Contactless Temperature Measurements Made Easy

Aidbucks Infrared Thermometer Gun Review

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Takeaway: Easy to use, good accuracy, but allow some time for unit to adjust to current ambient temp first.

The temperature gun is about the size of a handheld barcode scanner and measures 7" H x 1.75"W x 4" D. It is made of a lightweight plastic and weighs only a few ounces. The unit requires one 9V battery which is not included. The thermometer is rated to measure temperatures from -26° F to 986° F with an accuracy of +/- a couple degrees.

Squeeze the trigger to turn the unit on. Pull the trigger again to activate the laser and take a temperature reading. The reading will display on the LCD and goes out to 1 decimal point. If you hold the trigger down, the thermometer will take readings continuously until you let go. When you let go, the last read temperature will be saved on the unit's LCD panel. Beneath the LCD panel are a few controls. The top button changes the output units between Celsius and Fahrenheit. The right button toggles the backlight on the LCD so you can read the screen more easily in the dark. The left button toggles on and off the laser pointer. And the bottom button changes the mode from man/max/and epsilon that shows the emissivity setting. Emissivity is the measure of an object's ability to emit infrared energy and this setting can be adjusted from 0.1 to 0.99 by holding down the left button, clicking the C/F button to enter the mode, then adjust up and down with the right or left keys. This simply helps the thermometer achieve accuracy by letting it know what kind of surface you're pointing it at, for example, a value close to 0 would indicate a very shiny mirror like surface and 1 would indicate a flat black opaque surface. The default setting is 0.95 and there's a chart in the manual to help you choose the setting that's right for your application.

The laser pointer does not have to be activated to take a reading. The unit reads the temperature via infrared; the laser pointer simply guides you so you know what your target is. The distance to spot ratio for this gun is 12:1, so if you are 12 inches away from your target, the target area for reading the temperature will be about 1 inch in diameter. The thermometer remembers the last 32 readings and to access them, you can press and hold the mode button, then scroll through the previous readings using the left and right keys. The laser gun cannot read the temperature of object behind glass and performs poorly when used on reflective surfaces. The accuracy can also be affected by particulate in the air like dust and steam. At first I found the thermometer to be accurate in taking temperature readings for boiling water and for ice. However, after prolonged use in a warm or cold environment I found that it could be off by as much as 10 degrees and the unit would have to be set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes before the readings returned to normal. Just something to keep in mind if the temperature of the gun feels colder or warmer than your surroundings.

Buy it at Amazon: Aidbucks Infrared Thermometer Gun [Affiliate Link]