Fluke RAYMT4U MiniTemp Non-Contact Thermometer

The Raytek Minitemp takes the guesswork out of a lot of kitchen tasks, and has a ton of other less practical (but fun) uses as well. Like most touchless thermometers, the device is simply an infrared detector. Solid objects radiate different wavelengths depending on their temperature [..]. By detecting the peak wavelength of infrared light emitted by an object, the thermometer can calculate its temperature. It is a completely passive sensor; the laser light is only to help you aim and has no effect on the measurement. The thermometer is very accurate near room temperature; when I point it at a regular thermometer, they give me the exact same reading. When I point it at boiling water, it reads 208F. Close enough for cooking applications. The Minitemp has taken all the guesswork out of microwaving, grilling, and frying. But mostly, I just point the thing at random things around the house for fun. Some of the "applications" I have used the Minitemp for: - Finding where the cat has most recently been sleeping - Seeing how cold the clouds are - Checking the refrigerator/freezer for proper temperature - Seeing how cold my feet are in the winter - Figuring out when my XBox is about to explode One thing the device should NOT be used for is measuring internal temperatures of meats. The thermometer reads only the surface temperature. You cannot take readings through a window, either; the thermometer will just read the glass. Also, the farther you are from the object you are measuring, the larger the spot is that you actually measure. For example, from 2 feet away, you are actually measuring the average temperature of a 2 inch circle, not just the laser spot. Scores: Accuracy: 8/10. Sufficient for household use. Speed: 10/10. Truly instant readings that refresh continuously as you hold down the trigger. Battery life: 10/10. A 9V battery has lasted through many months of liberal use, including as a laser pointer in a pinch. Utility: 9/10. Near endless fun. Physical construction: 9/10: Plastic but rugged and easy to clean. Easy-to-read LCD with a backlight. Overall score: 46/50. 5 stars.

I love my Mini IR Gun! I use it daily in the Kitchen to check temperatures of my oven and pans. I bought one for my Father last Christmas and he loves it as well. You will find many other uses for this pocket sized MT4 unit. Infrared thermometers have become the preferred tool for diagnostics and inspection where temperature is important. From industrial maintenance to food service, because they quickly, accurately and safely measure surface temperature! Use it for spotting costly energy losses around windows and doors, monitoring critical temperatures in kitchen or workshop. You can check overloading on circuit breakers and feed wires/ poor connections,quickly during an inspection or trouble shooting.Even find a clog in sewer lines by dumping hot water down and checking the surface temp. of the waste lines foot by foot without reaching over all the junk you'll find in most basements. Simple to use ' Instant readings ' Laser Point (MT4) ' Large, easy to read display ' Temperature Range (MT4) -18º to 400ºC (0º to 750ºF) ' ºC or ºF selectable PROS BEST USES Accurate At Home Compact Commercial Ergonomic Design Contractors GREAT FOR SOLAR PANEL Do It Yourself INPUTOUTPUT MONITORING Minor Projects Lightweight Cooks Reliable

Works good and great price. A fun gadget to have and will probably be useful in cooking, particularly liquids. It, of course, only measures surface temperature, so no help with meats. As far as accuracy, it's hard to know. It reads 32 with ice water, which is good. I've read some reviews that say their instrument doesn't measure 212 degrees with boiling water, but fail to correct for air pressure. 212 is the boiling point at sea level and standard pressure (I forget what that is). At any higher elevation and decreased pressure the boiling point is lowered. Anyway, I'm happy with this one and trust the manufacturer.

This infrared thermometer gun is among the lowest cost items of this type. But as long as you are not looking for laboratory accuracy and are OK with the fact that it cannot give good readings for every single surface, you will probably find many helpful uses. If I had this earlier this year I could have avoided an AC service call. I was thinking the AC was not cooling quite the way it should and may get a lot worse just when the 100 degrees hit. Turns out everything was OK and this device could have proven that. I also wondered how hot it got in our car in the sun light. In an instant I could see it was 120 degrees plus. How hot does it get in that hottest room of your house? There will probably be many things I will test out during the winter as well such as heat leaks in my home. This model, being one of the lowest cost, only goes down to about 0 degrees F, about the temp of a typical freezer, but should be plenty good for most winter temperatures. Only having it for a month, I cannot attest to how long it operates. So far, so good.

Between the readings taken with a K type thermocouple and this non contact thermometer there is a wide variation much more than the tolerances set out in the manual.I was measuring the case temperature of a Power IC.Also the Laser spot is wide off the focus. Not very useful for accurate measurements