Automotive Ventus Smoke Machine Leak Tester EVAP Vacuum - World's #1 Self-Powered Li-Ion Battery Unit - OEM Odorless Fluid Lasts 500 Tests - Built-in Air Compressor - Cone Cap Plugs

Purchased the ventus a little over a year ago and use it regularly as a professional auto tech. The smoke is not as thick as a traditional machine and having no odor is a drawback imo as sometimes I can locate the area of a leak with a traditional machine by smell before I actually find it. The build quality is solid and the battery lasts a long time. My machine did fail recently and customer service was top notch and I was sent a brand new replacement delivered in 2 business days. If they made a ventus v2 with thicker smoke and the float gauge that could be used simultaneously with the smoke I would definitely upgrade. Overall I am happy with my purchase and will continue to do business with Autoline Pro.

Portable, lightweight, small footprint, affordable price, comes with 8oz bottle of "smoke fluid" and it works well. Out of the box, I fully charged it. Used once, the battery level indicator hadnt moved after 30 minutes of "on" time. Does take an extra minute due to populate the system to slightly lower smoke output than the big expensive models, but also hangs nicely under the hood and elminates the PITA battery terminal connections and extra cords to fumble with. If you dont already have an evap service port adapter, you may want to buy one along with a universal cone style adapter, depending upon how you plan to use this. So far, so good. Would recommend, but not necessarily for large systems or all things. Works well on common, daily driver evap, intake systems I e used them on. Yet to use on an evap system. But I'm confident it will work as well. Downside would be battery recharging, but if you're like me, you have multiple charging sources and have a tendency to plug my Streamlights in at the end of the day, I would do the same with this when the battery gets low. **Would be nice to know if its UV dye friendly for certain purposes, if anyone has tried fill me in!** Note: come in a nice, sturdy box, but once you install the hook, the lid of the box doesnt fit back on, so I tossed the box, keeping the foam bottom, just in case. Edit* the float guagee stuck on mine because that happens. Its happened to the big dollar machines ive used in shops- here's my point. I contacted Autoline, very responsive, sent it back to them amd they mailed me a new unit. They stand behind their product, even when they technically dont have to, being outside warranty. This is a phenomenal company and I highly recommend them!

I run a mobile outfit, and having tools like this is a must. Compact, functional, and not tethered to an outlet or battery is essential. I used it a number of times, and it failed at one point. Dealing with the warranty process has been pretty simple. Still waiting on it currently, but all things considered, it's been a painless process. I expect to be doing business with them in the future, and genuinely hope they put out more products, as I expect quality when I spend my money. It may be a simple tool, but there's alot to it to make it as compact as it is. I really hope they start developing new equipment as there are several tools in the automotive field that require vacuum and pressure applications. If they can make a simple tool as this so compact, portable and useful, I'd put stock in their future.

The device although looks solid on the outside, inside is a bunch of parts that are not meant to be used in a mineral oil machine and will breakdown within a year. The pump is meant for air, not to be used with mineral oil - the seals swell up and jam the pump, especially after sitting for a while. There is a micro solenoid that is meant for water, that got stuck as well. The flow of the smoke is abysmal- you're gonna be running it for 30 minutes to an hour trying to find small leaks. Instead of investing money into this, get yourself a cheap automotive machine that hooks up to 12v of the car and produces 10x better smoke flow. The "life time" warranty is non existent, the manufacturer just ignores inquiries. No wonder, they're not really a manufacturer of automotive grade equipment, instead this company was "manufacturing " cheap air pod foam tips. They should stick to that.

Put this little smoke machine to use right away after fully charging it. Nice small and portable form factor. The craftsmanship is nice, not cheap looking or feeling. It produces smoke right away. It does not create alot of pressure so there no real danger of creating a leak while searching for one. That being said, it does take slightly longer for it to really fill an evap system so have a bit of patience when using. This machine is very light weight compared to the older machines. And it's all self contained. I thought i might have some type of regret after making this purchase but as much as i try.... Not one that i can think of. Doesn't take forever to charge, extremely portable, and just kind of a bad ass little unit!