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There’s no denying that many of the grills on the market especially the charcoal grills do not have integrated thermometers on them. How do you then keep an eye on your meat while you’re cooking so that your food doesn’t burn?
This is one problem an infrared thermometer solves for you with regard to your outdoor grilling lifestyle. But that’s not all. You can do a whole lot of other stuff that involves checking of temperatures with an infrared thermometer.
In this article, we shared our expert opinions on five highly sought after infrared thermometers with different designs and capabilities.
Set to read? Let’s go!!!
#1. Best Infrared Thermometer – Etekcity Lasergrip 774 Digital Laser Infrared Thermometer
The Etekcity Lasergrip Infrared Thermometer is our favorite infrared thermometer. It is lightweight – weighing about 6.4 ounces – and is compact sized. Based on its design and build, it is able to measure the temperature of targets about 36 cm away.
It has a distance to spot ratio of about 12:1 and this is arguably one of the best in the market. Let’s not forget to mention that the temperature range is small, it, however, gives you precise results in about 5 seconds courtesy of the laser precision technology. And price-wise, it’s darn cheap!
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Buying an Infrared Thermometer? Here’s What You Should Know
In the lines below, you’ll find a checklist of things to consider when shopping for infrared thermometers.
The Temperature Range
This is arguably one of the first things to consider when shopping for an IR thermometer.
Why?
Manufacturers often build their IR thermometers to detect temperatures within a specific range. If you’re checking for temperatures of objects with a range that is possibly wider than the range of the IR thermometer you bought, then you may have inaccurate readings.
Hence, it is important to take the temperature range of the thermometer into consideration.
Emissivity
The term emissivity may sound colossal and gigantic but it refers to something as simple as the efficiency of absorption and emission of infrared energy by an object. This is often denoted by a number between 0.0 and 1. Objects with emissive values close to 1.0 are said to be perfect emitters.
The reason why this is important for infrared thermometers is because of the fact that an infrared thermometer will measure temperature on a lot of surfaces. Its emissivity should be perfect and auto-adjusted in most cases by the thermometer.
Accuracy & Speed
Everyone wants accurate results, therefore, accuracy is also worth considering. How do you know the accuracy of your infrared thermometer? Simple.
Most manufacturers provide a specification that points out how accurate the thermometer can be. In addition, the use of laser technology can also increase an IR thermometer’s accuracy and reduce errors in the temperature it displays.
In our review list below, you’ll only find IR thermometers with good accuracy – we took the time to get them together.
Speed, on the other hand, is the time taken for the thermometer to read the temperature of the object and give its readings.
Build Quality
If your IR thermometer isn’t tough, it will only be a matter of time before it gets damaged. This is why it’s important to take note of user reviews regarding any product you’re about to buy – infrared thermometers inclusive. As we always do, we selected only high-quality models.
Distance to Spot Ratio (DS Ratio)
This is a representation of how far from an object you can use an IR thermometer without the thermometer picking the temperature of the surroundings. It is often denoted by a simple 10:1– or any ration numbers – within a given distance.
Some IR thermometers come with a meat probe thermometer to give you an idea of the temperature inside your meat and the temperature on the surface. If you’re mostly concerned with temperature when cooking, you should beam your lights on such thermometers.
Dimensions
If you’re preparing to go camping and you’d like to take an IR thermometer along with your camping grill, you should look for small lighter options to make packing easier for you. Fortunately, most of the models on the market are compact-sized, including some of the models we reviewed on this list.
Other Features
Extra features like backlight, offset function, lasers, high & low-temperature settings, temperature hold, a carrying case, etc. to mention a few. The presence of some of these features can make a huge difference in your daily usage of the thermometer.
Infrared Thermometers Review
Here’s our expert opinion on infrared thermometers. Which of them will you pick?
#1. Best Infrared Thermometer – Etekcity Lasergrip 774 Digital Laser Infrared Thermometer
Temperature Range: -58℉~ 716℉
Distance to Spot Ratio: 12:1
Features: good grip, strong build quality, near-perfect emissivity, average temperature range, affordable pricing, 500ms response time, backlit LCD screen, lightweight.
If you’re looking for an inexpensive, easy to use IR thermometer, you should look at the way of the Etekcity Lasergrip Infrared Thermometer. It’s not the most fanciful or feature-packed infrared thermometer, but it is certainly one that gets the job done for a relatively affordable price.
The Etekcity Lasergrip 774 Digital Laser Infrared Thermometer features a backlit LCD screen with an auto-off feature to keep the battery from running down. It’s moderately bright and you can view the screen from a reasonable distance.
Other unique selling points of this IR thermometer include the integrated laser function, an impressive 500ms response time, instant conversion of units, an impressive 12:1 distance to spot ratio, to mention few.
There is also the scan and lock feature which holds the readings on the screen for about 15 seconds after you’ve measured the temperature. This gives you time to write it down if necessary.
We’d also like to mention that the Etekcity Lasergrip 774 Digital Laser Infrared Thermometer also has a near-perfect emissivity rating of 0.95.
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#2. SURPEER IR5D Laser Infrared Thermometer
Temperature Range: -58℉ to 1022℉
Distance to Spot Ratio: 12:1
Features: Good DS ratio, high emissivity level with auto adjust, backlit screen with 6secs auto-off, lightweight, plastic build, 500ms response time.
The SURPEER IR5D Laser Infrared Thermometer is yet another good IR thermometer that is worth considering especially if you are someone who cooks with precise temperatures. This is because the SURPEER IR5D IR Thermometer comes with a probing meat thermometer as a gift.
So if you’re looking to buy a meat thermometer, you might just be able to kill two birds with one stone. The SURPEER IR5D IR Thermometer is made from plastic materials and has a somewhat strong feel to it although it’s nowhere near the toughness of the EtekCity IR Thermometer.
As expected, the thermometer has an adjustable emissivity in addition to the distance to spot ratio of 12:1. There is also an accuracy range of ±1.5% and a response time of fewer than 0.5 seconds. The Fresnel lens on the thermometer provides accurate readings on the LCD display that, of course, has a 6 seconds auto-off function.
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#3. Fluke 62 MAX IR Thermometer
Temperature Range: -20 o F to 932o F
Distance to Spot Ratio: 10:1
Features: good build quality with IP54 dustproof and waterproof rating, lightweight, belt loop clip, good DS ratio, laser technology, good battery life.
The Fluke 62 MAX IR Thermometer is darn expensive, costing almost 6 times the amount of our top pick, the Etekcity Lasergrip 774 Digital Laser Infrared Thermometer. However, it is worth every penny you’ll spend on it especially if you intend to use it for industrial applications.
At a glance, you’ll probably notice the difference between it and the other thermometers we’ve reviewed so far on this list. The build quality is top-notch and it is even dustproof and waterproof, thanks to its IP54 rating.
Lest we forget, Fluke claims the thermometer can survive a 3m fall. We certainly didn’t allow ours to fall in the course of this review, but judging by appearance, we think their claim is somewhat true.
The Fluke 62 MAX IR Thermometer has a DS ratio of 10:1, a temperature range between -20 o F to 932o F, near-perfect emissivity, accuracy range of ±1.5%, backlit LCD display and a response time of about 0.5 seconds.
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#4. Etekcity 1022D Dual Laser Digital Infrared Thermometer
Temperature Range: -58℉ to 1022℉
Distance to Spot Ratio: 12:1
Features: dual laser technology, 12:1 DS ratio, wide temperature range, 500ms response time, versatile design, LCD display with auto-off function.
The Etekcity 1022D Dual Laser Digital Infrared Thermometer is a variant of the model we selected as our top pick in this article. It shares the same similarities with its younger sibling although there are slight differences.
Two things that set this particular model apart from the Etekcity Lasergrip 774 Digital Laser Infrared Thermometer is the wider temperature range that it offers and, of course, the dual laser technology it uses to pinpoint temperatures.
The 1022D IR Thermometer has a temperature range of between -58℉ to 1022℉. With respect to the distance to spot ratio, it also has a ratio of 12:1 which is akin to its other sibling on this list. As expected, you’ll get the same accuracy, strong build quality, and an LCD display with auto-off function.
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#5. BWilkon Digital Laser Infrared Thermometer
Temperature Range: -58℉ – 1022℉
Distance to Spot Ratio: 12:1
Features: 12 laser pointers, 0.5 seconds response time, DS ratio of 12:1, good emissivity level, large temperature range, alarm function, backlit LCD, etc.
The BWilkon Digital Laser Infrared Thermometer is by no means the least IR thermometer. It shares almost the same features with the other IR thermometers on this list with the difference being the design.
As expected, it boasts of a 12:1 distance to spot ratio, 0.5 seconds response time and even 12 laser points to give more precise temperature results. With respect to the temperature, it has a wide temperature range between -58℉ and 1022℉.
The build quality of the thermometer is strong even though it doesn’t have an IP rating. In lieu of that, there is a temperature bridge alarm feature. This notifies you when the temperature of the object you’re measuring exceeds the initial temperature range you’ve set.
You’ll also find a colored backlit LCD as well as good emissivity levels on this thermometer.
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Conclusion
Take note of every temperature change especially when you’re grilling food on a grill without an integrated thermometer. With an IR thermometer, cooking food at certain temperatures becomes a lot easier.
Plus, you can use the infrared thermometer for keeping an eye on the temperature of other objects in the house without spending an extra amount of money.
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