Having just lost (fortunately only temporarily) my sense of smell and taste due to Covid, I have gained a new appreciation for the way we humans can perceive our environment.
At about the same time I acquired a new skill: being able to look at the world around me with the highly sensitive temperature-sensing capabilities of a prey hunting snake, courtesy of the FLIR One Edge Pro.
OK, I did not get better at hunting prey but found countless other practical ways of using a thermal camera, like this FLIR.
Lemme show you…
So what does FLIR actually stand for?
I first came across this term in my aviation career back in the 70s. It stands for Forward Looking InfraRed and as with most discoveries the military get first dibs on applications…
FLIR is now a brand from Teledyne and arguably the most recognised name in the field of thermal imaging.
Reduction Revolution sells them here in Oz and they have some fantastic background info on these units and which ones would suit you or your job best. And the range of applications is phenomenal!
So I’m gonna give you a few links below and let the images do the talking.
Just a couple of specs on this latest addition to the FLIR range.
The Edge Pro must be paired with a smartphone over Bluetooth.
It can be clamped onto all types of phones or used separately from your phone if you want to access hard to reach places. It has a range of about 30m over WiFi if you really want to go the distance.
This flexibility is a major advantage of the Edge Pro.
Once connected, it starts streaming thermal imagery straightaway.
Sometimes it takes a bit of figuring out what you’re actually looking at and the brilliant thing about these FLIR units is that they overlay the IR image with a photo of the same object.
This gives a nice outline that clarifies the picture. They call it MSX (Multi-Spectral Dynamic Imaging). And in your Gallery you’ll have both photos for even greater clarity.
An ordinary gumtree morphs into an arty rendering
Here are some more examples:
Check out the hot water pipe
In a pitch-black night the Smoker lights up 
You don’t need a FLIR to tell you the pipe gets pretty hot too…
Clothes drying rack with one last minute wet addition. Can you tell which one?
Beehive hidden in a log
The compost bin.
There are many ways to tell a kettle has boiled. This is one of them
Another – more practical use: checking faulty switches (in this case the solar hot water unit was being boosted)
Finally, some forensic use: evidence of recent occupation having left my office chair 5 minutes earlier
Conclusion
Being able to discern the smallest temperature difference can be extremely helpful in many professions.
And as a homeowner or renter, being able to find out where leaks are coming from or where heat losses occur, can prevent major damage down the road.
Or check out the bearings on any vehicle or piece of machinery before they fail…
The FLIR One Edge Pro is not a toy, but oh, it is so much fun to discover things that are normally hidden.
Priced at AUD$984.50 it is great value for money.
Some other things about the FLIR One Edge Pro:
The unit charges up in about an hour (USB-C) and battery life is around 1.5 hours.
The temperature range it can detect is -20˚C to 400˚C (available as two settings: -20˚C to 120˚C, or 0˚C to 400˚C).
The thermal resolution is 160 x 120 pixels and the unit is also able to record video: MPEG4 or MOV.
Field of View is 54° x 42°
Here’s the product page at Reduction Revolution.
And this is all the background info to consider when you want to purchase a FLIR unit.
We thank Reduction Revolution for making the FLIR One Edge Pro available for review.
