IR Thermometer - useful or no?

I just ran across this little widget at work: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000MX5Y9C/?tag=skimlinks_replacement-20

I've played around with it a bit with varying results. Specifically, I have no way to really caliberate it. When I zap my hand, for example, it reads 90 degrees. I'd expect higher, but that just may be the normal surface temp of my skin - not the balmy 98.6 of my mouth or... other orifaces where I could take my temp.

Anyway, anybody ever messed around with something like this for brewing? Is it sensitive / accurate enough to monitor the temp of your mash?

Focus

Accuracy isn't the issue. It will only tell you surface temps, so not really good for the mash. Cool toy though,...we have one at work too.

They are a bit tricky to use,... if you point it at a mirror, you will not be measuring the mirror, but what is reflected by the mirror. If you point it at a black matte surface, you will be measuring correct.
They are usually calibrated to read correct for a reflectiveness somewhere in between,...

cheers,
walther

As replied above the reflective values will have a big dfference in the readings.
I don't think much of the plus/minus 2 degrees F, may be ok reading high header or exhaust temps. I have an older Fluke 52 with dual probe and hold feature that is 3 times more accurate at plus/minus .666 degrees F with a 8" long probe to poke into the mash.

You could use it for measuring things like sparge water temps, and I would think it would be reasonably accurate checking to see how close you are to a boil. Actually, I would imagine it would work pretty well for checking temperatures as you are cooling the wort, there shouldn't be too much temperature stratifications.

Cool toy/tool. I wouldn't spend $90 on one, myself - I'd rather spend the money on one of those really nice, fast, accurate digital thermometers (Thermapen, I think, is one of the brand names). Something like this:

I bought one of those thinking that it was going to work great for brewing. The only problem is that it is not accurate when there is steam or vapors in the air between the target object, and the sensor. Unfortunately, I didn't realize that until after I bought it and started reading the paperwork that came with it....

I have used ir pyrometers at work and while being very handy they always leave you suspicous of the real temp.
They require compensation based on something called emmisivity and it in itslef is almost as complicated as brewing beer.
I have used thermocouples, rtds, and various old school bimetalic analog gauges resembling meat thermometers.
The old stuff I feel more comfortable with. Thermocouples seems to bounce all over the place. Rtds, the same but more exspensive.
Simple and cheap will do fine.
r