weatherby460
Well-known member
Would like to get one, but they seem pricey. Will I be happy with a $300 amazon one? Thanks
This one has a $80 coupon right now:
This one has a $80 coupon right now:
Any good thermal imagers under 300?
- Thread starter weatherby460
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I have the INFIRAY C210 which looks identical that I got off Aliexpress for $270.
It exceeded expectations; the image quality is well above the android attachable FLIR I had before.
If you go on aliexpress, you'll likely find a newer model thats cheaper than what you linked.
This is the seller I bought from:
It exceeded expectations; the image quality is well above the android attachable FLIR I had before.
If you go on aliexpress, you'll likely find a newer model thats cheaper than what you linked.
This is the seller I bought from:
Crazyjake8493
Well-known member
I have a FLIR One for my iPhone. $200 and good enough for me. FLIR makes great products, I'm sure the newer versions are even better.
Just sharing because I went looking and found this one.
What are the big uses for these things??
What are the big uses for these things??
Depending on what generation you have they actually got worse. Gen 1 resolution was 80x60 then they went to 160x120 for Gen 2 and then back to 80x60 for Gen 3 unless you get the pro version.
The handheld units from China are 256 x 192 which is 10 times the resolution. 320x240 is also available but they are more money.
bluedog225
Well-known member
Evaluating your connections in electrical (esp solar) systems. Insulation gaps.
Crazyjake8493
Well-known member
Wow. Doing a quick search it looks like I have Gen 2. I guess that may not suffice for fine work but it has been adequate for what I've used it for - diagnosing electrical panels and circuit boards, automotive, finding air leaks and missing insulation in houses, etc.
Water leaks behind walls, lack of insulation in your home, diagnosing coolant system issues on cars, checking electrical circuits for overheating, etc.
All the way down to spilling milk on the carpet and seeing where its wet so you can clean it up properly with a carpet vac... I mean I cleaned it up and then after checking with the thermal camera realized the splash zone was much bigger than the wet spot
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jar944
Well-known member
And I didn't even realize how badly I needed one of these....where can I find one of the high rez Chinese units you mentioned above??Water leaks behind walls, lack of insulation in your home, diagnosing coolant system issues on cars, checking electrical circuits for overheating, etc.
All the way down to spilling milk on the carpet and seeing where its wet so you can clean it up properly with a carpet vac... I mean I cleaned it up and then after checking with the thermal camera realized the splash zone was much bigger than the wet spot
the highend flir stuff is very nice. The stuff targeted at consumers/low level pros is overpriced outdated junk, trading on the brand name. That's true of lots of electronic equipment these days. Even when the brand isn't out to sell overpriced junk, it's hard to keep up with the cycle times of technology.
VolvoRyan
Well-known member
Flir is definitely the gold standard. The good stuff is research grade. Appreciate the rundown on resolution changes over the generations. The "Pro" Model seems to be a bit better on resolution.... but worse on price:
I really want one bad. So much to check out and see. I'd love to be able to keep tabs on old circuit breakers in this house. Out in the shop, I have a few very high draw electrics.
-Ryan
I really want one bad. So much to check out and see. I'd love to be able to keep tabs on old circuit breakers in this house. Out in the shop, I have a few very high draw electrics.
-Ryan
I have a Seek Reveal Pro which is a 320x240 imager...works well, the resolution definitely is the minimum I'd ever want and this was the most cost effective non-chinese no name brand that I could find with that resolution. Would be nice if it had video capabilities too.
I've put some pictures into some of my videos before if you want to see what the picture is like:
I've put some pictures into some of my videos before if you want to see what the picture is like:
danski0224
Well-known member
I would make sure that the thermal imager actually outputs radiometric (thermal) data embedded in the image file (it will not be a JPEG filename).
Some, or at least the HTI A-2, are built on a SEEK thermal engine, but only provide a screenshot JPEG. There are likely others that do this. It is really difficult to figure out what you are getting.
Refresh rate can also be an issue, many of the super inexpensive ones have a 9 Hz refresh rate.
It is out of your stated budget, but the Hikmicro Pocket 2 is an outstanding value for the money. Their processing software is so-so.
And except for the $20k and up models, I would wager that they are all made in China.
Some, or at least the HTI A-2, are built on a SEEK thermal engine, but only provide a screenshot JPEG. There are likely others that do this. It is really difficult to figure out what you are getting.
Refresh rate can also be an issue, many of the super inexpensive ones have a 9 Hz refresh rate.
It is out of your stated budget, but the Hikmicro Pocket 2 is an outstanding value for the money. Their processing software is so-so.
And except for the $20k and up models, I would wager that they are all made in China.
engineer2
Well-known member
I was considering a FLIR model, but it only had a one hour battery life.
I've bought the INFIRAY C210. I like that it is powered by my cell phone.
I also use it to detect hot dogs.
I've bought the INFIRAY C210. I like that it is powered by my cell phone.
I also use it to detect hot dogs.
What's r22 rock salt?
OP
weatherby460
Well-known member
Back to my original question....will I be happy with a $300 one?
danski0224
Well-known member
Only you can answer that.
I wouldn't want anything less than 320 x 240. The 640 x 480 are still a bit much for my uses.
The other question is focal length or "field of view". Many of these have a different field of view, like "wide angle" or "normal" in camera terminology. Some have interchangeable lenses, but those are well above your price point. Some have accessory "close up lenses"- Hikmicro has one and the price is reasonable for their Pocket 2.
And there are 2 main temperature ranges, and sensitivity specs.
An added visible light camera can allow for "fusion" or overlaying the IR and visible light images. Not all of the cheap ones have this.
You really have to dig into the specs and educate yourself. Some of the manufacturers get into resolution and temperature on their websites (like "how to choose"). It is well worth checking out.
If you buy one, make sure that you can send it back. I bought the HTI based upon price, and was not happy.
This is a newer version of the one you posted:
TOPDON TC005
It has mixed reviews. Better temperature and sensitivity specs, plus a visible light camera.
The topdon listed can output radiometric data, but only when connected to a windows computer running their software via usb. Standalone, it's just screenshots. It can also record video over the data link, but only screenshots standalone.
Roxul...it's a brand of rockwool insulation.
and it really is just a screen shot, note the battery display. Garbage, which is a shame, because it's really doing the right things, you just can't get the data. Also, fake usb-c port, which further moves it into the garbage category.
MANY (MANY) years ago, I got myself a Flir E4, just because it was on sale - I had no actual professional use for it, I just always wanted a thermal imager (this IS Garage Journal), and it was on sale for $700 at the time (I recall the regular price at the time was about $1K).
It WAS only 80x60, but because of their MSX tech, I didn't feel it to be an issue, as because of the MSX outlining everything, I could easily tell what I was looking at, and more importantly what PART of what I was looking at. But as stated, I didn't have it for any pro reason whatsoever - just looking at where my house was lacking insulation, etc. I also tried using it to search for our cat at night when she got out a cracked door (our property is heavily wooded) - it never worked for that, but likely because she just wasn't in the field of view (she eventually came back on her own).
I say "WAS" because at the time, the braniacs on EEVBlog took one apart and realized it was the EXACT same imager, circuit, etc., as their more expensive (higher pixel) models, and it was only limited to 80x60 via SOFTWARE. So they reverse engineered the software and came out with the hack (which I installed) and gave me 320x240. Flir eventually came out with a firmware mod that prevented any such hacking (but still used the same imager chip). A lot of people felt they could have easily came out with the mod LONG before they actually did, but likely did not because it actually helped the sale of the unit because anyone needing the higher end models would still buy the higher end models as there were other things they could do that the E4 could not - the hack only affected the pixel count and not other features/functions (as far as I remember).
OP
weatherby460
Well-known member
Thanks!