General Tools IRT850K Industrial IRT Thermometer

I was a little "miffed" at first that it measured ice cubes (pure, RO water) and a few other items different. BUT, you can adjust the emissivity of the item you're measuring, so I was able to get it close. It also comes with a K-type thermocouple. As I've worked in research and development in temperature measurement, I was able to quasi calibrate the infrared using the emissivity variable that you cannot do with other variants. Repeatability is fairly good, and that's what's more important to me. It has a great measuring distance and good features (max, min, average, delta, etc). It also has a high enough range to work with my eventual outdoor brick oven. Best of the ones I've used.

This tool is pathetic. I am a blacksmith and thought that this thermometer (IRT675) would be useful for tempering and generally measuring the temperature of steel and bronze. However, I must be the hottest person in the world because my temperature, as recorded by the machine on my arm is 193.5 deg F. The ambient room temperature is now about 70 F and the machine is saying 21 F.I need not say anything else.

Bought this because of its extended thermal measuring range and adjustable reflectivity setting. Specifically, I got it to measure the heat of metal parts during welding, machining, and heat treatment processes. Depending on the metal and what you're doing with it, the measured temps would vary from maybe 500F to a few thousand degrees (e.g., steel melts at around 2500F). The unit I received is not very accurate; I found its measurements to be good only within a 20-25 degree margin compared with several used but calibrated pyrometers. The IRRT855DL's menu is not at all intuitive (at least, not to me, anyway), and I predict you'll routinely have to refer back to the directions if you want to take advantage of its features. Another annoying feature is that you cannot program or set it to stay in Fahrenheit unit; you can switch it to F, but when you turn it off, it defaults to Celsius the next time you use it. I get it, the metric system is what most of the world uses. But my complaint it not really with the IRT855DL's default to Celsius. The problem is that you can't get it to stay on the units you want. Also, the included thermocouple is extremely cheap, and its polarity markings are so poor its hard to see if you've connected it properly (and I don't have vision issues). Moreover, the case that the unit comes in is very cheap; although technically better than nothing, it's still a tacky knock-off of a good aluminum-clad protective case. Overall, I am not at all impressed. I don't feel the unit is a rip-off, but it is a disappointment. Most measurements the average person will take will be less than 1000 degrees F (seriously, what homeowner needs to measure the temperature of molten steel, or data log his/her temperature readings?). So, General should expect that their primary market for this unit will be commercial/industrial/scientific users. Unfortunately, the IRT855DL simply isn't good enough for these users. Even if it were NIST certified, which it isn't and, to be fair, couldn't be for the offering price, it's still not that good. Bottom line: If you want a touchless laser thermometer, and you don't need to be measuring above 1000F or so, save your money and skip the IRT855DL - you don't need it. Buy a cheaper, less complicated unit; it will work fine for most if not everything you need to do.