I bought a circuit tracer from Home Depot years ago and it has served me well. I think it is nearing the end of it's life span and has started to be a little grumpy and difficult. I think it was a Sperry, which I've always thought of as producing fine products. When I went to HD today to find a replacement, all they had were Ideals and they were $5 more, having risen in price to around $35. They both have the piece that plugs into a recepticle and only work hot. The Sperry had a dial that you adjusted out until you found the breaker. The Ideal gives you a steady tone and then seems to adjust itself out until you come to the right breaker. I'm having a little trouble getting used to the Ideal. My question is: do you have a preference between them or is there another one that is superior in your opinion? I've seen another model which I think is Ideal and it has some added features like GFI testing or some things like that. I'm sure it's more money, but is it much better and worth it?
My experience with those toners is that the transmitter is the part that goes bad. While I've tried to interchange transmitters with different receivers, I have not found such a combination that works.
Different makes may work somewhat different, and all require a few uses before you get a good 'feel' for the unit.
