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I received a Toko iron the other day and today I tested it out. No so good news. First of all you need to convert to Fahrenheit from Celsius, no problem. Here is the rub, these irons only go to 160deg C. that is 330deg F. I have 3 different temperature devices that measure accurate readings, one of them is a certified Diroc. This iron was off its own shown readings 20-30 degrees lower. Perhaps others have tested theirs and I have defective iron but Monday it will be in the mail to the supplier
Sounds like you got a T14? The T18 goes to 356 (180C) degrees, or is supposed to. I've got a T18 but haven't tested it yet.
Clark
I assume your using an infra red thermometer. My thermometer advised me that the surface make up of the item may alter the accuracy. I tested my polished aluminum iron with it and it was totally inaccurate. If I tested a black teflon surfaced iron my thermometer was very accurate. I verified this with the analog dial type thermometer with the silicone heat sink I bought originally when I purchased irons to do Poly Fiber fabric. My Tocos has an aluminum surface but I polished it to a sheen. Try laying your iron onto a surface, allow time to really stabilize. Remove your iron and test your surface. It may not be that far off. Just a thought.
Eddie
Eddie's comments are right on... infrared thermometers can be notoriously inaccurate on shiny or reflective surfaces. The most accurate readings will be from a flat black surface. Check with a "real" thermometer if you want to be sure of what you've got within the accuracy that you're talking about, Jim. I know you said you had three different thermometers, so you may have something for cross-checking accurately. What I usually use for something like this is a digital thermistor, or a thermocouple type, and put the probe directly in contact with the iron plate, maybe between it and an ironing board for instance.
My Toko T-14 only goes to a maximum of 320 deg. F. By the way, 160 deg Celsius is 320 deg F, not 330. That was plenty high enough to get what shrink I needed with my Oratex.
The type of sensors I used, one from Poly fiber thermometer type, one from Super flight, a coiled spring and a thermocouple type, all were within a deg or two of each other. I never liked the infrared as you are correct on the light/reflective or dark surface makes a difference. John, you are correct on the conversion is 320 not, 330. I will see if the supplier has the 18 model for the 350deg. What I did like with this iron over my house hold irons that I have used in the past is the iron did keep the temperature consistent with no spikes.
I've just finished one wing fabric covering and used the Toko T14 for the 250F shrink. I tried measuring the base surface temp with an infrared thermometer - no joy. Yes, the shiny surface affects the reading - massively. So I used a simple thermometer. The Toko temp was within a few degrees of the thermometer. I used a household iron with an aluminium base for the 350F final shrink. Temp measurement with the infrared thermometer was no problem and within a few degrees of the thermometer. If I had my time over, I'd probably do away with the Toko and simply use a household iron.