TIC recommendation in 2024

[MikeyJ]

Hi folks,

I am about to buy my first handheld TIC. The target use case is mostly for inspecting issues with electrical boxes, occassionally some "domestic inspections".
Having tried some Infiray smartphone TICs, I have not been impressed at all.

I've been doing my research here and there, and read so many reviews, and I seem to have found some good candidates, however I am concerned about durability and longevity.

My budget is cca 580 Eur. You can imagine that I don't want to buy a TIC which will go bricked after 1 year.

Here on EEVblog or Youtube are "positive" reviews, but dated 2-3 years ago, with no recent updates regarding durability, so my logical question is - Can you recommend exact TIC models (within my budget) which you are completely happy with even after 1-3 years of (ab)use?

Thanks in advance for sharing your thoughts.
-Mikey

[MikeyJ]

Nobody?

I've nailed down my candidates to Hikmicro B20s (seems like upgraded version of B20, but can't find what exactly has changed other than LCD display being upgraded to 640x480 resolution) or Topdon TC005.

B20 has very favourable reviews, but negative ones mention battery issues, effectively making it unusable.

As for TC005, so far I cannot find any negative reviews with regards to hardware issues occurring over time...

[mzzj]

IIRC TC005 doesn't have radiometric file format supported and lacks manual level and span.

Both would be deal breakers for me unless you are on a shoestring budget.

[MikeyJ]

So I ended up with B10s, which is essentially the same as B20s sans WiFi connectivity. Overall, I am very impressed, and their radiometry software is great.

[Postal2]

.... I am about to buy my first handheld TIC. The target use case is mostly for inspecting issues with electrical boxes, occassionally some "domestic inspections". ....

I bought the one in the photo and I am very pleased. I highly recommend this or a similar one on the MLX90640 sensor. Quick start, factory calibration gives accuracy, light in the hand and very convenient. Helps to find heating on the board and during BGA soldering. I did not find exactly the same one, but there are links to similar ones.
https://aliexpress.com/item/1005005927556117.html
https://aliexpress.com/item/1005007225849263.html

I was worried about the sensor lens, which is supposed to deteriorate from the acrid soldering smoke, but after a year of use, this has not happened. At worst, I will replace the MLX90640.