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Wed Jun 08, 2011 10:46 pm

Was thinking about buying this IR thermometer from a local supplier for 75 bucks.

http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-62-Mini-Infrared-Therm...amp;sr=8-1

10:1 spotting and 1% accuracy

Anyone see any compelling reason to go with another model?

Muchas gracias

Wed Jun 08, 2011 11:02 pm

Fluke makes some nice stuff and $75 seems like a great deal. Great reviews on Amazon as well.

Wed Jun 08, 2011 11:10 pm

They are very handy and quite accurate. Low on funds I $ the HF model of this unit and it seems to be very consistent with read outs over the months. I cant check it against a known accurate one like the Fluke would be but they sure are nice to use with the laser dot, trigger, display, etc. super tool

Thu Jun 09, 2011 12:15 am

I had one of those for a bit until it took a ride on the rear bumper, now I have the Blue-Point equivalent off the Snap-On truck. Main difference is that the C/F button is hidden on the Fluke, and my BP seems to handle cold weather better. The Fluke would give lower readings as it started to freeze up. However, as I never switch to Celsius, and only play around with it outside in the winter, I really can't say I notice a difference aside from color. I've played with a few real cheapies at work, and they all pretty much give the same readings as mine. These are a super handy tool for all sorts of nonsense, and money well spent.

Thu Jun 09, 2011 10:54 am

these things are usually not very accurate b/c of lack of user training & inappropriate use

you guys probably mean repeatability or resolution, not accuracy

they're fine if you want to do some sort of rough comparison, and use it on the same surface, same angle, in shade, etc. each time...

Thu Jun 09, 2011 11:56 am

Seems like much of what I use mine for is comparison (e.g. left head v right head or top of rad v bottom of rad)... more an assessment of whether things are as they should rather than looking for an accurate temperature.

For this an inexpensive one (Radio Shack) has be satisfactory.

Thu Jun 09, 2011 2:28 pm

randywebb wrote: these things are usually not very accurate b/c of lack of user training & inappropriate use

you guys probably mean repeatability or resolution, not accuracy

they're fine if you want to do some sort of rough comparison, and use it on the same surface, same angle, in shade, etc. each time...

The Fluke 62 is specced at 1% (of the reading) accuracy

"For targets above 23 ºC (73 ºF): ±1% of reading or ±1 ºC (±2 ºF), whichever is greater"

and I believe has a repeatability of 0.5%. The spot ratio is 10:1, so a 1" circle at 10". It is supposedly rated "best in class" by somebody, whatever that means.

Thu Jun 09, 2011 8:27 pm

but, is it telling you the accurate surface temperature??

Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:14 pm

Way more accurate than my touching the engine and guessing at the temp by how long I can hold my fingers against it or seeing if the exhaust will burn the hairs on my arm. :wink:

Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:36 pm

randywebb wrote: but, is it telling you the accurate surface temperature??

How would you know? Gauges can be incorrect too ~ my Volvo VDO gauges were mostly accurate, and they gave the same temp as my Craftsman IR gauge. Were they both wrong, in the same way?

IR therms work fine. More money generally equals better quality, within limits.

B.

Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:56 pm

Do you really need to know the exact surface temp? I can put mine on my outside temperature sender and it is never off more than one tenth degree from the reading on the weather station. It says water boils at 212. I used to use it to check the temps of asphalt before sending trucks out, and as long as I hit where a tester stabbed it with a shovel, it was always right in line with the probe thermometer the tester had to use. Close enough for me. I find that most times I'm using it, I have absolutely no idea what it should read, so I'm merely looking for differences, or changes, or patterns. Extreme accuracy generally costs money, but the bang for your buck with these things is incredible.

Thu Jun 09, 2011 9:59 pm

it depends on what you are doing - see my first post

you "know" by checking them against a reference standard

they work by reading IR radiation and then making an assumption about the emissivity of the surface to calculate Tsurf from that.

metals and metallic paint surfaces vary greatly in emissivity; most other things are about 0.95

also, the angle can make a big difference in the reading - this was discovered by some British scientists in the 1970s, tho I forget the citation for the paper.

Sat Jun 11, 2011 2:16 pm

Wildthings, if you picked it, up give us some feedback. I think perhaps that's a good father;s day present to give myself!

EDIT: I bumped into this and it looks the same for less money?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000O80B5M/ref=cm_cr_asin_lnk

John

Sat Jun 11, 2011 5:50 pm

Fluke should be good unit. What's the upper temp limit for that one?

That looks just like the Bluepoint I've had a few years bouncing around in my work truck.

I have a Mastercool has worked well enough.

Edit: >Raytek IR Temp Gun should be just as good at lesser price than Fluke.<

Only time I've had wild accuracy problems were with polished surfaces... sometimes.

I wouldn't buy anything costing more than 10bucks at Harbor Freight. It's hitting the trash bin too soon.

Sat Jun 11, 2011 10:48 pm

i got the harbor freight model. its as accurate as i need it to be. thats usually around 1-2 degrees c difference between the gun and the temp sensor readings in the computer. makes it easier to diagnose temp sensor problems.

Sun Jun 12, 2011 10:03 am

I've read that a spot of flat black spray paint on anything that you want accurate temp measurements of is the way to go, and as Randy alluded to, make sure the gun is pointing perpendicularly to the surface you are shooting.

Sun Jun 12, 2011 10:33 am

Wildthings wrote: Was thinking about buying this IR thermometer from a local supplier for 75 bucks.

http://www.amazon.com/Fluke-62-Mini-Infrared-Therm...amp;sr=8-1

10:1 spotting and 1% accuracy

Anyone see any compelling reason to go with another model?

Muchas gracias

I'm sure that gun is up to Fluke's usual quality standards and will serve you well. I bought a Raytek on sale at my local tool supplier - it looks like it cam out of the same molds but in grey plastic. It works very nicely and is plenty accurate.

Sun Jun 12, 2011 1:47 pm

FYI these IR guns do not work well on clean aluminum or anything reflective. For best reading shoot at something painted black (or at least very dirty).

Sat Jul 02, 2011 7:21 pm

Lowes has a $40 dollar unit for just $10! I just got one. http://tinyurl.com/6jn8dok

I figure at this price, if it isn't great, it is cheap enough to leave in the van. I ordered on line and picked up at my local store. No shipping cost!