Bought a $200 thermal camera for the shop and I'm torn on if it was worth it

I picked up a Flir One thermal camera last year thinking it would be a game changer for finding shorts and overheating parts. It did help me spot a bad capacitor on a power supply board that I might have missed, which saved a client's machine. But honestly, I've used it maybe four times total since then. Most of the time, my multimeter and just feeling for heat with my hand gets the job done just as fast. It feels like a cool toy that sits in my bag more than a daily tool. On the other hand, when it does work, it looks super professional to the client and can show a problem visually in a way they understand. I'm stuck between thinking it was a smart investment for those rare tricky cases, or if I just wasted cash on a gadget. Has anyone else bought a specialty tool like this and actually used it enough to justify the cost?

4 comments

4 Comments

sagecooper2mo ago

But did it pay for itself with that ONE saved repair?

spencer4002mo ago

It's not just about the one repair. The tool buys you time. You find the problem faster, you don't have to guess, and you avoid swapping parts. That saved hour of labor on a single job often covers the tool's cost right there. The actual fix is just the final step.

nguyen.blake2mo ago

Totally get that feeling. My pocket scope was the same way, a total hero for two weird comms faults but otherwise just dead weight. The peace of mind for those oddball cases somehow makes the drawer space worth it.

bennett.harper1mo ago

Ugh, @nguyen.blake that's exactly it. The peace of mind from knowing you've got something for those weird one-off problems is worth a lot, even if it just sits there most of the time. It's like an insurance policy for your toolbox.