Icon Professional Digital Display Circuit Tester 70624: A Modern Take on the Classic Test Light

Introduction

The Icon Professional Digital Display Circuit Tester is one of the newer additions to the Icon line, arriving alongside plenty of excitement about Gen 2 ratchets. It takes the classic circuit tester format, the kind of tool many mechanics know as the old 6 or 12 volt test light, and replaces the bulb with a digital display rated from 3 to 49 volts.

The idea is simple: instead of guessing at voltage from a glowing lamp, you get a direct reading. That makes it useful for troubleshooting, testing batteries, and checking cables, along with plenty of odds and ends around the shop. This review covers what it does well, where the design falls short, and whether it earns a place in your toolbox.

What It Is and What It Does

At its core, this is a wire in a circuit. You connect the clip end to a battery or grounded part of the car, then touch the probe wherever you want to check voltage. The digital display reads between 3 and 49 volts, which covers a wide range of common low-voltage testing tasks. Some competing testers only go to 48 volts, so there is a small extra range here.

One standout feature is the current draw: it takes under 10 milliamps to run, which makes it computer safe for use around car electronics and ECUs. It will not do anything funny with sensitive circuits. The one warning worth respecting is to stay away from airbags.

There are no buttons or switches on the whole tool. It is strictly a voltage tester, with a plus or minus indicator for polarity: a small red light shows correct polarity, and a green light appears when the connection is reversed. A multimeter does far more, but this tool’s advantage is placement. Instead of the meter sitting in the middle of a bundle of wires, the probe is the business end, letting you touch precisely where you want to test.

The Probe Set and the Case

The tester ships in a blow-molded case with a 12-foot cable, of which roughly 8 feet is usable before the cable starts to act like a bow string. That length gives you good reach around a vehicle, though you should still be careful with slack.

The interchangeable probe set is generous for the price:

• A 2.7-inch shorter probe with a very sharp tip that can pierce wire insulation
• A longer probe at about 6 inches
• A dedicated piercing probe with a sharp point that pops up when you turn it
• A universal adapter
• An alligator clip
• Plastic covers for the probes

The case itself is well thought out in some ways. The rubberized handles pop off at the hinges, so you can store the base in your toolbox without the thin lid. The maddening part: with the shorter or longer probe attached, the probe will not fit back into the case without hitting the end. The layout needed a small tweak so the default probe could stay installed during storage, but as designed, you will likely remove the probe every time.

How It Performs in Testing

In practice, the readings hold up. Testing a 9 volt battery gives a reading around 8.1 to 8.3 volts, which is a normal figure for a healthy 9V cell. Two 1.5 volt C batteries wired in series read 3.0 to 3.1 volts, right at the bottom of the tester’s range, so the low end works. A lithium battery reads 4 volts on the nose.

One limitation surfaced during testing: there is no easy way to attach a probe to the clip side. For anyone who wants to test between two points, such as diagnosing a failing power tool battery, you need two probes on both ends. Testing one probe against the clip did not always produce a reading, making it hard to tell whether a poor connection or the battery itself is the problem. A second probe option on the clip side would have made these situations much easier.

Things to Consider Before Buying

Pricing sits at about $79 to $80 at maximum Harbor Freight pricing for the set with the full probe selection. Comparable testers with a single basic probe start around $30 on Amazon, with some brands around $40. Snap-on sells a similar set with three probes and an adapter for roughly $100 more, pushing toward $180, and even the Snap-on rep noted he does not carry it because demand is low. Anyone serious about electrical work will often reach for a multimeter or a power probe instead.

The warranty is the other sticking point: one year only. Do not expect a lifetime tool here. The clip is also a weak spot, sliding off surfaces easily, so upgrading to a better copper clip with grip is a simple, worthwhile modification.

That said, the tool is handy, fast, and efficient in confined spaces. If you regularly test low-voltage circuits and want precise probe placement with a clear digital readout, it does a lot of things very well.

Buying Advice

Buy this if you want a dedicated low-voltage tester for automotive troubleshooting, battery checks, and cable testing, and you value the long probe set and compact display over the flexibility of a multimeter. Skip it if you already own a good multimeter and rarely need the reach or precision probes, since a meter covers most of the same voltage checks.

For the price, the included probe variety is the strongest argument. Just budget a few minutes to swap the clip and accept that the probes come out of the case each time you store it.

Conclusion

The Icon Professional Digital Display Circuit Tester 70624 is a simple tool done well: accurate enough at both ends of its 3-49V range, computer safe for modern vehicle electronics, and equipped with a genuinely useful probe set. The short warranty, weak clip, and awkward case fit are real drawbacks, but none of them are dealbreakers for the price. If you need this kind of tester, it seems to work and it seems to be accurate, and that is the highest praise a tool this simple really needs.