Product Review: TopTes Tools PT520A Combustible Gas Leak Detector

[@vwestlife]

I, for one, appreciate the stereo microphone.

[@Browningate]

Love that classic UXWBill humor! Especially the fuel cap falling off unscripted, and "the Klein Tools just goes on and on in the proud tradition of most UXWBill videos." Brings a smile to my face every time!

[@Palosrob]

So glad to see this! Miss you so much Bill! Nice to hear my left and right speakers wake up when watching a KZbin video because you're recording in stereo. So boring listening through my center speaker all the time.

[@uxwbill]

I'll be (too?) honest when I say I'm not a big surround sound enthusiast. ("You only have two ears!" :-) ) That said, I have a few surround capable stereo receivers from the 1990s. One has a Hafler Matrix circuit built in, and that's definitely fun. It has revealed a lot of interesting things in recorded music.

[@mikehall3976]

​@@uxwbill I personally quite like the Dolby ProLogic surround processing. 4 speakers (the regular stereo speakers plus a center channel and a rear channel) are enough for me. (Yes, I changed my profile picture from that blue and black one around a year ago, it's still me though.)

[@Jallge]

I like the dramatic pause at 07:14

[@uxwbill]

I'm not sure what happened there! I noticed during editing that the video timeline suddenly "grew" by a few seconds after making a change. I suspected corruption was perhaps encroaching on the project file, but I was very tired, wanted very much to wrap this up so I could get some rest, and as such I didn't find it until I watched the whole thing to put in the table of contents. I wasn't going to re-edit and upload over about three seconds of video.

[@OldEqualsCool]

Glad to see you back, Bill! Speaking of wind noise, hopefully the recent bad weather in the Midwest didn't cause any damage in your area. I can see these gas leak detectors being very useful in the event of a natural disaster.

[@uxwbill]

Oh, there's definitely been some damage and I"m being jerked around by my insurance company...but that too shall pass. It's nothing serious. It just needs to be fixed.

[@stevenboll322]

Glad to see your back and looking forward to more videos

[@parkerkowens]

Good to see another UXWBill video 🤘

[@erp65]

More of these, Bill! I'd watch you review a Bic pen!

[@timwolfe6869]

Glad to see you again bill I’m glad your happy and healthy much love from Texas USA

[@retroguy74]

Great video Bill as always! Looking forward to that multimeter review as well. You're the best person on KZbin for the job!

[@fordmuscleluis9710]

Glad you got this Gas leak detector welcome back to KZbin of this year

[@Minecraftganer101]

Welcome back uxwbill 2023

[@gerredstallings465]

Good to see u again I don't know which of these I like better they all seem to work well hope things are going well for u this year hope to see more videos when u can get them out I have been watching your channel for some time all the way back to 2007 when u had the pink Buick and the silver one I didn't know it was free to subscribe and didn't know about the notification bell but it's set up now see u again soon

[@rrcoster]

Nice to see new video Bill

[@thelazyfishkeeper2730]

as always an informative video. any chance of a review of your collection of computers. i know your a retro kinda guy so it would be interesting what you have kept working. stay well. stay safe during these tornado outbreaks

[@daniel_kale]

Glad to see you're doing okay!

[@uxwbill]

Popping the cover on this gas leak detector didn't reveal much about its possible origins. Although component designations are silkscreened on the board, there's no model number or any other identifying mark. The microcontroller is labeled SDIC SRRZ 8709, seemingly making it an 8-bit RISC part with a one time programmable ROM along with some onboard peripherals, including an RTC and 24 bit analog to digital converter . The design seems pretty clean and everything looks reasonably well assembled. There is unused capability -- solder pads are present for a micro-USB connection, USB-to-serial IC and supporting components. From Thomas Heckhaus' comments below, it seems likely that the actual manufacturer of this and the PT210 leak detectors would be Dongguan Habotest Instrument. Unfortunately, that company has nothing on their website other than a few pictures of the detectors along with their other products.

[@KrissBartlett]

Very good as usual there Bill nice to see you on again always like watching you, your very smart anything you do with electronics i love your computer post really but happy to watch you do what ever !!!!!

[@beagle605]

big fan

[@RaidifyLifts]

welcome back!

[@rikityrik]

Thank you for a well thought out and thorough test. You get a big like and a new subscriber just to show my appreciation. Lol, thanks! Only question I would have, and you probably don't want to answer, is what sensor would you recommend if you were going to replace it. Or similarly who makes good sensors. Of course I could google it, but seeing your review makes me value your opinion. And I don't have the Toptes detector just contemplating purchasing it, I guess.

[@uxwbill]

It's arguable whether it would be worth just replacing the sensor. You may find it costs more than the whole detector. You should only use the same Winsen sensor that TopTes used in this detector, and it must be tested with a known quantity of an explosive/flammable gas before it is used anywhere else.

[@rikityrik]

@@uxwbill hey, thanks for the reply. I was hesitant to but decided to go with the Odorsin (stick/ wand style) detector. The only reason I chose the Odorsin is it displays ppm and also has type-c charging. The Toptes model that displays ppm was out of my price range but still had the micro-usb charging port. Plus after researching a bit more it seemed Toptes was going over the top with pushing their product out to YT audiences. It’s probably a better detector than what I picked up but was on a budget for the little issue I was dealing with in my shed. I also purchased the Kidde Co2 and Explosive gas Alarm and some bubble leak detector also. I don’t know much at all about the sensors the budget brands use but I believe the Odorsin and others use a sensor that only senses temperature change which puts it in alarm. I like the Klein brand, and the detector you had in your video. I plan to do some more research on the sensors they use.👍

[@uxwbill]

Odorsin seems like a poorly considered brand name to me. (I have a whole theory about where all those names come from, possibly for the future.) Anyway. A few months ago, TopTes sent me the version with a USB charging port and PPM display. I've been so busy I couldn't get to it, though I hope to have a review for it up here soon. This time around they went with a sensor from Figaro Engineering. I was really quite surprised. Unfortunately, that detector didn't perform as well as those I had reviewed previously. I don't have any reason to believe the sensor was a fake. I am not sure how a temperature sensor could be useful in detecting a gas leak. (Sure, if you have enough of it escaping, it may be noticeably cooler than the surrounding air...and if it's on fire, much hotter. 😛 Either way, by then you probably already know there is a problem in some other way.) If anyone is doing that, I don't think I'd trust it. I think you'll find there's a Figaro sensor in the Klein product as well. Those sensors are usually very well regarded, so I don't know why the TopTes product didn't fare very well. Maybe I just got a bad one?

[@john123abc201]

I actually bought the Inficon used for $80 after seeing your review of the PT210. It's a really nice tool, but man do I wish that it didn't scream so loud when warming up!

[@uxwbill]

I suppose the idea was that you could hear it in a noisy mechanical room. If you're feeling bold enough to take it apart, and willing to bear all the responsibility of doing so, you could probably tone the beeper down with some glue or tape placed over its opening.

[@thomasheckhaus205]

Hi Bill, Per your request. I was able to "stack" the two discounts. However, the Amazon coupon is only 5% not 10%. I used the coupon first on the product page. Then added it to my "cart"". At checkout I had a $2.00 discount. Then I added your discount code and the "cart" updated with an additional $4.00 discount. $6.00 in all. Please note I am an Amazon "Prime" member so I don't know if that has any bearing on the discounts. Thanks , I'll let you know how the meter works in my application. Regards Tom

[@uxwbill]

Thank you for letting me know. At the time this video was in production, Amazon's coupon was offering a 10% discount. Perhaps TopTes decided that was too much? It's hard to know. Please do keep me posted on your experiences with this detector, if you happen to think of it. I hope it works well for you.

[@joeduece1]

That's cool

[@adamandtashawilliams8251]

Do you still have the reliant wagon

[@uxwbill]

No.

[@scgamer2442]

Okay don't get mad for my wondering mind. I shall try to make a constructive comment, awesome and informative video. Now how's the station wagon doing is that thing still kicking? Ive been watching your videos since you got it and I guess I'm just curious. Or nosy.🤔

[@uxwbill]

Uhh, why would I get mad about that? Truthfully, "awesome and informative video" isn't really all that constructive. Yes, great, you say you liked it...what else? (Think of this like that chiding English teacher you may have had in your school age years, trying to get you write a better essay -- or any essay at all for that matter. Perhaps you had a friend or something in your life that you considered "nice" and you felt that summed things up perfectly, yet this hypothetical teacher who may well have existed wanted more. "Why is your friend nice?" "What makes _something_ nice?") I cast doubt on the veracity of any claim about this video being "awesome", as there are some truly awesome things on KZbin and I just don't see a gas leak detector review as fitting that bill. If it was, maybe you should get out a bit more, take a vacation, see some of the wonders in this world? (Wow, there were some tangents!) The station wagon is most certainly still around, though I don't drive it a lot. It needs an oil change and a battery, both of which it will get when I've got some time.

[@scgamer2442]

@@uxwbill I guess I felt guilty for asking a question completely unrelated to the video and as for the for the constructive comment; it was a joke and an excuse to ask my question. Purposely non constructive. Anyway glad to hear it's still around!

[@thomasheckhaus205]

Hi Bill, I enjoyed your video. I have a question. On Amazon there are a few of these, all different manufacturers and most all look exactly the same. I just did an Amazon search for "Gas leak detectors " and found a number of them. The TopTes pt520A $39.95, A Forensics FD-91 $89.95, Habotest HT601B $85.90 and a Intendvision (No name on device) HT601B $69.99. I'll buy the one you tested at $39.99, I just thought you'd be interested. Thanks, I'll subscribe to your channel. Tom P.S. I have a small shop usually using various cleaning and paint thinners. Recently whenever our small dog comes in, she gets loopy. I do smell a alcohol type odor so I need something to track it down.

[@uxwbill]

I'd not be surprised to find that all of these companies, TopTes included, are rebadging someone else's product. Although I had planned to do so, I've not disassembled either this or the previously reviewed detectors to see what's inside or if there would be any clue as to who the actual manufacturer is. Thank you for watching. I should say that I don't make nearly as many videos as I used to. I hope you will enjoy what you see. I think it might be better to improve the ventilation in your shop if at all possible. This detector must be turned on and allowed to start up in an environment free of any explosive or flammable gases you are trying to detect. Be sure this detector is suitable for the type of gas you are trying to find. Finally, don't use this detector as a continuous monitor, dosimeter or PPE. It's not made for that application.

[@Madness832]

So, what if you test it in a Taco Bell bathroom?🤔😄

[@uxwbill]

You'll likely cause the sensor to burn out!

[@kara76480]

About to watch you diesel to

[@Jon-hx7pe]

you could get enough heat from the flammable gas in a single taco bell bathroom to heat all the homes in the us. energy crisis solved!

[@Corvette1658]

Awesome I got first comment.

[@uxwbill]

No, you didn't!

[@1marcelfilms]

Must... not.. make fart joke

[@uxwbill]

Yes, these do respond to methane. Let's leave it at that.

[@militantcapitalist4606]

@@uxwbill Frankly, I would have been dissapointed if you did not test that. 😆

[@JohnSmith-xq1pz]

First to ssy Welcome back UXWBILL