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Appreciation post: My $300 thermal camera was either a genius buy or a total waste
I bought a Flir One for my phone last fall, thinking it would help spot insulation gaps in fridges and heat issues in dryers. It did find a bad compressor relay on a Samsung that was a pain to diagnose otherwise. But I've only used it maybe five times in six months, and a good multimeter with a temp probe would have done the same job for less. Anyone else have a tool they bought that sits in the box more than it earns its keep?
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jennifersmith2mo ago
Does your friend still have his? My buddy mark bought one of those cheap infrared thermometers from harbor freight, the little pistol grip one, not a camera. He was CONVINCED it would make his HVAC side gig so much easier. He showed up at my place all proud and shot it at everything for like an hour, my fridge, my outlet covers, the ceiling corners. I think he used it twice on actual jobs before the battery corroded in the drawer. Now it just sits there as a reminder that a $15 thermocouple and a multimeter was all he ever actually needed.
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thea_chen3mo ago
Honestly I saw a youtube video where a guy used one to find a hot water pipe in his wall, and it looked so cool I almost bought one. But then I realized I'd probably do the exact same thing, use it twice and then forget about it. They seem awesome for that one weird problem you have once a year, but a total luxury for most people. I feel like the novelty wears off fast unless you're fixing stuff every single day.
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