September 26, 2016 - We got a Harbor Freight coupon last week that offered their laser thermometer for half price. I have for over forty years blued firearms and found that controlling the temperature of the bluing solution was the diciest part of the job. Hand-holding a thermometer within inches of boiling caustic (sodium nitrate and sodium hydroxide boiling at 290 degrees)) can cause serious burns….and having a thermometer that would let me to take a reading from several feet away seemed too good to be true.
So within minutes, we were on our way to Harbor Freight in Lufkin. But as we walked into the store, Pam suddenly burst out, "Oh, no….I forgot the coupon!" After an unsuccessful attempt to get the special price without the coupon, we returned home… (almost a hundred mile trip for nothing!)
We had hardly gotten home when Pam said, "Hey, let's go back to Lufkin." “I just called and they have three left". After a brief discussion about driving another 100 miles to save $30, we were back on the road again…and soon afterwards back on our way to San Augustine. On the way home, I checked the temperature of Pam's ear, the water of the Angelina and Attoyac Rivers, and the car's air conditioning vents. It worked like a charm, will read temps to 950 degrees, and it only took $30, 4 gallons of gas and a 200 mile drive to get it. Consequently, not only are we happy to own a laser thermometer….
….We're also happy to own a Toyota Prius.
