This HIKMICRO B20 256 x 192 IR Resolution Thermal Camera is a long-awaited addition to my toolkit! For many years, thermal imaging cameras and modules have been prohibitively expensive. Several years ago I gave in and bought an IR Thermal Camera module that attaches to my iPhone via the lightning port, and it was fine for what it did, but it was very low resolution and didn't do photo overlay (only side by side). I made do with this for a long time, but now that iPhones are saying farewell to physical connectors I knew it was time to revisit the technology to look for something stand-alone. The usual brands continue to offer a variety of quality thermal camera options, but they continue to be priced for business purchase rather than something some consumers might find approachable. When I realized HIKMICRO had a line of handheld IR Thermal Imagers at a somewhat more reasonable price point with better resolution imagers, I dug in and did my homework and I eventually chose this B20 model. It's on the higher end of the price range of their models, but I found a number of its features to be valuable enough to justify the price difference, primarily because I'll be using this unit for a variety of professional purposes.

I'm blown away by the size of the IR thermal sensor for the cost, and the ability to turn on the photo-overlay feature really clinched the deal for me. With this B20 I don't have to do any fancy photo editing and layering after the fact... the images are complete right out of the device. WiFi and USB connectivity are great, as is the ability to view the screen output on my phone or laptop. The ability to set alarms and set multiple fixed measurement points mean that if I'm trying to diagnose equipment that's having issues, I can set up the unit on a tripod or shelf and get real-time thermal measurement on multiple areas within the viewing area rather than having to point and click at individual spots sequentially. The auto-ranging high/low temperature points, the ability to adjust for parallax and emissivity, the high temperature range (up to 1000+ degrees), and even the built-in LED work-light are all welcome features. HIKMICRO packs a LOT of capability into a hand-held package. The retail box doubles as a storage case, though I'll eventually get a waterproof hard case with foam for better protection.

In terms of features and capabilities, the B20 stands head and shoulders above its competition. If not for a few specific things, I could have chosen one of several less expensive similar units from HIKMICRO as there are a number of foundational capabilities that are common across their model line. Based on my experiences with this unit, I'd absolutely recommend it for both personal and professional use. In the past month, I've used it to confirm that circuit boxes in high voltage environments didn't have any hotspots at their connection points and I've used it at home to track down some areas in my walls where weather-sealing will be needed. Thanks to its sensitivity, I've even used it to see where wall studs are located behind a vintage heavy-coat plaster wall (differences in thermal conductivity mean that the studs hold heat whereas empty wall cavities don't, and the coupling to the plaster wall meant I could see those warmer lines with the B20... an unexpected bonus that will come in handy!).

HIKMICRO has raised the bar in terms of higher resolution thermal imagers at more reasonable prices. They're making this technology accessible to consumers and small businesses in ways that their competitors don't seem to be willing to do yet. Whether you're using thermal imaging around the house or at the jobsite (or both), you'll wonder what you ever did without this kind of tool!

I'm very happy with this product considering it costs just a fraction of the similar Flir. It works, keeps the charge. So far so good

Great value - delivers on promises. Could benefit from focus & more streamlined menu/integration with smartphones & computers.

Disclaimer: I received this product for free to do an unbiased review.

When I received the thermal camera I was very impressed with the packaging, the solid construction and just overall appearance of the unit. When I powered it up I was pleasantly surprised by the screen clarity and the ergonomics of the menus but something was just a bit off when I tried using it to do real work.

I own two other thermal cameras and one is the tiny Flir One Pro for the iPhone which is very nice for traveling with, but has it's own set of issues. After spending hours with the B20 and the Flir I kept on trying them both in indoor and outdoor environments and in the end it was Obvious that even though the B20 has a much higher resolution thermal sensor it lacks the Dynamic range of the Flir. In layman terms it cannot see slight gradient changes in heat or cold but can accurately display and measure the extremes.

I have included several photos that best display the Issue.
The picture of an AC Vent duct in my workshop shows cold air leaking out of the corner and some poorly insulated areas under the wood. The Flir image (The picture with the name whited out) shows a lot more details of the spread of the cold leaking onto the surface of the duct cover. The same B20 shot shows a lot less of the detail and is not nearly as clear.

The Other pictures are of a very hot soldering Iron on my workbench. In the Flir Image you can see the the excess heat moving down to the handle versus the B20 which just picks up a lot less of the thermal data. I included a third image of the B20 with the soldering Iron to show what it looks like if you turn off the visible camera and only use the thermal camera sensor. As you can see everything goes extremely dark as it just blinded by the heat of the soldering iron and cannot see the temperature of anything else.
The Same picture taken with the Flir with the optical camera turned off shows the heat on the stand and even the heat absorbed by objects near to the soldering Iron.

I gave it four stars because it does accurately display the temperature of whatever it is pointed at and does work fairly well in certain situations but the lack of dynamic range in the sensor is going to be a problem for certain kinds of work. I really hope that HikMicro can get the sensor issue fixed with possibly a firmware update.

Both units in this test are comparatively priced if you include the cost of getting a dedicated phone as the screen for the Flir.

I don't have anything to really compare it to, but I love the function of it. I'm a bit disappointed that it did not come with a decent case, but I can work with that. It really is a useful product.