Braun ThermoScan 5 Ear thermometer (professional accuracy, patented pre–warmed tip, convenient, temperature screening, fever, fast, easy to use, hygienic, baby, adults) IRT6020

I'm a chemotherapy patient, and have to keep a very close eye on my temperature every day. If it goes up or down significantly I have to go to hospital immediately - infections can be fatal. It's vital that I have a way of taking my own temperature accurately and reliably at home. The IRT6020 fits the bill nicely. I made the mistake of buying the 'little brother' of this thermometer - the Braun IRT 3020EE Thermoscan Compact Ear Thermometer from Amazon a month ago. I found it was giving quite low measurements, so took it with me to chemotherapy yesterday. A senior NHS nurse tested my IRT 3020 against the almost identical Braun Thermoscan thermometer that the NHS use (looks practically identical, but sits on a pod - every hospital seems to use the same one). She took my temperature five times with the NHS thermometer, and the readings only varied by 0.1 degree. She took it five times with my IRT 3020, and the readings varied by 0.6 of a degree... and varied between a 1 and 1.6 degrees LOWER than the NHS thermometer. Having read the Braun marketing schpiel for this thermometer, it would appear that it 'pre-heats' the measuring tip, to prevent the coolness of the plastic distorting the readings. First impressions would seem to indicate that what sounds like a gimmick actually works! I took delivery of this tonight, and I'm incredibly pleased and relieved to say that my first five readings only varied by 0.1 degree, and gave the same reading as I had at hospital yesterday. Tested against my IRT 3020, it's up to a degree higher. Needless to say I'll be posting a slightly more negative review for my previous thermometer! The IRT6020 is significantly larger than the 3020, but still fits comfortably in the hand. I am male, but have pretty small hands (I'll never make it as a concert pianist!). It has TWO buttons, so if you're easily confused, stop reading now. Press the power button to turn on. Wait a minute. Put it in your ear. Press the green button. Temperature read! In order to put the protective plastic lid on the 6020, you have to remove the thin plastic hygiene cap, which covers the measuring tip and keeps it (relatively) sterile. There's an 'eject' clip on the front, which flicks the 'used' hygiene cap off for disposal after use, but do you NEED to use a new cap every time? Should you buy 200 of the little fellers? Will you die if you use one twice? The answer is, quite simply put, "no". In a hospital environment, where the same thermometer is being used for potentially dozens of different people (e.g. on a ward), then YES definitely dispose of the cap and replace for the next person. I have to take my temperature twice a day; more if I feel unwell. I'd get through a pack of caps in a week. I know I don't have an infection (or I'd be in hospital!), and my ears are pretty clean. I've been using the same cap for a fortnight, and it's spotless. I suppose you could wash them or, better still, use an alcohol wipe to sterilise them, but if they're not dirty then why not keep using them? Some reviewers have claimed that Braun are trying to scam them into buying more caps. In my opinion they're promoting good hygiene practice, but ultimately leaving the decision in the consumer's hands. The bottom line - it's an excellent thermometer: easy to use, accurate, consistent, fast, and reliable. I would strongly recommend it to parents of small children, or those with serious medical conditions. PLEASE don't buy the IRT3020 - spend the extra £3 and buy this!

I've found this to be the best and most accurate thermometer. I've had a stick type one which was consistent but I wanted an ear one as I read that they are more accurate as they take the temperature of the body cavity, rather than just an arm pit, skin, which can get cold and not show a fever etc. Anyway, this is really quick and simple to use. Turn it on, wait about 5 seconds before you can take the reading, aim it into the ear (best to point it directly into the ear canal, rather than towards the skin inside the ear, if you see what I mean), press the button and a second later you'll get a reading. It is nice and quick so as not to upset the kids. Even my newborn has been happy having this done. I found that if you point it down into the ear canal, you dont get much of a fluctuation in readings, so it's very accurate. It's only if you point it towards the skin inside the ear that you'll get different readings. I usually test quite a few times to be sure and test both ears! Also, I've had a Tommee Tippee one before that I wasnt happy with, however seeing as they use the Braun ones in hospitals, I thought I'd give this a try. It was good value for money too, does exact what you need it to. I personally wouldn't pay the extra to get the next model up for a few more bells and whistles, this one is just perfect.

Purchased this when I had my first baby, this has proved an invaluable piece of kit, as a mother gives me complete peace of mind. It has been particularly useful when my LO received her vaccinations as they can be prone to fever afterwards, this basically alleviates the stress and worry as I am able to constantly monitor her temp. You basically switch on, set to degrees or Fahrenheit if its not automatically set at your preferred temp method, pop on a lens and then put in the ear, press the button and when it beeps you take it out, simple! Now anytime I suspect my baby may be unwell I just get this out and check/ I haven't used any other thermometers to compare this with however this one was recommended to me by another mother and in my opinion you cannot put a price on peace of mind when it comes to your child's health. I wouldn't be without it. The only quibble is buying lenses, they are quite expensive for what you are getting but hey they are a necessity.

After initial use following delivery, all seems fine. Practice and time will prove its full capabilities [or otherwise]. One non-product related issue which concerned me somewhat relates to delivery. I opted for the free delivery and the longer time delivery slot which came with it; fine, my choice, but actual delivery exceeded Amazons estimated timing by 2 days [which I initially put down to the Christmas madness period] but I had the delay explained by my friendly local postman [who delivered it] who assured me that Royal Mail should not be delivering my packet at all. The product had been packed in a DHLPaket-BOERNICKE, [an independent courier I believe] which Royal Mail staff have strict instructions to send back to source. This particular packet had been intercepted by my postman, who recognised my address, and ignored the Royal Mail standing instruction. Given that I am the entirely innocent party here, I have to ask where this packet might have ended up, in differing circumstances. I also ask myself whether Amazon would have given a damn!

I have changed 3 thermometers in the past year. All I did was wasting my money until a friend of mine recommended Braun Thermometer. That was the best day of my life! Seriously! I know it may look expensive but it does its job very well. You will understand me if you have kids who hates measuring their body temperature , so every minute seems like a lifetime and also LOTS AND LOTS of screaming included in the process. I was very pleased with the results. it takes only 5 seconds to measure the temperature and it's very accurate. I checked it using different thermometers. It comes with 21 disposable hygienic probe covers, it is very important if you have more than one child as it will help you to avoid cross-contamination, also ensures earwax residues do not impact accuracy of the reading. You can switch it to Celsius or Fahrenheit readings whichever is more comfortable for you. Very easy to use! It starts beeping when it's ready to show readings. it's BPA and Latex free and comes with one AA battery. One more thing, sometimes cover cap doesn't want to stay in it's place, make sure you pushed it on and it clicked. at first I thought it's broken, but it's all fine. So last few words: I am very happy with this thermometer, it saved me money, my time and nerves lol I am sure you will be very happy when you start using it.

Fantastic. A reliable, quick and accurate Thermometer as used by the NHS. Expensive yes but when you have to take your temp everyday and the accuracy needs to be on the spot as you are a Transplant Patient like myself why use anything else. Basically if for any reason medically you need to keep a close eye on your own or anyone else’s temp this has to be the one. For me worth every penny. Very easy to use, press the power button gently hold it in you ear while holding down the measure button wait for the soft confirmation beep and read the digital display. When you switch on the next time it displays the last recorded reading which can be helpful to allow comparisons to be made. It comes with a small pack of probe protectors which can be used to help reduce the spread of germs if you use it on multiple individuals. It’s easy to get supplies of the probe protectors. I also purchased a nice carry case which takes a small box of probe protectors as well as the thermometer as if I go away I need to take it with me. A big thumbs up on this one from me.

I used the '7' series ear thermometer with my elderly mother (kept at her house), and I thought I should get one for my own house, just to provide peace of mind in case of family illness, etc. This unit was priced well, and actually I think there are advantages compared to the more expensive '7' series. It's small, appears accurate and is easy to use. It has a plastic 'cap' which means it can be kept hygienically in a drawer, and comes with a small supply of plastic caps which are cheap to replace. In terms of whether it's worth paying extra for the 7 - basically the differences are: - This one comes with a plastic cap for protecting the sensor, you'll need to keep the plastic caps separately. The 7 comes with a plastic case/frame which also houses the plastic caps. That's a potentially neater, but bigger, solution. - The 5 simply takes a temperature - the 7 requires you to set the right age range each time before using. That's a bit of a nuisance - so if you don't have infants (below 36 months) I think that the 5 is actually less hassle to use. - The 7 has a backlight on the display, which makes it slightly easier to read. The backlight changes colour for the temperature (red, amber, green) to help interpretation. This is just an LCD display - but personally I don't think this is a show-stopper. I'm very happy with this purchase.

We previously had an oral household thermometer, but it used to need a good minute or two of use before you got a reading. You also had to make sure you hadn't been drinking anything hot or cold beforehand. At the start of the Covid-19 outbreak in early 2020 we decided to upgrade. This ear thermometer is easier and faster to use. Stores last reading taken too. It does what it says on the tin easily and well. And it bleeps when reading is complete (in 2 or 3 seconds) - which is handy when you're taking your own temperature. I've taken one star off useability simply because I think that in a domestic setting or for a solo user it would be better if the device could be used without the little disposable plastic sheaths. I get it why they're convenient in medical settings, but in a household it could easily be wiped and it would be one thing less to buy and more environmentally friendly. I'd recommend this thermometer and would buy it again.