Testo 876 with super res

I was going to dump about 8 grand into a thermal
but now I’m going to play the wait n see game.

My top agents I use tell me that thermal isn’t even asked for by anybody so don’t bother .

But the techie in me already has made my mind up I simply need one to perform a complete inspection.
I don’t want to miss a thing .

So I’m going to grab one for a small amount now spend my extra on a seesnake for orangeburg sewer tile inspections.

Currently the Testo 876 looks pretty damn good for reports as it has some decent software and I can create picture overlays and import them into my
HIP report templates.

The super res creating a 320 x 240 is hopeful , I have alot of faith in German engineering having worked for Liebherr for 11 years, they are sticklers.

Does anybody have actual hands on experience with the Testso 876 ? for home inspections?
I can grab a deluxe package with the telephoto lens and extra battery etc for 4 G.
I’m not sure the telephoto lens is necessary ? I’d rather have a wide angle and I’ll research the specs on the stock lens it comes with . the 1 G for the deluxe package is probably a waste.
I love that this model has variable focus abilities.
I’ll drop 10 g later this year for a nice camera but for now in the initial part of 2014 I’m going to shop wise.

I’ll pursue actual commercial thermal jobs after I get my certs completed and spend gather field experience for the first year playing with this Testo if I get it.

I’m considering the Testo 882 later this year .

If I could get a member to post some actual field pics of the super res in 320 x 240 resolution mode up here to see I’d be so grateful.

From this particular camera of course…

It appears the stock lens is indeed a wide angle lens…
pretty neat considering the B300 Flir I was considering does not come
with a wide angle and I’d have to fork our 1500 for a lens and god knows what for calibration…
It wasn’t an appealing proposition.

I just purchased a new Flir to add the thermal aspect to all of my inspections. Unless you are going to pursue the commercial route (which may be a limited market), you may kick yourself for spending that kind of money. I got in for about $2K and I still feel like it is frosting. All of my folks do love it, but It was still a large enough investment that I feel it. I don’t like spending money so that is probably part of it. I have achieved the goal of offering this service and for minimal cash outlay. I could do a lot of other things with $7 or $8K. I am very happy with the Flir for what we are offering. Total outside, inside, appliances, heating, cooling, water around toilets, showers, water temps, etc. Adds about 45-50 extra photos to a home. Again, people love it.

Thanks Jeff
Yeah I think I’m in the same boat as you my friend.
I want my inspections to be as complete as possible to protect my company and my clients
Do people want to pay for that during a home inspection ?
Probably not …

I feel it’s my job to properly educate them to why they should .

Is dumping 10 grand on a camera a good idea ?

Not unless you’re going to pursue this avenue as a main goal …
I don’t feel I’m ready to do that yet , maybe in a year or two
by then Ann Arbor and SE Michigan will be ready for this as we are gearing up
for efficiency and energy upgrading at all levels even having our Governor mention
the possibility that all home inspections may be mandated to incorporate this technology
into them in the future.

currently I’m as busy as one can be with HI’s.

It only makes sense to get the ball rolling and be fully proficient in this.

After taking the NACHI Thermal course I was made aware that an inspection simply
is not complete without the aid of thermal imagery.
I plan on mandating all my home inspections incorporate this and raise my inspection
pricing 25% to cover this.

This will allow me to stay under the local pricing range or match it, while offering a
far superior inspection.

The Flir one comes out in the spring 2014 for $350. All the reviews are good, I’m going to wait and see if it will be good enough for inspections…

Derek
I’m sorry to tell you this but if you are going to wager your reputation on a lil clip on to a
Girlie Iphone then you’re not going to be taken serious.

I feel bad enough about only spending 3 to 4 grand on a camera…
That sure isn’t what I’d be using during my inspections…

Hell even joe shmoe public has already spoken on this and said if
a home inspector showed up with one of those they would fire them on the spot.

I see them as nothing more than a pain in my azz in the future
simply because I understand human nature…and know what’s coming .

wanna see something interesting ??

I posted on Time about this very issue yesterday …

look at the replies…

the first guy states what I already said…If you think you’re going to use this
lil clip on gadget and be taken serious as an inspector you’d better think again.

then my input…

then the guy who sees it for what it is…
a threat to Thermal imagery market for home inspectors…

although I didn’t care for his analysis of our service as “a racket”

Watch and see how many Real estate agents buy these
hell I’d go so far as to expect full frontals of homes advertised
on real estate listings in thermal imagery format taken by agents with these
gadgets… watch n see…it’s coming .

I have a testo 875 and I am happy with the quality of it. Testo seems to deliver a lot more spec for a lower price. I can’t compare it to other thermal cameras because it is my first.

My thoughts on telephoto, what would you need it for? I would be happier with a wider angle lens than what mine came with, I often find that I can not get a whole door in the picture because there is not enough room inside the house to back up far enough. I imagine a telephoto would be very useful in an large industrial site where you can’t get close. Not a problem with homes. (Maybe for outside?).

My thoughts on the flir iphone thermal image camera, fixed focus means low end and cheap in the visual spectrum camera world, suspect it means the same for IR.

Having said that, marrying a smart phone with an IR sensor will probably be the next big thing, because a smart phone is a very capable networked computer, and will get even more so, given Moore’s Law and the much greater demand for new, more capable smart phones. So the problem of creating digital thermal images, linking a lens and sensor to a processor can become developing just the lens and sensor and software capable of running on a smart phone OS.
This is already happening in the visual camera world, where high end cameras are coming with android OS, so no laughing at flir eh?
Expect to see prices drop and capabilities rise.

I’ll try it side by side with an expensive TIC and see what the difference is, if it’s crap then it’s crap but I can’t knock something I know nothing about. Technology improves daily, I bought a TV a few years ago for 3k, now it’s worth jack s–t. Just because something costs 3-4 grand doesn’t mean anything, it’s only worth what someone is prepared to pay. Maybe the flir one is crap but I don’t know that yet, if it is then I won’t buy one and a certainly won’t be paying thousands for a camera that isn’t worth it either…

Derek
That wasn’t a slam at ya partner
I’ll bet the lil s h i t will be useful in small areas around the home
during an inspection…
Think attic access panels, johnny rings on toilets with covered flooring etc…
But as for a real home inspection advertising thermal imagery you certainly
would be pushing the envelope in that regard.

I just bought a mint condition Fluke TIR32 in the case for 4 grand so theres no testo
for me…

I love Ann Arbor. My best friend lives in Saline. I get out there once pe year for a Michigan Football/Hockey weekend. This year, we trekked to Notre Dame to see Oklahoma spank them (huge OU fan). You are certainly inspecting one of my favorite areas of the country. Here in Vermont, Burlington is somewhat comparable. I will have to look you up, the next time I am out there. See your operation.

Jeff count on it …
I’ll take you fishing and we tear up some taverns in A2…

It appears I made a helluva steal grabbing a mint TIR32 for 4g
I’m gonna go get a beer n celebrate…

Slange Var !

I’d say… good camera / nice buy!

My problem with Testo was the customer service. I was looking to buy their camera and couldn’t even get a demo test. I was like they didn’t care if they sold it or not. With that type of attitude, I went with Flir and Jason Kaylor…Good service and good pricing…

Customer service has a very big value to me.

I know you weren’t slamming me, enjoy the well deserved beer, I’m gonna have a few myself and some sneaky small ones too…👍🍺

You got it Kevin!

I always try and help my fellow nachi brothers first so I called Jason and
was on the phone with him getting ready to buy a testo 876 when I mentioned the
Fluke TIR 32 for 4 g on Flea bay ,he said get your *** home and buy that asap …

so I did …

pretty excited about it’s arrival .

this is the actual pic of her …

Hoping it has a wide angle lens, if not I’m in the market for one

If there isn’t one in the box, you don’t have one. The lens would attach to the outside of the lens on the cam now.

OK I’ll start my search now…
apparently using one will shave about 25% off your sweep time during an inspection for residential.
Time is $$$$$

all in all a pretty damn good weekend.
friday I grab a $1800 Diversified Research Alpha 2 CRM for 250 bucks…thing was used 7 times
Saturday this TIR32 sits on Ebay with 23 people watching it and nobody buys it with a BIN of 4G
plus 50 dollar discount …I grab it too…

Not sure what the heck is going on , but I should have went to the casino…