Customer Reviews
Wonderful for children as well as adults 
2007-03-08
Could never trust the ear thermometers, especially with my toddler and infant, so finally bought one of these - it is GREAT! Easy to use, non-invasive, very accurate (we tested it extensively by comparing it to the old-time mercury oral thermometers and it was dead-on every time). For children it is a must - it is so fast and easy. You can even take their temperature while they sleep. For adults, it provides a fast and accurate reading every time. One thermometer that I can TRUST for the entire family - it's well worth it.
Easy and Accurate 2006-12-16
Bought this thermometer after I had so many problems with the ear thermometer.
This is so easy to use and accurate. You don't need any disposable covers. The battery is included. Comes with easy to read/follow instructions.
You do not need to wake up any child to take their temperature. You don't have to press hard for a read. You just gently swipe it across the forehead to the temple area. It's fast easy and accurate.
Great Thermometer 2008-06-17
I just purchased the Exergen Temporal thermometer today from Walmart. My son had not been feeling well and I had finally had it with my Braun tympanic (ear) thermometer. I never felt like I could get an accurate reading. I am an RN, and we have been using the Exergen Temporal thermometer (professional model) for years.
When used correctly, it really does give an accurate reading. Using this model does take a bit of practice, but after a few tries you should get the hang of it. What I love about it is that you can take a temp. when your child is sleeping.
As other reviewers have noted, you press the button after the thermometer is touching the forehead and you let go of the button BEFORE you take it off. By the way, at work we were taught to "rub" the thermometer across the forehead and bring it down in front of the ear and stop at the bottom of the earlobe. If you look at the diagram on the back of the package, this is the route of the temporal artery. I have tried both methods, and both readings were nearly identical.
Of course being a nurse, I do have 2 digital thermometers at home (one for rectal temp. and one for oral temp). My Exergen temporal thermometer will be my first choice when taking a temperature on my kids, and I am sure they will appreciate it over the other choices ;)
Great. 2008-03-07
I bought this thermometer because I don't want to take a temp on my daughter rectally every time I think she might have a temperature. Our pediatrician wants a rectal temp to be seen for a sick appointment, so I can at least get an idea of if I need to go through that hassle. I do agree with the reviewer who said that its a bit difficult to know if the unit is placed flat on the forehead. I don't think that it is that hard though. We'll take this to out next appointment to see just how accurate it is.
Not consistent = useless! 
2008-02-09
I bought the Exergen based on the rave reviews here. I'll give the manufacturer the benefit of the doubt here and suggest that maybe I got a bum unit, but I doubt it. It seemed to function OK, but it didn't even begin to live up to my expectations.
I read the instructions carefully, and even looked up other tips as to how to use it properly on the web. The best readings I got were when I placed it on the forehead over one eye, dragged it slowly over to above the other eye, continuing over and down to the temple, then straight down the side of the face, stopping in front of the ear, with the whole process taking maybe 5 seconds. Whatever you do, don't press the button until the unit is in full skin contact, and you should release the button before removing the unit from skin contact.
That was maybe the 10th process I used and it was the most consistent, maybe +/- 1 degree F or so. Even so, every 3rd reading or so I'd get a +/- 2 F outlier, and so couldn't really trust it without some statistical evidence, hence the need for 5 or so readings to get any kind of feel for the real temp. Sorry, that's not good enough for me. Good try though.
Beyond the problems I experience with accuracy, the unit could be improved in other ways. The angle of the head is crazy, and prevents you from ever knowing if it is positioned squarely on the skin. Exergen, please remove the angle from the head! The erratic beeps given off during measurement are confusing, and after using it maybe 300 times I still had no idea what they were trying to tell me - and I'm no technophobe (not by a long shot). Finally, the activation button is too rubbery, and too prone to accidental release, and this combined with the cryptic beeping makes for a very frustrating user experience.
I ended up giving my unit away to a friend who has kids. He's almost has his PhD, so maybe he can figure out how to get accurate results from it. I'd recommend you avoid this and give the Thermofocus a try. I haven't actually tried that unit, but at least it doesn't require skin contact, and it's hard to believe it could be any worse than the Exergen.
Best way to get an accurate reading! 2007-09-19
We brought this thermometer to the hospital and after the Doctor took his reading, ours was within .1 of theirs. We are very comfortable and would suggest this product in a heartbeat (pun intended).
By Far, The Best Invention 2007-05-11
I was just in the hospital and they took my temperature with this type of thermometer. I immediately ordered this model because we could never master the ear, armpit, or under the tongue method. Totally unreliable and the kids hated all of them. This is unbelievable! Takes like 1 second to do and it's not invasive. I'm recommending it to every parent I know.
