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Bought a cheap voltage tester that almost got me fried
Grabbed a "ProGrade" pen tester from a discount tool truck for 15 bucks because my good one was in the van. Thing lit up on a live wire, so I thought it was safe to work. Turns out it was giving a false negative on the neutral side of a switched circuit. Nearly grabbed a hot 277V line because of it. What's a solid, budget-friendly tester you guys actually trust?
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hayes.joel5mo ago
Ever notice how the cheap version of safety gear is almost always a trap? That false confidence is way worse than just knowing you're unprotected. I burned through a few of those pens before just getting a Fluke T1-1000, it's not the cheapest but it hasn't lied to me yet.
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susanm565mo ago
Oh man, I saw a video where a guy tested those cheap voltage pens on a live wire and it just didn't light up at all. Scary stuff. He said the internal parts are so bad they fail fast, and then you're walking around thinking a hot wire is dead. Totally agree that false confidence is the real danger.
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