PRODUCTS: Alcosense lite 2

Worried about the morning after? Bertie Simmonds delivers peace of mind…

Bertie Simmonds / £44.99 / www.alcosense.co.uk

We champion this product every Christmas season as it works, and it could well be a job-saver…

We can’t drink and ride as, at our age, slinging a leg over a bike with as much as a single large eggnog inside us will see us in a heap on the garage floor with a hip replacement op in the offing…

But the ‘morning after’ at this time of year is to be considered. Maybe we’ve had a few the night before at the office party (do people still have them?) and we may need to travel the next day, by two or four wheels. 

The AlcoSense Lite 2 is the entry-level personal breathalyser in the range. It uses a semi-conductor alcohol sensor and it’s easy to use. You switch it on, wait for it to count down to zero, and then blow through the supplied tube until it beeps. A few seconds later my alcohol reading will be shown on screen, along with an alert if you’re close to, or over the limit. Having used a few of these, let me tell you this: you will often be shocked by what you see. You’ll often feel just fine, but the results often prove otherwise. Police breathalysers use the same semi-conductor as the AlcoSense ones (apparently) so it’s accurate. You can also alter the limits (if you’re heading abroad, say) and get it recalibrated when it needs it for just over £20. A very useful bit of kit – even if it means the tested in-laws have to stay over that little bit longer…