Gardner Bender GBT-500A Analog 1.5 V Button Cell/22.5 Photo/AA/AAA/12 V/9 V/Lantern Cells & More, Leads Battery Tester,14 Battery Range, Black

Bought this back in 2012. Of all the thousands of dollars I've spent on Amazon over the years, this is the single best, most often used purchase ever. It's amazing how often I use it. Never needs batteries. Even has a fold-out stand. I was even thinking of buying another just in case but this one will probably outlive me.

Battery tester for household. Easy to use. I recommend this to anyone.

Works as described

This battery tester features a real, mechanical meter that does a great job displaying when a battery loses power while being tested. The digital displays of other testers fail to sample quickly enough to register such a falloff, which can mislead someone into thinking the cell is good enough to keep using.

Love the look. Huge fan of analog, not least in this case because it doesn't need batteries of its own. For size, unit is about the size of a soda can and the metal contacts on the front are spaced for 9v batteries, but the rotating dial is what ultimately determines the reading (and actual 9v batteries need to be at an angle to fit, as I've just learned, though the spacing looks correct at least). The marked panel around the dial has a matte finish. The red button is a neat thing for testing coin cells so you don't have to hold them in your mouth. The unnecessary kickstand on the back has 2 lugs at the bottom but only 1 engages to provide retention and a satisfying click. The wires are nice and pliable but lack any strain relief on either end. Notably, the probes are not quite long enough to reach all the way into a 1/4in jack, much to my chagrin, but they fit strangely well in XLR female plugs. The probes also appear too short to reach most internal organs. If you probe the battery backwards, the needle quietly crashes into the side, but mine has not taken any kind of set--if it does, I shall probe batteries in series to correct it.I have used this unit to test continuity for cables and it's obviously not the best but it worked for me. Can't do that with other testers I've seen unless you have some wire and a lot more patience than with this.Lots of settings but I use it mainly for 1.5v for rough matching. It's easy to use 1-handed by substituting a face contact for a probe, and even if you're not dextrous enough to 1-hand it, it cuts down on having to keep a battery from slipping between 2 probes. This also means the face contacts (allegedly for 9v batteries although they don't work perfectly for that) could fill in for a broken lead or 2 if you just attach wire to them. Otherwise the back is held in place by the imperative "DO NOT REMOVE THIS CABINET COVER" and 1 Phillips screw. For the record, I haven't done anything and don't know nothing about "NO USER SERVICEABLE PARTS". When I somehow break this I'll probably buy a new one or just use a multimeter and hopefully never see such a can on the road again.

Great tester and much more accurate readings than the cheap-o testers that don't adjust load between battery voltages.

Edited 12/10/15 to fix some typos. Thanks for kind comments!Edited 12/12/20 as some reviewers claimed this doesn't test under load. It does! Turns out they posted to the wrong device! I also added a small information bit to help some readers better understand a few electrical terms I use.REVIEWThis is a very nice analog tester. It has a quality feel, and test leads that appear likely to hold up to long use. I've bought 7 so far, 3 for me and the others as little gifts. (I dont accept payments for reviews).It handles a very wide range of batteries. I am very pleased with mine, especially at its low price. There are incredibly cheap testers available on Amazon, but they lack the ability to appropriately load the battery being tested. Here's what I mean.A battery tester works by putting a load on a battery and measuring the voltage at the battery terminals. The reason is that this voltage, measured with a good voltmeter that draws almost no current, changes little as the battery wears out. What does change is that the battery's internal resistance increases, which wastes energy, and the amount of chemicals available to generate current decreases. By putting a load on the battery, the meter can see whether the battery is still able to do its job.This tester has 9 switch positions which set it to select a reasonable load and voltage range for a battery type, giving you a much more reliable test than a plain voltmeter can. See the table below. Notice that there are 3 different current drain settings for 1.5 V batteries. These are chosen to roughly match their normal use; 1 mA for tiny button cells used for watches, 50 mA for AAA batteries, used for remote controls, and 150 mA for AA or bigger C and D batteries used for flashlights, etc. If a tester draws too much current, it can deplete the battery just by testing it, and a battery tested at too little load may test Good yet not work in your device.Understanding this, this tester is still very useful in sorting through batteries, even if your device uses an unusually high or low amount of current. Digital cameras, for example, draw a lot of current for a few seconds when they are recharging their flashes; the internal resistance of ordinary batteries wastes power, giving them short useful lives. Yet they can last for years in a low-drain steady application like a clock. So you need to use your judgement. If you find that batteries test good but only move the tester needle a little above the bottom of the green range will not work in your device, yet you might be able to use them in something else for a while.SPECIFICATIONS (from supplied manual)Range..............................Load Current.........Minimum Voltage for......................................Drain...................GOOD IndicationButton Cell 1.5V.................1 mA...................1.125V +/- 0.0WAAA-N-1.5V.......................50 mA.................1.125V +/- 0.09VAA-C-D-1.5V.....................150 mA................1.125V +/- 0.09VLithium 3V..........................1 mA..................2.25V +/- 0.18V6V...................................10 mA.................4.50V +/- 0.36V9V...................................10 mA.................6.75V +/- 0.54V12V.................................10 mA..................9.00V +/-0.72V15V.................................10 mA..................11.25V +/- 0.90V22.5V...............................10 mA.................16.875V +/- 1.35VSorry about the formatting. Some Amazon doofus decided it would be nice to strip out all my tabs and extra spaces. Try landscape view if you can.On second thought, maybe I should not have called her a doofus. I am told Amazons are pretty tough ladies!Maybe they just wanted me to use up all my punctuation marks so I'd have to order a new box of periods! :-)

Works well , this is the best of the rest,covers most of your needs as far as testing goes .good company