lazer thermometers

[Matata]

Im thinking of buying one of the above and I was wondering if anyone had any advice on specs, what to look for ,what not etc.I've learnt late in life to buy good quality , look after it and it will last. I hate buying something only to find "if only....." It is for occasional use, on the boat amongst other things.It doesn't have to be deadly accurate.Also, can I use it on the wife to tell me when she's fit to burst?
Ta Nik

 

[pvb]

Guess you mean an infrared thermometer with a laser target? I bought one of these from Maplin a few years ago. Very useful for some purposes. Has always worked when I've needed it. If you're not too worried about fundamental accuracy, it wouldn't seem worth spending any more.

 

[RAI]

The last time I used one it showed large variations from a surface temperature thermometer. But great for moving targets, like your wife.

 

[Leighb]

Guess you mean an infrared thermometer with a laser target? I bought one of these from Maplin a few years ago. Very useful for some purposes. Has always worked when I've needed it. If you're not too worried about fundamental accuracy, it wouldn't seem worth spending any more.

It might not be awfully useful for measuring somebody's temperature as the normal thermometer measures oral temperature with the mouth shut for 1 minute. There are established normals for this.
Surface skin temperature obviously bears some relationship to internal but it may not be consistent and AFAIK there are no known normals.

There are some rather basic stick on skin thermometers, but these are calibrated as if they were oral readings, so not a lot of help.

 

[Skylark]

I have one from Maplins, cost about £30-40 3 or 4 years ago. It's ever bit as accurate as the more expensive versions we use at work to measure gearbox bearing temperatures during end-of-line testing. Highly recommended, very useful addition to the tool kit. Soon after buying it, I would "fire" it all over the engine to check for hotspots, water pump / overheating failure etc. Great little toy.

 

[lw395]

I have an IR thermometer with laser pointer.
The pointer is a bit of a joke, as the thermometer has about a 30 degree field of view.
It seems quite accurate., bearing in mind it is averaging over everything in its field of view. We use them in electronics development to assess how hot components are getting. I've used it in sorting out my heating and insulation at home. I think it was under £20 from eBay.
On the boat it could be useful for seeing that exhaust cooling is adequate, whether the alternator is too hot etc.
I've also bought digital thermometers for a couple of quid.
People do use them for measuring body temperature, mostly a variation that is designed to be poked in a baby's ear it seems!

 

[pvb]

It might not be awfully useful for measuring somebody's temperature as the normal thermometer measures oral temperature with the mouth shut for 1 minute. There are established normals for this.
Surface skin temperature obviously bears some relationship to internal but it may not be consistent and AFAIK there are no known normals.

There are some rather basic stick on skin thermometers, but these are calibrated as if they were oral readings, so not a lot of help.

I think the OP's mention of "can I use it on the wife" was a joke...

 

[alan17]

Use on wife

I think that you might need a very long range type

 

[Matata]

Thanks guys. It's my birthday coming up so maybe.... Nik

 

[boguing]

I wouldn't be without my £50 one.

Oral temperature is accurate - the reason for the closed mouth/one minute is to allow a conventional thermometer to heat properly, and not let heat out of the mouth. IR is instant.

Guinness Extra Cold is 0.5 degrees C cooler than normal.

Good for checking individual cylinder temperatures on an engine.

Felt like a muppet recently - I thought the Autumnal temperatures in Surrey were always several degrees warmer than the forecasts.

IR doesn't like glass in it's path....

 

[Slowtack]

Good for checking for car radiator blockages - cooler spots.