Santronics ALWAYS ON Non-Contact Voltage Detector - How it compares to Fluke, Milwaukee, & Klein
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- čas přidán 28. 06. 2024
- Just picked up the Santronics 3115 Non-Contact Voltage Detector or "NCV". I Got this because the handle on my Fluke brake and I hadn't had one before that is "Always On" The reviews for the sensitivity were also great.
In this video I share the cost, features, and show it along side my other detectors from Fluke, Milwaukee, & Klein to help you decide if you might need this tool... or need to pass on it.
Hope it is useful & THANKS FOR WATCHING!
The following are links to products shown in the video. Links marked (Affiliate Link) are Amazon Affiliate Links for Items in the video. I participate in the Amazon Associates Program and make a small commission if you purchase using this link at no cost to you. Thank you for your Support!
If you would like a link for something else you see in the video... let me know and I will post it here as well.
Santronics 3115 (Amazon Affiliate Link) - amzn.to/3S2iEsv
Amprobe Version (Amazon Affiliate Link) - amzn.to/4aFvfc5
Fluke 1AC-A1-II (Amazon Affiliate Link) - amzn.to/3GZaWsK
Milwaukee 2202-20 (Amazon Affiliate Link) - amzn.to/48iJKkE
Klein NCVTP3 (Amazon Affiliate Link) - amzn.to/48vEryB
Time Stamps:
00:00 Intro & Thanks
01:37 Going Over Testers being Used in Video
03:14 Santronics Features & Cost
05:30 Testing the Testers
11:03 Final Thoughts and Outro
#tools #maintenance #milwaukee #klein #fluke #toolreview #electrical #hvac #plumbing #diy #construction #kleintools #ncv #tester #safetyfirst - Jak na to + styl
I told myself last week, no more new tools! Turn on utube this morning, and there you are, making me break my rule the first day of the new year. Happy New Year...
I’m good at what I do 😂… I break that rule all the time.
Happy New Year 👍
I carry a Santronics model 3000 “Ultimate AC Sensor” which replaced my Fluke a few years back, due to the unparalleled sensitivity. Like the model you reviewed, it’s an always-on sensor… But it has a beeper for audible feedback.
My only complaint is that the pocket clips tend to break rather easily. I’ve dropped it quite a few times and it hasn’t exploded in to a bunch of pieces, so it’s seemingly more durable as well.
I didn’t see that one, but I will see if losing the beep really bugs me. Thanks for the heads up 👍
That santronic reminds me of the old fluke I had years ago.
I’ve been using the Fluke 1AC for so long, I can’t think of the ones I used before that.
I appreciate your vids. Im a journeyman wireman and i take away a lot from your vids. Always good to see vids from someone i can trust. God bless and happy new year
Appreciate that.. I went down the path of doing many things, but electrical is my favorite.
God Bless and Happy New Year to you 👍
Thank you, sir. Keep the videos coming!
Happy New Year! Told you months ago you do a great job. Your channel will continue to keep growing. Thanks for all the info.
Happy New Year to you too! Appreciate it 👍👍
Great video, I am still partial to my Fluke non-contact tester, but I appreciate the comparison. Happy New Year!
Happy New Year to you too 👍
I saw a GreenLee Tic Tester designed for tamper proof outlets with dual-tip (TR13)
👍👍… I’d say that will be a must on all newer testers
I've got one of these that I've had for several years but it's blue and I think it's called the wireman. Same exact tester.
I’ve been amazed by how many people have already been using these and I’ve never heard of them. Must not have hit my area 🤷♂️
I've always used only these, I love and trust them. Had a Fluke like yours and an electrician friend I worked with said "Get rid of that beep."
👍👍 apparently you can turn it on/off.. I never knew that 😂
I've been doing electric 35+ years and the Santronic is by far the best IMO of all the Death Sticks. I've had basically all others.I like it so much just bought 10 of them and have them all over. Of course my wiggy is the best along with 20+ others I use. Can't go wrong with the santronics. Only pet peeve is I always break off the shirt pocket clip so not sure if they can fix that glitch but I live with it. Keep the good videos coming long time listener here
That’s a high recommendation.. the only bad reviews I read were durability, but that can be the case when many of these when you drop them.
Appreciate it 👍👍
Happy New Year! I carry a Klein dual voltage NCVD in my front shirt pocket every day, but I like the slim look of the Santronics. I've found the Klein to be overly sensitive to close wires as well, especially in 3 phase switch boxes. I may have to grab one of these, as it seems like it might be useful for finding a dropped phase/blow fuse a little more easily.
Happy New Year too!
The Klein was definitely the most sensitive of the bunch
The only hot stick I’ve used for years. Simple and no accidental button push. Only flaw is the durability. You drop it 50/50 chance it breaks. I have broken two but I like it so much I keep getting them.
👍👍.. that’s want many reviewers said. They’ve broke several, but keep going back.
Good demo & info ... I have all 3 ... Thx
So you are a tool addict like me 😂👍
@@MORGANSMaintenance Yep , I am & proud of it
I remember when all you saw on the jobsite was Santronics testers like this. The only real issue is that the only way to really test them is it rub them on your shirt to build up static. I'm not sure if just tapping it so it lights up is a reliable test, but that would be easier. That said, I'm looking for the smallest reliable tester I can get and I'm looking at this and their "Ultimate" tester.
I had never heard of them before, but after this video I see that many people have used them for years.
I do really like it so far, I hadn’t seen their “ultimate”. Will have to look it up 👍
Very good comparison.
I'd go for Fluke, because their component quality guarantees you that the readings are always the same no matter the battery capacity. With some cheaper testers there may be "glitches" when battery is low. I wonder how Santronics will behave in that matter.
Klein is nice because of two-colour signal pattern.
Milwaukee, well pricey TTC toy, but I'm not surprised.
Happy New Year.
I’ve always had good experiences with all my Fluke tools and normally that’s what I go with.
I decided to try this one because of the reviews. At face value it matches what everyone says, but we will see.
Happy New Year my friend 👍
I use the fluke 2AC. Same always on feature with no beep. The Amazon price is high when I checked now. I payed around $30.00 a few years ago. Great tester.
That’s one Fluke I hadn’t got my hands on yet. I’ve used the 1AC and the LVD2. I didn’t care for it.
I may have to check that one out, Fluke has been my “go to” 👍
I have the NCV tester from Kewtech. Like the Santronics one it is on all the time and is small enough to go in the pocket on my Velocity tester bag. I also have one from CEM that is ATEX approved for hazardous areas that I work in sometimes. They don't get a lot of use, but are very handy for detecting breaks in wires and will work on systems with a PEN fault, peculiar to the UK.
I haven’t heard of the Kewtech brand. Will have to check it out 👍
Thanks for sharing. The fluke tester has a silent mode where it won’t beep.
I’ve been using those testers for years and never knew that 😂😂
What do you do, push the button again or something?
@@MORGANSMaintenance It’s been awhile since I’ve done it, but I believe you just hold the button down for a bit to toggle between silent and audible.
Yup
The Klein isn’t beeping because you have it set that way. I forgot how it works but it has to do with the bottom. I usually turn it off then turn it back on.
👍👍… Appreciate it.
I honestly haven’t used that Klein enough to get used to the settings. I have a couple of those, but I got them free in packages with other products. I think I got this one with the Digital Receptacle Tester. They have always just been too big for me. I keep them in the garage and in the house.
My Mic wasn’t picking up much of the beeping either…the Milwaukee was beeping much louder in person than what it was when I edited the video, I’m not sure if the Klein did or not.
Happy New Year and thank you for another informative video. Would you happen to know the length of the Santronics? I'm curious if it will fit in my small tool roll bag.
It’s 5” long.
Happy New Year to you as well 👍👍
Ok i have worked as an electrician and high voltage testing tech for 40 years and in all my experience the santronics is the hands down best tester i use it on a daily and never had a problem the only thing i would say is change the batteries to name brand not the junk it comes with
I had no idea so many people had been using these… but many of the reviews were exactly as you said. They have been using them for years and swore by them. That’s what caused me to give it a shot.
Appreciate your thoughts 👍👍
I have the Klein. I like it because it also does DC voltage. While I rarely use the flashlight and sometimes I turn it on by mistake it's nice to have that feature. Overall it's a great NCV tester for me. I'm not usually trying to find an individual wire that's hot. I'm usually checking to see if any voltage is present. I can though how that could help someone trying to track down a wire in box that has wires on different circuits. I have a Fieldpiece multimeter that also has an NCV built in.
That is a nice feature on the Klein.
I run into tracing circuits all the time, so this one will be good for me… but like you said, it all depends on what you do (normally run into)
Having one on your meter would be super useful 👍
@@MORGANSMaintenance It's the Fieldpiece SC-680. It's way overkill for me but I have a minisplit in the garage and it has a minisplit function. Being they are becoming more popular I thought it would be a good feature to have. The head on it also turns.
@scotts4125 👍👍 They are getting pretty popular.
@@MORGANSMaintenance Talk about a timely video. I have a buzz on an led light with a dimmer. I have a Lutron Caseta dimmer which wasn't cheap. I have since read they have an even more expensive more that's ELV that doesn't buzz. This one also requires a neutral. Being this wasn't a regular switch to swap I need to know which wire was line and which was load. The Klein indicated on both. It did beep on the load side I will give it that. Line side was steady. I am now going to buy one of these that is more precise. You could say I now see the light. :)
@@scotts4125 all it takes is the right situation to get your tool money 😂
Fluke also makes a "always on" version i think its the 2AC model.
👍👍 I will have to look into that one. I’ve only used the one in the video and the LVD2. I didn’t care for the LVD2. The color changing is a little weird.
@morgans maintenance
Can you talk about the moral patch holder on your veto. I know you have talked about it before but I can find the video and I'm trying to get one. Thanks
It’s this patch amzn.to/48l0sjj
I used some hook and loop on the back of it. Then I cut a piece of aluminum the same size as the path and put the opposite hook and loop on one side, and mounted a tape measure clip to the aluminum.
@@MORGANSMaintenance awesome, thanks for the replay.
I have a couple Klein testers (even the one with the infrared thermometer…handy in a panel). Been thinking about getting the new Milwaukee (Model # 2200-20) it’s $20 at Home Depot. Looks to be slim and it beeps, which I like also. There’s a green light like the Klein to let you know it’s on. I’ll let you know how it works when I pick it up. Happy New Year my friend.
I saw that one just the other day. The Milwaukee ones I have were ones I used all the time because they were available at Home Depot and then they quit carrying them.
They just added the one you are talking about and another for $30… I think maybe the $30 one has a light.
@@MORGANSMaintenance The $30 has the light and is dual voltage. The tip looks better on both of them, as far as dealing with tamper resistant outlets
@@brianhall9019 I expect with most newer models of these testers, that will be a big thing. These receptacles are pretty much going in everywhere.
I’m 90% sure with the fluke if you quick press it to turn on it will have the audible live sound, however when turning on if you hold for longer it actually makes it into light up only so like a silent mode so perhaps if it works intermittently could you be holding the on button a fraction too long.
I believe that has been the case… been using for years and never knew 😂… who reads instructions 👍
@@MORGANSMaintenanceoh I certainly don't 😂 only found out myself when I was working with a mate of mine who had the same and I was complaining it was broken and he told me 😂
@jnewton86 👍👍
I have that same Klein tester and find it too sensitive. Like today, I was changing out a ceiling fan and trying to verify which lead was for the fan and which was for the light. With one lead energized, the tester would indicate that both leads were on. Had to pull out my multimeter to check. One was showing 6V and the other about 120V. Even in the 70V - 1000V mode, it still was indicating both as energized. I might give that Fluke tester a try.
This one is really good for only showing which wire is live, that and the Sperry that has three adjustable sensitivity.
The Fluke is the next best. It’s kinda a happy medium. It’s been my go to for a long time
@@MORGANSMaintenance Well, the Klein failed in the which wire is live respect. Maybe I have a faulty one, I don't know. It's only good for telling if any wire is energized in a box, not which particular one is so. I ordered the Fluke and will give that a try.
@@gpraceman 👍
@gpraceman your bag will be in this Saturdays Guess the Trade
This is the one I have. Never failed on me in two years. It’s still important to realize the limitations but I love its simplicity. Always on, just test with a tap to make sure batteries are still good. It is ‘weak’ though so don’t drop it.
Everything you said is basically a sum of all the reviews I read. 👍
I really like the size of it. The no sound is the only thing I don’t like, but there are only a few instances where I usually want it.
Thanks for sharing
@@MORGANSMaintenanceI got this because it doesn’t have a beep. On one of yours your beeper doesn’t always work which can get you in a pickle pretty quick if you trust it too much and don’t hear the beep. It’s the simplest one I found. Not much to break (except for the case itself). I only use this to know if some voltage is present…if I’m diving my hand in I make sure I know what’s going on to a better degree than what any of these testers can do.
@@nachoisme true…
It’s definitely the best I’ve seen for being close to other wires. And the size makes it a little easier to get into places. I really like it.
Have you done a video on the Aneng 3009? Its the same size as a pen tester but has Multimeter features. If not, I highly recommend it. For when you dont want a bulky meter its amazing for less than $30.
I don’t have that one… I have some KAIWEETS versions that are similar. That one looks a little smaller though. 👍
@MORGANSMaintenance I have the 2 kiaweets ones also, and yes, the aneng is smaller. It's the same size size as the fluke or milwaukee and smaller than the larger klein models. Mine usually lives in the mp2x
@Cavett24 that’s a good size, may check it out. Thanks 👍
I’ve been using the Dual voltage Klein but it kept getting turned on in my new bag, ran the batteries down. I put new batteries in, lots of false signals, so I ditched it. I bought a Milwaukee version, not really pleased with it. I think I want a straight 90v or higher type stick.
I rarely need the dual range so its never been a feature I've looked for. Nice to have if it's on a detector I like, but not something that made me get it.
The Klein's are too big for the pockets I like to put mine in, and if I move them to a bigger pouch I have to get rid of a Tool I don't want to lose.
I really like the Fluke (used them for years), and my first impression of this is one is good... but I haven't had it very long. The reviews are good though.
I dropped my fluke and the beeper got really quiet. I opened it up and there was a circle-shaped cover on the circuit board with a hole in the middle. I used a paper clip or something to push whatever is inside of it back down and it has worked like new ever since. Maybe yours is stuck. Otherwise thank you for the information. I really like my fluke. I had a klein but it broke when I really needed it and I won't go back to them for that.
That may be the case on my Fluke, I will check it out. Apparently you can also turn the sound on/off… I’ve been using them for years and never knew that 😂
That is true too but it should reset itself every time you turn it on or off. lol
@@MORGANSMaintenance
Fluke all the way baby!!!!!!
That is usually my “Go to” 👍
@@MORGANSMaintenance : But the one that can trace from 12 volts or 24.
I go between fluke and wiha but most of the time the wiha is the most accurate. Almost all my co workers use the fluke one too so having wiha let's me know if someone borrowed it.
👍👍… I haven’t had many tools from Wiha. Their precision screwdrivers are about it, but I really like those.
Good idea on the “borrowing”
Wiha Non-Contact Voltage Tester Category IV 12-1000V AC with Flash Light - 25506 is the one I like the level meter on it to show if it's high or low voltage
@@MattHmm-rq6dn appreciate it 👍👍
Do you sell the "extra tools", you don't need?
Sometimes I do… sometimes because I keep my tools clean and in decent shape, I sell them for nearly what I pay for new tools when I upgrade (especially if I get the new one on a deal)
I also give some away to people on job sites. (Usually smaller stuff) I’m not on too many with other people anymore, but I am occasionally.
I also end up just having quite the collection 😂
"A man can be as great as he wants to be. If you believe in yourself and have the courage, the determination, the dedication, the competitive drive and if you are willing to sacrifice the little things in life and pay the price for the things that are worthwhile, it can be done." --Vince Lombardi
👍👍
Wow that Santronics I’ve had for years! I never liked it because it’s always on and gave me false identification or to sensitive. I’ve tried them all and by far the Fluke is the best for sensitivity and but not so much as durability, once I drop it, it’s over and done with. I only use two now which is the Fluke and Sperry with sensitivity adjustment, if I need to find one wire in a box that is the go to with spot on accuracy, but you have to hold the button down on it, the new model is ok but the older one is by far the best. The model number on the old one is VD6505.👍🏼 The new model is VD6509 and I can’t speak for that one because I never tried it but it seems to have better features and improvements. With the Fluke and Sperry I’m set on both of those. The Fluke has the settings with turning audible on or off if you’re not aware.
I like the idea of sensitivity adjustment. I may check that one out too.
Fluke has always been my preferred, I just buy different ones occasionally to make sure I’m not missing out on something.
Appreciate the suggestions as always 👍👍
Also, I wasn’t aware of being able to turn the sound on/off and I’ve used these for years 😂😂
Sometimes reading the instructions helps.
@@MORGANSMaintenance the sensitivity adjust at my early career had been a game changer for me because at the time so many were coming out and that one was the only one to pinpoint a wire in a stuffed box, later on I discovered the Fluke and never went to any others beside them two because it does exactly what I need them to do, if it ain’t brine don’t fix it, right? lol
@@MORGANSMaintenance yep, I was in the same boat with the Fluke audible until I finally read the directions 😂
@@Jesus_Strong very true. I almost always end up using the Fluke ones but I always buy other ones to make sure I’m not missing out on something. I have that FOMO with tools 😂
All my Klein versions I got in package deals with something else I bought. I got the one in this video when I bought the digital receptacle tester.
The Milwaukee one is what Home Depot used to stock and I picked it up when I needed one for some reason.