REVIEW – I have 2 young kids who attend school, and colds and fever are a part of everyday life in my household. When I was a kid, my mom taught me to detect a fever by resting the back of my hand on the neck and observing the warmth. While over the years I have perfected that technique (my wife would beg to differ), I do not take any chances with my kids. Being able to not only detect a fever but to know the severity of the fever is very important. The methods of sticking a thermometer under an active kid’s armpit or trying to fight to get it inserted in the rectum become too challenging. The iHealthLabs PT3 Infrared Thermometer is designed to quickly ascertain a temperature without even touching my kids. Does it actually work? Let’s see!!
What is it?
The iHealthLabs infrared Thermometer utilizes no-touch infrared technology to get an immediate temperature reading without having to touch the skin and possibly wake up a sleeping child.
What’s in the box
1 x iHealthLabs infrared Thermometer
1 x Manual
1 x Instruction Leaflet
2 x AAA Batteries
Design and features
Features:
- High precision: ultra-sensitive infrared sensor measures IR energy emitted from the forehead and collects more than 100 data points per second.
- Fast testing in just 1 second, get reading instantly.
- Safe & Hygienic. No-Touch design, non-invasive measurement.
- Gentle vibration to alert when a reading completed. No annoying beeps.
- Hold. Aim. Press. Only 3 steps to test, easy for self-measurement.
- Readable at night with LED backlit.
The iHealthlabs Infrared Thermometer is small and compact measuring 5″ long x 1 1/2″ wide. It is about 0.5″ thick on the body and about 1 1/4″ at the head. On the front surface, there is the control button in the middle and the name branding on the bottom.
On the opposite side there is the “head” that is used to read the temperature, and on the bottom half, there is the battery compartment that holds 2 AAA batteries.
Performance
How to use:
• Aim the probe of the iHealth at the center of the forehead and keep it there approximately 1.0” away from the
skin.
• Press the button to start to measure the temperature
• The thermometer will vibrate once it obtains the temperature, and the reading is displayed on the LED display
• If it fails to read the temperature, dashes (—-) will appear instead.
• The thermometer will switch off after 8 seconds of no use
I tested this thermometer side by side with a conventional thermometer with the armpit as the testing area of choice for the conventional thermometer. Each time the readings of the thermometers were within 2 degrees of each other. Considering that the armpit would conceivably be slightly warmer, I consider the iHealthlabs thermometer surprisingly accurate and consistent. I say surprisingly because prior to testing this thermometer, I had always believed that the $400 plus thermometers that I would see at my medical center were the best bang for the buck. While I do believe that in urgent cases each degree is critical, it is my opinion that the iHealthlabs Infrared Thermometer is generally fine for daily use as long as the immediate surroundings are within “normal” temps. I say this because I did notice that if I am in an air-conditioned room this thermometer does seem to read the skin temp which may be lower than the internal body temperature.
What I like
- The size
- The ease and speed of use
What can be improved
- A brightly colored LED display for the temperature would make it easy to read in any kind of lighting
Final thoughts
As I mentioned earlier in this review, I was quite surprised at the performance of this thermometer when I tested and compared it to my usual daily use thermometer. For the price, I honestly expected erratic readings but they were very close and consistent. The thermometer is made of plastic, and I only tested it for one month, so I will post an update if anything changes. But for now, it works.
Price: $19.99
Where to buy: iHealthlabs website and Amazon
Source: The sample for this review was provided by iHealthlabs.
Filed in categories: Reviews
Tagged: Health and fitness
iHealthLabs PT3 infrared thermometer review originally appeared on The Gadgeteer on November 1, 2018 at 11:00 am.
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