Thanks for the video. One big issue is that the distance to size ratio on these guns is very different. The fluke is 30:1 and the Milwaukee is 12:1. From the video it looked like you had them about the same distance from the object. That means you are measuring different areas with the guns. That is going to account for some of the variability.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

Жыл бұрын

Absolutely. It was just a basic test of cheap vs expensive as suggested by a subscriber. Thanks for watching!

It is good to see the difference between cheap and expensive isn't worth worrying about when it comes to these thermometers.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

I think the General is just fine for homeowner use. Thanks for watching!

I use one I got of Ali-Express for about 35 dollars a few years back. I use it for metal casting sometimes, it is a Holdpeak, and it goes up to 1500C. A few degrees up or down doesn't really matter for what I do but it gives me a good indication when melting in my home made furnace. For my electric furnace I don't need it off course because you set the temp on the furnace itself. Thanks for this little review, I am now not to worried about my reading being to far off

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching Ralph. How’s your fish coming?

It would be interesting to see how much variation there would be if you did a temp measure on 3 separate tools from the same manufacturer. I would expect there to be some variation within manufacturers too. Great job guys on the testing! I’m going to go back and update my Father’s Day list.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

Let me think about that one. Thanks for the suggestion!

@Shalmaneser1

Жыл бұрын

Dittos that. Reviewers often don't work with precision VS accuracy. Distance also comes into play with infrared thermometers. If you want to have some fun, ask MDs about their infrared thermometers. I did a deep dip on fingertip O2SAT monitors. +/- 3% for ALL of them. Good enough for medical office use, not good enough to integrate with CPAP. Skin translucence matters. And don't get me started on house thermostats.

A chrome bumper is a terrible thing to test with. Highly reflective items cause temp guns to read low, yet when you touch it with your hand you get burned. The surface materials and finish will greatly affect the temp gun's ability to get an accurate temperature reading.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for sharing. A lot of changes coming in part 2!

I have a cheap General brand. IRT207.. It's 12-14 years old... When it is off temp wise. I've found that plowing off the lens with air corrects it and making sure it's not frozen. I'll cup my other hand over the top of it to kind of warm it up and so far this seems to get it back to reading my body temp correctly with in a degree or two.

Makes you wonder if the fluke is actuality calibrated lol. I work in HVAC and a lot of tradesmen are never wrong in their own mind... Blessings 👐 💚

@KensSmallEngineRepair

Жыл бұрын

I had access to the expensive ones and just wanted to see how they compared to the cheap harbor freight unit. Thanks for watching

The fluke is a 30:1 which most likely make it reading a smaller area at the same measuring distance.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for the input!

Good comparison Ken. I'll stick with my General for what I use it for.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

Me too, for now!!

Great test Ken

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

Glad you liked it more to come

$275 for 3 degrees can save you hundreds of thousands on inventory, let alone a lawsuit

It would be nice to see you test some things in the 300+ degree range to see if it has a greater error of margin as temperature increases. Also, would be good to text something really cold for same thing. Thanks for the video.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

Trying to get all 3 guns together again for Round 2!

@Shalmaneser1

Жыл бұрын

@@KensSmallEngineRepair There's been some interesting discussion of temperature sensing of transmissions for fluid change. (Operating temperature only!). ODB2 is a royal pain, infrared tends read cooler than real temperature, and they both lag lag lag...

This isn’t very scientific but 100% worth watching. Thank you. Very good and honest comparison.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

Жыл бұрын

A subscriber asked me if he should buy a 20 dollar IR thermometer or a 200 dollar one. I said I’d grab some cheap and expensive ones and shoot a few things which I did. Thanks for watching

@Gold63Beast

Жыл бұрын

@@KensSmallEngineRepair thank you for the video. God bless brother.

The ratios are different on each one. You have to measure from their listed focal. eq 12:1 is measured at 12 inches , the cheap one was 8:1 and should be compared at 8 inches. Couldn't read the focal off the Fluke but it is probably 12:1 as a well.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

4 ай бұрын

Still trying to drum up some new units for testing, stay tuned. Thanks for watching and commenting!

Interesting. Wonder how much of it is affected by "emissivity" - ask flir users about it, apparently some materials have different coefficients of ir vs temperature. (Metal is hard to measure, tape makes it more accurate) And of course because it's like light, reflective things are hard to measure, so I wasn't surprised there was a difference in your bumper. Thanks for the vid!

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

We use Flir IRs at work. A nice visual of what’s going on! Thanks for watching

because of emissivity the chrome bumper is the worst thing you could use an infrared on.

Very good test Ken. 3d difference not that bad when you think of the cost, Great vid.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

Money comes into the equation for sure. Thanks for watching

I would have thought there'd be a big difference in temperature but it's in the price. Good one my friend!!!

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Gravelyman!

How would you able to assure that the professional tool is more accurate that the cheaper one despite you are not measuring a constant value or a known value of a temperature example like boiling water?

@KensSmallEngineRepair

Жыл бұрын

My method was purely comparative. Would a $20 tool give the same result as a $150 or $300 tool. I agree that accuracy was not addressed and and will produce a Part 2 using a calibrated thermocouple to test accuracy of measurement as well. Thanks for watching!

Ken, I have been in the motorcoach trade over 40 years and when they came out they were the best thing to help diagnose. I have used one for about 20 years in my trade and have owned 3 different ones. The first was one I purchased off a local tool truck that didn’t have a laser pointer. Great if you want to know the general area temp. The next one was a Mastercraft (I live in Canada) that has laser pointer, so it is more direct, but you also have to take into account the distance you are from the object as the beam fans out (still not as accurate). The last one I purchased was a Flir thermal imager which is the best. I can now see the difference of temps in relation to the area. It is invaluable for checking bearings, electrical relays, a/c in & outs, brake rotor/drum temps etc. All these are crucial in the motorcoach industry for breakdown prevention on the road. Just a little food for thought. Like all the live streams you and colleagues have when I can catch them. RIck

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks Rick. I didn’t want to get too technical on the video regarding distance and beam width. We also use Flir equipment where I work to diagnose “hot-spots” where connections are loose or components are beginning to fail. It’s also cool to scan your walls in the winter to see where your heating dollars are going lol! Thanks for watching and commenting!

I would have been interested to see a test against something like a running engine.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

I can do a part 2. Stay tuned.

I have a cheap one from Princess auto. (Canada) Thanks for this.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

Bruce you should do a walk-through at Princess auto to show us US people what’s in that store

I was just thinking about getting one of those from Harbor Freight.. you just made up my mind Ken... Y E S

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

I think it’s worth the money Rick go for it!

good vid keep up the vids

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching Lee!

Hi quick question can these be used on a person to check the body temperature? obviously to check if person has a fever or not. thanks :)

@KensSmallEngineRepair

Жыл бұрын

Absolutely NOT! Each is marked danger as burns from lasers can result!

@evox786

Жыл бұрын

They can be used. However, there are a few things you need to be aware of. A general purpose thermometer like this has a much wider measurement range, and thus the margin of error is much great like you saw in this video. +/- 3* is acceptable accuracy for most purposes and is reasonable for the temp range these are designed for. However, it's unacceptable for body temp measurement since 3* is the difference between healthy and fever. Medical thermometers measure a much more narrow range and have a much smaller margin of error to give you a more precise result. Also, skin temp is going to be much cooler than internal body temp, so medical thermometers take this into account and add on a few extra degrees to adjust for that. If your industrial thermometer has adjustable emissivity, set it to 0.78 so this shift is automatically added on. If you don't have adjustable emissivity, just take several measurements of healthy people in order to establish a normal baseline (ex: 93*) so you will know if the reading is higher than normal. The laser pointer doesn't pose a threat beyond the eye damage it can cause, so just be careful with it. These lasers are not powerful enough to burn though. Turn the laser off if you can, or just tape over it if you're going to be using in on humans.

The fluke is variable emissivity, the harbor freight is fixed at 0.95. This is a big difference as depending on the object you are measuring, you will need to set the thermometer to match the emissivity of the maaterial it's made from, otherwise it will be inaccurate. That's one reason the fluke will always be better than the harbor freight, depending on your application!

@KensSmallEngineRepair

9 ай бұрын

Thanks for the info!

@nrcsean

9 ай бұрын

No worries, thanks for the video :)

What’s 2or 3 degrees Amun friends it works . Go one Ken

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

That’s what I say!

The fluke has the emissivity set at .95 but what are the others set at? different surfaces require different emissivity settings. if you cant change the emissivity on the tool its really not worth buying if the temp reading is important.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

Жыл бұрын

All three stated 0.95 emissivity in their respective manuals.

An interesting and useful guide, Thanks. However while it shows the difference between the guns, you didn't show actual correct temperature the actual of the object measured. So we don't know the accuracy of any of the tested guns. While 3 degrees is nothing at low temps the 2"cheap" guns were out by nearly the same amount. So maybe the expensive gun needs re-calibrating. Does the difference (error) increase with higher temps? 70f is pretty cool in workshop situations.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

2 жыл бұрын

Next time I plan a visit to Big Dog Henry’s place I’ll bring them and do a proper test. Thanks for watching and commenting!

@georgesmith4509

2 жыл бұрын

@@KensSmallEngineRepair great! I'll watch for it

Nice video mate

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching!

how do you know the fluke is the correct one?

@KensSmallEngineRepair

2 жыл бұрын

The Fluke is used by a friend who’s company calibrates it monthly

Think cheap ones are always going to be a bit out. It's ok for the money I know when you're buying Muilty meters cheap one's are never going to be that accurate.👍

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

I mainly use is for automotive uses like checking radiator hoses and water pumps. Also exhaust headers to see if a cylinder is dead. Thanks for watching and commenting!

Good video

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

More to come on those. Thanks for watching

So, are we assuming the expensive device is accurate? Maybe it is reading 3 degrees too hot.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

Жыл бұрын

All in all for general use I’d say the cheap ones are good enough. Everyone has been asking for a part two with specific tests. I’m working on it. Thanks for watching

You should test on ice and at full boil water

I paid $20 for a Milwaukee one at the flea market

@KensSmallEngineRepair

Жыл бұрын

Great deal!

Are they all set to the same emissivity?

@KensSmallEngineRepair

Жыл бұрын

All had fixed emissivity of 0.95, at least according to their respective manuals. Thanks for watching!

@74357175

Жыл бұрын

@@KensSmallEngineRepair thanks for the update, a year later!

@KensSmallEngineRepair

Жыл бұрын

@@74357175 a year later? The question was yesterday

@74357175

Жыл бұрын

@@KensSmallEngineRepair i meant that you were still replying to questions posed a year later 😂 (which is great)

Interesting, I use a cheap one, bought it off of my local auction site.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

I say whatever works!

@MegaDirtyberty

3 жыл бұрын

@@KensSmallEngineRepair Same here.

You should really do some reading about ir thermometers and shiny metals.. or at least read the manual..

@KensSmallEngineRepair

Жыл бұрын

Enlighten us!

Thanks for the comparison. Not for nothing, but the display on the Harbor Freight brand looked pretty awful! In any case, for most of us home DIY folks, the cheaper models are sufficient.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

11 ай бұрын

It was just a basic comparison. Thanks for watching!

@jimrubin3335

11 ай бұрын

@@KensSmallEngineRepair Oh, it wasn't a knock on you, Ken, but rather on the Harbor Freight's display quality. You did a great job!

The fluke is not calibrated. No infrared thermometer is calibrated, because infrared emission depends on the type of material being measured, and each material has to have a constant applied to the result. For example aluminium has a different emissivity to concrete and if its polished it has a different emissivity again. Google infrared emissivity and you will tables that list all the different values for different materials. Newer IR thermometers let you set the constant factor that range from 0.1 to 1. 1 is for the most black material and is only acheived by "super black" paint from 3M for example

Have you tried two flukes against each other ?

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

Need to find two Flukes!!!!

The instructions on almost all of those say 15” away from the item. In some of your tests you aren’t even close.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for pointing that out, I tried to be consistent on whatever distance I used. I had a subscriber that just wanted to see three price ranges tried out.

@Erin-Thor

Жыл бұрын

@@KensSmallEngineRepair - I was looking for something that would help find slab leaks. Thanks for the response! And I’m thinking if you ever do another one of these, test the temp at 15” and at 3’ and see if the measurement is the same, close enough, or out of expected temperature. 👍🏽😎

@KensSmallEngineRepair

Жыл бұрын

Great suggestion thanks!

Food one Ken

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

Food??where? Lol

There's an app for infrared thermometer for Android phones.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

Yes and they work pretty good. Mainly seen them used for checking wall insulation in homes. Thanks for watching

For $ 15 not a bad buy 👍

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

I thought so

your checkin against all cold stuff how bout on running engines

@KensSmallEngineRepair

3 жыл бұрын

That makes two requests for that. I guess a part two will be forthcoming!

Emmissivity?

@KensSmallEngineRepair

Жыл бұрын

here is a good explanation from Fluke on Emissivity and how 0.95 is a sort of standard calibrated value. www.flukeprocessinstruments.com/en-us/service-and-support/knowledge-center/infrared-technology/what-emissivity%3F

Well you can live with 3degrees out & you know it now so hey ho! Funny thing about the fluke we use that word if you’re doing something tricky & you nail it first time we call it a fluke lol, My mates a mechanic he bought a snap on bore cam thingy, £300 and it hardly gets used, only for checking valves etc, he’s sorry that he didn’t just buy a £40 draper or such, I seen Henry’s workshop tour he’s a lot of Milwaukee stuff, personally I like Milwaukee but man , all these shootout videos & head to head tests are getting a bit much & trying to research what’s best bang for your buck is an absolute nightmare nowadays it’s a multi million dollar industry and the marketings off the scale so I just try not to think about it too much anymore & be happy with what I’ve got lol. Sorry for the rant but it’s getting out of hand 👍

@mikeyyoyo6464

3 жыл бұрын

PS. Don’t get me started on nail guns lol

Why was everything roughly room temperature? Why not test with something in the freezer, or something in the oven…? I get it’s hard to control temperature, but get someone to help. Shoot the same target at the same time with two guns at a time? Idk… I just don’t think this was a valuable test.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

Жыл бұрын

Trying to show if a 20 dollar Harbor Freight unit would compare to professional grade units costing hundreds of dollars.

@radioman321

Жыл бұрын

@@KensSmallEngineRepair right, I see that. You showed a 3 degree spread. But what if that 3 degree spread turns into a 100 degree spread when you measure a catalytic converter temp? I’m sure it wouldn’t, but I guess we’ll never know lol.

@KensSmallEngineRepair

Жыл бұрын

@@radioman321 my channel only deals in small engine repair, a 100 degree difference would end up being a catastrophic failure to a small engine!