Mastercraft Digital Temperature Reader
3.9
5
25
26
Not even when on sale
Readings are completely inconsistant. I tried to use it outside to check inside/outside temps around the garage. Checking the brick work - 4 or 5 readings in a row and the first couple are ambient and then it just gets silly - either 10 or 15 degrees above or 10 degrees below. Not reliable.
March 21, 2013
Cooking assistant!
No more messy thermometers to clean (or accidentally break) when preparing a pudding, pasteurizing milk for yoghourt e t c.
My wife liked it a lot and so did I.
Temperature reading close enough to 100 C when boiling water.
December 22, 2012
Makes a great cat toy!
I originally bought this on sale to check for drafts around our home, and while it works adequately for this purpose, it makes a way better cat toy!
Hold the trigger and aim the laser the floor, walls, even the ceiling and watch your cats run like mad!
Nevermind a dog whistle - we have a cat beeper! As soon as they hear the beep from this reader they all come running to play.
Oh, it's also handy for checking temperatures too ;-)
January 28, 2012
neat
Neat and fun, that's the only reason I bought it :). I stand at my back door and point it at my backyard rink and it tells me the surface temperature. On a day where the ambient temperature is above zero it reports zero C as expected (because the ice is melting). As the ambient temperature drops below zero I can measure the change on the ice surface as it refreezes and also drops below zero. Kind of useful - I know when it's worth resurfacing after a melt.
I'm sure it has more practical uses as well.... for the sale price who cares.
Note, it is limited to 600F. That seems to be the limit of all cheap temperature guns. It's not high enough for some applications. e.g. to check the temperature of metal one is heating for the purpose of brazing.
I have no idea about durability. I've only owned it for a day and haven't dropped it yet.
January 25, 2012
Very very handy tool
I use mine to get a consistent reading of the temperature of various pellets burning in my pellet stove. I point the beam at the same spot for each brand of pellets and can get an objective comparison of the heat produced, thus avoiding wasting money on pellets that produce less heat for the same (or worse, more) money per bag. I tried using this to find cold spots in the wall to check insulation heat losses, but it didn't seem to give reliable results for this purpose. Over the 4 years or so I have used this, no problems to report, still using the same 9V battery.
March 11, 2011
works
The temp gun works as expected. The smaller the surface area to be measured the closer you have to be so the areas around it don’t affect the reading. I use this for checking temps on a RC truck motor and need to be close to get an accurate reading. I was able to get a consistent reading off a larger wall in my house from random distances starting at across the room to being a couple inches away. Each reading was within a degree or 2 of each other.
December 5, 2010
Handy item
I use my temperature gauge quite a bit, especially in the winter months. It helps my easily identify areas that I am experiencing heat loss. It is very easy to use. You just point and depress the trigger. You can hold it down, and check a number areas, with the memory tracking the highest temperature reading. Or you can just use the trigger to spot check. The device turns off after a few seconds of inactivity and the batteries get pretty good shelf lives.
October 19, 2010
Distance affects reading
Bought this to search for air leaks around windows and determine vent temperature as my home's upper floor is fairly cold. Temperature indicator is acceptable if looking to see a relative difference in temperature between one spot to another. However, even if your windows are perfectly sealed, you will still see a temperature drop at the window so tough to know if you have an air leak or not. Distance also affects the reading. The closer you are to the spot you're pointing to, the less the reading is affected by the ambient temperature surrounding the reader. For instance, test this on a heat source: if you have halogen recessed lighting (caution, they get extremely hot), from a few feet away, a reading of 30C is normal (close to ambient temperature). 1cm from the bulb, over 300C ! On sale, it's a decent purchase. At regular price, save your money.
October 6, 2010
Very basic tool
Echoing other reviewers, this tool can give you a very basic idea of temperature readings for window or door drafts.
If you are looking to obtain an accurate set of consistent readings however, I wouldn't recommend this one.
July 9, 2010
Buy it only when on sale
I picked this unit up on sale for $28.97.
The unit has an 8:1 ratio, in other words, the sample spot being measured is 1 inch when 8 inches away from the gun, 2 inch spot at 16 inches, etc. Good temp guns usually don't go lower than 12:1; pro temp guns are usually 16 or 20:1. Accuracy is OK at best, if you need higher invest in a pro tool.
This temp gun will work fairly well for most DIYers who are looking to track temperature loss or gains around the house. Don't expect more that what this unit can deliver. Remember, temperature is dynamic in most situations, so there will be fluctuations in the readings.
I would only recommend it for the above mentioned use and from a costing point of view, buy it ONLY when it's on sale.
April 11, 2010
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