Thermal cameras for residential installs: $400 saved my butt on a job last month vs the basic model that burned me the month before

So I picked up a Flir unit for about $400 after messing around with a cheap $80 model that couldn't tell a hot pipe from a warm wall. Last month I was doing a retrofit in an old house in Nashville and the thermal cam spotted a hidden junction box behind drywall that would've caused a short. The cheap one just showed a blur. Now I'm wondering if the extra cash is worth it for routine jobs or if it's just a one-hit wonder. Anyone else go back and forth on splurging for the good stuff?

2 comments

2 Comments

dylanh971mo ago

Yo I used to be all about the cheap ones too, thought the high end stuff was just for show or people with more money than sense. But after seeing a buddy's Flir unit catch a moisture issue that my old blurry model completely missed, I had to rethink everything. He spent $300 and it saved him a whole ceiling replacement a week later, so now I'm starting to admit maybe the cheap ones are false economy. I got burned once on a house where a junction was hidden and the cheap thermal just showed a warm spot like everything else around it. Can't really argue with results like that.

robert_rodriguez661mo ago

Picked up the Flir One Pro for around $350 last year after my buddy's cheap thermal camera missed a water leak behind a shower wall... cost him a whole bathroom remodel. Used mine a few weeks back to find a hot breaker in a panel that looked fine to the eye, saved me from a call back. The resolution is what gets you, the cheap ones just blend everything together. For routine work I mostly use it on older houses or if the customer says "weird stuff keeps happening." It's paid for itself twice over in six months, no regrets.