Customer Reviews

KINTREX IRT0401 Compact Waterproof (IP67) Infrared Thermometer

5 star:		(37)
4 star:		(33)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(7)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

We purchased this thermometer for use in a marine aquaculture facility. It is an extremely harsh environment and we have a lot of "waterproof" equipment that fails quickly with constant exposure to salt water. This thermometer has held up extremely well.

It is easy to use and compact enough to easily slip into your pocket. I recommend this product to anyone who needs a waterproof infrared thermometer.

Nicely made and well constructed. I have another brand very similar and this is a much better physical design & construction.

I use all kinds of temperature measuring gear. From very accurate mercury filled lab thermometers to Lab grade Fluke digitals. Browsing through a Frys electronics I purchased the MicroTemp brand that was the equivalent of this Kindrex. The Kindrex is better made and the battery replacement method is a breeze compared to the MicroTemp.

The specs on all of these are not very tight, that's understandable considering the price. Even so I found the MicroTemp unit consistanly within 1 degree F and consistanly repeatable. NOT so with the Kintrex, which would give inconsistant readings all over the place by 2-5 degrees. Maybe I got a better than average MicroTemp and a bit worse than average Kintrex?

I bought the Kintrex because of the higher measurement range, 428F v. 230F for the MicroTemp. Maybe the accuracy is off because it's based on a percent of Full scale and with the Kintrex having a higher full scale this would account for the problems.

If this is the case I would recommend a person buy the MicroTemp for measurements under 200F and only buy the Kintrex if they require measurements over 200F, such as Automotive use where temps are higher.

I purchased this product for measuring the engine temps of nitro RC cars. when tuning an RC car - the head temp is an important way to determine if you're running it lean or rich.

this IR thermometer is perfect for doing this.. its small, and accurate (when used next to a much larger/more expensive laser unit - it measures withing a few tenths of a degree each time) and the readings are pretty fast.

I haven't tested out its waterproof abilities yet, but it feels solid, and has o rings in all the appropriate spots - so i don't doubt them.

One neat feature which i'm not sure was documented - if you press and hold the button, you get continuous readings... useful for scanning over a larger area to look for hot spots, or just to ensure a more accurate picture of whats going on with whatever you're measuring.

the only thing i wish it had was a backlight - but i'm not deducting a star from it, because it never claimed to have one.

All told - i'm very satisfied with this purchase, and have already recommended it to friends in the RC hobby. The price was great, and the performance is a lot better than i expected for the price.

I have owned a bunch of infrared thermometers over the years, and the new Kintrex is the smallest I've come across. The small size is important to me since it means I'm more likely to have the device with me when I need it. (The older, larger thermometers had a very strong tendency to get left behind when space got tight.) The Kintrex does exactly what it's supposed to do, costs very little, and was delivered very quickly by Amazon. Though I originally got interested in infrared thermometers for bread baking, I quickly discovered many other uses... you will too.

Thermometer is easy to use and relatively accurate. I am a culinary trainer/executive steward at the Grand Canyon. Taking temperatures at the 4 units and 6 restaurants is part of my daily duties. The thermometer would be within 12 degrees (at worst) of the ambient temperature of any fridge or freezer. Is about the size of a tube of lipstick and fits easily in my pocket or purse. The reading only takes a second which greatly reduces the time it takes me to do rounds. The only problem I have had is that the batteries were dead within 2 weeks. I purchased replacement batteries (easy to find watch batteries 2 each) that cost me another $10. good product that I will use until its demise. Good value, Good product.

This is on OK device, small and fairly accurate. Really liked the convenience but the display was too small and depending what you are working on can be a problem to read. Had a friend try to out, he is left handed, and noted that it was very hard to read. So I sent it back. I bought the Actron CP7875 PocketTherm Infrared Thermometer on Amazon for 19 bucks and works just as well, almost as small and has a large/lighted display. May want to take a look at that one before you decide on this one.

If you want a reasonably priced and effective IR thermometer, this is a good choice. It's compact. It's fast. It's inexpensive. It appears to be accurate. In other words--it does what it is supposed to and works as advertised.

Some caveats and advice.

This is the first IR thermometer I've had, so I can't compare it with competing products.

It's not good for boiling water. I wanted something for steeping high quality loose-leaf tea (green, oolong, white) which is temperature sensitive. I was hoping for something that was more portable and durable than an analog thermometer. It doesn't work well for boiling water. The temperature is always off compared to my other thermometers. I believe this is simply the nature of IR thermometers--the steam causes sensor problems. High-end thermometers (much more expensive) might do a better job. So although I'm disappointed, I probably had unrealistic expectations. For everything other than boiling water it seems to be accurate.

The screen is small and can be hard to read depending on the angle. When you point it straight down at something the readout is vertical, like the spine of a book. You have to look closely to read the temp. And you can't pull it away and read it because the measure temperature so quickly. You must read it while it's pointing at what you're measuring, unlike an analog thermometer. You can't lock the temp, pull it away, and then read it. This is an ergonomic issue. For many situations this won't be an issue. But for some (like making tea) it was a bit of a problem. For my needs, having the readout on the top, rather than the side, would have been better. Your mileage will vary.

Before you buy, I suggest you think about what you'll be measuring, how you will hold the unit, and how you will read the temperature. For many situations this design will be fine, even preferred. For my situation it's less than ideal on several fronts.

A good product. Does what it says. But not quite right fit for my needs

I didn't realize until I started to write this review that the accuracy was ±4 degrees. My thermometer reads about 4.5° below other thermometers I have.

Still gave the product 5 stars because it does what the description says it should, and temperature accuracy is still within listed specs, though leaves something to be desired.

Two of the three didn't work out of the box. After messing with the batteries on the 2 I got them to work. One is still finicky. All three read the same temp when tested.

This is a great product especially considering the price was right! It would have been nice if thy could have squeezed a cheap laser pointer onto the board somehow but it was not an advertised feature so NOT disappointed there. I have one issue though however....why is back lighting something you would even need to advertise, I would have thought it goes without saying in all electronics these days. Very nice tool to have though, it does what it is supposed to do. Small and convenient for my tech tool kit. It seems to be within two degrees of a personal thermometer so I wouldn't recommend depending on it when you are sick, obviously that is a huge difference in body temperature.