What Brand Of Thermometer Do You Use?

[mayweatherking]

I have two digital thermometers I bought. One is a vicks and the other is a reli on. Both are giving me a widely different picture of my temperature. They vary in temp up to 1.5 degrees. Although not far off, it is clearly a problem for tracking temperature if I don't know what I'm actually at.

I have seen at walmart others that look to be similar to a mercury thermometer but using a different material.

Any one know of one they can recommend to buy locally ? Or something off amazon that they know is legit? Something like top of the line. Preferably digital.

 

[sele]

Look for old school glass thermometer with mercury filling.
I think they're better.
Really hard to find. Almost extinct.
I had someone bring me a few from India.

 

[Milena]

Look for old school glass thermometer with mercury filling.
I think they're better.
Really hard to find. Almost extinct.
I had someone bring me a few from India.

Wish I could get on in UK to replace mine I lost a few years ago. You can get 'mercury' glass thermometers quite cheaply on the net but I hesitate because the price is SOOO cheap; I reckon they would be inaccurate and/or unstable.

 

[sele]

They are cheap because they are considered 'dangerous' around children for their mercury filling.
Plus companies market them that way to make money on newer products.

 

[Milena]

They are cheap because they are considered 'dangerous' around children for their mercury filling.
Plus companies market them that way to make money on newer products.

Sweet :)

 

[mayweatherking]

They are cheap because they are considered 'dangerous' around children for their mercury filling.
Plus companies market them that way to make money on newer products.

Sweet :)

can u link to one of where to buy a mercury thermometer?

 

[Milena]

can u link to one of where to buy a mercury thermometer?

Just put 'mercury thermometer' into Amazon.co.uk. I won't confuse things by linking to a specific brand/seller.

 

[aguilaroja]

I have two digital thermometers I bought....Both are giving me a widely different picture of my temperature. They vary in temp up to 1.5 degrees. Although not far off, it is clearly a problem for tracking temperature if I don't know what I'm actually at....

There’s no perfect thermometer, in my experience. For busy people, an ear thermometer like the Braun models works decently. If that is too pricey, the drugstore type digital thermometers are workable. Measure several times for one sitting and use the highest temp for tracking. If you have time and are old school, the Geratherm-type glass (no mercury) ones still do well.
- -
Here are a few things:

(a) AVOID using the underarm (axillary) measurement as a regular gauge. It is just unreliable for too many people. Many people using underarm measures report numbers not consistent with life, or reflecting life-threatening hypothermia, if numbers were accurate. (Yes, I know Broda Barnes used underarm temps. I’ve read his books and papers.)

(b) If using ANY kind of digital (electric) thermometer, measure three times in a row and then use the highest value.

Every electronic thermometer, whether cheap or super-expensive pro, gives moment to moment variations of some tenths of a degree or more. I’ve checked with dozens of models and thousands of trials over years. And yes, I’ve checked mouth, ear, forehead and rectal versions.

(c) Cross-checking with high end digital devices, the Geratherm brand non-mercury glass thermometer seemed to work well and consistently. However, it is much slower to use (several minutes) and it is important to get the thermometer bulb well under the tongue. The Geratherm brand is harder to read than a digital one. It take several strong moves to shake it down to reset.

(d) Using the highest-of-three approach, many semi-cheap digital oral thermometer work okay for tracking changes over the long term. They will at least help spot trends up or down, and spot high fevers.

(e) Moderately priced ear thermometers like the Braun series match pretty well with the high-end mouth thermometer models and are of course easier to use. It is still necessary to take several readings and use the highest for tracking.

(f) There is much temperature recording variation relating to time of day, activity and travel time zone change. For oral measurement, recent hot/cool food/beverage may interfere.

(g) The ideal would be measuring several times throughout the day.
Practically speaking, any data is better than none. If there one time of day that is easiest, such as middle of the day or on waking, go for it, to follow trends.

(h) If it is consolation, temperature measure in medicine is amazing imperfect, even though doctors, nurses & others use it millions of times per day for decision making.

 

[mayweatherking]

There’s no perfect thermometer, in my experience. For busy people, an ear thermometer like the Braun models works decently. If that is too pricey, the drugstore type digital thermometers are workable. Measure several times for one sitting and use the highest temp for tracking. If you have time and are old school, the Geratherm-type glass (no mercury) ones still do well.
- -
Here are a few things:

(a) AVOID using the underarm (axillary) measurement as a regular gauge. It is just unreliable for too many people. Many people using underarm measures report numbers not consistent with life, or reflecting life-threatening hypothermia, if numbers were accurate. (Yes, I know Broda Barnes used underarm temps. I’ve read his books and papers.)

(b) If using ANY kind of digital (electric) thermometer, measure three times in a row and then use the highest value.

Every electronic thermometer, whether cheap or super-expensive pro, gives moment to moment variations of some tenths of a degree or more. I’ve checked with dozens of models and thousands of trials over years. And yes, I’ve checked mouth, ear, forehead and rectal versions.

(c) Cross-checking with high end digital devices, the Geratherm brand non-mercury glass thermometer seemed to work well and consistently. However, it is much slower to use (several minutes) and it is important to get the thermometer bulb well under the tongue. The Geratherm brand is harder to read than a digital one. It take several strong moves to shake it down to reset.

(d) Using the highest-of-three approach, many semi-cheap digital oral thermometer work okay for tracking changes over the long term. They will at least help spot trends up or down, and spot high fevers.

(e) Moderately priced ear thermometers like the Braun series match pretty well with the high-end mouth thermometer models and are of course easier to use. It is still necessary to take several readings and use the highest for tracking.

(f) There is much temperature recording variation relating to time of day, activity and travel time zone change. For oral measurement, recent hot/cool food/beverage may interfere.

(g) The ideal would be measuring several times throughout the day.
Practically speaking, any data is better than none. If there one time of day that is easiest, such as middle of the day or on waking, go for it, to follow trends.

(h) If it is consolation, temperature measure in medicine is amazing imperfect, even though doctors, nurses & others use it millions of times per day for decision making.

i have that glass one! it doesnt seem accurate to me. it keeps going up the longer i use it. like ill leave it in for the 3 mins it says. then i see the reading. then if i keep it in another 2 or 3 mins, it will go higher then before? do you start it at the very very bottom?

 

[Dan W]

Wow, aguilaroja basically wrote down all of my thoughts on thermometers. I'm at a point where trends (and frequent convenient testing) are more important than high accuracy, so I've been really happy with the Braun Thermoscan 5.

i have that glass one! it doesnt seem accurate to me. it keeps going up the longer i use it. like ill leave it in for the 3 mins it says. then i see the reading. then if i keep it in another 2 or 3 mins, it will go higher then before? do you start it at the very very bottom?

For me, a good 8-10 minutes seemed necessary to have it stabilize. So I just standardized on stopping after a fixed amount of time (with it reset to the very bottom). Whipping it around in a sock helps reset it fast, and lets you pretend you're using nunchucks.

But ultimately I think digitals are a more sustainable habit, you just have to account for their quirks.

 

[aguilaroja]

... I'm at a point where trends (and frequent convenient testing) are more important than high accuracy, so I've been really happy with the Braun Thermoscan 5.

i have that glass one! it doesnt seem accurate to me. it keeps going up the longer i use it. like ill leave it in for the 3 mins it says. then i see the reading. then if i keep it in another 2 or 3 mins, it will go higher then before? do you start it at the very very bottom?

For me, a good 8-10 minutes seemed necessary to have it stabilize. So I just standardized on stopping after a fixed amount of time (with it reset to the very bottom). Whipping it around in a sock helps reset it fast, and lets you pretend you're using nunchucks....

My experience is similar to @Dan Wich ’s. For the glass thermometers, it helps to have the bulb clearly near the back, under the tongue. 3-5 minutes seems like a minimum for recording approximate temperature. Things can drift up one one or a few tenths doing longer. Based on checking with other devices, this seems to reflect an individual’s short term variations.

I also find things work best if the glass thermometer is shaken down. I have used centrifugal maneuvers to do this, but never sock nunchuks. :)

 

[johnsmith]

Are you still using that thermometer brand/model @Dan Wich ?

 

[Dan W]

Yep, I'm still happy with it.

 

[johnsmith]

Bump

 

[tastyfood]

Been using the Vicks digital one under arm. It works as long as you keep it in the armpit for 10 minutes prior to reading. When you turn it on, don't remove it from under the arm pit. It won't beep, but you will still see the measurement.

The glass one is nice, and almost provide the same temperate as Vicks after comparing a couple of times.

 

[exile]

Been using the Vicks digital one under arm. It works as long as you keep it in the armpit for 10 minutes prior to reading. When you turn it on, don't remove it from under the arm pit. It won't beep, but you will still see the measurement.

The glass one is nice, and almost provide the same temperate as Vicks after comparing a couple of times.

Do you have a new glass one or is it older? So you’ll hold the Vicks under for 10 minutes and then press the button to turn it on?

 

[tastyfood]

Do you have a new glass one or is it older? So you’ll hold the Vicks under for 10 minutes and then press the button to turn it on?

Yes, that's how I use the Vicks. It's important to turn it on while you have it under the arm pit. otherwise, heat dissipates quickly and you'll get a lower reading.

I have the glass one that was recommended here, the Geratherm. I used it today for the first time to compare with the Vicks.

 

[mostlylurking]

I have two digital thermometers I bought. One is a vicks and the other is a reli on. Both are giving me a widely different picture of my temperature. They vary in temp up to 1.5 degrees. Although not far off, it is clearly a problem for tracking temperature if I don't know what I'm actually at.

I have seen at walmart others that look to be similar to a mercury thermometer but using a different material.

Any one know of one they can recommend to buy locally ? Or something off amazon that they know is legit? Something like top of the line. Preferably digital.

The old fashioned mercury thermometers work for recording the subtleties of hypothyroidism and also for ovulation. The new fangled digital thermometers are garbage. I went through FIVE of them July of 2020 trying to discern if I had gotten a bad batch of prescription Acella NP Thyroid (which had worked well for me the prior five years). The company was very helpful; the Acella representative called me on a Sunday to get my batch number and I asked him about the digital thermometer problem. He told me they are completely unreliable and lots of people call about the issue fearing they have a bad batch of their product which makes his job very busy/secure.

I only use mercury thermometers now. I've bought via Ebay. Here's one source. I find it outrageous that the Powers that Be have banned these things so people cannot even take their own temperature accurately.

 

[bornamachine]

I had a mercury one, it fell and broke. Walmart sells same style equate brand, made in Germany with a mercury substitute, works well under armpit but takes about 3-5 mins, mercury is quicker.

I think armpit is a very accurate place to measure core temp. Unless you just flaled your arms or took a dip in the pool, your core temp should be pretty accurate between the armpit and your chest especially if you are dressed.

Digital ones suck, instant ones are inaccurate, slow ones are better, glass ones described above are the best.

 

[exile]

Yes, that's how I use the Vicks. It's important to turn it on while you have it under the arm pit. otherwise, heat dissipates quickly and you'll get a lower reading.

I have the glass one that was recommended here, the Geratherm. I used it today for the first time to compare with the Vicks.

Thanks. I have a Vicks comfort flex and will give the underarm method a try. I always wanted get the temp via armpit since that is what Broad Barnes recommends and in the book he doesn’t ever seem to give comparisons in temp for underarm vs oral. Does anyone else recommend or use the geratherm or equate glass ones for underarm temp?