duplicated discussion
You realize that a $400 Flir is bottom of the line garbage for all intents and purposes, right?
Did you ask his opinion? I’m sure he has many. What did he tell you? You have asked such a broad and open ended question, you would be better off listing what tools you think you should have to start, and we can give input from there if we care to. Have you bothered to Search this MB first for the hundreds of other posts by newbies that already exist?
Fair enough. I appreciate your candor and directness. I have asked my father and others for their recommendations. I guess I was looking for other’s top “must have” tools in their bag. I’ll continue to research and leverage my resources elsewhere.
You will quickly learn, I hope.
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There’s a long list of tools, so it would be a load of work to list all my recommendations. Instead, I suggest starting with a starter set of the bare minimum that your father uses and practice with those while you’re in training. Build your tools as you go because you might find that Gadget A that seemed great on paper actually sucks in practice.
Also, for me it turned out that some of the guys I trained with would not allow Gadget A and required me to have Gadget B, ergo I wasted money on Gadget A. For example, pin-type moisture meter vs noninvasive. I also found over time that I never used Gadget C that I thought would be the bees knees. For example, don’t think that you definitely must have a drone up front.
Figure out if it’s something you need in your inspections by doing inspections. Takes time. Go for the low end basic set first, that way if you end up not liking something you haven’t lost much and maybe it becomes an emergency spare.
So, with that in mind, I’d make a list of the bare bones, do some research, then come back and ask about Brand/Model X vs Y. Or, “here’s my list, what would you add/remove?” Those questions are much easier to answer.
This isn’t meant to be a full list, it’s just a sample of the basics that comes to mind at the moment:
Camera
Flashlight
Receptacle tester
Voltage tester
Cordless drill
Ladder
Binoculars
Thermometer
Report software
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Ken, thanks for your time, reply and input. Great suggestions. I’ll do some additional research and come back with specific tool questions in the future once I get out in the field more. Have a great weekend!
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Sounds good, and ignore the cranky jerks. Shitting on the new guy is a 'nachi thing unfortunately, some of them seem to have nothing better to do
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Thanks again, I appreciate that. I don’t take anything personal. I learned a bit about some of the audience out there and I’ll be more mindful next time I’m posting.
Lol, new inspector hazing I suppose 
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Oh I like that, may I have another!? LOL
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Inspectors starting out do not NEED to get into the Thermal aspect of the business at all. They need to FIRST learn what the hell they are doing before investing in worthless toys in hopes it will tell them what they never learned to begin with!!
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My thermal camera stays in my bag 99% of the time during home inspections. It has specific useful applications which seldom apply to a home inspection.
The second problem with them is this…get it wrong and you may find yourself up against an expert witness who will tear apart your crappy toy and lack of training.
Do you know how many thermal images go into my report? Even if I use it during the home inspection? Less than one. 
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Thank you for acknowledging my point coming across as intended!!
None of those low budget gimmicks even come close to Entry Level for a Home Inspector. They are intended for Homeowners. Flir’s words, not mine! If you want to continue abusing the horse, there are many, many threads on this MB, so the same advice to you… Use the Search feature and LOOK IT UP!!
I’m done here… for now!
No, it is not the same. That resolution matters.
But for a general home inspection, lower resolution is typically ok because you are not doing a technically exhaustive inspection. It is a tool for basic investigation.
Before we go farther…that brings up a point. I have seen on more than one occasion missing insulation called out on a house with a thermal camera when in fact a nearby window was reflecting heat onto a ceiling (or other heat producing components).
Just an example of how training is critical.
Leaks are another good example. I will never call out a leak as definitive when the only indicator is an anomaly captured by thermal camera.
@jjonas point is, almost all anomalies caught with a thermal camera can be detected prior by a well trained and experienced home inspector.
And if you do not have a good delta T, then what? Back to the basics of inspecting.
Edit: Just know your limits and the limitations of the tool. You can get basic use out of a low resolution camera if you know what you are doing, no argument there.
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I used a Flir One Pro for my first few months and then it stopped charging. Now I have a hacked E4 and I use it on every inspection. I have yet to include any pictures from it in a report though. I use it for CYA for the furnace and AC and if I am waiting for the client to arrive I scan as much of the house as possible while I wait. The best use so far has been the impressed look by clients and agents when they walk in and I am scanning the rooms. But one of these days it will pay off by finding a hidden leak!
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Very true, nothing wrong with that. They love when I put my hand on the wall and they can see the ghost image or my footprints.
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