Last week I sent a couple of things to Benjamen, a ToolGuyd contributor. I’m sure you’ve seen some of his work before, and if not, check his author page here.
One of the items I sent along was a Fluke 62 Max Plus IR thermometer. It’s a fantastic unit – compact, accurate, and precise. It works well, and provides reliable measurements.
Ben expressed interest in checking out an entry-level IR thermometer for review, and I wanted him to have a baseline to compare things to. So I sent him the Fluke I had available.
I miss that darn little Fluke IR thermometer already. I have a decent Milwaukee IR thermometer sitting here on my desk – the Milwaukee 2267-20 model I recently reviewed – but I think I prefer the Fluke more.
I checked up on the Fluke 62 Max, which is a small step down from the 62 Max Plus, and it’s currently on sale at Amazon, for $75.56. It’s part of their “15% off Fluke best-sellers” holiday promotion. The same IR thermometer is typically priced at ~$88 to $100 elsewhere.
The Fluke 62 Max IR thermometer is waterproof to IP54 standards, and has a 10:1 distance-to-spot ratio. Its temperature range is -20 to 932°F (-30to 500°C), and its accuracy is ± 1.5°C or 1.5% of the reading, whichever is greater (for most of the range).
The Fluke 62 Max Plus that I sent to Ben has a wider temperature range (max temperature is 1202°F or 650°C), a slightly better distance-to-spot ratio (12:1), and better accuracy (± 1.0°C or 1.0%, whichever is greater, for most of the range). It’s also currently on sale too, for $113.34 at Amazon.
Yes, I know you can buy no-name IR thermometers for cheap. And one of these days I’ll buy 5 of them for repeatability and comparison testing. But I would place much more faith in a Fluke instrument than a no-name model.
I am awfully tempted to buy a new Fluke 62 Max, maybe a 62 Max Plus so that I don’t have any regrets. I’m a little on the fence, as it’s not something I need right now. I have no shortage of thermal imaging cameras and IR thermometers at my disposal.
But even though I love using my Flir E4 thermal imaging camera, there are times when I need or want something small and compact to pull out for a quick temperature measurement.
I figure that the sale is good for another couple of days, although there is no expiration, only a “for a limited time only” mention.
Yep, definitely going to buy one.
I don’t have any regrets in sending the Fluke 62 Max Plus to Ben, as that was a test/review sample. If I buy one, there’s no issue with it becoming a ToolGuyd lab instrument that’s used for personal/ToolGuyd purposes. Does that make sense? It might sound weird, but I always see an inherent distinction between test samples and personal or ToolGuyd-owned equipment.
I guess it says something about the Fluke 62 Max Plus (or 62 Max) if I’m willing to buy one to replace the test sample I sent off to Ben.
Buy Now(via Amazon)
See Also(Fluke Sale Items at Amazon)
There’s also a FREE Bonus Tool offer (PDF and More details via Fluke), where you can receive free tools or accessories through the mail if you spend at least $250 on Fluke gear before 12/31/15. If you spend over $550 on qualifying Fluke gear, you can opt for a free Fluke 62 Max+.
P.S. Our Amazon gift card giftaway is still going on, thru 12/21/15. While the prize won’t cover the whole cost of a 62 Max or 62 Max Plus, it’ll cover most of the cost of the 62 Max, and nearly half of the cost of the 62 Max Plus.