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Intercomp Racing: EST-65 Infrared Thermometer

Intercomp Racing's EST-65 Infrared ThermometerCylinders, shocks, heat exchangers, engine coolant, drive belts, hoses, clutches, cylinder heads, water jackets, fuel, exhaust pipes, Y-pipes, silencers, brake pads, brake discs: All are parts on a snowmobile that might need their temperature measured for diagnosis and tuning, and the Intercomp EST-65 Infrared Thermometer makes it easy.

Suspect that a cylinder isn’t running? Squeeze the trigger and point the bright red laser beam at each cylinder to help diagnose. Need to confirm whether coolant is circulating? Point the tool at the snowmobile’s heat exchangers and compare the readings.

Among the many things that I’ve pointed the laser toward, the drive belt sidewall on our 2010 Polaris 800 Dragon Switchback was 129 degrees F, the sheave on the primary clutch was 117 degrees F. To my surprise, the exhaust silencer was only 126 degrees F. During the photo shoot for this product, we compared its readings to those of a costlier infrared thermometer and found that the Intercomp registered a few degrees cooler. That’s not to say our tool was incorrect, but the observation is interesting, nonetheless.

The unit’s optics gather energy emitted from an object, transfer it into a detector and then translates the information so it can give a temperature reading; all of this takes about a second. Temperature measurement range of the EST-65 is minus 58 degrees F to 1022 degrees F. (For you Canadian folks, push the button to switch to Celsius.)


We’ve used Intercomp’s scales to weigh snowmobiles, and like those high-tech systems, the Infrared Thermometer looks, feels and performs like a high-quality tool. It has a comfortable, smooth-plastic body and a rubbery feel in the grip areas and parts that might be subjected to more shock.

At about 6 inches tall and less than 2 inches thick, it’s light, portable and easy to stuff in a coat pocket for on-trail test-and-tune sessions. The $139 tool — a price that’s in line with other quality, infrared thermometers I’ve seen — includes a 9-volt battery and padded, sturdy pouch for protection.

— Andy Swanson

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