Bought a cheap compost thermometer for $12 on a whim

It actually reads accurate within 2 degrees next to my neighbor's $50 probe. I was sure the pile was too cold but now I know it's cooking fine. Anyone else had a bargain tool work better than expected?

2 comments

2 Comments

noah_barnes1mo ago

Buddy of mine grabbed a $5 infrared gun from a garage sale and it reads within a degree of his buddy's fancy fluke. He's been using it for three years now, still going strong.

sandralee1mo ago

Honestly @noah_barnes, I gotta call a tiny bit of BS on that "within a degree" thing lol. Most cheap infrared guns have a stated accuracy of like +/-2 or 3 degrees F, and that's in ideal conditions. The fancy Fluke ones usually claim +/-0.5 degrees or better. Over three years, that garage sale find probably drifted a little too, especially if it was already used before. Maybe it still reads close for basic stuff like checking a hot water pipe, but for anything precise like a fever or cooking oil temp, I wouldn't trust it. Those sensors just aren't that stable long term without calibration. Your buddy probably got lucky with a good one, but saying it matches a Fluke after three years? That's a stretch.