Side by Side Comparison of: Taylor Precision Products vs AcuRite vs Utopia Home vs bai

Great big bang for the buck. It works great, and it's easy to see right out our window on the tree we strapped it around. We do live in LA so it never drops below freezing so I can't say it would pass the freeze-test. But we use it daily.

Part of my job is to bring awareness to what I do. I used this thermometer to put in the window of my vehicle with a doll and a stuffed animal. Hopefully this will remind people how fast a vehicle heats up and also not to leave a child or pet in a hot vehicle.

I put this outside the patio door so I can see it easily from inside. The numbers are easy to see and it is quite accurate. I really like it andthe price was better than the stores near me. It was also packaged nice with bubble wrap and was in excellent condition when it arrive.

Big. Big. BIG!!! Perfect for long range easy viewing. I use it for good visual cue for winter temperature monitoring for my home. My watchman can drive by and easily determine whether there may be a problem with a quick look.

I purchased this item to replace the exact same one that I had on our deck for at least ten years. It is a great item. Even though the temperature spring is exposed it does not affect the way the instrument works, unless a spider gets involved and builds a web i it. So it would be wise to check once and a while to make sure the spring is clear. A great purchase.

Works good. I have this inside a small chicken coop. I have a Foscam web cam inside the coop too and I can check on the temperature at any time. The red arm is barely noticeable at night when viewed through the webcam, which uses infrared for night vision. I'm guessing reflector tape on the arm would help with that, but I'm too lazy to make that modifcation. I don't know how accurate it is, but it's close enough for me.

I placed it just outside my backdoor on the door frame; where it's large face and numbers are clearly visible (even without reading glasses). It is well made and looks to be durable. I have had Taylor Thermometers over the years, and they have stayed the test of time and performed admirably. It's readings are right in line with the local weather report(s).

Great product for a cheap price...Except for it breaks when your kids hit it with a baseball.For those that are looking for inexpensive functionality.

Its is the best thermometer under $10 Ive ever had. Looks great. Seems to keep decent temps etc. Will it hold up to a hurricane? Doubt it. Does it state the same temp as the National Weather Center? Who cares. It is what it is. Mounted outside my workshop and its easy to read. Temps read the same as our thermostat for the house.

Yes it came out of adjustment. There's a brass slotted screw to adjust on back. Duh. Also the mount is made of really soft metal. But who cares it's $6 and it works great.

Replaced exactly the same one that was years old. We have a lot of sun and these deteriorate in the sunshine. Needed this as the other was knocked off by a bird and broke into a hundred pieces. Sun has a way of decomposing the plastic 'til it's so brittle it easy to break.

I recently ordered and received my Springfield Big and Bold Thermometer. The thermometer was received from shipper as promised. I purchased this thermometer for my shed, but after reading some of the reviews I placed it next to another thermometer,they stayed within a degree or two of each other all day Finally placed in shed..everything fine. The numbers are large and easy to read. If not exactly accurate ( a degree or two) so what..I'm not a meteorologist.This thermometer is an excellent value...thinking about getting another....

This is such an easy to read rain gauge. When the rain fills it, the numbers become clearer and larger so you can read them without straining your eyes. Excellent quality and looks like it will last for a very long time. I would definitely recommend this rain gauge.

Accurate, easy to read. "Planted" it in my garden. The magnifier allows me to see the rain depth from my porch. When it's done raining, I pull it up, empty it, and put it back for the next rain. Much easier to use, and much less expensive, than other rain gauges.

It functions as advertised. Large easy to read water level/rain level/sprinkler level. Entire unit is hard plastic. The tip-shaft is strong enough to absorb steady pressure pushing it into the ground without breaking. However, you might want to have something handy to make a slat in the ground, just in case you hit hard dirt. Gives you the facts of rainfall and how much you need to amend. I was surprised to learn that watering at high noon is a total waste of dollars.

It works, and I can read the levels from inside the house thanks to the large print and magnifying effect. I'm using two of these to measure the effectiveness of my sprinkler system as well as just measuring rainfall. Does the job.

Hubby wanted a rain gauge. So did our neighbor who bought a different one. Now like a couple of kids, they run out after a storm to compare their gauges. Me, I find it helpful to know when to water.

Love this rain gauge - wish I had gotten it many years ago. Clever design. I like the fact that the scale is graduated in 1/10 inch units for the first 4 inches and then in 2/10 increments for inch 5.Large scale is easy to read and the opening is large enough to be able to easily clean the unit if you choose to do so.IIt is easy to mount - I mounted mine to a 1x1 inch stake which I just stuck in my garden planter.We just got rain in Los Angeles in the past 24 hours and I have included a couple of pictures of the gauge in action.

Flimsy cheap BUT hanging up on our patio you sure can't tell. Works perfect. Good for the money.

This is large and easy to read but a little light weight for an outdoor thermometer. I compared it with the weather app on my phone several times the first day and it was spot on in accuracy. If you live in a windy climate like I do, just plan to hang it in a protected area. I did and I can still see it from my kitchen just fine.

wow....did not pay attention to the size measurements and was floored at how BIG it is...but...a good thing for us senior citizens...hope it just is accurate when summer comes.....

This outdoor thermometer is greatly appreciated. Easy to read and perfect size for us.

Only problem is in hanging it. I landed up making two holes near the top and threading a zip tie through them. It stayed in placed through strong winds. Big enough for an easy and accurate read 15 feet away.

This product is easy to read from a distance. It arrived in 2 days and appears to be bigger than I thought it would be. (which I like). The numbers are black, bold and very easy to read. I have checked it a couple of times for accuracy and it has been right on. Good product.

Now I can look out the window and double check the temperature on my digital thermometer on my coffee table.

Some reviews say this thermometer doesn't work but so far it's worked fine a check the temperature against another thermometer and it's pretty accurate so I gave it 4 stars thanks I like it a lot....

The thermometer appears to read correctly. It consistently matches the airport reading. It is what I expected and was a good value for the money.

Nice outside the window temperature. Not very accurate or little off but close enough.

It's working fine now. But when I received it, the pointer was not connected to the bimetallic spring. I had to figure out how to disassemble it so I could connect the two pieces. This was not difficult for me, but could stump somebody who's not accustomed to repairing things.Once assembled, it was easy to mount outside. Last night we had wind gusts that blew a step ladder around the corner of the house, but didn't affect this thermometer. That's a good thing!

I used it for my indoor shop, very light weight bracket. Checked it against my calibrated mercury color photo thermometer and was with 1 Deg. between 35- 80 degrees

This is easy to read. I only wish the base was longer since we don't usually get more than 1 inch of rain and it's hard to see the top of the water when the gauge is stuck into the dirt.

Easy to read. Just received so inserted it into the ground which will have to pull out each time to empty. May mount it on a decorative pole as the mounting holes are slotted and it will be easy to remove, dump out and then replace.

Very easy to read from 15' or more. I had one like it and got more cloudy and hard to read with each year. I hope they changed the type of material but my guess it may do the same over time.

SO MUCH better and less expensive than the electronic ones being offered. Just what I need; one more electronic device to require batteries, charging, updates, and eventually failure!

I bought several of these and put them all over my backyard. Now instead of guessing how long to run the sprinklers, I know how much water my plants are getting and how long to run them. I also know immediately when I have a sprinkler that is not working.

It's an inexpensive plastic rain gauge that will probably only last a season or two here in our near year round hot climate but what the hey. We are actually getting some rain as of this writing. I should say a deluge has hit. Looked out the window and the gauge is running full over the top. That's over 5" in less than three hours. Coincides with local weather report on T.V. Looks like it works.

I live in Southern California, where rain is rare. We had a big storm, with some wind, and heavy rain, and the cover came right off this thermometer. I replaced it, and it seems ok, but like I said, we do not have extreme weather here, most of the time.

somewhat flimsy - nice big numbers, but is not accurate so far. just put out yesterday and it is @ 5 deg off. maybe I can adjust?I would like to see more info and directions enclosed with item. Can I adjust it? OK outside in sun?? etc etc.

Love the size but the face is just a plastic popped in piece of cheap plastic. Had hung on patio for less then 5 min and the wind took it and the face popped off when it fell breaking one of the 3 plastic buttons that hold it on. Not sure why if the mechanics are a the back like a clock why they couldn't make it encased like the outdoor clock

It does what it does. The plastic face covering was cracked and broken when I received this thermometer. I use it in my garage and it's not worth returning for a replacement.

I'm replacing the same thermometer after over ten years of use. The old one was weathered and yellowed and was reading low this spring. I was hoping I wouldn't have to move the screws around on the side of the garage but they are spaced just a little differently on this one. The old thermometer had positive "U" shaped holes for the screws. This one has very shallow "V" shaped hangers and it has fallen off of the garage a few times so far. I just put washers on the screws and spaced them properly -- we'll see if it stays up.It's easy to read and reads more accurately than the one it is replacing.

Tells the temperature---at this time of year, mostly hot. I can read it easily, but there is nowhere to hang it. I knew that when I bought it; hence, it sits on the patio table. I have to figure out how to hang it where I can see it one day. I suppose it hasn't broken because it's lying flat on the table!

This is the 3rd one of these I have purchased. It is really kind of hit and miss whether or not you will get a working/semi-accurate thermometer. I have had to replace each one because it was accidentally knocked out of the mount bracket (very easy to do) and it shattered. Out of the 3, 2 were pretty accurate most of the time, one was way off. In all fairness, where I have it mounted it does get heat from the concrete around it, I really feel that it is not worth more than $3 or $4.

It works and is inexpensive---amazingly poorly made---if I had this item in my hands at a low end discount store I would have put it back.

Kinda accurate, but don't place it the direct tune or it will read like the surface of the sun...

I swear this didn't work, for weeks...every time I looked out to see the temperature, it read the same thing--though I was sure the temps outside WERE fluctuating. Yesterday, we had an extra nice day, and I was pleased to see the red needle had finally moved, and this morning, we've dropped back down to freezing--it says 20 degrees which sounds about right, so I guess I was wrong. Still not sure what was going on the first few weeks.

Not highly accurate (compared to old-school mercury tube outdoor thermometer). Also, In my application, would be nice if it could be mounted turned 90 degrees as all vertical surfaces are too close to door/window escaping heat.

I ordered this model on January 4, 2014. When it came I was frankly disappointed by it's cheap construction. It's almost as flat as a music CD, and paper light. Clearly, this product was built toward a profit margin rather than toward a standard of quality or accuracy.If your familiar with bimetallic strips, I'll explain that the strip is in the form of a spiral coil about the size of an American nickel coin. Say, 20 millimeters. The back of the coil is anchored to a kind of rivet in back, and the front of the coil is attached directly to the pointer needle in front. You can just see it in some photos. The mounting bracket is a flimsy metal band, though adequate for this need. It comes with two nails, but in retrospect I wish I has screwed the bracket down since, once nailed, it cannot be removed without tearing it apart.I quickly noted that the accuracy was very poor. It read high by five or six degrees Fahrenheit. That's quite a lot of error. I have been cross-checking it's accuracy against two linear thermometers, the kind with colored alcohol in a narrow glass tube. Both of my conventional thermometers (one also made by Springfield), are always in close agreement, differing by perhaps one-half degree.One reviewer mentioned that you can turn the "rivet" in back and make a course adjustment. I had not known this, but sure enough one can easily turn the back rivet to make course corrections. This eliminated the major error at a given point, but as to whether or not accuracy will be consistent and linear over a broad range is still unclear.I intend to monitor the thermometer for a few days and update my review with more detail on this point.A final detail worth mentioning; the metal bracket holds the thermometer between two plastic pegs sticking out of the housing at the top and bottom positions. These pegs are six-sided or hexagonal. The punched holes in the mounting bracket are also hexagonal. Thus, you can rotate the thermometer housing to several spaced intervals and still have it hold that position in moderate winds.Lastly, when I bought this thermometer earlier this month it was about $7. It is now about $10. All things considered, I suspect I could have spent a few dollars more for a much better thermometer elsewhere.Update: It's now January 12th, 2014. The weather here has remained consistently in the 40's so I am unable to report on this thermometers consistency over a wider range. I can report that for the past few days it has been accurate to about one degree. Not bad. One issue though; a day or so back, the sun came out here. Just a bit of feeble sun. I couldn't even feel any warmth on my hand. Nevertheless, my thermometer shot past 70 degrees even though the real temp was still in the 40's. This means that this thermometer MUST be shielded from direct sunlight. Otherwise, readings will be utterly meaningless.

This is my second one - same brand, original one bought at Walmart. Walmart doesn't have them anymore. Old one became unreadable because sun had deteriorated the plastic. Old one had 10 divisions on first 3 inches and 5 divisions on last two inches. This new one has 8 divisions on all five inches. What idiot thought that was acceptable? So each division = 1/8" = 0.125". Just had a light rain - gauge shows one and one-half divisions. That equals 1/8" + 1/16" = 3/16" = 0.1875". When my neighbor asks "How much rain did you get?", what do I tell him? I have to calculate the divisions each time so I know it was "slightly less than 0.2".

I have a couple of rain gauges, and this one records less rain that the others.

This works fine and was easy to mount, but somehow cracked after just a few days of being outside. I'm not sure what happened to it, but I was hoping it would be a little more durable.

These are nice and very readable, but the sun's UV rays turns the plastic from clear, to a very dark yellow which makes it hard to read. It also develops cracks from the sun as well. If you purchase this unit, plan on replacing it every year. I'm on my third unit in four years.

It works as a rain gauge in the ground but is a pain to hang up. I would not get it again.

I did not want to stick in the yard so I mounted on the picnic table, problem is that I have to unscrew the two screws to remove/empty. May just stick in the yard.+

The one I bought has showed 72 degrees (like their picture...ha ha) since I got it.) It reminds me of: "a clock that has stopped running is right twice a day..."

I really like the looks of this temperature gauge, but unfortunately, it doesn't record the temperature accurately, so it's absolutely useless.

The first one that was sent was cracked, but was replaced quickly. However, the thermometer doesn't appear to be accurate - especially when indicating outdoor temperatures. The size is great - easy to read - but the accuracy of it seems questionable.

This is a cheap, inexpensive thermometer and that's exactly what it is. The first arrived cracked because the plastic is thin. I wish I would've spent more to get a better quality one.

It would be great IFonly it were accurrate. It is usually reads anywhere from 3-5 degrees higher than the real temperature. It is easy to see and I have learned to just subtract 5 degrees from what it says, and I am okay with a ballpark number. But if you want to really KNOW for sure what the temperature is, then this is not the one or you. For the price, a ballpark number works for me but I would not buy it again.

Uh, well its mediocre at best. It tends to tell me its over 110 degrees outside when the temperature is actually 95. I posted it in the shade on my backyard fence. I think that the fact it has an open back contributes to the error in reading. Once the fence gets hot so does the thermometer, hence faulty reading. As long as the temperature stays in the 80's or below I think it will be ok. Unless of course the fence gets frozen this summer and then I may be getting a negative reading here in Northern Ca. Which actually doesn't happen.

Very inaccurate temperature readings. It is 10-20º off. I called my neighbor who has an outside thermometer, checked the Weather channel, and dug the old thermometer out of the trash (which was accurate, but got broken) and compared all. Right now it is saying it is 12º above the actual temperature. I see other reviews that say it is accurate, but I would not recommend it.

Broke after one day and I would argue big and bold is a misnomer. More like small and flimsy.

I like the readability, but not its inability to give an accurate reading of the temperature. I thought the old one at my parents house was innacurate due to age, so ordered a new one. New one is just plain inaccurate. It currently reads 75, and it's a rainy, cloudy day. Accuweather and weather.com both have temp at 69.

This product and the cheesy aluminum holder are about as cheap and low quality imaginable. Don't expect this to last long. First windy day or heavy rain will dash it to smitherines. Garbage!

It's fine for the $5 price I paid (but not worth more) however you don't want to mount it directly in the sun because when the sunshine hits it then the readings go way too high, otherwise if it's in the shade or morning time before sunshine it's accurate, it works fine and I like it and the shape is nostalgic, but it's really cheaply made thermometer, and because of that not worth more than the $5.99 I paid for it with free s&h.edit:2 years later, the needle is already sticking in certain spots, I had to spay silicone into the back coil to free it up, hopefully it will work another year... we'll see. Next time I will buy one that is made of better longer lasting quality.

I tested this thermometer against a known-accurate thermometer and this was way off. If I adjusted it for, say, 50 degrees, then it would be a few degrees off at 70. Adjust at 70, and now 50 is off. The display is nice and big and easy to read. The bracket is almost worthless since the tabs on the thermometer are held by tension, and a slight bump knocks it off. The whole thing is so cheap feeling that I didn't even bother putting it up. I'll probably just end up throwing it away.

The first one I bought only lasted a few months. It cracked. I bought another because the nails were set up already...the second one cracked in a few months. Dont waste your money

I gave this as a gift to my husband. We put it in the ground using the stake and it has already broke. It doesn't hold water anymore. We used tape to fix it, but I'm not sure how accurate it is now. Not a good quality rain gauge.

After a few months, it developed several small cracks in the plastic and now leaks. It will hold rain amounts below 1/2 inch, but any amount more than 1/2 inch will slowly leak out and give low readings. It worked well for a couple of months, but now I need to buy another one that is more durable. I'll probably try to find glass, as the clear plastic on this cheap one doesn't seem to be up to the task of withstanding the elements.

Tried this rain gauge as we track weather/rain for work. Have two other types (4 total gauges) also being used at the same time, and this one has proven to read consistently lower, so much so that I do not feel it is accurate. Hard to know for certain, and will move to a side-by-side location with one of the others and update review if readings change. It is currently only 50 or so feet from the others.

Specifically, I gave the gauge 2 stars because it's made of cheap plastic and easily cracks (that's what happened to mine). More generally, I have been disappointed with every AcuRite product I've purchase, which includes 2 different expensive weather stations neither of which measured rainfall accurately or forecasted accurately. I only mention this because AcuRite seems to me like a company which doesn't care enough about quality.

I loved that it was large and easy to read. Also liked that it could be mounted or put down into the ground for rain collection measurement. The down side is that my collection tube cracked during the first month and then water would slowly seep out, so no way to get accurate measure. I was initially impressed but expected to get more than a few weeks of service? I had inserted mine into the corner of my backyard raised beds garden with high hopes and not exactly sure what happened? Perhaps it's a manufacturing flaw or I just got a dud...went back to the tried and true glass rain gauge

I'm not the type to really review but this product amazed me with it's accuracy. I ordered two of the same product and when I opened it, I came to realize that for some reason one believed we were still in the summer, reading high 80's, while the other was caught up in Game of Thrones because "winter is coming" showing less than 60F. Definitely with this product, you get what you pay for. I'm not confident in it's quality enough to go outside, It's reading mechanism is so inconsistent, it's better just to use your phone if you really wanted to know the temperature outside. Unfortunate to say this but you prob couldn't even use this to read if its hot or cold outside.

Didn't even last 4 months and while it did it was very questionable whether it was accurate.Moved it to location away from house because I thought the ambient heat of the house was affecting but it had little effect. Always read 8-10 degrees higher then what it said when I looked it up online.

So far I really like this. I hung it up in my garage. Garage is 32 feel wide and I can see it no problem from the opposite side of the garage.UpdateAfter about two weeks I learned how inaccurate this thing is. 28 degrees outside and it is reading 50 .

Terrible. I was too late to return it. Hey, I know it's only ten bucks but hate getting ripped off. Temps are way off reading 20 to 40 degrees above the actual temp. High of 71 today but reads 103. Awful warm for 8 in the morning . I live in CT not Arizona.

What can I say. Piece of plastic China junk. Reads 10 degrees below actual temp ( used 3 known accurate thermometers, all read the same ). Don't buy it !

Thermometer is quite legible from across our patio, but has a somewhat cluttered layout. The mounting system leaves something to be desired; wind has blown down the thermometer numerous times. The packaging has a drill template, but screws are not included.

If I could leave negative stars, I would.They are crap, cheap plastic...and, oh yeah, they're broken.They've been reading 120+ degrees since I took them out of the box & unpackaged them 5 days ago.I'm not even wasting any more time to go through the hassle of returning them; just dumped them in the garbage.

The first one I got I opened the package and found the dial had fallen off the thermometer. Now 7 months later with the replacement the spring that moves the dial sticks in warm weather, so I have to tap the unit to see the correct temperature. I definitely do not recommend this item due to poor construction. Lesson learned--I should pay more for decent quality to begin with.....Caveat Emptor......

This is the biggest piece of you know what that you can buy. I have adjusted the temp setting 20 times and it still will not work! I do not normally complain but DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY!

Are you kidding me. Came in the mail reading 80 degrees. Put it up on the patio per instructions and it read 125 degrees. It has been for 12 hours and still reads 125 degrees. Its only 101 degrees. Delicate thermometer coil? Last a lifetime? Really? What is a lifetime? My thermometers lifetime as if you had immune deficiency and got a superbug and lasted 5 minutes. Buyer beware.

I purchased this Springfield thermometer to monitor the temperature in my newly insulated garage. I wanted to know if the temperature in my garage got below freezing because of some things I store in the garage. I became suspicious that the Springfield thermometer was inaccurate when the reading didn't change much when the daily temperatures changed quite a lot. So I put my refrigerator thermometer in the garage next to this Springfield thermometer. The readings were anywhere from 8 to 15 degrees different, with the Springfield thermometer remaining mostly unchanged while the refrigerator thermometer varied with the weather. I should have returned the Springfield thermometer, but in frustration I threw it into the garbage. Save your money and do not purchase this Springfield thermometer.

Unit looks nice and is easy to mount, however the unit was consistently more than 20 degrees off actual temperature .

I have purchased these gauges in the past. My old gauge had gotten too fogged from UV light to read easily, so I replaced it with one of these... to my un-delight. The manufacturer has changed the mounting hole distanced so the old screw holes don't align. And, also changed the diameter of screw that the newer hole will accept. And, the mold for the screw holes in hold sharp, so I had to cut out some flashing to get the unit to mount. Just not a good replacement for the old unit. I should not have to re-work the mount on the identical unit. I assume the fogging problem I had with my old unit was caused by the use of styrene plastic in the gauge rather than acrylic.... cheaper. Anyway, I modified and mounted it and will look elsewhere down the line if this needs replacing.

I put this gauge next to a standard tubular gauge so that I would have one that I could read from a distance. We have had some heavy rains and this gauge consistently read half the amount of the tubular one. It appears the designer/manufacturer (in China) had an unusually graduated ruler when creating the scale on the back of this gauge. (Design software or operator error?) Sticking a standard tape measure into the gauge shows that the half inch mark is one inch from the bottom. As it goes up, it allows for the taper but it is still not accurate. (See photo.) I thought I might be goofy since nobody else has commented on this. I like the gauge for its visibility from a distance. I guess I'll just have to double the reading to find out what the rainfall really was. Am I missing something?

Installed this in our tv at the end of July and it broke by the end of August. Not worth it!

Easy to read

Edited January 2016: the spike of this broke off two months ago. Buy one that doesn't have a plastic spike to jam into the ground. I think a stiff wind snapped it.mmmm, not that visible from afar, really. Might be 8 ft from my patio and the rainwater beading on it obscures the actual measured amount. But it was cheap and is a companion to a larger gauge. Maybe it it ever rains more than an inch here, it'll be more visible, but looking from our patio, all I saw was bubbles of rain on it.

After only owning this a week, I started out loving this product as it was easy to read the numbers, when I checked it last week I found it has a crack at the bottom which makes the product useless!