Halo Microchip Scanner, White

Excellent item well worth the money easy to use good quality material

At the current exchange rate this £45 Halo Microchip scanner (in white) cost us roughly NOK600,- incl shipping/VAT (moms/mva in Norwegian; thanks to Amazon btw, for having this prepaid VAT/Customs solution with no additional fees) when ordered with some other stuff. It's super quick on a short-haired cat... a bit slower on a long haired cat (as I guess you naturally will hold it at a slight longer distance from the cat than with a short-haired cat). It's still fast, and the beep the scanner gives you when it's finished reading is quite soft and low. Neither of our cats paid any attention to it.Picture yourself the following scenarios:1. Worst case, your cat is gone, you find one that looks like yours, but it's been taken by an animal or been ran over. You can't really recognize it, but you recognize color and some features/patterns. With the chip still intact you can scan and find it yours, or maybe someone elses. Either way, someone will hopefully get a little piece of mind.2. Somebody stole your cat. You suspect someone, but they deny. Bring the scanner and the ID-card with the chip number for your cat on it. Ta-da! If you get the chance, you can check for sure.3. A cat you've never seen before shows up i.e. at your doorstep, it's got fur-lumps and looks skinny and like it's been outside for a while. You can scan it right away to check for an owner!Our scanner came fully charged, so it was ready to scan with from day one.About the software: That doesn't matter too much to me as Norway do not have any other register than for the owner. No extra functionality (as of today) to report stolen or lost there. Nice to be able to download a list of pets scanned, though.Size wise it's much smaller than anticipated (not that I really checked the physical size before ordering). The diameter is roughly 13,5cm. And it's roughly 3cm thick. Quite handy, and easy to bring with you. USB cable is included. So if you already have a USB powerbank that you charge your phone(s)/tablet(s) on, you can most likely charge this on it too while you are on the go.In short, it scans, and gives you the number (if there's a chip present on the pet).

Nice neat and compact scanner , a must have, to keep a check on the microchips implanted

This is dead easy to use. It is a bit odd in the sense that I'd expect the scan button to be on the front or on the hand grip, but it is on the rear (or if you hold it the other way around, your palm covers the display). I nearly knocked a mark off for that, but it may only really matter to a frequent user. I did not bother using the CD provided (windows only) for the software, but downloaded the latest (version 2.0) from the scannerangel website. That installed fine on a Windows 8.1 box. I got the scanner since we plan to take our dog on holiday to the continent with us and (probably being a bit paranoid) I want to be sure that the chip was still OK (though I guess that I could ask the vet to check when they do the tapeworm treatment before travelling). One thing to be aware of is that the first scanner update from a PC can take a while - perhaps 5 or 10 mins. It automatically updates when you plug it into your computer (if the scanner angel software is installed). A minor gripe is that the USB connection is via a mini USB connector. These days a micro USB would have been a bit better as that is more common. Note that it will not read some chips that are normally only used in the US such as the AVID-Encrypted microchips or the10 digit Trovan microchip... see the scannerangel FAQ for details.

Really good microchip reader, very reliable. I know these are used by vets and dog handlers too.I believe it is cheaper to order from them directly, however the next day delivery was perfect for me.The reader is chargeable and easy to use, it comes up with accurate readings and clearly tells you when it’s found something.I wish the number would stay up for longer, however just got into the habit of taking a photo each time.

Bought because we're looking for our chipped and missing cat, and getting a confirmation scan during Covid lockdown could be difficult. On the plus side, it's simple enough to use. Negatives - on/off button is very stiff to operate so some may find it difficult, instructions could be a bit more comprehensive to cover HOW to scan effectively rather than just how to operate the item, and displayed numbers even in memory mode do not stay on for very long if you're trying to copy them carefully. Big minus for some of us is that associated software is Windows only. Not for Mac and no definite date for when it will be. However, the software - as far as I can tell - is mainly to get an indication of whether the scanned animal is reported as lost/stolen/whatever. It is not required for the actual scan and you can check the number against another general database to find out what company the chip is registered with. RATHER ODD - after trying the memory mode to read a scan taken a few minutes ago, I found two other numbers were in the scanner; one (twice) UK/EU 15 digit with PetLog and one foreign 10 digit. Now wondering whether they're just the result of a factory test scan, whether the item has been used and returned before selling to me, or whether I need to report the PetLog one. No idea how to report the foreign one.