Date: Tuesday, November 7, 2006
Author: Anthony Willis
Provided By: ThermoHawk Series
Manufacturer: Q2 Innovations
Model: ThermoHawk 200
Purchase: C.O.D. Shopping
Page: 1 of 2

Everyone who visits the Computing on Demand site knows that we review products on a frequent basis. More likely than not, the products are all computer related. Well we aren't biased here and from time to time we get products in that can be used during every day activities. With the introduction of the Q3 Innovations ThermoHawk 200 digital thermometer, now is one of those times.

The ThermoHawk 200 weighs in at 1.6 ounces and measures 5 inches in length and 0.5 inches in diameter. It is powered by 2 supplied LR44 batteries. A key ring and belt clip are included for easy portability. It measures temperature in both Celsius (-33 to 110 degrees) and Fahrenheit (-27 to 230 degrees) with +/- 2.5 % accuracy.

The ThermoHawk 200 measures the surface temperature of objects by using infrared technology. Q3 Innovations claims that infrared technology is substantially more accurate when compared to comparable contact devices (hence the +/- 2.5% accuracy). Also most contact devices require that you wait 30 seconds to obtain a reading whereas the ThermoHawk has a ½ second response time. The ThermoHawk measures the temperature on an object by using a 1:1 aspect ratio. If you are measuring an ice cube that is a 1" x 1" square then you will hold the ThermoHawk 1" away from the cube and then take the measurement. Enough about the specifics, let's put this thing to some use. When conducting tests, I obviously wanted to measure objects with extreme variance in temperature. First thing is first though; I had to measure the accuracy of this device. The first thing I did was went out to my car and got the current air temperature off of my display.

Next, I held the ThermoHawk in the air and took a measurement of the ambient air temperature to see if the readings would match. The ThermoHawk measured a very close 52.0 degrees Fahrenheit. Lastly I logged onto Weather.com and got the current temperature for my area. Intriguing huh!!! Q3 Innovations is right on with their claims that this device is accurate to within 2.5 degrees. Some might argue the fact of holding the ThermoHawk in the air and measuring the temperature won't produce an accurate reading because of the aspect ratio. I took a measurement 5 times, and all 5 were between 50 and 52 degrees.