Thermal laser and thermal camera help needed. Which to buy?

[GophersGarage]

Looking to buy a new
laser and camera for automotive.

I do not want to spend on snap on .

but I do see a lot of nice ones by Klien, Flir, Fluke

your thoughts?

 

[RPH]

I have the FLIR for the iPhone. I see the price has about doubled from when I bought mine a few years ago. It’s a very good camera that allows detail photo analysis of an area. Plus the ability to focus down to a spot.
Control cabinet and hot wire.

 

[GophersGarage]

Thanks for the info. It pretty amazing tool to have.

I have my old phone that I was thinking to use just for this type of camera.

 

[mike93lx]

I have a flir one for my android phone. Awesome tool to have and I caught one open box on Amazon for a great price. Resolution is low, but it's been enough to deal with air leakage around the house. I haven't tried it on anything automotive yet.

Just like an infrared thermometer, it doesn't work on reflective stuff.

 

[Odd-job]

I bought a Flir TG-165 for less than $300 back in 2019. Now the X model is close to $450. Works well for its intended purpose of troubleshooting hot spots less than 5 ft away. I have a weird mental issue with using equipment that connects to a phone app. Too many things require an app.




But can you justify one of these? Only $50k...

 

[GophersGarage]

50k lol like who pays that

 

[Odd-job]

50k lol like who pays that

Go big or go home!

 

[GophersGarage]

Go big or go home!

Going home selling car and buying running shoes No more tools needed

 

[Odd-job]

Going home selling car and buying running shoes No more tools needed

Sell car, divorce spouse, sell children... buying cool tools is more important.

 

[GophersGarage]

Sell car, divorce spouse, sell children... buying cool tools is more important.

ahahahaha
Tools keep us young.

 

[ItsNemo]

I have the Seek Reveal Pro...320x240 thermal sensor is amazing at the price point. It's a little awkward to use give the orientation of the screen to the sensor, but otherwise it's nice.

 

[charbar]

If you have any Milwaukee tools/batteries I am pretty sure I seen that they have a thermal imager. I have no idea on cost or performance though, just thought it might be another option for you to look at.

How much do these others usually cost? My Snap On was right around $1000.

From what I have read I think anything by FLIR would be a pretty solid choice.

 

[mike93lx]

If you have any Milwaukee tools/batteries I am pretty sure I seen that they have a thermal imager. I have no idea on cost or performance though, just thought it might be another option for you to look at.

How much do these others usually cost? My Snap On was right around $1000.

From what I have read I think anything by FLIR would be a pretty solid choice.

My flir was only $130, but it requires using it with a smartphone

 

[danski0224]

Can't really beat Hikmicro Pocket 2 at this time. It'll do video and connect to a phone with an app for remote viewing and operation.

Watch out on some of the knockoffs, some only take a screenshot and don't actually save a file with thermal data in it.

 

[djbmw]

I have the UNI-T UTi260B that I purchased from Aliexpress for $330 CAD a couple of years ago. I was VERY impressed with it - it has great resolution, is pretty quick (not a lot of lag), and feels pretty decent in the hand.

 

[ihateminimumwage]

The Flir phone units are really good, but don't hold a charge for long if not plugged in. Last employer provided them and it was a headache if you needed it in a pinch after it sat in the center console. Still found it such a time/lifesaver I bought the Klein unit, and it's handled all I've needed it to do.

 

[tak1313]

Not too familiar with other brands, but years ago I got a deal on a Flir E4 that I couldn't pass up on even though I really have nothing to do with it.

One of the key things I liked about Flir is the MSX tech that puts an outline of the objects in the image (see post by RPH). I have looked at other imagers at the time, and it makes a HUGE difference on making out exactly what you're looking at or what part of the object you're looking at.

On other units/brands without it, a lot of times all you see is a blur of colors and it can be difficult to weed out the specific part you're looking at.

That being said, I have noticed some parallax error at times between the image colors and outlines, and I don't know if other brands have "caught up" with that tech. At the time I bought the E4, Flir units used the best/most accurate thermal imaging chip available.

 

[danski0224]

All of the thermal imagers I have looked at over the last several years have image fusion technology, and parallax can be adjusted along with the ratio of blending.

 

[oilslick]

Love this, it works great for me as a ag/construction mechanic. Time will tell but seems like it’s going to go on my list of things I should have bought 10 years ago!

 

[danski0224]

10 years ago, it would cost at least 10x as much.

 

[plcguru]

I have the UNI-T UTi260B that I purchased from Aliexpress for $330 CAD a couple of years ago. I was VERY impressed with it - it has great resolution, is pretty quick (not a lot of lag), and feels pretty decent in the hand.

Yeah I also have this one. Definitely a nice tool. Last black friday bought for ~$275 directly from ali china as well. Ebay and Amazon have it currently for a bit more $.

 

[TJMtl]

I have a FLIR E4 also, I really liked it when inspecting my brother's new house and on my house as well.

 

[tak1313]

I have a FLIR E4 also, I really liked it when inspecting my brother's new house and on my house as well.

Did you do the "resolution hack?" I did as soon as it went out of warranty. The imaging chip is/was the exact same one used in most, if not all their units including the top of the line (which is what made it so accurate). The only difference was the resolution was crippled via firmware so it seemed like a "lower tier" unit.

Found the hack in EEVBlog when researching it. The hack removed the software crippling and gave the same resolution of the units selling in the thousands (at the time).

Flir eventually got wind of the hack and revised the circuit so the hack no longer worked. Luckily (for me), my version was still hackable by the time it went out of warranty and I decided to do it.

 

[will335i]

Another vote for FLIR. I got the FLIR C5 when I was trying to track down some heat loss issues at one of the production facilities I support. I was considering the FLIR that plugs into a smart phone but was worried that with how quickly the connectors are changing on phones I would be left with a device I could no longer use. The C5 had good specs and fits right in my pocket.

 

[jonesg]