Debate: Is a $500 thermal camera worth it for a small shop?

I bought a Fluke TiS20+ last year thinking it would speed up finding shorts and bad components. It cost me $500 out of pocket. On one hand, it's great for showing clients heat issues on their boards. On the other, I've maybe used it a dozen times in 8 months, and a $20 IR thermometer from Harbor Freight would have found most of the same hot spots. I feel like I wasted cash on a tool I don't use enough. For those running a small repair business, do you think a pro thermal cam is a must-have or a money pit?

3 comments

3 Comments

riley_miller252d ago

Got my money back on one big job. Found a tiny short on a laptop board that was cooking a chip. My cheap IR gun just showed a warm area, but the camera showed the exact component glowing. That one repair paid for the camera. It sits in my drawer most weeks, but when you need it, nothing else works. It's a specialist tool, not a daily driver.

cameronjenkins2d ago

Yeah @riley_miller25, those tools are perfect for when the usual stuff just doesn't cut it. They save you hours of guesswork on the weird jobs.

jordan1082d ago

Man, that's the dream right there. One job covering the cost makes it totally worth having around. Those specialist tools really earn their keep when nothing else works.