Customer Reviews

Fluke 62 Mini Infrared Thermometer

5 star:		(47)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Rugged, back lit, holds max temp. I've used it on everything from engines to HVAC to windows to milk for my baby. I use it several times a day every day. After a year, it's still on it's first set of batteries.

I have a Raytek (RAYMT6) MT6 Mini Temp Infrared Thermometer, which I love, and which seems to be the same thing as the Fluke 62, but for a lot less money. See my review for the MT6, which should be applicable to this item as well. I prefer the look of the Fluke version, but if I can save $35, I'll deal with having one that's black and gray.

Note that when I did some research I found that the ±1% stated in the description is misleading. Fluke's own specifications state that the 1% is only valid between 50-86ºF. The complete specs are:

10ºC to 30ºC (50º F to 86º F): ± 1ºC (2ºF)
Outside 10º C to 30º C (50ºF to 86ºF): ± 1.5ºC (3ºF) or ± 1.5% of reading, whichever is greater.
Below -10ºC (14ºF): ±2ºC (4ºF)

This is still good, but since the 1% is only valid over a 36º range of temperatures that aren't really that interesting, the 1.5% is more realistic.

I bought this to assist me in honing my chocolate tempering skills as regular candy thermometers are such an amazing pain to use, but it ended up improving my cooking even further by alerting me to the fact that the thermostat on my oven was consistently off by nearly 40 degrees. I've no doubt it will come in handy the next time I think I have a fever, find some faulty weatherstriping or suspect an electronic component of overheating, too. It's well-built, accurate and its UI does pretty much everything right by default. My one complaint is that you have to open up the battery compartment to move the tiny little dip switch from Fahrenheit to Celsius--I personally think a recessed bubble switch on the housing would have been a wiser choice.

The package Amazon sent me was DUSTY beyond belief, so I have a feeling they don't sell too many of these, but everything inside the blister pack was in perfect working order.

I purchased this for my business and it has come in handy several times. Its very easy to use and its interesting to know surface temp on just about anything. I pull cable for a living and it helps me to know how hot an area is (such as an atic) before going up there. Fluke is a name I can trust and that was the big reason why I purchased this.

This is a great tool. I bought it to experiment with maintenance and troubleshooting procedures on large diesel engines, transmissions and chain drive systems, planning to buy a more expensive, industry-hardened version if it proves useful. It is useful, but still haven't felt the need to upgrade.

I've also used it in miscellaneous projects -- located roof leaks, checked body temperatures of self and family; scanned horses legs for injuries; and probably something entirely different today or tommorrow.

Works good at room & high temps.
Definitely doesn't work as well at below 0 degree F.
Compared with a higher end IR thermometer was within 1 degree F.
Good compact size with nice case.
Outstanding laser & backlight works great!

This is a REAL man toy. I have these at work and played with them there. We always have to pass it around for a bit of fun. Had to have one at home for computer, house leaks, fore heads, engine temps, fireplace, and dog butts. Seems to target well at about 10 feet, further than I expected. Just about instant reading and remembers highest seen. Has trouble going through glass, DUH!. Verified temps with house temp sensors, always within a half degree. As a toy its great, as a tool it's a hundred times easier than a probe, no waiting, no juggling meters. The only problem is at a work place it has legs.

I have found out more and more uses for the infrared thermometer. I got it to check out my boat engine for hot spots and see if there are any problems. I now use it for just about anything. My wife was hatching geese and wanted to make sure that the egg was at 100 degrees. It was quick and easy. I have also used it to check for cold spots in the house and where the cold air is coming from. I think that money I spent was well worth it when there is so many uses for it.

I have enjoyed playing with this quite a bit. It is handy for cooking, for checking temperatures of things I don't want to touch (a wood stove, a bath of caustic chemicals for printed circuit board manufacture, etc.)

However, I have found that it is fairly inaccurate at the low end of the scale. For instance, on a recent snowy day for which the weather report read a consistent 20 degrees Fahrenheit (which was consistent with a non-IR digital thermometer I had when I left it in the snow for a while), the Fluke IR thermometer was sometimes reading at times between eight and zero degrees Fahrenheit.

I eventually figured out that the longer I had the thermometer outside, the lower its readings got -- if I took it out from a warm room outside and immediately took a temperature reading, it read approximately what I expected (20 degrees), but after about twenty seconds outside, it was reading 14 degrees, and the reported temperature kept dropping thereafter. (Note that I was using it to measure the temperature of the outside snow about 15 inches away from the thermometer.) This made it virtually useless for what I was trying to do (measure the temperature of a water faucet to determine if it was in danger of freezing).

Appears to be a Fluke-rebranded version of the Raytek MT6, which sells for half the price. I have plenty of respect for Fluke, but in this case it's hard to justify paying twice as much to get their name on the case. I bought the Raytek MT6, and it's excellent. Raytek MT6 Non-contact MiniTemp Infrared Thermometer