Which Thermal Imaging Camera Brand Wins?
In our test we compared 12 thermal imaging camera options head to head. HSFTOOLS HF96 came out on top. See the measured results, the runner-up, the budget pick, and a link to the full test video.
HSFTOOLS HF96
Price shown in test: $166
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HSFTOOLS F2W and AMPBANK H128 (tied for second place with an average finish of 4.9)
Price shown in test: $166
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AMPBANK H128
Price shown in test: $133
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The quick take
The short version of why each pick lands where it does, built straight from the measured results.
“the HF-96 came out on top with the best average finish at 4.7. It's a great all-around performer when it comes to accuracy and it has a pretty good quality display. For a price of around $166, it would definitely be my choice if it's all about value.”
Placed top three in 1 of 1 measurements.
The measured results
Every number below is read straight from the test. Products are listed in the order they finished.
Boot time
- 1HSFTOOLS HF967.74 seconds
the fastest of all 12 cameras
- 2HSFTOOLS F2Wabout9 seconds
- 3AMPBANK H1288.2 seconds2nd
second fastest of all cameras tested
- 4TOPDONabout16.9 seconds
- 5MILESEEY16 seconds
one of the slowest to boot of all cameras
- 6FOXWELLabout12.9 seconds
- 7GOYOJO GH19212.1 seconds
- 8FLIR15.3 seconds
quite a bit faster than the Thermal Master but still slower than average
- 9Flagfront13 seconds
the slowest of the first several brands tested
- 10Teslong8.77 seconds3rd
third fastest of all cameras tested
- 11Thermal Master
display lit up around 10 seconds but took about 26 seconds to fully boot, the slowest full boot of any camera tested
- 12BSIDE10.9 seconds
Concrete floor accuracy (target 64.9F)
- 1HSFTOOLS HF96
read 65.5F, off by 0.6, second place on this test
- 2HSFTOOLS F2W
read 66.1F, described as performing better than average
- 3AMPBANK H128
read 66F, called better than average
- 4TOPDON
read 66.8F, called not quite as accurate as the F2W at the same price point
- 5MILESEEY
read 64.1F, within a fraction of a degree of the target
- 6FOXWELL
read 64.2F, within a fraction of a degree of the target, third place on this test
- 7GOYOJO GH192
read 67F, a little closer to target than the Bside camera
- 8FLIR
read 62.1F, off target by more than average
- 9Flagfront
read 64.8F, missing the target by only 0.1 degrees, the closest of all 12 cameras on this test
- 10Teslong
read 62.3F, missing the target by more than most other brands
- 11Thermal Master
read 6.6F, described in the transcript as way off target; given the roughly 60 degree gap this looks like a dropped digit in the caption (a reading nearer 66F would fit the pattern of the rest of the field), kept as stated verbatim rather than corrected
- 12BSIDE
read 67.5F with emissivity set to 95, off by around 2.5 degrees
Image quality (wall/insulation test)
- 1HSFTOOLS HF96
provided more color detail than several other brands, showing hot/cold contrast and even visible nail heads through the wall studs; rated a very good 2 in the subjective image quality scoring
- 2HSFTOOLS F2W
called the best looking display so far by the narrator, with red, yellow, green, blue, and orange colors providing more detail than other cameras; rated best on the subjective scale at 1.5
- 3AMPBANK H128
good temperature accuracy but the display offered less resolution and temperature detail than some other brands
- 4TOPDON
display not as crisp as some other brands but still offered more color detail than most
- 5MILESEEY
offered quite a bit of color contrast for temperature variation with a labeled scale, described as more detailed than the previous (cheaper) brands
- 6FOXWELL
crisp image but only two colors shown versus three to five colors on several other brands
- 7GOYOJO GH192
much more crisp than the Bside's display, with easy to read hot/cold lines and a large, eye strain reducing temperature font
- 8FLIR
did not offer as much resolution as the F2W, Topdon, or Thermal Master given its price, but is the only camera tested that combines a thermal sensor with a visible light camera
- 9Flagfront
not nearly as crisp as the GH192's display, but still better than the Bside's
- 10Teslong
less color detail than the HF96, only shades of blue with no reds, yellows, or greens, and not a very crisp image
- 11Thermal Master
has a zoom feature and a nice looking display with good temperature variation detail
- 12BSIDE
blurry image but dark blue cold spots (air leaks, lack of insulation) and cooler stud/joist lines were still visible
High temp accuracy (target 440.2F)
- 1HSFTOOLS HF96
read 438F, within 2.2 degrees of target
- 2HSFTOOLS F2W
within 0.5 degrees of target
- 3AMPBANK H128
read 440.1F, called very close to perfect
- 4TOPDON
within 0.2 degrees of target, called near the top of the field
- 5MILESEEY
briefly overshot and undershot before landing exactly on the 440.2F target, moving into the lead on this test
- 6FOXWELL
within 1.6 degrees of target, slightly over, called continuing to perform well
- 7GOYOJO GH192
missed the 440.2F target by 4.5 degrees, described as still pretty good and more accurate than the Bside
- 8FLIR
read about 439F, performing better than average
- 9Flagfront
missed the 440.2F target by over 15 degrees, matching the Bside's poor result on this test
- 10Teslong
missed the 440.2F target by around 67 degrees, by far the largest miss of any camera on this test; flagged as a possible caption or unit malfunction given the size of the miss relative to every other brand, kept as stated rather than corrected
- 11Thermal Master
read about 440F, called much more accurate at high temperature and almost perfect
- 12BSIDE
constantly fluctuating reading, closest approach was still off by around 15.5 degrees from the 440.2F target
Image quality (space heater test)
- 1HSFTOOLS HF96
judged to offer the best combination of a crisp image and color detail at that point in the video; tied for third place with Mileseey in the subjective rating with a score of 2
- 2HSFTOOLS F2W
called in a league of its own, able to show the grill on the space heater in complete darkness; tied for first place with Thermal Master in the subjective rating with the best possible score of 1
- 3AMPBANK H128
looked about as impressive as the Mileseey, with the heating element easy to contrast against the surroundings
- 4TOPDON
did not come out on top for image clarity or contrast, though still better than some other brands
- 5MILESEEY
called the best looking image so far at that point in the video, with good resolution and easy to see temperature variation; tied for third place with HF96 in the subjective rating with a score of 2
- 6FOXWELL
not quite as detailed as Mileseey or H128, but still a fairly crisp display
- 7GOYOJO GH192
continued to outperform the Bside camera for resolution and overall image quality with noticeably more detail
- 8FLIR
not as crisp or as high contrast as some other brands
- 9Flagfront
quite a bit better than the Bside camera, though not as crisp as the GH192
- 10Teslong
not performing nearly as well as other brands at delineating temperature variation through color and sharpness
- 11Thermal Master
tied for first place with the F2W in the subjective rating with the best possible score of 1, called just as impressive as the F2W for clarity and contrast
- 12BSIDE
lacked resolution and detail compared to every other brand, though hot spots were still identifiable
Freezer accuracy (target 14F)
- 1HSFTOOLS HF96
read exactly 14F, called very impressive and moved into the lead on this test
- 2HSFTOOLS F2W
off target by 1.3 degrees, performing quite a bit better than average
- 3AMPBANK H128
read 14.1F, called about as close to perfect as it gets, moved into the lead on this test
- 4TOPDON
off target by 1.7 degrees, called performing near the top once again
- 5MILESEEY
off target by 4.2 degrees, called performing well
- 6FOXWELL
off target by 6.6 degrees, called not quite as accurate as the H128 for cold temperature
- 7GOYOJO GH192
off target by 2.4 degrees, performing quite a bit better than the Bside once again
- 8FLIR
read 14.1F, called very precise, tied with the H128 and HF96 for accuracy on this test
- 9Flagfront
read 14.2F, very close to target, moved into the lead on this test at that point
- 10Teslong
off target by just over 4 degrees, continuing to trail the HF96
- 11Thermal Master
described as way off target once again, no specific reading given
- 12BSIDE
closest reading was 24.9F, just under 11 degrees off target, the worst result on this test
Reflective aluminum wheel accuracy (target 23.1F)
- 1HSFTOOLS HF96
off target by 7.8 degrees, more than most other brands on this specific test
- 2HSFTOOLS F2W
undershot the target by just under 6 degrees
- 3AMPBANK H128
off target by 6.9 degrees, more than most other brands on this specific test
- 4TOPDON
off target by only 0.7 degrees, performing quite a bit better than average
- 5MILESEEY
off target by 11.8 degrees, the largest miss on this specific test among the brands with a number stated
- 6FOXWELL
off target by 3.5 degrees, performing almost as well as the H128
- 7GOYOJO GH192
off target by only 1.1 degrees, continuing to outperform the Bside
- 8FLIR
off target by 8.6 degrees, more than average
- 9Flagfront
off target by 7.5 degrees
- 10Teslong
hit the 23.1F target exactly, the first camera in the lineup to do so on this test, moving into the lead
- 11Thermal Master
described as way out of calibration for the low temperature range once again, no specific reading given
- 12BSIDE
off target by 2.3 degrees, called pretty good
Drop test
- 1HSFTOOLS HF96
survived a roughly 6.5 ft (2 m) drop with no damage, along with all 11 other cameras tested
- 2HSFTOOLS F2W
survived a roughly 6.5 ft (2 m) drop with no damage, along with all 11 other cameras tested
- 3AMPBANK H128
survived a roughly 6.5 ft (2 m) drop with no damage, along with all 11 other cameras tested
- 4TOPDON
survived a roughly 6.5 ft (2 m) drop with no damage, along with all 11 other cameras tested
- 5MILESEEY
survived a roughly 6.5 ft (2 m) drop with no damage, along with all 11 other cameras tested
- 6FOXWELL
survived a roughly 6.5 ft (2 m) drop with no damage, along with all 11 other cameras tested
- 7GOYOJO GH192
survived a roughly 6.5 ft (2 m) drop with no damage, along with all 11 other cameras tested
- 8FLIR
survived a roughly 6.5 ft (2 m) drop with no damage, along with all 11 other cameras tested
- 9Flagfront
survived a roughly 6.5 ft (2 m) drop with no damage, along with all 11 other cameras tested
- 10Teslong
survived a roughly 6.5 ft (2 m) drop with no damage, along with all 11 other cameras tested
- 11Thermal Master
survived a roughly 6.5 ft (2 m) drop with no damage, along with all 11 other cameras tested
- 12BSIDE
survived a roughly 6.5 ft (2 m) drop with no damage, along with all 11 other cameras tested
How it was tested
- boot up time
- temperature accuracy on a calibrated concrete floor (about 64.9F target)
- image quality and temperature contrast on an insulated wall showing studs, joists, and nail heads
- temperature accuracy on hot steel with a thermal probe reference (about 440.2F target)
- image quality and temperature contrast on a space heater
- temperature accuracy on a frozen 10 lb steel block (about 14F target)
- temperature accuracy on a shiny aluminum wheel with adjusted emissivity (about 23.1F target)
- drop test from about 6.5 ft (2 m)
“the HF-96 came out on top with the best average finish at 4.7. It's a great all-around performer when it comes to accuracy and it has a pretty good quality display. For a price of around $166, it would definitely be my choice if it's all about value.”
Data notes and caveats
Twelve thermal cameras tested. Several brand names required resolution against the description's 12-brand list: Beside/Besaid resolved to BSIDE (price and testing order), Mileseey/Milissey/Milacy/Mil-C all resolved to MILESEEY, Foxwell/Foxwill resolved to FOXWELL, Testlong/Teslong/Testo(long) resolved to Teslong, and HF-96/HF96 and F2W resolved to the two HSFTOOLS models named in the description. All other brand names (GOYOJO GH192, Flagfront, AMPBANK H128, Topdon, FLIR, Thermal Master) matched the description literally. The narrator gives three distinct top picks in the closing verdict: HF96 as the outright winner (best average finish, 4.7) and value pick; F2W and H128 tied for second (4.9 average finish); H128 named separately and explicitly as the budget pick at about $133; and the narrator's personal favorite for image quality is the F2W, distinct from all of the above rankings. All 12 cameras passed the roughly 6.5 ft drop test with no damage, so that result is repeated identically across every product entry rather than being a meaningful point of differentiation. The Thermal Master shows a repeated, consistent pattern of large misses specifically on cooler-temperature tests (concrete floor, freezer, aluminum wheel) while performing very well on the one hot-temperature test, which reads as a genuine low-range calibration issue with this unit; its single concrete-floor numeric reading of 6.6F is additionally flagged as a likely caption dropped-digit error given the roughly 60 degree gap from every other camera's reading in that test. The Teslong's roughly 67 degree miss on the high temperature test is similarly flagged as an outlier worth independent verification, since it is far larger than any other camera's miss on that same test.
