Modern thermometers score cool marks in Consumer Council test
More accurate and less expensive, the Consumer Council rated old-fashioned instruments higher
A high-priced, modern thermometer isn't necessarily the most accurate tool for taking your temperature. Rather, tests by the Consumer Council showed that old-fashioned stick-shaped instruments did better, despite being cheaper.
The council tested 25 different models of home electronic thermometer for accuracy, consistency of readings and mechanical strength.
Of those, seven stick thermometers for measuring oral, armpit or rectal temperature scored full marks in overall performance. No models containing mercury were tested, as they are increasingly unavailable.
The old thermometers were less expensive overall, costing HK$43 to HK$179. The newer, more expensive models cost HK$229 to HK$850.
"A good thermometer is your first line of alert against fever, a sign of many communicable diseases [and] has to be highly accurate," the council said in a statement. "But it does not necessarily have to be highly priced. On the contrary, the reverse is true."
In accuracy tests - measuring objects at three temperatures three times - newer models measuring the ear and forehead performed poorly.