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Old 2nd Dec 2019, 7:47 pm   #38
IanBland
Hexode
 
Join Date: May 2015
Location: Northampton, Northants, UK.
Posts: 380
Default Re: Neon Tester Screwdrivers

When I was sparking I hated neons and loved my voltstick. The primary issue for me with neons is they are passing a small current thru one's body and on more than one occasion got a significant tingle due to a short path to Earth (leaning the arm whose hand is holding the screwdriver on the metalwork of a suspended ceiling for instance). Not dangerous or even painful but very off-putting. Also I seem to have a rather low impedance (changing 8 foot fluorescent tubes always gave me a significant buzz which didn't seem to happen to colleagues).

I used my voltstick all the time, but not as a safety tester. As a non-contact tester a voltstick is so useful for many things. But since it can only prove a positive and not a negative, it was never a means to test if something was safe to touch. Well, most of the time, I risked it for speed sometimes y'know but wouldn't advise anyone to do that.

A test lamp is better than a neon screwdriver, a multimeter is even better. Always of course tested before and after with a known live source. And then first touch with a glancing touch from the back of the hand. Alternatively use a junior member of staff to do the first touch.
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