Features:

  • Infrared thermometer for noncontact surface temperature measurement for use in monitoring electrical, mechanical, HVAC, and automotive systems
  • Measures temperature from -30 to +500 degrees C (-20 to +932 degrees F) with an accuracy of + or - 1.5 degree C or + or - 1.5% of the reading from 0 to 500 degrees C
  • 10:1 infrared distance-to-spot ratio with laser sighting for pinpointing the measurement area
  • Displays the minimum, the maximum, the difference between the two temperatures, and the average temperatures
  • Certified IP54 for protection against dust and splashing liquid
  • IP54 rated for dust and water resistance
  • Small and lightweight making it easy to clip to your tool belt or belt loop
  • Precise laser technology makes for more accurate and repeatable measurements
  • Large Backlit display makes it easier to read data, even in dark areas
  • Rugged built to last design that can withstand a 3 meter drop
Solid Build -- Handy for 3D Printing and Checking Out Your House.

I'd suffered through less expensive IR thermometers that always seemed to come up short. This one was a little more expensive, but I'm glad I got it. It seems to be accurate and reads fast -- in several modes. And rugged. Two things I've used it for recently: -- 3D printing. Really nice for checking the temperature of your build surface -- rising temperature as you prepare to print and then checking as it cools to you'll have an easier time removing your model. As an example of the first -- when the printer readouts and printing software both report 65C, the Fluke agrees with that for the center, but on the edge of the print area, the temp is on 50C. If I have a small model to print that's not a problem. But if I have a large model, that tells me to wait for the whole plate to get up to temp. -- My boss and I were talking one day. He lives in a farmhouse that is at least 150 years old and he was concerned about heat leaks around his windows, doors, chimney. So when we were having a cold spell I loaned him the Fluke for the weekend. He was happy to find that reading on the outside of the house, he had no hot spots, and reading on the inside, he had no cold spots.

Fluke rugged and reliable with a wide temperature range

I have a cheap IR thermometer and find it useful in many applications, but I now need a unit with greater accuracy, temperature range, adjustable emissivity, and dual lasers to mark the size of the measurement area. I have other Fluke equipment which has proved rugged and reliable and the 62 MAX Plus has the temperature range I wanted. I won't go through all the features as those are well covered by other reviews, but I feel more information on emissivity and the rotating lasers is needed. Emissivity: All IR thermometers depend on the emissivity of the surface they are measuring. The 62 MAX Plus comes set to 0.95, but has a selectable range of from 0.1 to 1. An EMS setting of 0.95 is a good value for brick, chipboard, fired clay, concrete, formica, glass, PVC, most paints, tar, rubber, sand, soil, masking tape, floor tile, and water in all forms except snow. Snow and most types of bare wood have an EMS closer to 0.85. A surprise is gravel with an EMS of only 0.28. What that means is that unless you select an EMS of about 0.28 the 62 MAX Plus will give you an incorrect temperature reading of a gravel surface. You can find tables of emissivity for common materials by doing an internet search for "emissivity table". A lot of times you don't care about the actual temperature so much as how it has changed over time or relative to other spot. Dual lasers rotate to pinpoint the edges of the measurement area: The laser beams spread out in the same 12 to 1 ratio as the optical resolution of the IR sensor, which makes it easy to see the size of the spot you are measuring. The "rotate" part refers to the two laser spots changing their position relative to the 62 MAX Plus unit depending on the distance to the surface being measured. Holding the 62 MAX Plus with the readout horizontal, the two laser spots describe a vertical line (if you connected them) at the unit out to about 2 inches. As you move further away the spots appear to rotate counter-clockwise to describe a horizontal line at about 24 inches. Moving further away the spots continue to rotate until they describe a line from 2 to 8 o'clock at 10 feet and beyond. In practice I'm not sure what value the rotate feature has other than perhaps as a marketing point.

Fluke worth it?

YEP! HVAC work. This is my 5th IR Thermo of different brands over the years and it's amazingly accurate. I use my K to check it's accuracy and it's always within 1-1.7F at any distance and emissivity. Not sure what makes it so accurate but for sure the other brands I've owned didn't have it.

Once you have it you'll find 1001 uses for it

I initially bought this meter because I live in a very warm apartment and it was driving me crazy not knowing where the heat was coming from. I keep the radiators off but I suspected some heat was coming out from them anyway. With this meter I was able to confirm that the radiators were indeed off. The heat, as it turns out, was coming from the floor--the entire floor. I went downstairs and checked my neighbor's door and it was almost 80 degrees! Well, found the culprit. On the rare occasion I do need to use the radiators I can use this meter to tell me how much difference a 1/8th turn of the knob makes to the radiator temperature. It isn't meant for it but I have used it to check the temperature inside my mouth to see if I had a fever. I don't recommend that and you should never point this at people or pets. It's also helpful if you're having "discussions" at work over what the temperature in the office is. You can also pinpoint places where a room is either gaining or losing heat. This can be very helpful as you attempt to raise or lower the temperature. This list goes on and on. One thing you discover after using this meter for a while is that your hand is a pretty poor judge of temperature. Sure, your hand can tell if something is 20 degrees hotter than something else but you hand is really poor at telling if one thing is, for example, 3 degrees hotter than another (and 3 degrees can matter in a room if it's over a large surface area).

Fluke or else

When it comes to measuring things think only Fluke. When I was in the military I was given access to a Fluke Type 87 multi-meter to test aircraft wiring and return the jets to service. That type 87 was a rugged beast and became my best friend when working on jets (and doing other stuff overseas). 10+ years later I needed a new multi-meter for my house and my only choice was my friend the Fluke 87. Ever since than I have needed devices to test network cables and the only gear I looked at was Fluke. In setting up my home automation this summer I was concerned that the temp readings from my thermostats were incorrect because my house has cold spots (so I found out). In order to verify if I had cold spots I purchased a Fluke 62 Max and it verified the cold spots and I was able to adjust the house to comfortable levels as needed based on the Fluke readings. Fluke gear has never let me down and it is always my first go-to in looking for measuring equipment. In November I will use the type 62 max to make sure turkey in the deep fryer is perfect since my house thermostats have been adjusted thanks once again to Fluke.

Very Accurate and Consistent

I purchased two 62 Max Plus models. First, I wanted to check their accuracy. In a controlled environment, using a calibrated precision reference thermometer, I determined that both IR thermometers were very close. They both measured 1.2 degrees Fahrenheit above the reference temperature. I made these tests at 75-degree room temperature where the temperature of the target was also 75 degrees. Each thermometer was triggered for 5 seconds before taking the reading. I shielded my body heat from the thermometers. I took a reading every day, 2 times per day for 5 consecutive days. The results were always the same 1.2 degrees above the reference temperature of 75 degrees. This is within the spec of +- 2 degrees F. Impressive for a device at this price point. The thing that was the most impressive to me is the fact that they both were calibrated and performed exactly the same. They were very solid - their readings did not fluctuate. Next, I walked around with them and simultaneously measured temperatures of various surfaces with varying temperature ranges. Both thermometers always agreed with each other giving exactly the same reading, right down to the tenth of a degree (note they increment in .2 as opposed to .1) Also impressive is the fact that I can shoot the same spot over and over again and receive the exact same reading. Most other IR thermometers do not have the stability that these do. It is important that a measurement device is stable and consistent, especially when doing differential comparisons of surfaces. I've used Raytek and some other brands for years but the Flukes beat all of the other ones I have tried. It was an interesting side-project testing their performance. I hope that others will find this information useful.

Best in class, cheaper ones have fixed emissivity

Because fixed emissivity was a deal breaker for me, anything cheaper than this was really not an option. It's an amazing product though and well worth the $100. It's accurate, easy to use, and rugged but still compact and comfortable to hold. *To lock a reading for longer than 5 seconds after releasing the trigger just hold the up or down arrow. You can also press SEL to cycle through the modes and see Max, Min, Avg, and Diff for the same reading. Each button press resets the 5 second sleep countdown.

I wanted this for a number of situations around the home/shop but I was drawn to its super-wide temperature range (the 62 MAX Pl

I only opened it last night but played with it around the house and it confirmed what I already knew, which is that I have many walls with piss-poor insulation. I can see a 10 degree difference between existing exterior walls, and exterior walls for which I removed the drywall and added new insulation. I wanted this for a number of situations around the home/shop but I was drawn to its super-wide temperature range (the 62 MAX Plus) awesome for my BBQ grill and smoker, adjustable emissivity (to switch between different materials), and dual lasers to mark the size of the measurement area. I have other Fluke equipment which has proved rugged and reliable and this Fluke is no different. Only drawback: I'll need to keep an emissivity table with the unit to ensure it's accurate for the type of material I'm measuring: it comes preset to .95

Fluke 62 max

I bought it for the kitchen and grill, but it's fun to just goof around with. VERY accurate. Without even bothering with the (adjustable) emissivity settings, everything I've tested this on has been dead-on accurate. The instruction manual is ridiculously terrible, and by that I mean comically bad as in possibly written as a wry joke about how bad an instruction manual can ever, ever be, but it only took me 5 minutes of watching a YouTube video and hitting a few buttons to get the whole thing figured out and set up. Just google "Fluke 62 instructions" in Youtube and you will see one 4 minute video and then you'll be on your way with about one minute of tweaking the settings. Actually, it probably took less than a minute to set it all up. It's super easy to use... Just point and shoot.

Point and Shoot ease

I bought this tool to goof around with and I bought Fluke because I really liked using their tools while I served in the US Navy. This tool is easy to setup, It can measure temps in F or C deg and the backlight for the readout is just the right brilliance for low light conditions. I have no way of telling how accurate it is but I did run this test. I put a mercury thermometer in my attic and measured the temp as 154d F then I compared that with the Fluke which read 153d F by pointing it into the attic from my Garage. I also ran a surface check of the inside surface temperature of my Garage door and got 84d F the Fluke 62 MAX also read 84d F.

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