* $15 Infrared Thermometer

[tomatom]

HARBOR FREIGHT , B&M , Coupon @ website ,

CEN-TECH

IFRARED THERMOMETER


Laser sight lets you draw a bead on the exact location you want to measure
Readings in Fahrenheit or Celsius
Temperature range: -27 to 482°F (-33° to 250°C)
40 hour battery life
Exclusive ergonomic trigger control
6:1 spot size to distance ratio

Includes two CR2032 lithium batteries and lanyard.

Overall dimensions: 4" L x 2" W x 3/4" thick


ITEM 93984-AAA

< buy one , then walk around your house at night to scan for
heat-leaks . should pay for itself . then pass it on to family
or friends ... >

 

[spinejam]

for the lazy:

http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/displayitem.taf?Itemnumber=93984

 

[SpatiallyAware]

Nice buy I'm pretty sure that the cheap IR meters take a really 'wide' reading unless you're up close, so the laser is sorta pointless and implies that you can accurately read the temp of stuff 10+ft away

 

[Morro]

6:1 spot to distance ratio.. Quite terrible.

 

[Evadman]

6:1 spot to distance ratio.. Quite terrible.

can you translate that into words? does that mean when you are 6 feet away you are measuring a 1 foot area?

 

[Morro]

no, 6 feet wide area from 1 foot distance.

 

[compman25]

can you translate that into words? does that mean when you are 6 feet away you are measuring a 1 foot area?

That is right. It is not a 6' wide area at 1' distance, it is a 1' area at 6' distance.

 

[SpatiallyAware]

....However, unless you're doing serious HVAC work looking for hot spots on walls all the time this would be fine


I have a similar cheapie from radioshack and it has served me well. Remember you need a black surface to get accurate temps

 

[Basilisk]

Just pulled this up and I'm not seeing the stipulated offer.

• The indicated unit appears to be $24.99 (+ whatever)
• The $9.99 unit is 93983-1VGA, with lesser temperature range, etc.

If there was a coupon which reduced the price from $24.99, I missed it. That said, I've got a substantial headache at the moment [allergies?] and am quite capable of having missed the obvious... so off to grab some aspirin.

 

[Blain]

can you translate that into words? does that mean when you are 6 feet away you are measuring a 1 foot area?

Even though the laser is a straight line, the actual measurement area increases as the device is moved farther away.
Think of it as an ice-cream cone shape.
The higher the quality of the thermometer, the tighter the cone area.

 

[Evadman]

Does it average the temperature in the area or take the highest (or lowest) temp in the area?

 

[WildDreamer]

coupon
in-store, good thru 02/15

 

[tomatom]

Its a toy . < unless your kids get ahold of it = " That's
NOT A TOY ~! "

1. Scan your CPU , SB , NB , IGP, Memory , GPU + Vid-memory
Compare to Sandra #s in sys tray

2. Scan your kid's ear , forehead , mouth , & underarm ...

3. Scan engine compartment + radiator hoses

4. Compare CFL & ( ? what do you call those filament lightbulbs ? )

5. Ask your wife to take a reading from the side of your 9mm ?

 

[Gillbot]

Does it average the temperature in the area or take the highest (or lowest) temp in the area?

yes, basically

....However, unless you're doing serious HVAC work looking for hot spots on walls all the time this would be fine


I have a similar cheapie from radioshack and it has served me well. Remember you need a black surface to get accurate temps

these are basically useless for ACTUAL temp measurements period, unless you understand their limitations which far exceed the simple "spot" ratio. You need to take into account emissivity, transmissivity and reflectivity.


EDIT:
if you want real measurements, drop real money:

 

[Thump553]

Are these useful for cooking? I've seen Alton Brown use something like this to determine a pan's temperature, etc.

 

[Gillbot]

Are these useful for cooking? I've seen Alton Brown use something like this to determine a pan's temperature, etc.

depends on the pan, but usually no.

 

[xSauronx]

Are these useful for cooking? I've seen Alton Brown use something like this to determine a pan's temperature, etc.

not really, hes just a geek. youll do better to get used to how your cooktop heats your various cookwares...a probe thermometer is a much better investment if you want to keep accurate cooking temps for meats and such.