Gas detection is serious business no matter what type of work you do. Your company may not need the level of protection a petroleum production facility requires, but every company using gas detection technology wants to make a good investment in their monitors. Some work sites need to know if hydrogen sulfide levels change even a small percentage. Others are fine waiting for the alarm to sound. The differences in your gas monitoring needs will affect the type of gas monitor that's right for you.
Most companies we deal with are looking for 4-gas monitors that meet OSHA compliance regulations and are small enough to wear comfortably even for long periods of time. Monitors like the BW Honeywell GasAlert Micro Clip XT have been used for years by many companies, and we've had overwhelmingly good reports on their durability and reliability. BW recently came out with a new model of this old favorite, and in keeping with their tradition of naming things impossibly close to other models, they've dubbed the new monitor the GasAlert Micro Clip XL. Not to be confused with the BW Clip H2S Monitor, and certainly not to be confused with another company's Gas Clip Multi-Gas Monitor. (I think we can all agree that the Gas Clip company probably named themselves that just to mess with BW. The courts will surely decide.)
Not to discount the products coming from the upstart Gas Clip company. Their Gas Clip Technologies Multi Gas Clip is providing needed distinction in the marketplace. While the name may be just a jumble of marketing keywords, the MGC (let's abbreviate, shall we?) uses IR technology which consumes less power allowing the GC MGC to go up to two months on a single battery charge.
Gas Clip Technologies also brought out the original hibernating monitor. Their Single Gas Clip Plus was the first disposable single-gas monitor that didn't just start the clock ticking as soon as it was turned on, and run out after two years. Cost-conscious buyers looking for single gas monitoring solutions like the hibernation option because it greatly expands the replacement cycle.
Contractors who are performing confined space entry seem to gravitate to the Gas Clip monitors because of the cost savings. Waste water treatment plants, utilities, and telecom workers are often supplied with BW gas monitoring products because they work well, and that's what they've always used. No need to fix it if it isn't broken.
Draeger is also competing in this arena. They are typically a higher priced option. Their defense of the additional cost is the claim their sensors are more accurate than other manufacturers, and our research bears this out. Draeger 4-gas monitors like the X-am 2500 or the 5-gas capable X-am 5000 provide durable and highly accurate gas detection. We find the companies that are very serious about detection and monitoring and who have the worst of worst-case scenarios go with Draeger. Oil and gas facilities, pharmaceutical plants, and other similarly scary and lucrative operations fit in this category.
If you're not sure where you fit in, give our fine folks in Customer Service a ring (Monday through Friday 7am - 5pm PST) at 1-800-829-9580.