Infra Red Thermometers

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johnpateley

New Member
Oct 18, 2011
11
Yorkshire Dales England
Hello Folks
I am thinking of getting an infra red thermometer to check temps around my stove etc.
Can anyone recommend a resonably priced one.
Have had a look on ebay and their are lots of cheap ones has anyone tried these are they accurate and what temp range would I need?
Thanks for your help.
John
 
I have the HF one also, it is a big hit with the kids they love taking temperatures of everything. It is fun to use, I do find it is still nice to have a regular temp guage on the stove.
 
I picked one up at lowe's earlier this year. I think it was 30 bucks or so. lowes infra-red

Used it on the stove. Best use I have found is checking interior wall and ceiling temps during the cold season. Good way to find out where my insulation is coming up short.

Peace
 
Harbor Freight . . . relatively cheap and it does the higher temps. Only negative is after a few years of use my laser pointer is dead . . . which means no playing chase with the cats and the laser pointer any more.
 
I have this Ryobi from Home Depot. It works great. I notice now that it only goes up to 600 F. The price is $30.

(broken link removed to http://www.homedepot.com/h_d1/N-5yc1v/R-100674438/h_d2/ProductDisplay?langId=-1&storeId=10051&catalogId=10053)
 
I just looked at the Harbor Freight website. Here are their specs. Up to 968 F. This would be very useful for wood stove applications over the Ryobi that I own.

Sometimes it’s called a laser thermometer, because you use the built-in laser to target the surface, but it’s really a non-contact infrared thermometer that measures the electromagnetic radiation coming from that surface. It’s the safest way to measure temperatures in hazardous areas (like automobile engines or other machinery), hard-to-reach places and other areas where a non-contact infrared laser thermometer is the way to go.
Professional-quality, infrared technology at an excellent value
Temperature range: -4° F/-20° C to 968° F/520° C
Accuracy: +3° F/+2° C or 2% of reading
Distance-to-spot ratio: 8 to 1
9 volt DC battery included.
Temperature range: -4°F (-20°C) to 968°F (520°C)
Response time: 500 mSec
Distance to spot accuracy: 8 to 1
Accuracy: +/- 4° below 212° F, +/- 2° above 212° F
Overall dimensions: 7" L x 1-3/4" W x 4-1/2" L at grip
Shipping Weight: 0.55 lbs.
 
It'd be nice to get one with a tighter 'cone', so better readings could be done at a distance without interpolating.
 
I have the previously mentioned HF one as well. Works great and use it for many things. However it does have one weird problem where the display often times lights all or some extra parts of the decimals so its hard to read... it usually clears up after I press the trigger a few times though. Maybe its just low batteries I'll have to test that.

For a slightly tighter 'cone' that amazon one that Jimbo posted looks pretty good, and not too much more than HF either.
 
velvetfoot said:
It'd be nice to get one with a tighter 'cone', so better readings could be done at a distance without interpolating.
Click to expand...

The one I linked to above has a 12:1 D:S ratio. That's outstanding for a $49 meter. My LT-300 has a 20:1 ratio. Even at 10' away the cone is only 6" across.
 
velvetfoot said:
Ten feet being approximate couch distance in my case. :)
Click to expand...

Yup. It's even good on a 6" pipe at that distance. But it set me back 120 bucks. Little brother LT100 will have a 10" wide cone at the same distance and is only $49. Stretch your arm out and scooch yer butt out about a foot and you will get a much smaller cone without getting up. Best to leave it right next to your whisky glass so you can kill two birds with one stone when you reach for your drink.
 
OhioBurner© said:
I have the previously mentioned HF one as well. Works great and use it for many things. However it does have one weird problem where the display often times lights all or some extra parts of the decimals so its hard to read... it usually clears up after I press the trigger a few times though. Maybe its just low batteries I'll have to test that.

For a slightly tighter 'cone' that amazon one that Jimbo posted looks pretty good, and not too much more than HF either.
Click to expand...
Ok, glad to hear someone else has this problem.

Often, when I first turn it on, it will give me a reading of 888.8 or something of that nature, like all of the number parts are showing up. After using it for a few minutes, the parts of the numbers that shouldn't be there fade away and I get a good reading. There appears to be no method to the madness, but I did find that often times switching it from F to C and then taking a reading and then switching it back to F gets it working faster.
 
Yep, like all the parts of the display are lit up. Usually the actual reading is a little bit darker and the weirdness is a little lighter so I can sometimes read it ok even when it says 888 or whatever. After a few times pressing it seems to clear up. For just a little more I wonder if the amazon one would be the better 'cheap' one. But the HF one works, just has some wierd antics.
 
project240 said:
http://www.homedepot.ca/product/ryobi-tek4-professional-infrared-thermometer/912247

I just bought this one on clearance for $40. So far, seems to work very well, but only reads up to 608F.

What else do you guys use yours for besides the stove?
Click to expand...
Most common other use for me would be getting the griddle set to temperature for pancakes, or oil for deep frying. Also use it to see room temperatures (in other rooms besides the one with a thermometer), check fridge/freezer temps, exhaust/head/manifold temps on car/tractor, disk brake temps, outside ground temp, troubleshoot drafts, use as laser pointer...

velvetfoot said:
I don't have that problem with my HF unit.
Are your batteries fresh?
Click to expand...
No, my battery warning is actually blinking so they are due. I'll see if it makes any difference (it was doing it all last year though).
 
IR thermometer is also very useful IMO for seeing if pot of water on stove is hot enough to make cup of tea.
You really don't want it near boiling, so when I see 175-180 F, it's ready.
Or when cooking spaghetti there, enables you to guesstimate when it'll be time to toss in the pasta.
 
CTYank said:
IR thermometer is also very useful IMO for seeing if pot of water on stove is hot enough to make cup of tea.
You really don't want it near boiling, so when I see 175-180 F, it's ready.
Or when cooking spaghetti there, enables you to guesstimate when it'll be time to toss in the pasta.
Click to expand...

Yep used it for that too... some teas ideally brew under different temps, I get a lot of my tea from the local Teavana here is there brewing guide (broken link removed to http://www.teavana.com/tea-info/how-to-make-tea) a lot of them are only 175º Coffee also should not be brought completely to a boil, you cant control what an auto drip maker does but I often brew it manually.
 
Hello Folks.
I finally bought a thermometer on ebay for only £12 its yellow appears to be well made and is amazingly accurate!
Well boiling water is 100deg C and food in the freezer is -18deg C so thats good enough for me.
It never ceases to amaze me how china can produce quality products at such a low price.
The rest of the world doesn't stand a chance. No wonder we are in a mess!
Thanks for your help John (Yorkshire England)
 
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