There are approximately 1,000 deaths per year as a result of electrical injuries, with 400 of these due to high-voltage electrical injuries and lightning accounting for 50-300 of the incidents. On top of that, there are at least 30,000 additional shock incidents per year that are non-fatal.
If you are considering doing any electrical work around your home or are just curious as to whether an old electrical outlet is still active, a non-contact voltage tester is an essential tool to help ensure that you don’t get zapped while you are working on or around your wiring.
Check out this list of voltage testers so you can get started on your home improvement projects without turning every encounter with an outlet or a wire into a potentially deadly guessing game.
The most popular voltage testers are the pen-style devices that can easily fit in your pocket or clip to your gear or clothes. Most of these testers utilize either visual or sound warnings when electric voltage is detected. The pen-style units are known for being compact and lightweight. Look for a unit with a range of 12-1,000V AC power since standard U.S. home power outlets supply 120 volts while larger outlets for appliances such as stoves and clothes dryers run at 240 volts. A dual range feature offering standard and low voltage options is a great feature as well. The low range setting will allow you to detect lower voltage in items such as doorbells, thermostats and irrigation wiring. Also pick up a unit that features an auto power-off feature to conserve batteries.
Battery powered pen-style tester
The most popular voltage testers are the pen-style devices that can easily fit in your pocket or clip to your gear or clothes. Most of these testers utilize either visual or sound warnings when electric voltage is detected. The pen-style units are known for being compact and lightweight. Look for a unit with a range of 12-1,000V AC power since standard U.S. home power outlets supply 120 volts while larger outlets for appliances such as stoves and clothes dryers run at 240 volts. A dual range feature offering standard and low voltage options is a great feature as well. The low range setting will allow you to detect lower voltage in items such as doorbells, thermostats and irrigation wiring. Also pick up a unit that features an auto power-off feature to conserve batteries.
Screwdriver-style voltage tester
Are you looking to kill two birds with one stone? Why not pick up a voltage tester that also serves as a screwdriver? Once again, make sure the device features both a visual and audio alert when voltage is detected, and detects up to at least 240 volts. A bonus feature – a magnetic tip that enables the screwdriver side to retrieve small screws.
Voltage tester with outlet detector
Speaking of winning pairs, picking up a voltage tester that is packaged with an outlet tester is a great game plan. While the voltage tester will alert you as to whether there is live voltage in outlets and wires, the dedicated outlet tester zeroes in a bit more on the actual health of electrical outlets. It checks to ensure that each contact in the outlet appears to be connected to the correct wire in your home’s wiring. Simply plug it in, and a selection of lights inform you as to the status of the outlet.
Voltage tester with laser distance measure
Whereas the voltage and outlet testers are simply two different products sold together, the voltage tester and the laser distance measure are combined in a single product. On the latter front, the unit’s laser can measure up to 66 feet, and measurements can be read on a high-visibility, reverse-contrast display. The display can also be toggled between reporting voltage and measurement information. As a bonus, the laser measurement tool can double as a laser pointer, perhaps to point out the next electrical outlet that needs to be checked.
Voltage tester with flashlight
At some point, you may encounter an issue with an outlet or wire that is located in an usually dark space. If you don’t have your trusty headlamp handy, you may find yourself in a bit of a bind. If only you had a voltage tester that came equipped with its own flashlight function. This dilemma must have become commonplace enough that at some point the electrical tool gods did in fact combine the two into a single device. When you’re choosing one, just make sure that the voltage tester pulls its weight with both visible and audible alerts, plus enough voltage detection range to perform the unit’s main job correctly.
Weatherproof voltage tester
If you’re in search of a professional level device that can detect massive voltage up to 132kV, then this is your ticket. Even though this is designed to detect voltage in overhead conductors, it can still be a worthy tool for detecting lower voltage in homes due to its low-range setting that covers the standard 50V-1.5kV range. Besides the usual audible and visible alerts, a big selling point for this unit is the fact that it is water-resistant. If you are ever in an extreme weather event such as a hurricane or tropical storm and you have to figure out the status of an outdoor electrical outlet, this will be the tester that can withstand the elements.
