Tools 5513 Heavy-Duty Circuit Tester

I needed a circuit tester to work on my Chevrolet Blazer for a few repair jobs and got sticker shock over what some auto part stores wanted for one. After looking around online for a bit I figured lets check out to see what Amazon has in stock. Low and behold, I stumble across this ATD Tools circuit tester and for a reasonable price. The handle is a comfortable fit in my hand, the metal shaft is thick and durable looking (time will tell). I like the spring on the corded end where it connects to the handle, as this prevents the wires from bending or kinking. And the medium sized clamp is a good size to grab small to large battery type terminals or whatever you are attempting to test. I was impressed with the over all product as I was expecting a lower grade quality product as one would find at some discount tool stores that are nothing but China junk. We had no problems with the shipping or handling of this product and it was packaged properly and delivered to us in a timely fashion. I would recommend this product to my friends, family, co-workers and to anyone who is into automotive or electrical repairs. We were not paid nor discounted in any way, shape or form for giving our honest opinion here of this product as a review to assist others. We believe, as a family, it is important to give an honest and accurate review to assist others so they can make good purchasing decisions that can benefit them and their family. And not be lead to cheap, unwanted purchases that are scripted by advertisers to buy their products. We are a family that believes in a minimalist lifestyle while trying to be green as much as possible in all departments of our life. As we care to leave something, anything, of this planet to our grandchildren so they may enjoy it as we have.

Once again, I get to review another fantastic product and rave about the best feature it has- Absolute simplicity. Sometimes all sorts of features and options are needed to give a more precise result or to allow for a wider possibility of applications on various products. But when it comes to something like a circuit tester, simplicity is vital, as is build quality. And this product has an ace in the hole with both of those. It really is as simple as applying the clip to a ground and touching the tip to a live circuit. Unlike cheaper testers I've had in the past, this one simply worked each and every time. No issues. The cable is very sturdy and pleasingly long. I have yet to run into an issue where I have been unable to ground the tester and reach the targeted work area. On top of this, the insulation is very heavy, so there are no concerns with disconnecting the clip. And the clip holds VERY strong. Highly recommended. Buy one and you won't be sorry.

This is a really nice continuity tester/circuit tester & at a great price. The wire they use is heavy duty, with a good clip on it. The probe end is plenty long, perfect for testing. The light is replaceable, and everything considered, this tester is a great bargain! A must have tool for anyone who works on there own electrical auto system. I needed a new one after digging out my 20 year old tester, and decided it needed replacing. Needing to trace down a short, and my probe end was broken off, I'm really happy I found this one. High quality tool & would highly recommend it to anyone!

Just pulled it out of the box, so this is an initial review. I'll follow up later if it doesn't work well. The body is a pretty solid feeling plastic body. It's all clear, except the works ATD 5513 TAIWAN in gold letters, so it is very easy to see the light, even in the daytime. The black plastic end cap looks fairly thick, and has about 1/4 to 5/16" of fine plastic threads that easily screws into the clear plastic body, unlike some cheap lights I've used. It has a strain relief spring, and a heavy duty 5' cord. The cord is attached to the battery clip using what appears to be a modern ultrasonic soldering technique. It looks like the end of the bare exposed copper wire is compressed onto the battery cable, which is a hallmark of ultrasonic soldering. I think it should be soldered, mostly to prevent corrosion of the bare copper wire. Overall length from the tip to the end of the strain relief spring (when straight) is about 9 7/8". Pretty typical size. The wire inside looks about 16 gauge. The sheathing is about 1/4" thick. The battery clamp is the difficult type, too hard to press but not that hard if you move the black plastic cover back, which easily moves back. The max you can open the clamp jaws is about 9/16", and does not fit over a battery terminal. It clamps onto the battery clamp bolts just fine. The metal pointer looks to be low grade stainless steel, and does not have any heat shrink over it to prevent it from touching something sideways. Easy enough to add, if that's your thing. There is an annoying label attached to it that says it contains lead and not to remove the label. The pointy end does have a little clear plastic sleeve over it to keep you from poking yourself, although the pointy end almost goes right thru the sleeve. The sleeve could be a little narrower to prevent this, but this is really nit picking. It uses a chinese bulb that I can't make out the part number on due to how low quality the stamping is. The bulb is soldered with a small dot of solder to the spring inside, which is nice until you have to replace the bulb. For my fellow diagnosticians who know how to actuate solenoids with a test light, I measured current flow with a Fluke 88 meter. The incandescent bulb pulls about 195 - 200 milliamps (varies with bulb temperature), and with the car off and battery voltage around 12.6, which makes this about a 2.5 watt bulb. In-rush current (measured with my Fluke meter, not a scope) is about 243 milliamps. Of course, the meter isn't fast enough to read true in-rush current. This is enough amperage to probably actuate most low-current solenoids at least partially, and pretty typical for an incandescent test light. Overall, I would say the the three weakest links here are the chinese bulb is soldered to the spring, which means bulb would be difficult to replace. The clamp is the annoying hard to press type that won't open far enough, and the plastic end cap that holds the cord relief spring is probably breakable, eventually rendering the tension relief spring useless. Especially if you're rough with it. It has a seem, which will surely be where it begins to break, eventually. The strong points are the thick cord, the plastic body seems solid and clear as glass, the strain relief spring, and the price. But for under ten buckaroos shipped, it seems like a decent light that's well built for that price point and it's cheap enough to just order another one if it breaks. The price of this test light is probably what it costs for one bulb from the tool truck, so why not give it a try. If it fails prematurely, I will try to update you. I am a professional, but don't use these every day.

This test light is built like a tank. It uses good quality materials and works great. For the price it's an excellent buy. I'm one of those guys who can't stand cheaply made crap. This is not in that category at all.

Does not have standard fuse but an old fashion blub. Otherwise quality is good. Wire is thick and good .

Great value for money, the handle is thick enough to be comfortable but not to make it difficult to use in small spaces. The top of the probe is slim enough to diagnose even mini fuses, which is what burnt out for me. Worth having in the tool chest.

Works as .it should. Quick delivery.

Very heavy duty