Testo vs Flir: Who’s leading the way? | Testo Limited Blog

Our resident thermographer was contacted by a person who had a leak in the under floor pipes in their house and who was rather unhappy with the job that was currently underway. The flooring was torn up and demolished throughout the extent of her entrance hallway, kitchen, living room and walkthrough. Now, this job cost the person in question a lot more than a call out fee to fix, or seek out, a leak in the plumbing system within her house.



The company called out will remain nameless, however they are not alone. We were unfortunately not granted permission to use the images of the property, as they contained the company and it’s employees. There are 100′s of stories that we hear each year, where a company has been called out, the client has relied on their ‘so-called’ expertise, and the client has been let down and has been confronted with a more than hefty bill. This to us is unacceptable and need not happen. Using a Thermal Imaging Camera, could be the preventative cure for all cowboy plumbers. Instead of digging up the flooring to locate a leak or issue, use one of our Thermal Imaging Camera’s and the leak reveals itself to you.


Don’t let this happen to you! If you are in doubt about any work that requires your floor being torn up, ask the service technician first, have they thermally scanned the area to determine the best entry point? Ask to see the thermal image for your self, if they are who they say they are and have thermally analysed the area, there should be no problem.

If it’s quality and reliability your looking for, then look no further. If it’s cost that drives your engine, then by all means look into our cheaper competition, but when the visual and build quality lets you down we’ll be here with open arms.

As an example, lets take our entry level Thermal Imaging Camera, our 875 Model, and compare it against the competitions entry level Thermal Imaging Camera:

Detector – No of Pixels
875-1 (160 x 120 pixels), (19,200 pixels)
Flir i5 (80 x 80 pixels), (6,400 pixels)
Flir i7 (120 x 120 pixels), (14,400 pixels)

3 times as many pixels in 875-1 compared to i5, more pixels the better resolution/ quality image. 875 Even better on the Display. Enables you to see much more.

FOV – Field of View
875 – 32 ° x 24 °
Flir i5 – 17° x 17°
Flir i7 – 25 °x 25 °

As can be seen, 875-1 much wider FOV

Min Focus Distance
875-1, 0.1m (100mm)
Flir i5 / i7 0.6m (600mm)

As can be seen, can’t get close with Flir i5, 875-1 will allow you to get closer and see more detail.

Temperature Range
875-1 (±2 °C, ±2% of mv)

Flir i5 / i7 does not go below zero

Focus
875-1, you can focus
Flir i5 / i7, you cannot focus, you have to move in & out with the camera, to try and get subject in focus

Integrated Digital Camera
875-1 does not have an Integrated Digital camera.
Flir i5 / i7 does not have Digital camera
875-2 can take both Thermal and Visual Images.

Palettes
875-1 has 4 Palettes on the camera, 8 Palettes in the software.
Flir i5 / i7 has 3 Palettes

Battery Charging
875-1 can be charged in the camera or with External charger
Flir i5 / i7 only in camera

Display
875-1 has 3.5″ (320 x 240 pixel)
Flir i5 / i7 only has 2.8″ (80 x 80 pixel / 120 x 120 pixel)

DisplayManual /Scale
875-1 can be operated in Manual Mode so that Span and Level can be set, Flir i5 / i7 can only be used in Auto mode, which can be locked.

This is a major point as i5 / i7 will be difficult to use for small Temperature Difference.

Video Output
875-1 has video output,
Flir i5 / i7 does not.

Functions
875-1 has Single point, 2 point measurement, Auto Hot/Cold detector
Flir i5 / i7 only has single point measurement

For more information on how Testo thermal imaging cameras are the right choice for you – visit the Testo website.