Actron CP7875 PocketTherm Infrared Thermometer $14.51 on Amazon
Temperature ranges from -27º to 428º F or -33º to 220º C Has an instant and accurate response Has the capacity to work more than 30 hours of continued use Measures surface temperatures of hot, hazardous, or hard to reach objects Includes replaceable battery
Had one of these before used all the time for cooking (thanks to Alton Brown's suggestions) small enough to leave in your drawer with other cooking utensils. Also worked great for taking kids temps while they are sleeping! Sneaky mom, I know... Left it at my mom's house and now she won't give it back, so I am in for another one (at half the price of $32 I paid last time)
Just be aware that it has a 1:1 spot ratio... so if you are 2" away, you are averaging temp in a 2" circle. If you are 3 feet away, you are measuring average temp in a 36" circle.
This is a very clever and useful tool with all sorts of household applications, but it does have some drawbacks that you figure out only after you already have it in your hands.
The biggest one is that, unlike a laser which measures a pinpoint, the infrared measures a cone, and the size of that cone is directly dependent on how far away the object is from the thermometer. For this device, the ratio is 1:1 so the measured circle at 1" distance is 1" diameter and at 12" distance is 12" diameter, etc.,so using this at distances is problematic. The label on the device explains this as does the manual, but none of the pre-sale information mentions it.
While battery life is long, it is a watch battery, not a readily available and cheap AAA. That was not mentioned pre-sale either. (I did not buy it from Amazon but their blurb doesn't mention it either)
I'm a huge fan of infrared thermometers, and the price is okay, but you can get a much better one for only a little more money elsewhere. This is comparable to Harbor Freight's older low-end thermometer which regularly went for $10. Harbor Freight currently has two on sale:
The cheaper one ($20) has similar specs, but a 6:1 ratio and a built in laser, and it use CR2032 batteries (which are relatively common). The more expensive one ($25) can handle much higher temperatures, has an 8:1 ratio with a pistol grip, uses a 9V battery and is backlit.
hpmax said: I'm a huge fan of infrared thermometers, and the price is okay, but you can get a much better one for only a little more money elsewhere. This is comparable to Harbor Freight's older low-end thermometer which regularly went for $10. Harbor Freight currently has two on sale:
The cheaper one ($20) has similar specs, but a 6:1 ratio and a built in laser, and it use CR2032 batteries (which are relatively common). The more expensive one ($25) can handle much higher temperatures, has an 8:1 ratio with a pistol grip, uses a 9V battery and is backlit. Feed the baby birds please, where are the links?
EDIT: Ouch, the sales tax and shipping adds $12 to the price, no thanks!
Thanks for the excellent discussion on these! I bought the 25.99 one from Harbor Freight, B&M. I called first and she said "No problem, just print out the web page price.
Gotta go, there's still a few things in the house I have't zapped yet.
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