Volt sticks and what is you opinion

[leonwildey]

What do you all thick about Volt sticks and there use in the in the electrical industry ?.

 

[Andy78]

Apparently there are uses for them. I've not found one yet though, not in my sphere of work.

 

[SJD]

Can be very useful to detect in twin & earth cable which side is L, if you want to cut the cable without shorting N to E. [Obviously the circuit MCB is then turned off first, but perhaps not the RCD.]

 

[PEG]

I find that a volt stick,is ideal for using as a pointer in the suppliers,as in "Pass me one of them...no next to it...no,the other side....that's it...that AVI..."

 

[mydigitalhome]

Fine for checking live but not proving something is electrically dead. Can help with fault finding.

 

[KEV 1 N]

Wouldn’t trust them to prove something’s dead, but I find them useful to locate and verify circuits particularly where you can’t use a martindale or where FCUs don’t have neons, and you don’t have to unscrew fronts to get at the terminals.
Also handy for identifying a cable you need to trace, again no need to make contact with the wire.

 

[sam400]

I don’t currently own one but have used one for identifying a cable in a loft that I wanted to ‘tap into’ I think it was to run a tv amplifier,

 

[Flanders]

The old death stick, yes handing for checking if a spur or switch pendant could be live , comes in handy when doing eicr to locate circuits but, thats about it.

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

if you have ever shopped with testermans and sign up to the newsletter they will give you a free voltstick.. which tells you all you need to know! on the positive side the used and reconditioned testing kit on the website is quite well priced.

 

[Strima]

Can be handing for fault finding when tracing out conductors etc and for stirring my brew...

No good for stabbing apprentices with though, not sharp enough...

 

[static zap]

Tap/stroke some models rhythmically ,and you can pretend something is dangerous , even with the power off.
--BEST keep you fingers out-of here--
Red Light means danger.
All that capacitance -stuff is dangerous..
(..they can tell lies.. as we all know)

 

[Gavin John Hyde]

Tap/stroke some models rhythmically ,and you can pretend something is dangerous , even with the power off.
--BEST keep you fingers out-of here--
Red Light means danger.
All that capacitance -stuff is dangerous..
(..they can tell lies.. as we all know)

got one with my clamp meter thrown in the box, even my weetabix makes it glow! found out when i put it on the side with the shopping next to it!

 

[MFS Electrical]

Can be handing for fault finding when tracing out conductors etc and for stirring my brew...

No good for stabbing apprentices with though, not sharp enough...

Good blunt force trauma though a well placed dig between the ribs could be effective joking of course

 

[PEG]

Although these items get a bit of stick they do find a use.
I have some,somewhere, i think,if my 10 year old hasn't used them as a tiny light-sabre...

I do use the volt-sense end of one of my Megger devices,330 maybe? So,a large,glorified stick of sorts As ever,used appropriately,even an elastic band is a suitable tool...

 

[MJPD29]

An absolutely useless way to get yourself hurt

 

[The Ghost]

I used one the other day as I was extending a lighting circuit and located two cables going to the rose to tap off of. Volt stick was very handy. Disconnected the feed at the rose and parted the cables the volt stick told me which one was live/feed as I could not get directly above the rose downstairs this was very handy. As to relying on them for safe isolation, when hell freezes over!

 

[NDG Elecs]

As already said - I wouldn't use for 100% isolation but they have uses. Except the Megger one I have which is so sensitive. I think that one would chirp if you put it near a watch battery.

 

[Deleted account]

An absolutely useless way to get yourself hurt

Totally disagree with you there.

It's an absolutely ideal way to get yourself hurt.

You may as well pick up a stick in the forest and use that to ensure safe isolation. Just as safe.
On second thoughts you may get a splinter in your pinky from the stick.

 

[oracle]

got one with my clamp meter thrown in the box, even my weetabix makes it glow! found out when i put it on the side with the shopping next to it!

Why do you keep the clamp meter in the weetabix box?

 

[Pete999]

Why do you keep the clamp meter in the weetabix box?

To keep his Bix together, sorry Mate I'm in one of those Sarcy Moods pay no heed to me.