[Canadian Tire] FLIR TG165 Spot Thermal Camera

Got mine at the last CT sale but price matched with Home Depot Online with the 10% off. So got it for $315 +tx. They were pretty difficult about it though and took 3 calls so YMMV depending on the rep you get.
Have been using it around the house and found areas around doors and windows that needed some insulation. Very handy tool and saved me $$ already. Even checked some areas that I thought had a water leak and it didn't.
Got this FLIR moisture meter too to confirm areas of water leakage. Great device that comes with a flashlight and lifetime warranty. http://www.flir.com/instruments/mr40/

Both excellent investments that every guy can use around the house.

If I could justify the cost of this, (meaning, I could make money from it), I be all over it.
I love these kinds of tools, and I have to practice restraint.

Any advantage with this unit over the FLIR One? Looks like the same sensor and would be more convenient to have the images right on your phone.
https://www.amazon.ca/FLIR-Thermal-Imag ... B071NZRJD6

There's also the Pro version with a bigger sensor.
https://www.amazon.ca/FLIR-Thermal-Imag ... B0716WZW12

engineered wrote: ↑

Oct 14th, 2017 9:33 pm

Any advantage with this unit over the FLIR One? Looks like the same sensor and would be more convenient to have the images right on your phone.
https://www.amazon.ca/FLIR-Thermal-Imag ... B071NZRJD6

Reviews complain about the app quality.

Anyone try this out to find leaks and then return it?

Curses, always wanted one of these. Probably too expensive for my (home only) use, but looking around online this is actually a good price -- It's $315 USD for a refurb unit on Flir's own website, so this is a good price for what it is.


http://www.flir.com/store/restock/

yellman wrote: ↑

Oct 14th, 2017 10:34 pm

Anyone try this out to find leaks and then return it?

Yeah. I picked up my on-line order and brought it home. Looked suspicious as cardboard inside was creased. Inspected the unit and it had finger prints in on screen and the handle looked dusty. Closer inspection revealed screen was scuffed.

So doesn't take much to figure out what happened. Wasted one hour of my time driving back and forth and waiting in the return line before I obtained a new unopened unit.

Unprofessional on Canadian Tire for not inspecting and selling to a unsuspecting customer. But shame on the person who had purchased, used, and returned it. Lack of Morales come to mind.

Are any of these hackable anymore, or did they completely lock that all up?


The old ones you could hack the lowest cheapest version, and unlock it to the pro version resolution. They all used the same sensors but just had them 'firmware' locked to differentiate versions.

MrFrugal1 wrote: ↑

Oct 14th, 2017 9:29 pm

If I could justify the cost of this, (meaning, I could make money from it), I be all over it.
I love these kinds of tools, and I have to practice restraint.

Meh, don't worry just wait a few years and they'll be a fraction of the price.

engineered wrote: ↑

Oct 14th, 2017 9:33 pm

Any advantage with this unit over the FLIR One? Looks like the same sensor and would be more convenient to have the images right on your phone.
https://www.amazon.ca/FLIR-Thermal-Imag ... B071NZRJD6

There's also the Pro version with a bigger sensor.
https://www.amazon.ca/FLIR-Thermal-Imag ... B0716WZW12

pny128 wrote: ↑

Oct 14th, 2017 9:38 pm

Reviews complain about the app quality.

Also apparently some serious battery drain and the need to set up an account with Flir. Good price, but seems like more hassle and buggy than it's worth for now (unless they can resolve the kinks). If also worry if Flir decides to discontinue and shut down the app service, it could be potentially bricked.

I was debating about the HD price match like above, which seems pretty good. Alternatively, I was looking at the lower TG130 model for $199USD from BH Photo:

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/ ... ermal.html

No image capture, slightly worse sensor (though I doubt I'd miss the added range on either extreme), and no laser pointer for temp reading. Not sure if I missed anything else, but for home use I'm wondering if it's worth the extra price difference for the TG165.

flir one ios and tg165 specs...side by side
https://www.tequipment.net/FLIR-ONE-for ... LIR-TG165/

The Flir One is better IMHO (i own it), unless you need the ruggedized all in one aspect. Resolution difference is substantial, and if you plan on doing IC board diagnostics, even as a one off/hobby, it makes a huge difference. There is a 3rd party app that is better than the Flir One official app also.

MANGLER wrote: ↑

Oct 15th, 2017 8:47 pm

The Flir One is better IMHO (i own it), unless you need the ruggedized all in one aspect. Resolution difference is substantial, and if you plan on doing IC board diagnostics, even as a one off/hobby, it makes a huge difference. There is a 3rd party app that is better than the Flir One official app also.

Can I ask which generation One (1,2,3, Pro) you have, and whether it's iOS or Android? I'd happily save the money with the One as I'm only using it for home use. My android phone happens to use a USB-C connector, so that actually works out well for me. TIA

Need a thermal camera to troubleshoot 1 bedroom that always seems 2 or 3 degrees cooler/warmer than the rest of the house. Much more obvious if the door has been closed for the whole day. Should I just buy the thermal camera or rent one? Too bad I don't have a friend I can borrow one of these from.