Link: http://HarborFreightReview.com

Item: Non-Contact Compact Thermometer
Item number: 93983
Retail price: $14.99
Frequent sale price: $9.99
Target price: $7.99 (with coupon)
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We love this small, non-contact thermometer available periodically at our incredibly low target price of $7.99. It takes fast and reasonably accurate readings without direct contact on the surface being measured. It holds the reading for easy viewing until the button is depressed to take another reading, and it turns itself off automatically after 15 seconds.

We especially like this non-contact thermometer for chasing down cold spots and air leaks in our insulation and HVAC systems. The only drawback is that you have to be within an inch or two of the spot being measured, otherwise you'll be averaging your surface temperature with the ambient temperature (i.e., this isn't a true, narrow-angle spot meter but then it doesn't claim to be one). It is quite amazing to see how much cold air leaks in from a small crack or single-pane window. Need some feedback that replacing old caulk around a window or door is actually doing something? This is the ticket that will make you feel good about the job you've done and encourage you to seal up even more. It easily detects cold air sources that are undetectable as drafts or by physical sensation. It should be similarly useful for detecting air leaks by the temperature differential (i.e., 'leaking air' vs. surrounding space temperatures).

Some might complain that the accuracy of this device is only within 4 degrees Fahrenheit, but accuracy is not really the important variable for most applications where a non-contact thermometer is useful. What is more important is the reliability of the readings, and this thermometer produces consistent (i.e., reliable) readings. For example, when the wall temperature is measuring 68 degrees and the suspected air leak measures 45 degrees, it doesn't really matter much whether the air leak is actually 41 or 49 degrees compared with a wall temperature of 64 or 72 degrees; what matters is the large temperature differential between the two surfaces. In our tests we've found the thermometer to be more accurate than advertised, falling within a degree for normal ambient room temperatures.

Let your imagination run with this baby and you'll find a lot of novel uses for it. With a maximum reading of 230 degrees Fahrenheit, it falls a little short of the temperature needed for my wife's homemade taffy, but it can confirm that you're getting closer when the analog candy thermometer seems stuck at the same reading. Think you might need additional cooling on your computer or home theater system? Use this to locate hot-spots that would benefit from the addition of another cooling fan or two. Experimenting with solar heating? This will give you immediate feedback on which configurations are working best. And the list of possible uses goes on and on and on.

There are a lot of novel uses for this inexpensive non-contact thermometer. For example, when I was doing some cold-weather painting last fall I used it to check the surface temperature of the material I was about to paint. For proper adhesion it is important to make sure the actual item being painted is within the parameters specified by the paint manufacturer. Depending on the amount of sunlight that strikes the material (e.g., shade or direct exposure, east- or west-facing), the surface temperature can be quite different than the actual air temperature. When pushing the low temperature limits for painting, this pocket non-contact thermometer was invaluable for squeezing out quite a few extra days.

At our target price of $7.99 this is an absolute steal, but it's not a bad buy at its frequent sale price of $9.99 either. The regular retail price of $14.99 is probably realistic for this device too, but no astute Harbor Freight shopper would actually pay full retail except in an emergency. And if you need one last reason to grab one of these little wonders: well, you know that watch pocket on the right-hand side of your jeans? This pocket thermometer fits perfectly in that pocket so you can carry it around with you, measuring ambient and surface temperatures anywhere you go.

So why was this non-contact thermometer included in our "Materials Handling and Safety" category? Why not measure the temperature of that hot blade or drill bit BEFORE you touch it?! (I'm guessing that I'm not the only one who has foolishly grabbed the tip of a hot drill bit without letting it cool down.) Want to know just how well that coolant is keeping your tile-cutting saw blade? Maybe you need to clean your pump filter to increase the water flow.)

Bottom line: A great buy for a fine little instrument, quickly and reliably measures temperatures without direct contact. Grab one at our target price of $7.99 when you can and feel guilty about the steal deal later.