IR Thermometers

[Yann]

Hi guys...

Does anyone use these gizmos?
Are they any good?
Is there a best brand?
And if recommended, where could I buy one? ( Sydney CBD)

Ta

[nvenm8]

I have and use one (see photo). They are great for getting an instant temp reading of several places throughout a room or enclosure.
It has a laser pointer so you can aim at specific spots, but other than that i think they are much of a muchness??
Give the Herp Shop a visit online they have a pretty cool looking one available http://www.herpshop.com.au/ .

[little guy]

I picked 1 up at the expo for $95. They are great as already mention they are instant and accurate the one i got is a tn205L i would recommend you get one as they take human error out of picture.
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[Yann]

Originally Posted by little guy

I picked 1 up at the expo for $95. They are great as already mention they are instant and accurate the one i got is a tn205L i would recommend you get one as they take human error out of picture.
Attachment 18230

Hey...
Thanks for your answers...
My next question is: how do they work?
Are they accurate thru the glass window? or do i have to open it before taking the temp?
Thanks

[Troy 1000]

Yeh I would like to know how acurate the are. I am looking on ebay but the have an accuracy of + or - 2degrees

[Just_Joshin]

Originally Posted by Yann

Hey...
Thanks for your answers...
My next question is: how do they work?
Are they accurate thru the glass window? or do i have to open it before taking the temp?
Thanks

You have to open the glass, otherwise it will measure the temperature of the glass and not the enclosure or reptile (whatever you happen to be measuring. I have also testing this by measureing the same spot through the glass and with it open and there was a big difference. You should always open the glass.

[Just_Joshin]

Also make sure to check the ratio they run at. For example some of the cheaper ones have a measurement/distance ratio of 1:1 which means that if you are holding it 1cm away from what you are measuring it is measure an area of 1cm2. So to accurately measure an area you have to hold it fairly close.

However some others like this one PE2 have a ratio of 8:1........Therefore the you can hold it 20cm away and still only measure an area of only 2.5cm so it is much more accurate without needing to hold it extremely close to what you are measuring.

You can pick the PE2 up for $58 on the herpasylum website......www.herpasylum.com.au

[DrNick]

Originally Posted by Troy 1000

Yeh I would like to know how acurate the are. I am looking on ebay but the have an accuracy of + or - 2degrees

Most of them, even the more expensive ones, have an accuracy with a variance of 2% or max 2 degrees. This means at the lower temps associated with reptile husbandry the variance would be quite minimal and probably not worth worrying about.

[Yann]

Originally Posted by womanator

You have to open the glass, otherwise it will measure the temperature of the glass and not the enclosure or reptile (whatever you happen to be measuring. I have also testing this by measureing the same spot through the glass and with it open and there was a big difference. You should always open the glass.

Thank you very much Womanator for your post. I don't mind opening the door at all, but I like to know every details before I bought anything. Now the question is accuracy and value compared to a standard digital double probed thermometer (one probe on each end of the tank) to have a good idea of the gradient...

[Just_Joshin]

Originally Posted by Yann

Thank you very much Womanator for your post. I don't mind opening the door at all, but I like to know every details before I bought anything. Now the question is accuracy and value compared to a standard digital double probed thermometer (one probe on each end of the tank) to have a good idea of the gradient...

Most wired probe thermometers are more accurate (typically +/- 1 degree) and they are very handy as you can know the gradient at either end just by looking and not needing to get your thermometer out. However IR ones can you used so quickly to measure the surface temperature of things like hide rocks and the reptile ITSELF.

So if you can afford it i would recommend both.

[Yann]

Originally Posted by womanator

Most wired probe thermometers are more accurate (typically +/- 1 degree) and they are very handy as you can know the gradient at either end just by looking and not needing to get your thermometer out. However IR ones can you used so quickly to measure the surface temperature of things like hide rocks and the reptile ITSELF.

So if you can afford it i would recommend both.

Cool mate... Thank you very much....
I think the IR ones are around $100 but I've got no idea on how much the wired ones could be... I'll find out... By the way, are these available only from pet shops or can I find them in hardware shops as well...?

[Troy 1000]

Thanks womanator, so for our first thermometer, what would the recomendation be, IR or not to IR

[Magpie]

I assume you mean non-contact IR themos? All thermos are IR. IR = Heat.

[Yann]

Originally Posted by Magpie

I assume you mean non-contact IR themos? All thermos are IR. IR = Heat.

of course....

[Jonny]

I received mine in the mail today after purchasing of ebay

got it for $62 sent to my door

12:1 ratio and measures -30 to +500 degrees

been playing around with it this arvo and seems pretty accurate and it has a cool little targetting 'laser'

cheers

Jonny