I had wanted an infrared thermometer to use as a way of visually demonstrating the heat of fire and in particular char cloth in an up coming bushcraft video. The IR01D from Mestek ticked all the boxes as the temperature range of -50°C to 800°C was perfect to measure the intense heat.
As IR thermometers go, the Mestek IR01D is very ergonomic and has an easy to read display panel on the rear which faces you as you point it towards the heat source.
The IR01D comes supplied with a comprehensive manual in five European languages
Customizing the settings to your own personal needs is simple, press the mode button for 2 seconds and this allows you to access a wide range of options, from setting the high and low temperature ranges, an alarm will sound when those temperatures are exceeded, setting the scale from either Centigrade or Fahrenheit and setting the radiance level.
Radiance and emissivity are the scales used to gauge the ability of a body to emit infrared radiation, this can then be calculated to give an accurate heat reading. There is a handy chart included in the manual which lists many common items which you may want to read the temperature of, which then allows you to set the emissivity rate of the IR01D to give the most accurate reading possible.
Please note, during the current Covid 19 pandemic people are rightly concerned about testing the symptoms of the Coronavirus to keep their family’s safe, the IR01D is not however suitable for use in reading human body temperature.