The Best Non-Contact Voltage Tester

A non-contact voltage tester is the quickest and simplest way to safely check for electrical current in a wire, outlet, switch, or old lamp that has mysteriously stopped working. It’s a useful tool that every electrician carries. And after talking to a 20-year veteran electrician and performing eight months of testing with seven leading models, we found that the Klein NCVT-3 is the best one to get.

This dual-voltage tester is similar to our pick in the most important ways, but some of its minor details are a bit more annoying.

The Klein detects standard and low voltage and is equipped with a handy flashlight—a nice touch for a tool you may need when the lights go out.

Our pick

Klein NCVT-3

The Klein detects standard and low voltage and is equipped with a handy flashlight—a nice touch for a tool you may need when the lights go out.

Buying Options

$44

Amazon

Home Depot

The Klein NCVT-3 is a dual-voltage model, so it registers both standard voltage (house wiring) and low voltage (like irrigation, doorbells, thermostats). And unlike some models we tested, it can automatically tell the difference between the two. This feature also makes it compatible with tamper-resistant outlets, which are now required by electrical code. The controls on the NCVT-3 are intuitive, the display is clear, and when testing it in a breaker panel full of live and dead wires, it was sensitive enough to read a dead wire from a short distance without giving us false positives from nearby live wires. But the most useful feature is actually its bright LED flashlight, which can be operated independently of the voltage tester. For a tool that’s often used in dim basements—or situations where the lights aren’t working—this is a minor but very helpful feature, and the Klein was the only model we tested that had this functionality. According to the company, the tool can also handle a drop of up to 6½ feet, which isn’t bad considering it’s a delicate piece of electronics.

If you can’t find the Klein, we also like the Milwaukee 2203-20 Voltage Detector with LED. It costs about the same, and is similar to the Klein where it counts—detecting standard and low voltage, and ease of use. But the flashlight isn’t as bright, and it can’t be used independently of the tester. It’s also makes an incredibly loud beep, with no mute option.

Southwire is a low end product
Buy a good one like a fluke or Klein.
Always test on known hot source(safely of course)
before testing on what youre working on.

I believe I used one of the first to be manufactured.
It was 1973 and was given this one as a Beta test version
made by a company in Miami called TIF industries.
It was about the size of a cigarette pack with a wand that protruded
out which had a V shaped end. The wire was to be placed in the V.
I tried it on an 120v outlet and it couldnt pick up the hot from the outlet face.
Todays models can. This was very useful for the work I was doing,troubleshooting golf course irrigation systems.
I could grab a handful of wires in the ditch(usually all were red) and find the wire I needed because it was hot.
TIF also made some good instruments and later saw one that utility workers used for high voltage work that was stick mounted.