Healthsmart 30-second Vintage Style Digi

It was broken when I got it

We've had several times lately when electronic thermometers simply read "hi" if the person's temperature was over 103.0, & some of those weren't inexpensive, either. On top of that, if you're hunting for a thermometer that reads an actual fever over 103.0 (and babies & children tend to run high fevers), there's no way you can tell by the description if it just reads "hi" over a certain fever or if it actually reads a real number (like, for example, 103.8° or 104.2°) vs. "hi." When I saw this one, I realized I had a much better chance of it reading high fevers, since the scale on it went to 108.0 like the old mercury thermometers did. I only got one as I wanted to make sure it fit our needs. It didn't. I couldn't make it eork, neither my husband nor my son could, either. It's possible it needs a new battery, but good luck changing that...we all wear eyeglasses & have worked on simple things on our computers, so we have quite the collection of very small screwdrivers - NONE of them were small enough to open the battery case. It's more than likely the company broke it themselves...they tossed it in a box that would have fit a dozen, possibly more, of these in it - with NO PADDING WHATSOEVER. And they sent this by USPS, I believe, as I remember my son complaining about the mail carrier jamming things into the mailbox that were never intended to fit. In my experienfe, you OVER-PAD anything you send via USPS - you certainly don't put it in an empty box 12 times it's size with no padding!!! So. here I am, stuck with what may have started out as a working thermometer but certainly isn't one now (if it ever was). I couldn't change the battery without a tool that likely cost more than the thermometer, & if the tool is yhat pricey, I'd bet the battery is, too. I can't even send it back - my printer is broken which means I can't send this thing without paying UPS, the only place I can reach on my mobility scooter without getting rum over. My question for all who manufacture thermometers: Why don't you include minimum & maximum temperature info for those who need it? .

nerdse . Review provider: walmart.com