FemaPowerGenerators.com

Great tool, great toy

Customer Rating:
We check the temp of everything with this. The window cracks, the doors, the outdoor gas grill, the air vents in the house, the back of the fridge, dishes in the dishwasher, ice cubes, lcd tvs, car engines, anything!

Some comparisons with the KINTREX Infrared Thermometer

Customer Rating:
Since the KINTREX IRT0421 Non-Contact Infrared Thermometer is the main competition, let me provide some comparisons of the two products.

I purchased this Black and Decker product because it has an innovative feature: A LED spot is projected on the surface that you are scanning. If the surface temperature is higher by 1 degree (or 5, 10 degrees) than a reference point you set, the LED color will turn red. Similarly if the temperature is lower, the color will turn blue. This saves me a lot of neck pain because I would not need to keep looking up and down between the ceiling I am scanning and the LCD screen on the device.

However, the KINTREX device is far more technologically advanced (not surprising as KINTREX specializes in making precise measurement devices while Black and Decker is just a home and garden gadget makers.

The disadvantaged of the Black and Decker product vs. KINTREX:

Measurement Range: -22 to 302 °F (-30 to 150 °C) vs. -76 to 932 °F (-60 to 500 °C), i.e., useless for measuring your oven.
Distance to Spot Ratio: 6:1 vs. 12:1, which means you will have to stay twice closer to what you are measuring.
Battery: 9V alkaline battery (not included and costs about $5) vs. 2 AAA battery (included). KINTREX also claims that because of the low voltage its battery life is 60% longer.
Padded Nylon Carrying Case with Belt Loop: not included vs. included.

THE WALLS--I see colors!

Customer Rating:
I've been using the Black & Decker TLD100 Thermal Leak Detector for two weeks. It couldn't be easier. Just point the detector at whatever surface you want to measure, click the trigger, and you have a reference temperature that appears as a green dot of light (plus a digital readout). Now you just move the beam around and areas that are 1, 5 or 10 degrees Fahrenheit (or Celsius) warmer or cooler instantly appear as red or blue dots.

The best thing is that you don't even have to look at the digital readout--you are looking directly at the hot or cold surfaces to pinpoint your "bad" areas. Measuring range is from -22 to +302 degrees F. Unit feels rugged and well-made. You'll need to buy a 9V battery, and the battery is still going strong after two weeks.

Unlike a lot of other posters, I live in Houston where heat and insane electric bills are huge problems. I already discovered that half my dining room had NO insulation in the attic! I've also discovered a few other hot spots in the ceiling and around door jambs that are about to get some additional insulation.

I LOVE this thing, and it is quite affordable.

It does what it says it does.

Customer Rating:
I'm a home inspector who also does some energy audits. While this tool is not a replacement for a thermal imaging camera, it did what the manufacturer said it would. Once you've establish your reference temperature, you can scan around a room and find hot and/or cold spots. The color coded lights are foolproof and the variable Delta T (1F, 5F and 10F) helps you fine tune your measurements. It helps you survey a home for a quick diagnosis of potential problems. You can't beat it for the price.

Interesting Toy

Customer Rating:
I have not fully put this device through it paces; that will come with colder weather this winter. Testing it through out the house, it seemed to function quite accurately, even on the lower scale of variance. Of course, once it has detected all the leaks, it has lost most of its utility. What then? Resell it on Amazon.Com I guess.

As a side note: This unit in and of itself is NOT a energy saving device. It is more of a energy saving OPPORTUNITY detector. Unless one acts on the data provided, energy will not be saved.

cj