Feel free to change my mind! Lets discuss! :mrgreen:
The average hobbyist doesn't know about emissivity values (from here on refereed to as E or E value) of materials. Nor is there really any expectation that they should.
If a person wants to learn more about that, and wants to accurately use an IR gun with adjustable E values, then great! But this is a discussion on the average hobbyist who doesn't know this about temp guns, and doesn't care to go through the headache of figuring out which material they are measuring and finding a suitable e value for it.
This is why I believe a digital with probe end is a better tool for the average hobbyist. Sure, they might not be as precise as some temp guns can be (when calibrated to the material) but being off by 1-3 degrees is nothing compared to being off by 10's of degrees depending on the discrepancy of the material you are measuring to your guns E value setting.
Most IR guns that aren't adjustable, come set at an E value of .9-.95 Those values do in fact cover a large number of common materials, but they also are very far off of some other common materials used.
For instance, a member here was using a temp gun, and was having some issues. His basking surface was made of granite. Granite rock has a E value of .45 That is WAY off of the .9 most devices are calibrated to. If that user never brought up the subject, he never would have known that his readings were way off.
Which brings me to the next point. If a person seeking help states that they are using an IR gun, it would be a good idea IMO to ask what their basking surface material is made out of. This would rule out any major issues with the guns accuracy.
You don't have to do this with a digital with probe end.
In conclusion, IR guns have their place, but IMO digital with probe ends are superior for the average hobbyist.
The average hobbyist doesn't know about emissivity values (from here on refereed to as E or E value) of materials. Nor is there really any expectation that they should.
If a person wants to learn more about that, and wants to accurately use an IR gun with adjustable E values, then great! But this is a discussion on the average hobbyist who doesn't know this about temp guns, and doesn't care to go through the headache of figuring out which material they are measuring and finding a suitable e value for it.
This is why I believe a digital with probe end is a better tool for the average hobbyist. Sure, they might not be as precise as some temp guns can be (when calibrated to the material) but being off by 1-3 degrees is nothing compared to being off by 10's of degrees depending on the discrepancy of the material you are measuring to your guns E value setting.
Most IR guns that aren't adjustable, come set at an E value of .9-.95 Those values do in fact cover a large number of common materials, but they also are very far off of some other common materials used.
For instance, a member here was using a temp gun, and was having some issues. His basking surface was made of granite. Granite rock has a E value of .45 That is WAY off of the .9 most devices are calibrated to. If that user never brought up the subject, he never would have known that his readings were way off.
Which brings me to the next point. If a person seeking help states that they are using an IR gun, it would be a good idea IMO to ask what their basking surface material is made out of. This would rule out any major issues with the guns accuracy.
You don't have to do this with a digital with probe end.
In conclusion, IR guns have their place, but IMO digital with probe ends are superior for the average hobbyist.