side of the battery, favoring the use of the right hand to hold the lead. Left-handers would naturally hold the lead in the left hand. When you do this, you have to almost turn the tester upside down and read the display at the bottom.
It would have been better to have the lead coming out of the top or bottom so it would be easy to use with either hand. Most folks would not notice this, but left-handed people (like me) immediately notice it.
I still gave the tester 5 stars as all of these things are minor, and I like that it is made in the USA. I'd gladly pay a few dollars more for something made in the US these days.
Customer Review: Questionable Reliability
Summary: 3 Stars
I like the concept behind this tester, and it performs reasonably well; however, I have encountered two problems that made me give it only three stars. First, I agree with the one reviewer who suggested testing a battery more than once. I have found that to be confident of a reading, you need to test at least three times, because its readings are not always consistent. I have had it give me a zero reading on the first try and 100% readings on the second and third tries. Second, I have no confidence whatsoever in its readings on C123 batteries. I tested three batteries which came out of three separate cameras and got zero readings on all three. Since the batteries were still functioning well in the three cameras, I became suspicious. I have an old Radio Shack analog tester which does not have a specific setting for 3V batteries, so I set the tester for 1.5V. Each battery made the needle fly to the farthest point on the scale, so I figured there had to be more than zero juice in the batteries. When I put the batteries back in their respective cameras, each of the cameras' battery strength indicators showed a full reading for the batteries. Consequently, I do not have any confidence at all for the tester's 123 readings. It has worked well when testing AA alkalines and NIMH batteries (again, as long as I test three times). Although I like the tester, I would hesitate to recommend it because of the problems I have encountered.Customer Review: Used this to test 9-volt in wireless mikes, saved the play!
Summary: 5 Stars
We have 10 wireless microphones in our play, and during practices we try to use up the half-used batteries and save brand new ones for the performances. I had purchased a cheap $10 tester at my local hardware store, and it failed in a week. Besides it only measured voltage, so I had batteries going out in the middle of a scene. I finally decided that you get what you pay for and ordered this little jewel. Reading the directions, you should test the battery several times. I was able to manage my battery supply and not have to guess which of the 9-volts would not make it to the end of the play. On one evening before a performance, I was putting new 9-volt batteries in all my microphones straight out of the package. I decided to test each one first. Sure enough one of the batteries came back really weak. If I had put that battery in the lead actress microphone and it failed during the 1st scene, I would have never heard the end of it. Saved the play. The only design improvement I see is when you put both contacts for a 9-volt on the tester, you can't just put the 9-volt on it standing straight up and expect it to run a test. You kind of have to sneak up on the side of the terminals with the 9-volt and then it works just fine. So far I have been very careful with the single probe and stowing it carefully, but I can see that this may be the weak link of the tester.Customer Review: True Load Testing Makes This One of the Best
Summary: 5 Stars
One of the problems with most (less-expensive) battery testers is that they only check for voltage remaining in a battery. Even an 80% used battery can show nearly full rated voltage, and it is only when a load is placed on the battery that a true assessment is possible. Our college AV department goes through lots of batteries for DVD remotes, wireless mics, etc., and the other cheaper testers were not providing accurate results. This unit (and its big brother model) use an electronic circuit to test the battery for approximately two seconds under an electrical load. While doing this, the LED's light back and forth, and then the tested capacity is displayed. I highly recommend this unit for consumers and professionals alike. it is easy to use and very accurate. If you use a lot of button cell batteries, or lithium batteries (either AA or specialized camera/camcorder lithium ion batteries), you should probably purchase the larger ZTS MBT-1. The MBT-1 costs over twice as much and is larger in size, but consider that model for most versatility.Customer Review: VERY useful
Summary: 4 Stars
I had a little battery tester for many years that just gave up finally. It was simpler, and had a spring-loaded slot which tested all cylindrical batteries. And it had an easy two-spot tester for 9-volt batteries. It was all self-contained, nothing to break off, etc. This device requires that you use an attached probe at one end of the battery while pressing the other end against a designated sensor. It's not exactly difficult, but more difficult than it probably needs to be. This is more along the lines of a simplified version of a "multi-tester" that an electrician might use, except that it has only one probe, not two. Still, having a probe on an attached line is another thing that can break off or fray. I'm happy with it, but I think it could be engineered to produce the same (or equivalent) results in a more consumer-friendly way. I thought about a 3, but it does its job very well, and my quarrels are with design, so I went with a 4.